Review and Herald, Vol. 44, No. 4. (7/7/1874)

Review and Herald

Jul 7, 1874

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 7, 1874

Bishop Bickersteth upon the Second Advent.

By Bishop Bickersteth

Outline of a sermon delivered by the Bishop of Ripon, Dr. Bickersteth, in Doncaster Parish Church, England, November, 1873, to a congregation of 2000 persons.

“The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.” Isa. 21:11, 12.

There is some degree of obscurity in this passage which attracts curiosity to ascertain its true meaning. The literal interpretation appears to be this: Dumah was the same country as that of the Edomites, and Seir was one of the principal towns of the land of Dumah. One of the inhabitants of Seir is represented as asking of the watchman, who is the Lord’s messenger, “Watchman, what of the night?” The question may have been asked in a tone of derision, and in a spirit of unbelief, as if to inquire, Watchman, what of this tribulation, this judgment, of which you have so often spoken? We see no sign, no appearance: tell us, watchman, what of the night? Or it may have been asked in a spirit of honest inquiry, by one desiring to know whether the predicted tribulation or judgment was nigh. But whatever was the mind of the inquirer, the answer of the prophet is the same—“The morning cometh, and also the night; if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.” Now, the literal kingdoms or countries, or peoples in Scripture that were notorious for their wickedness, or hostility to the Lord’s chosen people of Israel, were typical of those who in every age are actively opposed to God and the truth. For example, the names of Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, and Edom were all names of literal kingdoms or countries, the inhabitants of which were opposed to the children of Israel and were the enemies of God’s chosen people. Hence it follows that the judgments which overtook these literal kingdoms may be regarded as symbolical of the judgments which will overtake the unbelieving and impenitent in the present age. That being so, the language of the text may be accommodated to the case as it now stands between God and his church on the one hand, and the unbelieving world on the other. Taking this as the interpretation of the text, let us consider the truth it unfolds and the lessons it suggests.

The purport, or, in prophetic language, the burden of Dumah was the message to the earth which has been delivered and heralded down from the earliest times. Again and again has it been reiterated; even our blessed Lord himself, through the messenger of mercy, declared the wrath which must overtake those rejecting the offer of the gospel. In the meantime, however, the question is asked, “Watchman, what of the night?” There are many who affect altogether to disbelieve the warnings of coming tribulation. They ask, “What of the night?” What of this tribulation so often spoken of, these coming judgments by which you so often try to persuade men? We see, as yet, no indication of the approaching consummation. The sun still shines in the heavens; the moon and stars still cross the vault of the mighty sky; where is the sign then of this coming tribulation? Where is the evidence that these judgments will overtake a slumbering world? Here is the reply, “The morning cometh.” What is the morning? The advent of the Son of man in his glory—the coming of the once crucified Saviour, now the glorified Immanuel—the coming of the same Jesus, who once trod this earth, who was rejected, crucified, and slain by ungodly men. He will appear in his glory, and will reign in his majesty over a regenerated world!

“The morning cometh,” but the scoffer replies, Where are the signs of His coming? All things continue as they were from the foundation of the world. But do all things continue as they were? Does not science itself—the chosen vantage ground from which the unbeliever hurls his fiery darts against Christianity—does not science teach that changes have occurred, and are, up to this very day, in progress, which refute the idea that all things continue as they were at the creation of the world? As by the word of the Lord, the old earth perished by the overflowing of the waters—and no one dare dispute that one world had perished by the deluge—so by the same word is the present earth now kept in store, reserved unto the fire and judgment of that great day.

“Watchman, what of the night?” may, however, be asked, not only by the scoffer and skeptic, but by the true believer in Christ. It is now the world’s long night. The personal presence of Him who is the light of man, and the Sun of Righteousness is withdrawn. The ark of the church is tossed to and fro by the storms of the sea. The waves of infidelity and of heresy dash against her sides in all their fury. As yet we cannot hear the sound of Christ’s chariot wheels. Is the Lord slack concerning his promise? Will yon heavens ever open and disclose the Son of man returning in his glory—the Messiah who once came as the world’s great Redeemer? Yes, “the morning cometh.” The promise will be fulfilled. Wait, for it will surely come. “Surely, I come quickly.”

There are prophecies which render it essential that the Redeemer should return in his glory. In many prophecies the sufferings and triumphs of the Messiah are linked together; and as the sufferings have been literally fulfilled, is it not necessary that the triumphs should be accomplished also? And the anxious inquirer naturally asks of the watchman, “Is the night far spent? Is the day soon to dawn? Is there any streak of light in the sky which indicates that the day is about to break, and that the Sun of Righteousness shall be revealed in his majesty?” The word of God states that it will break on the world suddenly, as a thief in the night. Suddenly the sound will be heard of the archangel’s trump, and the Son of man will be seen in the heavens, and Jesus will return in his glory. There are signs given by our blessed Lord himself, from the appearance of which his believing people may gather when the end is near. And surely these signs would not have been given if it were not intended that we should carefully mark and look for their occurrence. It is our duty to study these signs; so let us look at some of them to which our Lord has pointed our attention.

1. When our Lord was speaking of the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, the apostles asked him what should be the signs of his coming, and of the end of the present age or dispensation. One of our Lord’s replies was, “that the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.” Our Lord did not say that the gospel must first everywhere prevail, so as to cover the whole world with a knowledge of the Lord, but that the Lord should be everywhere preached for a witness. And how does it stand with respect to this at the present day? No period since the time of the apostles has been more remarkable than the present century for the extension of the Redeemer’s cause. For a long time previously, the church was culpably indifferent to the duty of striving to evangelize the world; but with the commencement of the present century, she seems to have awakened from her slumbers, and marvellously put forth, and more marvellously succeeded in her efforts to preach the gospel throughout the globe. There is hardly a kingdom on the earth where the message of the everlasting gospel has not been proclaimed, and there is hardly a language on the face of the globe into which the word of God has not been translated. Through the labors of one society alone—the British and Foreign Bible Society—the word of God has been translated into nearly two hundred different spoken dialects; and is not this something like hastening the fulfilment of this sign, “that the gospel shall be preached in all the world for a witness”? Matt. 24:14.

2. Again, in the book of Daniel we are told that many shall run to and fro, and that knowledge shall be increased at the time of the end. Is not one of the characteristics of the present age a remarkable facility for running to and fro, as evidenced by the extraordinary power for locomotion? Probably it would be true to say that in this empire, in twenty-four hours millions run to and fro. We have girded the earth with our iron highways, and if there is one marvel more than another, it is the way in which multitudes from the very ends of the earth are availing themselves of this rapid locomotion. Then, knowledge shall be increased; and is not this a characteristic of our own time? What prodigious strides have been made in the march of science! Nature seems to have unfolded her secrets to the research and diligence of those who have applied their energies to scientific knowledge. Science has pierced the planetary world, has cast a measured line round the circumference of the earth, taught men to paint with the sunbeam, and to use the lightning of heaven as a means of conveying messages with the speed of thought. Surely, the characteristics of the present age are a running to and fro and an increase of knowledge. Dan. 12:1–4.

3. Another sign of the time of the end is predicted in Luke 21:25, 26, “Distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” And what is passing at the present day? Public commotion and tumult, perplexity and distress, men’s hearts failing from fear—the overthrowing of dynasties, open rebellion against constituted authority, and indifference to all lawful governments. Some men say we are on the eve of a great crisis: that we are approaching some great consummation; and Scripture informs us that this consummation is the coming of Christ in his triumph and glory.

The apostle Paul, when writing his first epistle to the Thessalonian Christians, insisted at length (in every chapter) on the Lord’s second coming. The prominence then given to this doctrine led to a mistake and misapprehension. The Thessalonians thought that Christ was about to reappear. To correct this mistake, the apostle wrote his second epistle, and in the second chapter he gave a remarkable prophecy of the great mystery of iniquity which has already begun, but which he declares must be fully developed ere the Son of man would return in his glory. Consequently the remarkable development of the papal apostasy is a very notable sign of the times, for it might be concluded that it had been greatly developed when they found the head of the Roman Catholic church assuming to himself one of the inherent qualities of Jehovah, and blasphemously laying hold of the attribute of infallibility. It seemed almost the culmination of the mystery of iniquity which the apostle declared must first come to an end before the Son of man should come in his glory. In the meantime God was accomplishing the number of his elect from different parts, and from many parishes in our own dear land they are being gathered, and soon the day will come when the Son of man shall reappear. “Behold, the morning cometh!” The numbers who have thus been awakened in recent mission services might be taken as an indication of the gathering together of God’s elect, which was to be the harbinger of the return of the Saviour in his glory.

Let the anxious believer, therefore, take courage. “The morning cometh,” and Him “whom not having seen, we love” will ere long return in his majesty. “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we appear with him in glory.” But the night also cometh. Ah! what of the night? the dark, black, and horrible night! Listen to the message that sounds in your ears, “If ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.” Inquire of the Book which says, “Come, now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. He that heareth my word and believeth on Him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life; and him that cometh unto me, saith the Saviour, I will in nowise cast out. John 3:18; 4:37.—Signs of Times (London).

I SHALL IN HIS PRESENCE REST.

“My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” Ex. 33 : 14.

Cheering words! how full of comfort! How they calm my troubled breast! They amid each scene of trial Give my spirit constant rest.

Great afflictions then may press me, Anguish deep may fill my heart, And life's heavy griefs distress me, Still will they sweet peace impart.

Death's dark valley may alarm me When its shadows round me fall; But its dangers cannot harm me, Christ will lead me safe through all.

Yes, his smiles give joy in sorrow, Heal my pain, my griefs control. Bid me tread death's dreary valley With a firm, unfaltering soul.

When I reach the promised Canaan, That rich land where all are blest, Free from toil and pain forever, I shall in his presence rest.

—Sel.

The Good Influence of a Schoolboy

A THOROUGHLY good boy in a school is doing more good than he will ever know. We do not care to tell him, if we could, just how much good his behavior and words and sincere prayers and general example are effecting; but it is good to think of it. It makes us almost wish we might have a chance to have our boyhood over again, and try it with a clear start and go straight through. A writer in a recent number of Blackwood’s Magazine says of the famous school of Dr. Arnold, at Rugby, England, that, after all, the religious element which showed itself there in those days was not so entirely due to his own influence as some have supposed. The best helper he had was in one of his boys—Spencer Thornton. That great teacher spoke of him afterward as “a blessing to the school.” “Your son,” he wrote to his parents, “has done good to the school to an extent that cannot be calculated.” Religious, straightforward, upright, pure, generous, resolute, gentle—he was the face of honesty itself. Without either of them knowing how it was done, he was continually causing other lads to grow ashamed of vice and athirst for a good conscience and a right character.

Provocation Cannot Justify Sin

PROVOCATION to sin can never justify the commission of it.

The Kingdom of God

By Joseph H. Waggoner

The Kingdom of God.—No. 14.

The subject of the priesthood of Christ is closely related to that of the setting up of the kingdom of God. A correct understanding of the one guides to a correct understanding of the other.

We have found in our examination of the Scriptures that the Son of God occupies, at different times, two thrones: One, the throne of his Father in Heaven; the other, the throne of his father David. The latter was cast down, overturned, and is so to remain until it is given to Him “whose right it is,” as the son of David. The throne of God in Heaven was never cast down; it could not be overturned. On the throne of his Father in Heaven he is to sit until his enemies are made his footstool, when he will “deliver up” that dominion “to God, even the Father,” and return to take vengeance on his enemies. On the throne of his father David he will sit forever, and his reign there will have no end. To apply all these declarations of Scripture to one and the same throne is utterly impossible.

On one of these thrones and in one of these dominions Christ acts as a priest. This is admitted by all. But of late years a controversy has sprung up as to which it is. The fact that this controversy is modern in its origin shall make no difference with us. We do not inquire which is the older view, or which has been commonly accepted, but which is the true one.

It has been proved that the new covenant is now of force, as it was ratified by the death of Christ. Heb. 9:16, 17. His blood is the blood of the new testament, or covenant. Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25. Both covenants were dedicated with blood. Comp. Ex. 24:3–8, and Heb. 9:11–22.

Every scripture expression concerning the priesthood of Christ shows that he is now the mediator of the new covenant. “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant.” Heb. 8:6. “He is the mediator of the new testament.” Chap. 9:15. He has entered “into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Verse 24. This is still more fully shown in those passages which speak of the nature of his priesthood.

Christ was called a priest after the order of Melchisedec and not after the order of Aaron. Heb. 7:11. Although the offerings made by Aaron were typical of Christ, and Aaron himself was a type of Christ, they were not of the same order. The differences in their priesthood are so many and so great that it is not possible that they should be of the same order. In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul points out these differences, showing wherein the priesthood of Christ could not be perfectly represented by that of Aaron and his sons.

They had to make offerings for their own sins; but he is without sin. Heb. 4:15; 7:26, 27.

They continually offered the blood of sacrifices which could not take away sin; but he offered himself once, making an offering which perfects the worshipers. Heb. 7:27; 9:12–14, 25; 10:12, 13.

They could not continue by reason of death; but he ever liveth to make intercession for us. Heb. 7:23, 25.

With them the priesthood descended from father to son; but his is unchangeable. Num. 3:10; Heb. 7:24.

Their priesthood was in the earthly sanctuary; but his priesthood cannot be on earth. Heb. 8:4, 5.

And the reckoning of their genealogy was essential to their being admitted to a discharge of the duties of the office; but no priests traced their genealogy to the tribe from which he sprang. Heb. 7:13, 14.

They did not unite royalty with their priesthood; but he is both king and priest.

Now as Aaron could not typify the priesthood of Christ in these respects, Melchisedec is presented in the Scriptures to make up this deficiency. Said Paul, “For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” Heb. 7:1–3.

The record in Genesis gives us to understand that he was a real personage; as much so as Abraham, who gave tithes to him. And he can only be said to have been without parents, &c., because there is no genealogy of him given in the records, in contrast with Aaron and his sons, whose genealogy had to be carefully preserved. That this method of expression was common among the Hebrews, we have the best authority to show. Says Dr. Clarke, “He who could not support his pretensions by just genealogical evidence, was said by the Jews to be without father. . . . This sort of phraseology was not uncommon when the genealogy of a person was unknown or obscure.”

The translation of the text from the Syriac is as follows: “Of whom neither his father nor his mother are written in the genealogies; nor the commencement of his days, nor the end of his life; but, after the likeness of the Son of God, his priesthood remaineth forever.”

Wakefield renders it, “Of whose father, mother, pedigree, birth, and death, there is no account.”

The Rhemish N. T. has the following note: “Without father, &c. Not that he had no father, &c., but that neither his father nor his pedigree, nor his birth, nor his death, are set down in the Scriptures.”

Comprehensive Com. “The commentators generally agree that what is meant is, that his name is not preserved, or the names of his parents, in the sacred genealogies.”

The record in Genesis gives us no information in regard to Melchisedec further than that he was king of Salem and priest of God. Many conjectures have been put forth relative to him; some suppose he was Shem. But all such conjectures must be vain, as it was evidently the design of the Scriptures that it should not be known who he was. If it were possible to ascertain this, if his genealogy could be traced, his priesthood would no longer represent that of Christ, according to Heb. 7:1–3, &c. In his priesthood he has neither father nor son; that is, he has neither predecessor nor successor in that office. He has neither beginning of days nor end of life; that is, his office did not come to him because he was born of a certain line—it was not of descent; nor does death cause a cessation of his ministry, as was the case with all of Aaron’s order.

The apostle having shown that the priesthood of Christ is not after the order of Aaron, but of Melchisedec, pointed out the differences of the two; and having specified the peculiarities of the Melchisedec priesthood, sums up his argument in the following manner:—

“Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the Heavens.” Heb. 8:1.

Both the form of expression and the fact stated show that this applies to the present time; that the priesthood of our Saviour is in the present dispensation. “We have such an high priest”—not shall have in the future. “He hath obtained a more excellent ministry, . . . he is the mediator of a better covenant,” not will obtain, nor will become a mediator. He has entered into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. This is decisive. As surely as he has entered into Heaven itself, so surely has he gone to appear before God as our priest, or mediator.

But Paul says, We have an High Priest on the throne of the Majesty in the Heavens; and this is “the sum” of his remarks on the Melchisedec priesthood. Melchisedec was both king and priest; so our High Priest is on a throne. If not, he would not be a priest of that order.

The position or place of our High Priest in his ministry is shown in the prophecy of Zechariah. He says: “Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord; even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”

It is impossible to make this Scripture apply to the reign of Christ on the throne of David. Two persons are here spoken of: the Branch, which is Christ, the Son of God; and the Lord or Jehovah, the Father and the Son. Now if we substitute these names for the pronouns in verse 13, it will read: And the Son shall build the temple of the Father; and the Son shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon the Father’s throne; and the Son shall be a priest upon the Father’s throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. This scripture is fulfilled in the present position of our Melchisedec priest, “who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the Heavens.” Heb. 8:1. Jesus himself testifies to his position, in Rev. 3:21, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” And as the counsel of peace is between them both, during his priestly rule on the throne of his Father, therefore he is at once “King of peace, and priest of the Most High God.” He has now “our peace,” because as mediator he reconciles us to God, and gives repentance and the remission of sins.

But none of the scriptures which we have been examining will apply to the position and office of Christ when he sits on the throne of David. Aaron had no kingship with his priesthood, and David had no priesthood with his kingship. Melchisedec united both in one. Christ is not a priest after the order of Aaron. So Paul explicitly affirms in Heb. 7:11. And he surely cannot be a priest after the order of David, for there is no such order of priesthood.

The truth so plainly stated by the apostle, that there is no genealogical reckoning in the priesthood of Christ, is fatal to the theory that he is to be a priest on the throne of David, as his genealogy as the son of David is as necessary to prove his right to that throne, as the genealogy of a Levite was necessary to enable him to occupy the priest’s office.

But we need not pursue this thought further. So far as proof is concerned there seems really to be but one side to the question. As surely as Christ is now on his Father’s throne so surely he is a priest; and as Paul says he is not called a priest after the order of Aaron, but is after the order of Melchisedec, it is positively shown that he is now a priest of that order. But it is also clearly shown that he cannot be a priest on the throne of David, as both the types and the plain declarations of Scripture forbid it.

We are inclined to think that they who argue that Christ is not now a priest after the order of Melchisedec, but that he will be such a priest on the throne of David, look more to the effect that the decision of this question will have upon other parts of their theory than to the evidences by which it is decided. At the same time, they seem to overlook the effect it must have on our relations to the gospel plan. For, as Christ is not called a priest after the order of Aaron, but of Melchisedec, if he is not now a priest after the order of Melchisedec he is not a priest at all; and then we have no priest, no intercessor, no mediator, no one to grant repentance and the remission of sins. And then it is not truth that Christ is entered into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us!

We are thus particular to notice this subject because of the conclusion which has been drawn from the position that Christ is not now a priest after the order of Melchisedec. They who thus argue, who claim that this priesthood will be on the throne of David in the future, endeavor thereby to maintain the erroneous view that there will be probation to the nations of the earth after the second advent of the Lord. But if we have succeeded in establishing our positions thus far, that view cannot be true. Indeed, the one point alone of Christ being now a priest on the throne of his Father in Heaven refutes that error.

But as many are deceived by that theory, and are led to neglect present truth and present duty, under the delusive hope of a better chance in the future, it may be well to notice this point more directly than we have yet done. We have endeavored to show that the following positions are true:—

1. The work of subduing the enemies of Christ or of making them subject to him, which they claim will be accomplished in the future age, will be done before the second advent. The Father puts them under his feet, or makes them his footstool, and he will sit at the right hand of the Father till that work is accomplished.

2. The most clear and definite prophecies point to the coming of Christ as the time when his enemies will be dashed in pieces, and “all the kingdoms of the world which are upon the face of the whole earth,” will fall in “the battle of the great day of God Almighty,” to rise no more. This battle will be fought under the pouring out of the seventh plague, under which also Christ will come. It is under that plague that the voice of God will be heard, which will shake heaven and earth. At that time “the wrath of the Lamb” will be manifested, for he will come “taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel.”

3. The old covenant is passed away, and cannot be renewed. And if it could be renewed it would be of no avail, as it never did take away sin, its offerings being only typical and shadowy. Compare Heb. 9:15 and 10:4.

4. The new covenant is now in force, being ratified by the death of Christ. It was dedicated with his blood; and by that blood he has entered into the sanctuary in Heaven as minister of the new covenant. And his priesthood on his Father’s throne must cease when he leaves that throne, as he then comes to take vengeance on his enemies. Hence the blessings of the new covenant can only be secured in this dispensation, while Jesus is officiating as mediator before the Father.

We have briefly noticed the objection (for it is only that) which assumes that God’s justice can only be vindicated by giving the nations of the earth, and especially the heathen, a better chance than they have in this dispensation. Of course that view makes it necessary that the heathen of past generations should have the same opportunity; and that would demand that the nations of the dead should be raised to another probation!

But every one must see that a restoration to probation under the present gospel system and gospel means would be no more effectual for their salvation than it is at present. The advocates of future probation, known as teachers of the “Age to Come,” recognize this fact also. Preachers of that doctrine have been known to state publicly that a new system of probation, under more favorable circumstances, must be established to save the nations of the earth! This, of course, is an impeachment of the present gospel plan; its failure to save all the nations is thus made the fault of the gospel, and not the fault of those who “put it from” them. A new system of probation is nothing less than “another gospel,” and that is precisely what the Age to Come is. J. H. WAGGONER.

Looking Back.

By J. Sawyer

“REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE.”

The history of Lot and his family is brief. It appears from the account that he separated his flocks from Abraham’s, and chose the fertile valleys of Sodom and Gomorrah. The fact that the people of Sodom were great sinners he must have overlooked in his anticipation to increase his flocks by the rich pasturage of the plains before him. He might have desired wealth and influence. He probably was a man of influence, for it is said: “He sat in the gate of Sodom.” He was a righteous man also, and daily felt pained at the conversation of the wicked. God saw that he had a mind to serve him, and sent angels to warn him of the approaching destruction of the city in which he dwelt.

Being aware of the destiny of the city, he left his business and warned the people. But they mocked him. They attempted even to destroy the personages who gave him the intelligence. The warning developed the true character of the men of the city. There was no willingness in them to accept the heavenly message.

When the Son of man is revealed, it will be just as it was in Sodom. We are admonished beforehand to remember Lot’s wife.” Situated as the people of God will be in the last generation, there will be danger of loving the world as Lot’s wife did, and of perishing even amid all the array of truth. “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

Let us inquire into the cause of Sodom’s overthrow: “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness in her and her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. Eze. 16: 49.

In the catalogue of Sodom’s sins, pride came first. The earth is now filled with pride all along up, from the beggar to the prince.

“It flaunts in rags or flutters in broche.” It is a god of the world and a bane of the church. It creeps into the fold of Christ and stays until by formality and extravagance

it drives out spirituality. It appears like a sheep at first, but finally it has a wolf’s clothing.

Fullness of bread was the second sin of Sodom. Powerful armies, immense navies, monied corporations, millionaire’s stocks, inflated insurance companies, combinations of railroad companies, of manufacturers, of mechanics, of tradesmen, of farmers, &c., speak out with a spirit of independence, saying, “We have enough,” we can take care of ourselves. Common laborers even have this self-sufficient spirit, and we often hear of “strikes” both in the old and new world. The spirit of “we have enough,” and unless you give us our wages, we will not work; and unless you give us our price, we will not sell—such a spirit of self-sufficiency pervades all classes. With mammoth storehouses filled with grain, rich mines of precious and useful metals, endless resources of fuel, methods of communication and commerce that would defy fire, famine, or flood, science and art that would attempt to outwit the war of elements in nature; all these, in the way they are used, are ranking the world in the second sin of Sodom.

Sodom’s third sin was abundance of idleness. It has come to pass that many view labor as degrading. They loiter away time, and when the position of honor fails them, resort to stratagem, deceit and crime to keep up appearances. Their minds are idle, and the great enemy makes them his workshop. Many, having abundance, move into cities and spend their days in jovial ease, supporting saloons, billiard halls, theaters, studying every plan to gratify pride and appetite.

Take the city of Chicago for an example. In one of the large billiard rooms you will doubtless find every Sunday evening more male persons between the ages of fifteen and forty years, than could be found at any regular meeting of any religious congregation in the city. Could the walls of her twenty-three hundred licensed liquor shops and numerous tobacco stores cry out, they could say: In Chicago is abundance of idleness.

The fourth sin of Sodom was failing “to strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” In this, the world may not yet have attained to her awful guilt. The spirit of benevolence and pity are yet in the land. How glad we are that the angel of mercy still lingers. But the selfishness and covetousness of the age, are fast eradicating a proper respect for the worthy poor.

Heavenly messengers announced that Sodom must be destroyed for its wickedness. Lot’s wife had assurance of the holy character of her visitors. A miracle was wrought in her presence.

In the last days, the evidence of retribution will also be plain. God’s word describes the landmarks in the time of the end. A wayfaring man need not err.

The Sodomites were very indifferent about the warning. Things seemed to them as usual. “They did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded, but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

Having a true knowledge of his condition, it was a serious matter for Lot to disregard the solemn injunction. Said the angels: “Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here: lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold of his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountains lest thou be consumed.”

When Lot and his family were out of the city they were thrown upon their own resources. Their faith was put to a test. Whether it was the persuasion of his family we know not, but he was not ready to obey the injunction. Had he been willing to move right along according to the direction of the angel, Satan might not have been allowed afterward to bring a deception upon him, which resulted in shame to his family and visited disgrace on his posterity for ten generations. The Lord knew what was best for him. He knows what is best for us; and when he directs his people to go forward, it is best to heed his word.

Was Lot afraid of the wild beasts up in the mountains? Did his wife and daughters think they would starve up there? Says he: “I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me and I die. Behold now this city is near, and it is a little one; Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”

What his object was in thus reasoning we know not, but the sequel shows that this little city was no place for him. “And Lot went up out of Zoar . . . for he feared to dwell in Zoar.” He might have reasoned thus: You can spare a life of these sinners, such as are in this little city, and here will be comfortable quarters for my family. He forgot that the wicked in Zoar would soon vex him as the wicked had in Sodom. The wicked will always vex the righteous.

When the Lord finally pours out his wrath upon the ungodly, there will be no such chance for parleying. The last generation who have had the great light of former generations, cannot have a little city to flee into. Agag and the best of the sheep cannot be spared then. The people of God must move forward, or the fate of Lot’s wife will be theirs. She was told to escape to the mountains and not look behind, but she disobeyed; she looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. Sodom and Gomorrah were turned into ashes, and the barrenness of the once fertile plains around them became a constant reproof unto all who afterward lived ungodly. The Dead Sea now occupies the most of the ground where those cities stood. Its waters are so poisonous that fish cannot live in them. The very air around the sea is infested with malaria.

The sad fate of Lot’s wife came from looking back. She lacked decision of character. She must have been a fair-weather Christian. Safety was in the mountain before her; but her heart was in the city behind her. Here I am, thought she, faint and weary on this plain, while back there in my parlor are nice couches; and then two of my children are yet behind me. I will just rest a little and see if anything is yet happened unto the city. Perhaps she reasoned in this way. But her looking back was a fearful enchantment.

It may do to think of the past when we call to mind the mercy of God in delivering us from some snare or pit; but to look back with curiosity to examine the place from which we were taken, to see if there be not some place of terra firma in it, is a dangerous presumption. The safe rule is given by one of experience: “But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” J. SAWYER.

Battle Creek, Mich.

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