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Review and Herald, Vol. XXXI, No. 12

The Sermon.

Review and Herald

Third-day, March 3, 1868

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, March 3, 1868

The Sermon.

By John Nevins Andrews

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom:
PREACH THE WORD. 2 Tim. iv, 2.

THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS.

BY ELD. J. N. ANDREWS.
TEXT.— “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.” Rev. xix, 10.
“And I John saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book; worship God.” Rev. xxii, 8, 9.

I. Who is the personage that addressed these words to John?

It was the angel which showed him these things. Rev. xxii, 8. He was the angel that Jesus sent to give the book of Revelation to John. Rev. i, 1. He was the angel sent by the Lord God of the holy prophets. Rev. xxii, 6. He is Christ’s angel to testify these things in the churches. Verse 16.
But does he not call himself one of the holy prophets? And is not this proof that the ancient prophets who had been long dead were still in conscious existence and capable of communicating instruction to the people of God?
If it were true that this angel was one of the ancient prophets, it would not follow that the prophets are conscious in death. For two of them had been translated. Gen. v, 24; 2 Kings ii; Heb. xi, 5; Jude 14, 15. Also at the resurrection of Christ many saints were raised from the dead, and at his ascension went up with him. Matt. xxvii, 50–53; Ps. lxviii, 18; Eph. iv, 9, margin. The Lord employed his prophets while they were alive, and when they had served their generation, they fell asleep. When the Lord shall again employ them in his service, he will do it by awaking them to immortal life.
But the angel does not call himself one of the prophets. He designates himself thus:
  1. I am thy fellow-servant.
  2. And of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. Rev. xix, 10.
  3. And of thy brethren the prophets.
  4. And of them which keep the sayings of this book. Rev. xxii, 9.
If the angel is one of the ancient prophets, he is also one of those who keep the sayings of the book of Revelation. But the sleeping prophets are not doing this. They are not now overcoming; not now laboring; not now keeping the word of Christ’s patience; not now enduring tribulation; not now being faithful unto death; not now holding fast lest any take their crown; not now watching and keeping their garments; not now keeping any of these words of this book; for they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.
If the angel means to affirm that he is one of the prophets, he must also be understood as affirming that he is one of those that keep the sayings of the book of Revelation quoted above. This would be equivalent to asserting that the prophets are still upon probation, and still warring with the world, the flesh, and the Devil.
But this is manifestly false. And the careful reader will observe that such is not the statement of the angel. He indeed as much affirms that he is one that keeps the sayings of the book of Revelation, as that he is one of the prophets. But he does not affirm either of these things. He does not say, I am one of the prophets; I am one of those who keep the sayings of this book. Even those who contend that this angel was one of the old prophets must admit that the language here used is elliptical, i. e., it leaves the reader to supply from the connection certain omitted words. Now the question arises, What words did the angel omit in this statement which the connection will enable us to supply? Should it read thus in order to give the language without any ellipsis: “I am thy fellow-servant, and [I am one] of thy brethren the prophets, and [I am one] of them that keep the sayings of this book?” The insertion of the word “one” is not required by the context nor even justified by it; and if it be inserted it will prove that the angel who gave John the book of Revelation was actually at that time struggling against the various infirmities, weaknesses, and temptations that the servants of God are warned against in that book. Then it will not do to claim that this angel is one of the old prophets, or to insert the word “one,” in order to supply the ellipsis in his language.
But it is not difficult to supply that ellipsis from the context, and with that act to remove all appearance of difficulty from the text. The angel forbade John to worship him, because he was his “fellow-servant.” The important word then in this designation of the angel’s rank, is the word fellow-servant. So he makes it prominent in the first sentence, each time he forbids John to worship him; and in the sentences that follow, which really imply the repetition of the word each time, he omits it to avoid tautology. Let us supply this ellipsis or omission:
“See thou do it not, I am thy fellow-servant, and [the fellow-servant] of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; worship God.” Rev. xix, 10. “See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow-servant, and [the fellow-servant] of thy brethren the prophets, and [the fellow-servant] of them which keep the sayings of this book; worship God.” Rev. xxii, 9.
Thus the sense is perfectly plain; the angel must not be worshiped, for he is the fellow-servant of John, and of the prophets, and of those that obey the book of Revelation.
The personage who showed John these things was an exalted angel from the heavenly Jerusalem. If it is proper to express a conjecture relative to him, we may not be far from the truth in concluding from the wonderful similarity between the books of Daniel and Revelation, that Gabriel who gave that book to Daniel, is the angel who gave this book to John. It was Gabriel and Michael, i. e., Christ, who gave Daniel his wonderful book; it is Christ and his angel (shall we not say Gabriel?) who gives the Revelation to John. Compare Dan. x, 21; Rev. i, 1. See Thoughts on Revelation.

II. What is the testimony of Jesus?

An explicit answer to this question is given by the angel: “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Rev. xix, 10. But what is the spirit of prophecy? We shall best obtain light on this subject by comparing the two admonitions of the angel directed against the same act of John. “I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus.” Rev. xix, 10. “I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets.” Rev. xxii, 9.
We are justified, then, in understanding the term “spirit of prophecy” as denoting the gift of prophecy; for those who have the spirit of prophecy in the one case are termed prophets in the other. When the testimony of Jesus, or spirit of prophecy, is found in the church of Christ, there must be therefore the gift of prophecy manifested in that church. It is true that all are not prophets, but this gift is placed in the church by its great Author, to remain there till the end of human probation. Eph. iv; 1 Cor. xii.
The book of Acts shows what the church of Christ was in this respect in apostolic times, and what it ever should have been. But the great apostasy has done its awful work, not only against the law of God, but against the gifts placed in the church by its great Head. 2 Thess. ii; Dan. vii, 25.
The final war of Satan against the remnant churchis because they keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. xii, 17. We know by what agency the commandments of God are restored to the church in the last days. It is the third angel who accomplishes this work of restoration. Rev. xiv, 12.
And now is it not worthy of special notice that we live in the conclusion of all the great prophetic chains both in Daniel and Revelation? That we live at the termination of the great prophetic periods? That this generation has witnessed the promised signs of Christ’s second advent? That those now on the stage of action have heard the startling announcements of the first and second angels, and that the third angel is now proclaiming his message of awful solemnity? Rev. xiv. Thousands have heard this warning message and have turned their feet into the testimonies of the Lord to keep all his commandments. But with this work of restoring the commandments has been connected what has purported to be the gift of prophecy. Nay, it has ever had a controlling influence in this work from the beginning.
From the facts above referred to, it is evident that the present is the time for the genuine proclamation of the third angel. The commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus belong together. Shall we acknowledge the commandments of God to be all right, but attribute the spirit of prophecy to the Devil? The genuine are as intimately connected as the ark of God and pillar of cloud and of fire. It was not Satan that appeared in the pillar of cloud; for that was too closely connected with the ark of God. Can we not decide whether this work in these days is genuine or spurious? Our Lord tells us that we can know false prophets by their fruits. Matt. vii. Has their testimony borne grapes, or thorns, figs, or thistles? Has it been torn from the commandments of God like the spiritual gifts of the Mormons, or has it led them to keep all the commandments just as the genuine should? Has it led them to love or slight the Bible? Has it made men worldly-minded and covetous, or self-sacrificing and devoted in life and in substance to the cause of Christ? Has it led them to pride or to humility? to idleness, negligence, sloth and untidiness, or to industry, economy, frugality and neatness? Has it led either to formality or to fanaticism? Has it not with unsparing faithfulness rebuked wrongs wherever they have existed? Has it ever borne one evil fruit? Has it not borne the excellent fruits of righteousness all the way from the beginning of this work? Shall we say that Satan is its author? Shall we not rather say that it is the testimony of Jesus, the genuine spirit of prophecy?
If the testimony of Christ is confirmed in us as God would have it, we shall come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we are prepared for translation, we must have an interest in the truths which distinguish the remnant church; and these are the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus. Reader, will you have a part with this people in this precious truth, or shall it be with the host of the dragon when he makes war upon them?

LITTLE SINS.

By Vesta N. Cudworth

Little sins are often deemed Lighter than a bubble, But they bring long years of care, Full of guilt and trouble, Shutting earth's blest sunshine out, Its sweetest music hushing, And from our yearning lips, may dash Life's cooling waters gushing.
Then with cautious feet pass o'er, Life's frail bridges, spanning Waves, that grasp the unseen shore, And kiss its golden lining. Would'st thou walk its silver sands, And tell its blood-bought story? Step with care! for little sins Will bar the gates of glory.
May be thou hast safely passed, In thy weary counting; Every danger but the last, Still that not surmounting. Then in sight of Eden bowers Almost at the goal, 'Mid the perfume of its flowers Watch! for thou mayest fall.
VESTA N. CUDWORTH.
Springfield, Mass.

LIFE INCIDENTS.

By James White

BY ELDER JAMES WHITE.

CHAPTER FOUR.

Quarterly Meeting at Richmond.—Elder Rollins.—His Brethren close the Pulpit at the Village against me.—Most of the Ministers and Delegates go three miles to hear me.—A Wonderful Meeting.—Arrange for six Weeks' work in the limits of that Quarterly Meeting.—Meetings at Gardiner.—At Richmond Corners.—Clarke on Dan. vii.—At Bowdoinham Ridge.—At Lisbon Plains.—Parson Merrill opposes and is publicly rebuked by a Universalist.—Good reception at Bowdoin.—Meetings at Brunswick.—The power of singing at Litchfield Plains.—State of things at West Gardiner.—Return Home.—Rest, then come back to field of labor.
AFTER filling appointments at Gardiner and Bowdoinham, I returned to the Quarterly Meeting in Richmond. And as I entered the place of worship, Elder Rollins, who was seated beside the pulpit at the further end of the house, arose and said, “Bro. White, you will find a seat here by me.” After sermon, liberty was given for remarks, and I spoke with freedom upon the Christian life, and the triumphs of the just at the second advent of Christ. Many voices cried, “Amen! amen!” and most in that large congregation were in tears. The Free-will Baptists in those days were indeed a free people, and many in that congregation were exceedingly anxious to hear upon the subject of the advent. And as I spoke they seemed to be finding relief from their pent-up feelings in hearty responses and tears. A portion, however, seemed unmoved, unless it was to show in their countenances that they were displeased. Elder Rollins then informed me that his brethren had voted that I should lecture at that meeting, and the next day rescinded the vote. This displeased him much, and his statement explained to me the existing state of things. Near the close of that meeting, after getting my consent, Eld. Rollins arose and said, “Bro. White, who sits at my right side, will speak at the Reed meeting-house this evening, upon the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Come up, brethren, and hear for yourselves. We have sufficient room to entertain you all. Come up, brethren, it will not harm any of you to hear upon this subject.”
He had as much influence as any minister in that Quarterly Meeting, and, being disappointed and hurt that his brethren should vote me down, and shut the advent doctrine out of their meeting, was willing they should feel it. He very well knew that most of his brethren would leave their meeting in the village, and go three miles to hear me, and that their appointed business session would be broken up. And so it was. Three-fourths of the ministers, and nearly every delegate, left, and the Reed meeting-house, at an early hour, was crowded. My subject was Matt. xxiv. The Spirit of God gave me great freedom. The interest was wonderful.
As I closed with an exhortation to Christians to fully consecrate themselves, and be ready, and to sinners to seek Christ, and get ready for the coming of the Son of man, the power of God came upon me to that degree that I had to support myself with both hands hold of the pulpit. It was a solemn hour. As I viewed the condition of sinners, lost without Christ, I called on them with weeping, repeating several times, “Come to Christ, sinner, and be saved when he shall appear in his glory. Come, poor sinner, before it shall be too late. Come, sinner, poor sinner, come.”
The place was awfully solemn. Ministers and people wept—some aloud. At the close of every call to the sinner, a general groan was heard throughout the entire assembly. I had stood upon my feet explaining the chapter and exhorting for more than two hours, and was getting hoarse. I ceased speaking, and wept aloud over that dear people with depth of feeling such as he only knows whom God has called to preach his truth to sinners. It was nine o’clock, and to give liberty to others to speak, would be to continue the meeting till midnight. It was best to close with the deep feeling of the present moment, but not till all had a chance to vote on the Lord’s side. I then called on all in the congregation who would join me in prayer, and those that wished to be presented to the throne of mercy, that they might be ready to meet the Saviour with joy at his second coming, to rise up. Every soul in that large house, as I was afterward informed by persons in different parts of it, stood up. After a brief season of prayer, the meeting closed.
The next morning I returned to the village, accompanied by at least seven-eighths of that Free-will Baptist Quarterly Meeting. Every one was telling what a glorious meeting they attended the evening before. This did not help the feelings of the few who remained away, who had been instrumental in closing the pulpit at the village against the doctrine of the soon coming of Christ. Their course only increased the interest to hear me. The independent stand taken by Eld. Rollins resulted in their having a taste of that spiritual food for which they hungered.
At intermission, delegates and ministers invited me to join them in making arrangements as to time when I could lecture to the several congregations, in that Quarterly Meeting, who had commodious houses of worship. It was then in the middle of February, and it was decided that there remained not more than six weeks of fine sleighing, giving the people a good chance to attend meetings. Twelve of the most important places were selected for my labors in six weeks. I was to give ten lectures, which would require of me to speak twenty times a week. This gave me only half a day each week, which I generally found very necessary in traveling fifteen or twenty miles to the next place of meeting.
At Gardiner, near the river, Elders Purington and Bush were holding a protracted meeting with poor success, and were ready to hear me. So were most of the church. Some opposed, stating their fears that the advent doctrine would destroy their reformation. They had, after tugging at the wheel several days, on the third or fourth evening of their meeting, after inviting and coaxing for half an hour, prevailed on two persons to take what was called the anxious seat. In this, however, I saw no reformation to spoil. I told these ministers I was ready to commence my work. They hesitated. I proposed to go where the people were all anxious to hear me. They would not consent to have me leave. I waited one day longer, and spoke several times in social meeting. Many urged me to lecture. I sent them to the ministers. They labored with the opposition privately. Their meeting was becoming divided. I decided to bring the matter to the point of decision, so that I might at once enter upon my work, or leave the place. The ministers held on to me, and also labored with the opposition.
I finally stated before the entire congregation that I had been invited to the place; had been held there one day by their ministers and most of the congregation, waiting for a few individuals to consent to have me lecture; that I should wait no longer; that if I could not commence lectures that evening I should go where they wanted to hear; that I wanted a vote of the congregation. Nearly all voted for me to remain and commence that evening. The ministers said, “Go on with your lectures, and we will stand by you.”
As I took the stand that evening, I requested all who love Christ and the doctrine of his soon coming to pray for me, and I would excuse those who did not love him enough to wish to see him come in glory, from praying for me, as I thought they could to better advantage and profit pray for themselves. Every ear was open, and every heart felt. The Lord gave me perfect freedom in presenting proofs of the advent near, and in exhorting the people to prepare for that day. Many were in tears. I left the pulpit, exhorting the people and calling on them to come forward to the front slips. About thirty came forward. Many of them wept aloud. I turned to the ministers in the stand, saying, “These fears, expressed by some unconsecrated ones, that the glorious doctrine of the second coming of Jesus would kill a reformation, are from Satan. Do you think the work of reform has been injured here this evening?” “No! no! Go on, Bro. White, go on. The Lord is here.” This meeting, apparently, swept away all opposition, and the way was prepared for a good work. But other appointments would not allow me to remain longer than to give three or four lectures more. The protracted meeting then progressed with success.
At Richmond Corners I gave seven lectures in their new meeting-house, just dedicated, and at the close, two hundred arose for prayers. During the progress of the meetings, a Baptist deacon opposed. And when speaking upon Dan. vii, I stated that it was a historical fact that on Feb. 10, 1798, at the close of the 1260 days, Berthier, a French general, entered the city of Rome and took it, and that on the 15th of the same month the Pope was taken prisoner and shut up in the Vatican, and gave Dr. Adam Clarke as one of my authorities, an educated Catholic broke in upon me, charging me with falsehood, and offered me five dollars if I would read such a statement from Clarke’s comments on Daniel. With the promise that I would read Clarke the next evening, and by the entreaties and threats of his neighbors, this enraged Irishman was kept quiet.
The next evening I entered the pulpit with Clarke’s Commentary under my arm, and, after calling the people to order by singing an advent melody, read what Clarke had said upon taking away the dominion of the little horn, which fully sustained what I had stated the previous evening. I then offered the volume to any one who would see if I had read correctly, stating that I had not been to the trouble of going five miles for the Commentary, in order to claim the five dollars. That I chose to have the gentleman keep his money, and have the truth on the subject besides. He made no reply.
A gentleman of fine feelings and good influence in the community, who made no pretensions to piety, arose and said, “I wish to call the attention of this congregation to this one fact, that no persons in this community have manifested opposition to the lectures of Mr. White but a Baptist deacon and a Roman Catholic.” Many were converted in the vicinity, a strong company of believers was raised up, and a second-advent camp-meeting was held there in the autumn of 1844.
At Bowdoinham Ridge my labors were well received. A protracted meeting was being held with that church by Elders Quinman and Hathorn. They and the church fully co-operated with me, and a good work followed. On the last day I spent in this place I spoke forenoon and afternoon, then invited sinners to come forward for prayers, and joined in prayer for them. When we arose from our knees the sun was just setting, and I had sixteen miles to go to my next appointment, which was that evening.
A friend held my horse at the door. I had labored excessively, and was so hoarse that I could hardly speak above a whisper, and my clothes were wet with sweat. I needed rest; but there was my next appointment. The people would be together in about an hour, and I had sixteen miles to go. So I hastily said farewell to the friends with whom and for whom I had labored, mounted my horse and galloped away toward Lisbon Plains, in a stinging cold February evening. I was chilled, but there was no time to call and warm. My damp clothing nearly froze to me, but I galloped on.
As I rode up to the door of the house of worship, an aged Free-will Baptist minister was saying to the crowd, “I am sorry to say to the congregation that we are disappointed. The speaker we expected to hear this evening has not come.” And as he raised his hands to dismiss the people with the benediction, I cried, “Hold! I am here!” “Good,” cried the minister, and the people sat down. They had been waiting for me more than an hour.
With a few words of explanation of my late arrival, I commenced to speak, but I was so thoroughly chilled that my chattering teeth would cut off some of my words. However, I soon warmed up, and felt freedom in speaking. But where was my poor horse? His turn had come to be wet with sweat, and to shake with cold. A friend stood at the door watching for my arrival, who took the poor creature, and, as I supposed, took care of it. He simply tied it to the fence with a rope. Heated, wet, and without blanket, it had to stand in the keen wind one hour and a half, trembling with cold, until it was ruined. The next morning I saw in the poor creature a clear case of chest-founder. It is a shame to treat God’s poor creatures thus. I learned from this sad circumstance never to leave my horse without full directions as to its wants.
The large house of worship was crowded with attentive hearers three times each day, till my time came to hasten to the next place. On Sunday, the Presbyterian minister had thirteen hearers. On Monday, he came to hear me, and, as I passed down the symbols of Dan. viii, and began to apply the specifications of the little horn of that chapter to the historical facts of Rome, he broke in upon me, saying, “You mislead your hearers. Antiochus, and not Rome, is the subject of this prophecy.”
“Please wait, sir,” was my reply, “till I have finished speaking, then you can talk as long as the people wish to hear you. Be patient, and hear me while I show that Rome, and not Antiochus Epiphanes, is the subject of the prophecy.” The matter was made quite plain, and the minister was told that he could speak. He rose, but his subject was the temporal millennium. I had examined all his propositions and proof texts, which he tediously brought forward, in my first lecture. But it seemed necessary to briefly reply, notwithstanding it was little more than to repeat the same in the ears of nearly the same congregation. As I closed, a tall, rough-looking, red-shirted lumberman rose up in the house and said, “The difficulty with Eld. Merrill is that he is not ready, and is afraid the Lord will come.” The benediction repeated, the meeting closed. Good fruits followed in this place.
At Brunswick, I had a candid hearing in what was called Eld. Lamb’s meeting-house, a very large place of worship. My stay was brief, and most of the members of that numerous church were rich and worldly. They had not sufficient interest to even oppose me, so they heard me with a degree of apparent interest, amounting to a little more than curiosity, and let me go.
At Bowdoin, Eld. Purington received me as a brother, and stood by me till my work was done in that place. The large place of worship was crowded. The people listened with deep interest and feeling. The Universalists sent a few questions to the desk, in writing, which I enjoyed answering. Sinners manifested their desire for salvation, and those who loved Christ and his appearing, rejoiced in the advent hope and faith.
Litchfield Plains was my next place. The house was crowded the first evening. In fact it was with difficulty that I found my way to the pulpit. To call the people to order, the first words they heard from me were in singing, “You will see your Lord a coming, You will see your Lord a coming, You will see your Lord a coming, In a few more days, While a band of music, While a band of music, While a band of music, Shall be chanting through the air.”
The reader certainly cannot see poetic merit in the repetition of these simple lines. And if he has never heard the sweet melody to which they were attached, he will be at a loss to see how one voice could employ them so as to hold nearly a thousand persons in almost breathless silence. But it is a fact that there was in those days a power in what was called “advent singing,” such as was felt in no other. It seemed to me that not a hand or foot moved in all the crowd before me till I had finished all the words of this lengthy melody. Many wept, and the state of feeling was most favorable for the introduction of the grave subject for the evening. The house was crowded three times each day, and a deep impression was made upon the entire community.
West Gardiner was my next point. Eld. Getchel received me like a brother, and seemed to have a good interest in the subject. The people in this part of the town were nearly all Free-will Baptists. There had been one large church in the place, composed mostly of farmers possessing more wealth and intelligence than piety. A part of the church had wanted a popular minister, and because they were opposed in this by a more humble portion, drew off in a church by themselves, built a fine house, and employed a preacher that pleased them. Here stood, in full view, two Free-will Baptist meeting-houses, occupied each Sunday by two ministers of the same denomination, not always on friendly terms. It was a hard place to labor.
While the members of these churches had been occupied with the division in their midst, they had been destitute of the spirit of reformation, and their children had grown nearly to manhood without conversion. These were much affected by my lectures, and sought the Lord, while their parents seemed unmoved. I will leave this place, for the present, in my narrative, to return again, as I have something more to relate of the good work here in its proper place.
According to arrangements at the Quarterly Meeting at Richmond Village, I filled all my appointments, and saw in every place more or less of the work of God before I left. But the lectures were usually followed by protracted meetings, and large accessions were made to these churches. At the next Quarterly Meeting, it was publicly stated that within the limits of that Quarterly Meeting, one thousand souls dated their experiences from my lectures during that six weeks.
The second day of April, 1843, I mounted my chest-foundered horse, and started for my native town, much worn by the labors of the winter. The snow was very deep. My horse’s feet were, most of the time, while passing over the drifts, higher than the tops of the fence posts. My only suit of clothes was much worn, and I had no money. I had not received the value of five dollars for my labors. Yet I was happy in hope.
As I journeyed homeward, my horse became very much irritated with frequent turning out into the deep snow and sharp crust, in passing teams. Several times, while passing women and children he crowded nearly into the sleighs where they were. And fearing that he might seriously injure some one, I decided that it was safe for me, as teams approached, to dismount, crowd the horse out of the road, and hold him with a firm hand until they passed.
As I was entering the city of Augusta, a farmer was returning home with an empty hay-sled, drawn by six oxen. I chose to ride by this team. The driver sat on the fore part of the sled, and the oxen kept the middle of the road. On being crowded out of the road, my horse became very angry, and as the sled was passing, threw himself over the first set of stakes on to the sled. Seeing strong probabilities that I should be thrown on to some one of the second set of sharp stakes and killed, I sprang from the horse, quite over the stakes, into the deep snow on the other side. The team continued to move along with my horse fairly loaded upon the sled, and by the time I had rescued myself from the snow, was several rods from me. “Halloo,” cried I, “please stop your team and let me have my horse.” The good farmer stopped his oxen, and assisted me in unloading my horse, which, when I had mounted, galloped off as well as before.
Rain came on, and the firmly-trodden drifts became soft, so that my horse would, with my weight upon him, frequently sink to his body in the snow. I rode all day with my feet out of the stirrups, and as he would plunge into the snow, I would instantly slide off and relieve him of my weight, that he might better struggle out, or if he could not do this alone, assist him by lifting where most needed.
April 5. I reached my father’s house, and, after resting a few weeks, till the ground settled, returned to my field of labor, and was rejoiced to learn that the spirit of reformation had swept over the entire field. But the time had fully come for the people in farming districts to hasten out upon their lands, and I found but little chance to get a general hearing excepting on Sunday. However, I soon had a call to labor in East Augusta. The very interesting incidents of this meeting shall commence the next chapter.

CHRISTIANITY AND ITS ASSAILANTS.

During the eighteen hundred years of the existence of the true religion under the phase of Christianity, it has been attacked continuously and upon all sides with the vain hope of finding a vulnerable point in which it could be assailed and its vitality destroyed. The early persecutions under Nero and the Roman Emperors but revealed its wonderful cohesive power and strengthened the love of Jesus' followers for him and each other. All schisms and apostasies have merely refined the gold from the dross, and left true Christianity stronger than before. The attacks of modern times have fared no better. Paine's “Age of Reason” and the works of Voltaire are nearly forgotten, except as literary curiosities. Ever and anon some new attack is heralded with a great clangor of trumpets, as were the “Life of Jesus” by Strauss, and that of Renan, but they all meet the same fate—are read, exert their little influence for evil and are lost in oblivion. Christianity is the stronger for these attacks, which serve only to show wherein its defenders have failed in presenting its wonderful life-giving truths. As a lion rouses himself and shakes off the evening's dew, so Christianity is stronger, purer, and more aggressive to-day than if Paine, Strauss, et id omne genus had never made their vain attempts at its life.
He that will not permit his wealth to do any good to others while he is alive, prevents it from doing any good to himself after he is dead; and by egotism, which is suicidal, not only cuts himself off from the truest pleasure here, but from the highest happiness hereafter.
ACCORDING to Josephus, the Egyptian army which followed the Israelites into the Red Sea numbered two hundred thousand foot soldiers, fifty thousand horsemen, and six hundred chariots.

Scripture Notes.

THE JUDICIAL OATH.

DEUT. vi, 13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
Swear by his name.] ‘An appeal to God is the spirit and essence of an oath, no matter whether the appeal is made by putting the hand under the thigh, as among the Patriarchs; by the water of the Ganges, as among the Hindoos; on a surat, or chapter of the Koran, as among the Mohammedans; on a Heb. pentateuch, as among the Jews; on the form of the cross, as among the Romanists; kissing the New Testament, as among Protestants in general; or making affirmation according to a prescribed form, as among the Quakers—still the oath is the same, for the appeal is made to God. On this ground, the making affirmation in a court of justice, is as perfect, as substantial, and as formal an oath, as kissing the N. T. Why, then, so many objections against taking an oath by any one particular form, when it is taken in another?—Dr. A. Clarke.

AN HONOR TO BE A CHRISTIAN.

Deut. x, 31. He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.
Thy praise.] It is an eternal honor to any soul to be in friendship with God. Why are people ashamed of being thought religious? Because they know nothing of religion. He who knows his Maker may glory in his God—for without him, what has any soul but disgrace, pain, shame, and perdition! How strange is it, that those who fear God should be ashamed to own it; while sinners boldly proclaim their relationship to Satan.—Clarke.

FALSE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

Deut. xxv, 13–16. Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small. Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have; that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.
It is observable that these too common practices are branded as “Abomination to the Lord,” equally with idolatry, adultery, and other most scandalous crimes.—Scott.

FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY.

Deut. xxvi, 9. And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.
By a little and very venial poetical exaggeration, a land which abounds with liquids, may be said to flow with them. Honey might be said literally to flow from the rock, as the wild bees are wont (so Russell) to deposit it in the clefts and hollows of the porous rocks of Palestine, as now they do in the hollows of trees in the forests of the Western U. S. Dr. Prout has clearly proved that all the chief alimentary matters employed by man may be reduced to three classes, viz., saccharine, oily, and albuminous substances, the most perfect specimens of which are respectively, sugar, butter, and white of egg.—Lond. Quart. Rev. How appropriately beautiful, in this light, do Moses’ comprehensive descriptions of Canaan’s plenty, here and elsewhere, appear?—Jenks.

DUST FOR RAIN.

Deut. xxviii, 24. The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust; from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
A drought of this kind occurred in the time of Ahab. Jeremiah also laments one that was very terrible:Jer. xiv, and it is remarkable that this formerly fertile land is at present noted for its sterility; and is so thinly inhabited as scarcely to contain a hundredth part of its ancient inhabitants, even according to the largest computation!—Scott.
From Heaven shall it come down.] In those regions, in summer, unless it rains, a vast quantity of the finest dust is raised by the wind; this pervades everything, and is not only most troublesome, but destroys the crop.—Rosenm.

BLINDNESS OF THE REBELLIOUS JEWS.

Verse 28. The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart.
In the siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans this was the case, as appears from the history; but in that by Titus and the Romans, and in the subsequent conduct of the miserable relics of the Jews, their infatuation was so evident that every one who reads of their conduct must be convinced they were given up to judicial blindness and madness, or they never could have been so bent upon their own destruction. While, by their obstinate resistance to the Roman power, without the least prospect of escaping, they insured their own miseries; by their intestine rage, they became the executioners of the wrath of God upon themselves, almost saved their enemies the trouble of destroying them, and absolutely put it out of their power to preserve them.—Scott.

TERMS EXPLAINED.

Deut. vi, 1. Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
Here and in similar passages, the commandments seem to denote the moral law; the statutes, the ceremonial law; and the judgments, the judicial law.—Scott.
Continue reading: Battle Creek Bible Class, Feb. 22, 1868.