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Review and Herald, Vol. XXX, No. 23

THE PLACE AND TIME OF RECOMPENSE.

Review and Herald

Third-day, November 19, 1867

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, November 19, 1867

THE PLACE AND TIME OF RECOMPENSE.

By J. W. Raymond

BY ELD. J. W. RAYMOND.
TEXT.—“Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner.” Prov. i, 31.
Much has been said and written upon the subject matter involved in our text. Labored sermons have been preached and lengthy disquisitions written, upon the solemn theme of the reward of the righteous and wicked, both as to time and place. And yet, behold the confusion which still exists relative to this momentous subject. But notwithstanding this, our text, in harmony with the whole tenor of the Bible upon this topic, stands forth clear and unequivocal, and being, unlike some other portions of the Word, unconditional, it will be fulfilled just as it stands, so that it shall prove true in the end that the righteous and wicked are recompensed in the earth.
Our text speaks of the recompense of both the righteous and wicked; and as these two classes comprise the whole human race, we are all of necessity included, and should feel deeply interested in this subject. Give us then your close and prayerful attention while we investigate it. And it is certainly commendable for us to acquaint ourselves with all that the Book of God has disclosed upon this interesting theme. And this scripture is not among those secret things that belong alone to God, which we are sometimes charged with prying into, but among the things revealed, which Moses says (Deut. xxix, 29), “belong unto us and our children forever.” Consequently we may feel free to proceed to an investigation of it, even though it should carry us beyond the precincts of time.
It being true that the righteous and wicked are to be recompensed, there must of necessity be a place where and a time when that recompense shall be meted out to them. And as an understanding of the place of reward will greatly facilitate our arrival at a knowledge of the time thereof, we call attention to this point first.
And do you inquire, where and when will the righteous and wicked be recompensed? Our text lifts its voice and declares the place definitely, and the time indefinitely. It announces the place of recompense definitely in that it declares in the most unequivocal terms that it shall be in the earth. Let this then stand as a fixed fact. It declares the time indefinitely, in that in declaring that it shall be in the earth it must be sometime during the earth’s existence.
But there are those who tell us that at the coming of Christ the earth is to be destroyed, and at the same time discard the idea that the righteous and wicked are recompensed in this life. Now if all this be true, where and when shall we locate our text? Or, in other words, if the righteous and wicked are not recompensed in this life, and there is no future for the earth beyond our present existence, when will it become true that the righteous and wicked are recompensed in the earth, as Solomon declares they shall be? Let those who have been wont to repudiate our views of the earth’s future existence, ponder well upon this point. And may the Lord bless them with understanding hearts.
We shall now claim that but one of three positions can be taken with respect to our text: 1. That it relates to this life; 2. That there is a future for the earth beyond this life; or 3. That it is untrue.
The last of these positions we may readily dismiss to the satisfaction of all believers in the Bible, and come to a consideration of the remaining two.
1. Does it relate to this life? There are those who claim that it does. We think this point may be determined with certainty. And we would here call attention to the fact that when the righteous and wicked receive the recompense for their deeds at the hand of God, it will be according to their deeds. The Scriptures prove this. “Who will render to every man according to his deeds.” Rom. ii, 6. “And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. xxii, 12.
But will this fact hold true in reference to this life? If not, then the position that our text relates to this life is untenable. But how shall this be determined? The Bible is very clear upon this point; but let us first consider it in the light of the fact, that there are but five ways in which human beings can be recompensed, viz.: in person, in estate, civilly, in reputation, and in conscience. But are the righteous and wicked recompensed in this life in the above ways according to their deeds? Let us briefly consider.
1. In person. By this is meant what a person may enjoy or suffer physically. And if we are here recompensed for our deeds in this way, we should find the righteous, on the one hand, free from physical suffering, proportionate to their righteousness, and the wicked on the other, suffering physically according to their wickedness. But who does not know that this is not true? And who has not known of those who have lived scores of years in violation of God’s holy law, that have been comparatively free from physical suffering and finally passed away in comparative ease there having been, as David expresses it, “no bands in their death;” while others who have faithfully lived out the best light they had from God’s word have suffered in person beyond description. But just confront this spectacle: Look at the millions that died martyrs for the truth of God at the hand of the Papacy during its 1260 years’ reign. And were these either the one or the other recompensed in person according to their deeds? Most assuredly they were not.
2. In estate. By this is meant what one may possess of this world. But are the wicked the indigent of the earth, and the righteous the opulent, the one according to their wicked, and the other their righteous doings? Such should be the case if we are recompensed for our deeds in the above way. Hear David: “For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.” Ps. lxxiii, 3, 7. Now listen to James: “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith,” &c. James ii, 5. These scriptures present the rule applicable to this life, to which, of course, there are exceptions; but if recompensed in the above way the opposite should be the rule without an exception.
3. Civility. And certainly no one will claim that civil justice is always meted out; hence we pass this point.
4. In reputation. And are the righteous always treated with strict veracity, while the wicked are slanderously reported? Hardly. I hear righteous David saying, “False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.” Ps. xxxv, 11. And we hear Jesus speaking to his children and saying: “Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” Matt. v, 11. And certainly our Saviour here recognizes the existence of what would be perfectly incompatible with the idea that we are here recompensed in the above way.
5. In conscience. And perhaps some are anxiously waiting to put in the claim that here is a secret apartment in this subject where all the anomalies of the preceding points are rectified and made up. But such a claim is both unreasonable and unscriptural. It is the very nature of sin to harden, to sear the conscience. And if you would witness the lashings of remorse on the conscience, behold it in the case of the tender-hearted, conscientious child of God as he may,through the pressure of manifold temptations, depart from the path of duty and rectitude. While on the other hand, would you see those who suffer little or no compunction, behold it in the cases of those who have continued years in high-handed rebellion against the Lord. In short, is not the tone and working of conscience expressed in these words: sin less, and feel more; sin more, and feel less.
But the word of God bears upon this point. In Eph. iv, 19, we hear the apostle Paul speaking of those who are “past feeling,” and again (1 Tim. iv, 2) of those who have their “conscience seared.” Hence we conclude that for the conscience to be in a healthy state, and susceptible of remorse on departure from the right way, it must be enlightened, and, as Paul expresses it, “void of offence toward God, and toward men.” Acts xxiv, 16. But this is not expressive of the state of the consciences of the wicked. And do not the above considerations demonstrate that the wicked are not recompensed in this life in the way under consideration?
But we conclude this division of our subject by presenting, as a climax, the words of Solomon: “There be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked: again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous.” Eccl. viii, 14.
And where do we stand now in our subject? Having seen that our text does not relate to this life, we are shut up to the inevitable sequence that there is a future for the earth in which it will have its application and fulfillment. But we come to the second division of our subject.
II. Is there a future for the earth beyond this life? Not only do we reach an affirmative response to this question by logical deduction, as seen above; but the Scriptures demonstrate such to be the case. Let us briefly consider a few texts.
We will first consider the promise to Abraham: “And the Lord said unto Abraham, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.” Gen. xiii, 14, 15. This promise was to Abraham and his seed. And who is the seed? Hear Paul; “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed which is Christ.” Gal. iii, 16. Christ being the seed, how absurd to talk about a promise which related in part to him being all fulfilled long before he came, as some would have us interpret this promise. But the promise was to Abraham, personally, as well as to Christ the seed.
And was Abraham’s share of the promise, if I may so speak, fulfilled to him while on earth? Hear the apostle Paul: “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.” Heb. xi, 8, 9. In the above words you will notice the following prominent points: 1. That while Abraham was in the land, he was in the country which he should after receive for an inheritance. 2. That during his stay in the land it was to him a land of promise, and that he sojourned in it by faith. 3. That during his stay in the land it was to him a strange country, and that he, with Isaac and Jacob, was still heir to the land promised. But how did the matter stand at the time of his death? Hear the apostle a little further on, as he sums up the matter. Verses 13–16: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country . . . . But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly.”
But do you conclude that because they desired a heavenly country, that therefore the Lord who promised them the earth, finally concluded to give them Heaven in lieu thereof? Mark! it does not say that they desired a better country, that is, Heaven, but a heavenly country, i. e. a country like Heaven. And will this earth ever be a heavenly country? Methinks it will if Jesus ever answers what he has taught us to pray for, namely, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven. And when this prayer, dictated by our dear Redeemer, shall be answered, as it assuredly will be, then verily shall we have here on earth a heavenly country; such a country as Abraham looked for.
And we pray you, dear reader, not to be so purblind as to here annex to this subject the chimerical idea of the world’s conversion as a fulfillment of the above portion of our Lord’s prayer. For since sin was introduced into our earth it never has been a heavenly country, and though such a state still awaits it, it cannot be expected prior to Jesus’ second coming, according to the inspired description of the last days. See Matt. xxiv, 37–39, 2 Thess. ii, 7–12, 1 Tim. iv, 1–3, 2 Tim. iii, 1–5.
But we will conclude our remarks on the Abrahamic promise by citing the words of Stephen, and then bringing this train of thought to its logical conclusion. “And he said, Men, brethren and fathers, hearken: the God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran. And from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no not so much as to set his foot on; yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him. Acts vii, 2–5.
Having seen that Abraham died without receiving the promised possession of the earth, the conclusion is inevitable, that either the promise of God will fail, or that there is a future for the earth beyond this life.
Again, hear Jesus: “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt. v, 5. Note the phraseology of this promise. It does not read, blessed are the meek, for they have, nor blessed are the meek, for they do, but blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth, carrying it into the future. And the converse of this promise makes it necessary to understand it as relating to the future, even beyond this life. And what is the converse? It is this: Cursed are the proud, for they shall not inherit the earth. This is a promised inheritance of the earth, based on the condition of meekness. But do not those possessing opposite qualities to that of meekness inherit the earth in its present state as extensively and as lengthily as do the meek? Certainly. But in the onward course of consecutive events, we are approaching a time when such will not be the case. And is it not self-evident to every candid, thoughtful mind, that the above promise of our dear Redeemer contemplated in its fulfillment a time when the meek will inherit the earth to the exclusion of those of an opposite and adverse quality of mind? Can we come to any other conclusion without reducing this conditional promise of our Saviour to a nullity? I think not.
But David holds forth the same promised inheritance of the earth, and reveals the relative order of events in the course of its fulfillment. Hear him: “For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Ps. xxxvii, 10, 11. You will here notice that David places the inheritance of the earth by the meek subsequent to the cutting off of the wicked. As much as to say, the wicked shall be cut off, but the meek from the time of this cutting off, shall live on and inherit the earth. But such is not descriptive of the present state of things, which brings us to the inevitable conclusion that there is a future for the earth beyond this life.
And where do we now stand in the investigation of our subject? Having seen, 1. That, according to our text the righteous and wicked are to be recompensed in the earth; 2. That they are not recompensed in this life; and 3. That there is a future for the earth beyond this life, we are brought to this point: That though myriads have passed away without being recompensed, there being a future for the earth subsequent to this state of existence, the earth may still be the place of recompense in fulfillment of our text.
But the above points not only bear upon the place of recompense, but also the time thereof, fixing it definitely beyond certain events. For it being true that the righteous and wicked are to be recompensed in the earth, and that they are not recompensed in this life, we are carried forward to that point at which they shall again come in contact with the earth as living beings, as the time of their recompense. This brings us to the resurrection of both the righteous and wicked and fixes that as the time of their reward. And what is of thrilling interest is that this is precisely where the Bible locates the reward of both saint and sinner—at their respective resurrections. The resurrection of the human family lies subsequent to Jesus’ second coming. And hear Jesus’ words, applicable to a time prior to his coming: “And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. xxii, 12. The logical deduction from this scripture is, that prior to Jesus’ coming the righteous and wicked have not been recompensed.
And the events of the seventh angel of Rev. xi, bear upon this point. Verse 18 of that chapter reads thus: “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them which destroy (margin, corrupt) the earth.” The events of this trumpet locate it in connection with the coming of the Judge of quick and dead and the resurrection, and fixes that as the time of retribution. And relative to the time of the recompense of the righteous, our Saviour speaks definitely. Hear him: “But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; and thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee, for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” Luke xiv, 13, 14. The resurrection of the righteous, then, is the juncture at which commences their recompense, according to Jesus. In reference to the time of the recompense of the wicked, the Holy Ghost bears testimony through the apostle Peter. But before citing this testimony we will hear the apostle Paul on a certain point connected therewith: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” &c. Heb. ix, 27. The point we wish you to notice here is, that the judgment lies beyond death. Now hear Peter: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” 2 Pet. ii, 9.
We have seen that the apostle Paul places the judgment subsequent to death, and Peter the punishment, or reward of the wicked, after the judgment. And as the earth, according to our text, is the place of the reward of the wicked, as well as the righteous; and as the reward or punishment of the wicked is not till after the judgment, which is not till after death, it follows as an inevitable consequence that the resurrection of the wicked, which will place them on the earth again, living beings, is the time of their recompense.
We are aware of the fact that the above scriptural facts and deductions press weightily against the dominant theory; but the sentiment of every heart that fears the Lord and trembles at his word, is, let human dogmas stand aloof, and let the word of the Lord pass triumphantly along. And may the Lord help us to see its light, and walk firmly in it.
We have now seen that the resurrection of the righteous and wicked is the time of their recompense, and that the earth is the place thereof. And we will now, in the light which the lamp of Heaven throws on the future, trace our subject toward its finale.
This we will do by taking and briefly considering the following positions, viz., 1. That at the coming of Christ the righteous dead will be raised, and the living saints changed and taken to Heaven; 2. That the wicked living on the earth at that time will be slain or cut down; 3. That the wicked will not be raised till one thousand years therefrom; 4. That the saints will be in Heaven during this thousand years, and that the earth will be desolate; and 5, take ourstand at the end of the thousand years and note events in fulfillment of our text.
1. This position is so generally conceded by Bible believers that I need not enter into a labored effort in proof thereof. Let the reference to a few scriptures suffice on this point. See Matt. v, 10, 11; John xiv, 1–3; 1 Thess. iv, 16, 17; Rev. xv, 1, 2; iv, 1, 5, 6.
2. That the wicked living at the coming of Christ will be slain, we think is clearly evinced by the Word. And as we are about to cite scriptures in proof thereof which speak of the day of the Lord, we will locate that period by the testimony of Peter. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Pet. iii, 10. From this testimony it is clear that the day of the Lord is a period connected with the coming of Jesus.
The prophet Zephaniah (Zeph. i, 14–18) speaks of the day of the Lord and avers that in it “a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land,” will the Lord make. And Isaiah says: “Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isa. xiii, 9. And says Jeremiah, “And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.” Jer. xxv, 15, 29–33.
3. In proof of the position that a thousand years intervenes between the resurrection of the righteous and that of the wicked, we refer to Rev. xx, 1–5. The first three verses of this chapter record the act of binding Satan at the commencement of the thousand years. Verse 4, after disclosing a judgment work for the one thousand years, refers to the saints, and declares that “they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” And that the phrase “they lived” means that they were made alive or resurrected, is made certain from the fact that verse 5 declares it to be the first resurrection. It is then stated, verse 5, that “the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.”
After speaking of what is declared to be the first resurrection, which will disenthrall all the sleeping saints from death’s cold and cruel embrace, allusion is made to the rest of the dead. And after the saints are raised, who would constitute the rest of the dead? Most assuredly the wicked. And you will please bear in mind that it is stated that they are not to live till one thousand years subsequent to what is most emphatically declared to be the first resurrection.
4. Having seen that at Jesus’ coming the saints are to be taken to Heaven, and the wicked slain, and that they are not to be raised till one thousand years subsequent thereto, the conclusion is irresistible that unless the saints return to earth prior to the close of the one thousand years, it will be depopulated or desolate during that period. And while the Scriptures teach that the people of God are to return to earth, there is not a particle of evidence that they return till at the close of the one thousand years.
And the Bible speaks of a desolation of the earth which can exist only in the absence of both the righteous and wicked. And this desolation of the earth is so clearly and fully stated by the prophet Jeremiah that his testimony will suffice upon this point. Looking into the future, he says: “I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.” See Jer. iv, 23–27; also, Isa. xxiv.
5. We come now to notice events following the thousand years till we are able to see the fulfillment of our text. And we are not left to the airy flights of fancy, for we have them graphically mapped out before us in the word. And we will take Rev. xx, 7, as a starting point: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.”
We have seen according to the testimony of Jeremiah (Jer. xxv, 38), that at the commencement of the day of the Lord, the “slain of the Lord” are from one end of the earth to the other, unlamented, ungathered, and unburied; and here is just where Satan finds them when resurrected at the close of the thousand years. And no sooner are they raised, than Satan goes forth to marshal them to battle. And whither do they go to the fatal fray? Do they leave the earth, or go to some place thereon? Go with me again to Rev. xx, and we shall see. Verse 9. “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city.”
We here find the saints on the earth at the close of the one thousand years; also the city of God, the New Jerusalem. And that the saints will return to earth is not only taught in this portion of the word, but elsewhere. Hear the word of the Lord by the prophet Zechariah: “Behold the day of the Lord cometh; and his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south; and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” Zech. xiv, 1, 4, 5. In the above scripture we have set before us a coming of the Lord with the saints, and that too in connection with the “day of the Lord;” and not only so, but we are taught that his feet shall then rest on the Mount of Olives, which shall cleave in the midst thereof, causing a very great valley. And we have already seen, from Rev. xx, that the city of God is on the earth at the close of the one thousand years in connection with the saints. And the idea that the New Jerusalem, now in Heaven, is ultimately coming down to earth, novel as it may seem to some of you, is nevertheless one of long standing and expressly inculcated in the Scriptures. Thus: “And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” See Rev. xxi, 2, 3. And we understand that the cleaving of the Mount of Olives, spoken of by the prophet Zech., is for the reception of the New Jerusalem. And the coming of the Lord spoken of in Zech. xiv, 5, cannot refer to his second coming, for he is there represented as coming with the saints; whereas his second coming, which is at the commencement of the one thousand years, is to get his saints and take them with him to Heaven. See John xiv, 1–3.
We have now seen that at the close of the one thousand years, the Lord, the saints, and the New Jerusalem, are all on the earth; and that the wicked are gathered in belligerent attitude around the holy city. Here the wicked see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and they themselves thrust out. Thus we have found both the righteous and wicked again on the earth, the very place where our text declares both shall be recompensed. And what follows? Let us see. Of the wicked, those surrounding the city, we read: “And fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them.” Rev. xx, 9. Fire is here rained upon the wicked and they are devoured. And it is a fact most clearly taught in the Scriptures, that fire is to be used in connection with the retribution of the wicked. The Holy Spirit thus expresses it through David: “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.” Ps. xi, 6. We are here taught that the raining of fire upon the wicked will be the portion of their cup. And how fully are the facts here set forth by David, not in the case of the wicked as they surround the holy city at the expiration of the thousand years, as already set forth. Fire, true to the example set forth in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (see 2 Pet. ii, 6), there comes down from Heaven and devours them. And David declares this to be the “portion of their cup.” And as this fire is rained on the wicked on the earth, and is declared to be the portion of their cup, we understand that it will inflict the second death, which is the wages of sin. And then the wicked are recompensed in the earth, as saith our text.
A few thoughts in reference to the righteous, and we close. We think that the Scriptures bear us out in the conclusion that the fire which is rained upon and devours the wicked, will also renovate the earth, which will become the everlasting abode of the saints. And that a work of renovation by fire awaits our earth, is clearly set forth by the apostle Peter. And he certainly places that renovation and the perdition or destruction of the ungodly, in juxtaposition. After speaking of the earth prior to the flood, he says, “But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word [word of God] are kept in store, reserved unto fire against [i. e., in preparation for] the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Pet. iii, 7. We are here taught that the heavens and the earth are reserved unto fire in preparation for the perdition of the ungodly.
The idea is clearly this: The Lord who has proposed to renovate the earth by fire, and who has declared that he will employ that element in the retribution of the wicked, has so purposed and arranged that these events shall come in connection, so that the fire which effects the one shall also accomplish the other. We cannot see how any one can come to a different conclusion who will closely and candidly read the third chapter of 2 Pet. in connection with other scriptures already presented on this division of our subject.
And when the earth shall be renovated and clothed in its pristine purity, then, to speak in the language of the prophet Daniel, shall “the kingdom and dominion, and greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;” and “the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” See Dan. vii, 27, 18. And thus will the righteous be recompensed in the earth as declared in our text.
This subject is one of thrilling interest; one in which we are all destined to have a personal part, for we shall either be in the New Jerusalem at the close of the one thousand years, or among those who then surround it, and are destroyed by fire from God out of heaven.
May the Lord help us to so exercise repentance toward him, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and take God’s holy and righteous law as the rule of our action, that in us may be developed a righteous character, that when the saints of God shall come together from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another to worship before the Lord in the new earth (see Isa. lxvi, 22, 23), we may be among them, and know, by happy experience, of the blessedness of being “recompensed in the earth.” Amen.

CARRY ALL TO GOD IN PRAYER.

By J. N. WILKINSON

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear; What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer.
Oh! what peace we often forfeit, Oh! what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble any where? We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Saviour, still our refuge; Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer; In his arms he'll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.
Selected for Review by J. N. WILKINSON.

The Sermon.

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.

What Luther Loved.

LUTHER, when studying, always had his dog lying at his feet—a dog he had brought from Wartburg, and of which he was very fond. An ivory crucifix stood at the table before him. He worked at his desk for days together, without going out; but when fatigued, and the ideas began to stagnate, he took his guitar with him to the porch, and there executed some musical fantasy (for he was a skillful musician), when the ideas would flow upon him as fresh as flowers after a summer’s rain. Music was his invariable solace at such times. Indeed, Luther did not hesitate to say that, after theology, music was the first of arts. “Music,” says he, “is the art of the prophets; it is the only other art which, like theology, can calm the agitation of the soul, and put the devil to flight.” Next to music, if not before it, Luther loved children and flowers. That great, gnarled man had a heart as tender as a woman’s.
Continue reading: The Commentary.