Earlier text: THE PLACE AND TIME OF RECOMPENSE.Tell me the meaning of Scriptures. One gem from that ocean is worth all the pebbles of earthly streams.—M'Cheyne. CHAP. xlii, 36. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away; all these things are against me. Jacob made this lamentation, when, had he known all, his heart would have exulted with joy.—Me have ye bereaved, &c.] It is probable that concurring circumstances, and their conduct in other respects, made him suspect the truth of their report concerning Joseph.—Scott. Jacob gives up Joseph for gone, and Simeon and Benjamin as in danger; and concludes, All these things are against me. It proved otherwise, that all these were for him, working together for his good, and the good of his family. Note, through our ignorance, mistake, or weakness of faith, we often apprehend that to be against, which is really for us. We are afflicted in body, estate, name, and relations; and think all these things against us, whereas they are really working for us the weight of glory.—Henry. PRODUCTS OF EGYPT AND CANAAN.
CHAP. xliii, 11. And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down a present a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds. Honey.] So most translate, others, date-juice; but neither of these can be meant, as Egypt abounds in the best honey, and is rich in palm dates. The opinion of Shaw is most probable, that the Heb. Debash means a juice, of the consistency of honey, prepared from dried grapes, and called by the Arabs dibs, the same name. This, in our day, is produced only in a tract of land about Hebron, and yearly sent to Egypt, to the amount of 300 camel loads. Kæmpfer describes a similar juice. A great part of the grapes is reduced, by boiling, to a syrup, which upon the tables of the poor supplies the place of butter, and, with abstemious persons, of wine, being mixed with water. Now Egypt had not [generally] the vine, so that this gift would be acceptable. Nuts.] Pistachio nuts: a production of Palestine which grew not in Egypt, and spoken of as peculiar to Syria, by Pliny; “the best in the world,” says Chardin. They are eaten as well dry, with salt, as preserved; and are never wanting at a collation. Canaan also produced the best almonds in the East.—Dr. A. Clarke. VERSE 32. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves; for the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. An abomination, &c.] Because, says Onkelos, the cattle, which the Hebrews eat, the Egyptians worship. All Egyptians, says Herodotus, pay a high degree of divine honor to the cow; and hence, will not kiss a Greek on the mouth, nor make use of his knife, spit, or dishes. This is also the case among the Hindoos, who hold the cow sacred. They see with horror Christian Europeans kill and eat the cow; and therefore consider every utensil touched by them, as defiled. MEANING OF THE WORD EARING.
CHAP. xlv, 6. For these two years hath the famine been in the land; and yet there are five years, in the which there shall be neither earing nor harvest. Earing.] That is, ploughing, or preparing the ground and sowing it. It appears by this, that the Egyptians, finding Joseph’s predictions exactly accomplished thus far, followed his counsel, and wasted no corn in sowing the land.—Scott. The word means ploughing or seed time; from the Anglo-Saxon erian, probably from the Latin aro, I plough. [whence arable, &c.]—Dr. A. Clarke. JOSEPH, FATHER TO PHARAOH.
VERSE 8. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God, and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. A father to Pharaoh.] It has already been conjectured that father was the name of an officer in Egypt, and that father of Pharaoh might, among them, signify the same as prime minister, or the king’s minister does among us. Calmet has remarked, that among the Phoenicians, Persians, Arabians, and Romans, the title of father was given to certain officers of state. The Roman emperors gave the name of father, to the prefects of the prætorium, as appears by Constantine’s letter to Ablavius. The caliphs gave the same name to their prime ministers. [The Turkish Sultan usually calls his Grand Vizier by the name of Lala, foster-father.] In Judg. xvii, 10, Micah says to the Levite, Be unto me a father and a priest. And Diod. Sic. remarks, that the teachers and counsellors of the kings of Egypt were chosen from the priesthood.—Dr. A. Clarke. VERSE 22. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. Changes of raiment.] Many passages from the works of travelers are adduced to show, that this presenting of garments is still one of the modes of complimenting in the East. Asiatic sovereigns, says Dr. A. Clarke, keep in their wardrobes several hundred changes of raiment, for presents to ambassadors and persons of distinction.—Jenks. VERSE 27. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. This must have been attended by a confession of their own base conduct respecting Joseph; but Jacob had no heart now for reproaches or complaints.—Scott. CHAP. xlvi, 1. And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. Perhaps Jacob chose Beer-sheba for his solemn sacrifices, because it was the last place in Canaan, which he was now leaving never to see again. Nothing is recorded concerning sacrifices, from this time till Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.—Scott. VERSE 7. His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him from Egypt. His daughters, &c.] Jacob had but one daughter; but perhaps his sons’ wives were intended. His son’s daughters are all mentioned; yet only one of them is named; and it does not appear on what account she was distinguished from the rest.—Scott. In these cases the pl. is for the sing. Comp. v. 28, and the sons of Dan were Hushim, and so in Latin.—Stuart. JOSEPH’S HISTORY DUPLICATED.
VERSE 29. And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. The following remarkable incident is so illustrative of the manners described in Joseph’s story, as to deserve an insertion here. “The plains of Syria,” says Savary, “were ravaged by locusts, and a famine ensued. A farmer near Damascus suffered so severely, as to be obliged to sell all that he had to support his family. In the midst of his distress, bargaining for some corn from Egypt, he heard of the victories of Mourad Bey. The description of the warrior agreed with that of a son stolen from him at twelve years of age. He instantly set out amidst the prayers and tears of his family, for Grand Cairo; arrived there and was introduced. The Bey proved to be his son, who sent him back with large sums of money, and a vessel loaded with corn.” Incidents very similar took place in the life of Ali Bey. See Harmer. “WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST?”
By J. H. Waggoner
Some time since I published in the Review some remarks made in a meeting of Unitarians in New York city. A friend took exceptions, claiming that I had done injustice to that denomination. Some one, to me unknown, sent me a copy of a paper containing a sermon by a Unitarian minister in New York, more Orthodox in its statements than anything I had, or have elsewhere, seen from that people, and for a time I really feared I might, unintentionally, have done some injustice to the Unitarians. This led me to further examine their faith, and I could not find anything to demand a change of my original statement. I have certainly no desire or intention to injure or misrepresent them. I believe the Trinitarian views are unscriptural, and greatly disparage the atonement by denying that the Son of God died; and if the Unitarians were endeavoring to shield the plan of salvation from such violence we could joyfully bid them Godspeed. But they run to the opposite extreme, and are full as far from a scriptural view of the atonement as the Trinitarians, and I think farther. This same subject was up in the N. Y. Independent some time since, and several efforts were offered and noticed, but none that really relieved them from “the low humanitarian view.” One sent to that paper a part of “a statement of Christian faith which has been adopted by many churches in Massachusetts, and is believed to represent the views of a majority of the denominations there.” This statement was indefinite in its expressions on this point, so far as the divinity of Christ, his vicarious death, and atonement by his blood are concerned. I think no one can determine their faith from the “statement.” As an example of the indefiniteness of Unitarian writers and speakers on this subject, even where definite speech is required and to be expected, I copy the following quotation and accompanying remarks from the Independent: “Rev. Walker Wilson, of Pittsburg, Pa., has lately published in The Christian Inquirer a sermon on “the349Unitarian Position,” in which he speaks of Christ in this wise:
“It has been invidiously said, that ‘as the Epicureans had a deism without a God, so the Unitarians have a Christianity without a Christ, and a Jesus, but no Saviour.’ To this we reply, We do not need any such Saviour as the author of this pious slander finds described in his creed. We thank God for every means of instruction and help afforded us; for the precepts and example of every noble soul that has ever walked the earth. We are never weary of contemplating the moral sublimity and spiritual grandeur of the character of Jesus; we never study his precepts without finding some new truth in them, the depth of which we are unable to fathom. And we say to all: Would you see the perfection of moral and religious teaching, or as much of it as words can embody? Read the precepts of Jesus, as they are recorded by his biographers. Would you behold the most godlike type of human nature that ever graced the earth, and found a place of commemoration in human records? Read the life of Jesus in the New Testament. Would you know the significance of that life, and the power of those precepts? Then you must live them; and if you do this, you will find the Saviour you need. Those precepts mean little or much to you, just in proportion as you live them. You are saved or unsaved, just in proportion as you assimilate your moral character to the highest ideal of perfection of which you can gain any knowledge.’ “This writer does not recognize any relation of the death of Christ to the salvation of the world. He stands on a higher platform than Mr. May, but would hardly assent to the statement given above as an exponent of the faith of many Unitarians in Massachusetts—yet he professes to define “the Unitarian position.” It seems to us more and more important that ministers and churches in the Unitarian body that have a positive and scriptural faith, should avow it in unmistakable terms.” No one stood higher in that denomination than Dr. Channing. Unitarianism never had an abler advocate. The following remarks which I copy from his printed sermons, set aside the merits of Christ’s blood as a propitiatory offering; and to this must all come who deny his divinity, for none less than the Son of God could overcome Satan, and redeem a fallen, guilty race:— “Unitarianism promotes piety, by meeting the wants of man as a sinner. The wants of the sinner may be expressed almost in one word. He wants assurance of mercy in his Creator. He wants pledges that God is love in its purest form; that is, that he has a goodness so disinterested, free, full, strong, and immutable, that the ingratitude and disobedience of his creatures cannot overcome it. This unconquerable love, which in Scripture is denominated grace, and which waits not for merit to call it forth, but flows out to the most guilty, is the sinner’s only hope, and it is fitted to call forth the most devoted gratitude. Unitarianism will not listen for a moment to the common error by which this bright attribute is obscured. It will not hear of a vindictive wrath in God which must be quenched by blood; or of a justice which binds his mercy with an iron chain, until its demands are satisfied to the full.”—From a dedication sermon, N. Y.* If the above is true in all its terms, for what did Christ die? And if the justice of God needs no vindication in the sinner’s behalf, as this extract teaches, it is no matter whether Christ is divine or human, or whether he ever died at all. Is it not an absurdity, both by reason and Scripture, that the sinner wants nothing but an assurance of God’s mercy? Would God’s mercy be any less, or less available, if the sinner were not assured of it, according to that theory? God has revealed himself as a being so just that he will “by no means clear the guilty,” and because the guilty deserve to die, for “the wages of sin is death,” Jesus Christ shed his blood as a propitiation that God might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. Rom. iii. These scripture truths are ignored by the Unitarian system. If the necessity of his death be overthrown, the nature of his death, or the nature he bore when he died, is no longer of consequence. A denial of the immutable justice of God seems to be incorporated into all the false systems of the day, and is evidently a part of the great scheme of the enemy to set aside the law of God. J. H. WAGGONER.
Clyde, O., Nov. 7, 1867. In a Christian family, near Amoy, China, a little boy, the youngest of three children, on asking his father to allow him to be baptized, was told that he was too young; that he might fall back if he made a profession when he was only a little boy. To this he made the following touching reply: “Jesus has promised to carry the lambs in his arms. As I am only a little boy, it will be easier for Jesus to carry me.” This logic of the heart was too much for the father. He took him with him, and the dear one was ere long baptized. The whole family, of which this child is the youngest member—the father, mother, and three sons—are all members of the Mission Church at Amoy.—Miss. Inst. Tarry with me, O my Saviour,
For the day is passing by,
See the shades of evening gather,
And the night is drawing nigh.
Tarry with me, tarry with me,
Pass me not unheeded by. Many friends were round me gathered
In the bright days of the past,
But the grave has closed above them,
And I linger here the last.
I am lonely, tarry with me,
Till the dreary night is past. Dimmed for me is earthly beauty,
Yet the spirit's eye would fain
Rest upon thy lovely features,
Shall I seek thee, Lord, in vain?
Tarry with me, O my Saviour,
Let me see thy smile again. Dull my ear to earth-born music,
Speak thou, Lord, in words of cheer.
Feeble, tottering are my footsteps,
Sinks my heart with sudden fear.
Cast thine arms, dear Lord, around me,
Let me feel thy presence near. Faithful memory paints before me
Every deed and thought, unclean,
Open thou the blood-filled fountain,
Cleanse my guilty soul from sin.
Tarry with me, O my Saviour,
Wash me wholly from my sin. Deeper, deeper, grow the shadows,
Paler now the glowing west,
Swift the coming night advances,
Shall it be the night of rest?
Tarry, O forgiving Saviour,
Lay my head upon thy breast. Feeble, trembling, fainting, dying,
Lord I cast myself on thee.
Tarry with me through the darkness,
If I sleep, still watch for me,
Till the morning, then awake me,
Dearest Lord, to dwell with thee. “I SHALL BE SATISFIED.”
By M. D. Amadon
Oh! what wondrous words are these that fall so sweetly on my ear to-night. And can I bind them to my heart, and hope that when its great task of overcoming sin is done, that I shall rest where all are satisfied? I do not remember that I ever felt so here. I think of youthful days spent, alas! in sin; it surely was not so there. Then since I sought the Lord, there have been hours, ’tis true, when he has drawn near unto me, and his presence has been dearer than any other joy I ever knew, until my soul was full of his love, yes full of joy and praise that he accepted me as his child and gave me of his Holy Spirit. Oh! what hours were these! far dearer than communion with any earthly friend. If there ever was a time when the yearnings of my heart were still, ’twas then. “I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” But this was only an hour of rest to prepare for one of a sterner conflict with a latent foe; only joy to help endure the sorrow; only strength to aid in subduing sinful nature; only a taste of heavenly joys to make me long for more. No, never can the child of God rest content in this ruined world; never sit down with folded arms and say, My hope is sure, I’m satisfied. Indeed there is too much of sin mixed in with that which else might quell the risings of his soul. Too heavily has the curse fallen on this groaning earth. Too busy is the enemy of mankind. No, not here, where sad, pale faces greet us, where vice stalks abroad at noon-day, where death steps in and boldly tears the tendrils of our hearts in twain, and where friends are not always true. Oh! not here may we feel satisfied. But there is a time when we are assured that those who walk in wisdom’s ways shall be satisfied. The Psalmist never uttered a more beautiful sentence than this: “I shall be satisfied when I awake in thy likeness.” When these battles with sin and Satan have been fought, and grace has triumphed over nature, and we, all cleansed and purified by the atoning blood of Christ, awake to find ourselves like him who gave his life for us, never to feel the oppressing weight of sin again, never to mourn over lost victories, or pine at weaknesses, beyond our power to help; oh! then we shall be satisfied. How much is contained in that one word. Not only shall we have peace and assurance forever in the enjoyment of the love of that dear Saviour who has bought and redeemed us by his blood, to whom we may ascribe glory, and honor, and power, to all eternity, but there are all the glories of his kingdom, to which he has made us immortal heirs, and which are ours to enjoy throughout eternity. This earth, once fair and lovely from the hand of its Creator, now ruined by sin, covered with iniquity, plunged in a gulf of guilt and crime, is to be redeemed by the sacrifice of the life of the Son of God, and restored to more than its original splendor and loveliness, not one imperfection left, not a trace of sin in all its broad domain, its dreadful curse all wiped away. Perfection and beauty will be stamped upon everything, and the glory of God shining upon the whole earth, while it is to become the eternal abode of the saints. Oh! how we love to anticipate these joys. The glow of health on every brow. The tree of life, the leaves of which are for the healing of the nations, the river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Oh! to drink of that water, never to thirst again. The New Jerusalem in all its gorgeousness, and the Lamb of God the light thereof, the hosts of angels around the throne, the myriads of saints of whom we have so often read and longed to see, and some too who have walked with us a little way, and now sleep in hope, waiting to awake in his likeness. What greetings there will be there! All this, and more than human mind can conceive, only as revealed by the Holy Spirit. Oh! why should we not be satisfied. “Just out of sight while yet this dark world holds us,
Lies the fair country where our hearts abide;
And of its bliss is nought more wondrous told us
Than these few words, ‘I shall be satisfied.’” Not much longer shall we await that glad day. Time is swiftly hurrying on. Jesus’ voice will soon call, “Children, come home,” in tones that will find a response even from the ocean’s mighty depths. Not one saint will be passed by then. Oh! to become prepared for that day! To be fitted to awake or be changed into the likeness of Christ, to put on immortality and incorruption. “Thither my weak and weary steps are tending,
Saviour and Lord with thy frail child abide;
Guide me toward home, where all my wanderings ending,
I then shall see thee, and be satisfied.” M. D. AMADON.
Battle Creek, Mich. PRESENT TRUTH.
By Simon Patten
THESE are words often used by believers in the third angel’s message, and as applied to the truths of the message so, applicable to this time, they are pleasant to the ears of those who truly love the truth. But my mind was called to the subject by reading Testimony No. 13. Of a certain class it is said that something else was their present truth. Ah, thought I, how often is it the case that, instead of having the present truth uppermost in our minds, we have something else—the world, foolish talking and jesting, murmuring, yes, and many other things, which the enemy would crowd upon our minds, as our present truth. Do we realize the solemnity of the times in which we live, when we thus let some trifling thing take the place in our hearts which we profess to have given to the truth. No, I fear not. Oh! may the Lord help us to awake, and shake off the lethargy which holds us. “This death stupor is from Satan,” and in the strength of the God of Jacob may we arouse. The truth cuts close, but let it cut. For my part I would rather know the worst of my case now, than to come up to the Judgment unprepared. Thank God for the Testimonies. How good he is to thus take pains to show us our failings. Does it not show that indeed he does love his erring people? How patiently he waits that all may have a chance to confess and forsake their sins if they will. But soon I believe he will make a clean work among his professed people. And who will stand? Oh! that the lukewarm and careless might be aroused to a sense of their danger. As I read that but a small portion only of those who now profess the truth will be sanctified by it, I trembled for myself, and felt to ask, “Lord is it!?” Am I one who will get above the simplicity of the truth, and be left behind as the work moves forward? O Lord forbid it. But may I humble myself and walk softly before God, and lay aside every wrong thing, and have the present truth more deeply planted in my heart. And may all who read this remember that it is an individual work that they have to do at this time, if they would share in the triumph that soon awaits those who gain the necessary preparation, and who truly get into the work, humbling themselves and exalting the truth. Random Readings.
By Presbyter
Evil pursueth sinners; but to the righteous good shall be repaid. I HAVE SEEN A WOMAN, professing to love Christ more than the world, clad in a silk dress costing $75, making up and trimmings of same, $40; bonnet (or apology for one), $35; velvet mantle, $150; diamond ring, $500; watch, chain, pin, and other trappings, $300; total, $1600—all hung upon one frail, dying worm. I have seen her at a meeting in behalf of homeless wanderers in New York, wipe her eyes upon an expensive embroidered handkerchief at the story of their sufferings, and when the contribution-box came round, take from a well-filled port-monnaie, of costly workmanship, twenty-five cents to aid the society formed to promote their welfare.—Presbyter.