Your ShelfYour Projects

Signs of the Times, Vol. 7, No. 19.

JOSHUA'S FAREWELL ADDRESS

Signs of the Times

May 19, 1881

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · May 19, 1881

JOSHUA'S FAREWELL ADDRESS.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
UNDER the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites as a nation maintained their allegiance to God, and his blessing attended them. Among the wooded hills and fertile valleys of the promised land, doubly attractive after the long desert wanderings, the chosen tribes dwelt safely; and the years passed on, peaceful and prosperous.
As Joshua felt the infirmities of age stealing upon him, and realized that his labors must soon cease, he assembled the elders, the judges, and the officers of Israel, that he might communicate to them his last warnings and admonitions. The people looked upon the form of their veteran general, who had led them on from victory to victory, and they were ready to ascribe to him the honor of placing them in possession of that good land. But, like his great predecessor, Joshua showed them that their enemies had been conquered because the Lord had fought for Israel, and that God alone should have all the glory.
Although the Canaanites had been subdued, they still possessed a considerable portion of the land promised to Israel; and Joshua exhorted his people not to settle down at ease, and forget the Lord's command to utterly dispossess these idolatrous nations. Lest the Israelites should be disheartened, he assured them that if they would be true to God, his presence and power would attend them in their future conflicts as in the past. He earnestly sought to inspire their hearts with faith and courage. "Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left."
He repeated the instructions given by Moses, that they were to form no allegiance with the idolatrous nations that God had appointed to utter destruction. They were forbidden to manifest the least respect for the gods of the heathen, to take oath by their names, or to join in their worship in any manner. They were warned that familiarity with idolatry would remove their abhorrence of it, and would expose them to God's displeasure.
[We are in as great danger from contact with infidelity as were the Israelites from intercourse with idolators. The productions of genius and talent too often conceal the deadly poison. Under an attractive guise, themes are presented and thoughts expressed that attract, interest, and corrupt the mind and heart. Thus, in our Christian land, piety wanes, and skepticism and ungodliness are triumphant.]
The Israelites were exhorted to make the Lord first in their thoughts and affections, and to cleave unto him as their source of strength. "For the Lord hath driven out from before you great nations and strong; but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day." Joshua reiterated the words of Moses: "One man of you shall chase a thousand; for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you."
He warned the people that if they should in any manner unite with the remnant of the heathen nations still among them, and contract marriages with them, the protecting care of God would surely be removed from Israel, and those very nations would be the instruments of their punishment. "They shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you."
Joshua declared to the people that his work among them was done; for he was soon to die. He appealed to themselves as witnesses that God had faithfully fulfilled his promises to them. "And ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof." He assured them that as the Lord had fulfilled his promises, so would he fulfill his threatenings. If they were disobedient to his requirements, he would destroy them, as he had destroyed their enemies.
[The Lord has not changed.] His character is the same to-day as in the days of Joshua. [He is true, merciful, compassionate, faithful in the performance of his word, both in promises and threatenings. One of the greatest dangers that besets the people of God to-day, is that of association with the ungodly; especially in uniting themselves in marriage with unbelievers. With many, the love for the human eclipses the love for the divine. They take the first step in backsliding by venturing to disregard the Lord's express command; and complete apostasy is too often the result. It has ever proved a dangerous thing for men to carry out their own will in opposition to the requirements of God. Yet it is a hard lesson for men to learn that God means what he says.]
As a rule, those who choose for their friends and companions, persons who reject Christ and trample upon God's law, eventually become of the same mind and spirit. [We should ever feel a deep interest in the salvation of the impenitent, and should manifest toward them a spirit of kindness and courtesy; but we can safely choose for our friends only those who are the friends of God.]
Those who make the word of God their rule of life are hated by the world. The ungodly are not willing to have their consciences aroused; and the silent example of Christ's true followers is a constant reproof. There are many professed Christians who partake of the spirit of the world, and love its friendship. But none need be deceived by their example; for the word of truth declares that the friendship of the world is enmity with God. Those who take human feeling and human reasoning for their guide, will as surely separate from the wisdom of God, as did ancient Israel when they forsook the Lord to serve Baal and Ashtaroth.
Once more, before his final removal from the people of his care, Joshua assembled the chosen tribes to speak to them the words of God. He rehearsed before them their own history and the history of their fathers from the days of Abraham. He did not conceal their errors and mistakes; and with earnestness and gratitude he dwelt upon the dealings of God with them. He reminded them that it was not their own strength or valor which had given them the land of Canaan. God himself had said, "I have given you a land for which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them. Of the vineyards and olive-yards which ye planted not, do you eat."
In view of all that God had done for them, Joshua exhorted the people, "Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord." The human mind is naturally inclined to dwell upon the things which are seen and heard, and to neglect the things which are unseen. The Lord had done marvelous things for his people in the manifesting of his power as the only true and living God; yet many had been led astray by the Satanic delusion that God might be represented by material objects, the works of men's hands. By the contemplation of these things, their minds were diverted from God.
Among the multitudes that came up out of Egypt were many who had been worshipers of idols; and such is the power of habit that the practice was secretly continued, to some extent, even after the settlement in Canaan. Joshua was sensible of this evil among the Israelites, and he clearly perceived the dangers that would result. He earnestly desired to see a thorough reformation among the Hebrew host. He knew that unless the people took a decided stand to serve the Lord with all their hearts, they would continue to separate themselves farther and farther from him. Then would the Lord remove his protecting care, and suffer them to be driven out and scattered, by the very people whom he had commanded them to destroy.
Said Joshua, "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua endeavored to show the people that God's requirements were just and merciful. He would lead them to serve him, not by compulsion, but willingly. Love to God is the very foundation of pure and undefiled religion. To engage in his service as an unpleasant task, merely from hope of reward or fear of punishment, would bring no sweet peace, no assurance of God's favor.
While a portion of the Hebrew host were spiritual worshipers, many were mere formalists; no zeal or earnestness characterized their service. Some were idolators at heart, who would be ashamed to acknowledge themselves as such. Joshua urged them to consider in all its bearings the important matter which he had set before them, and to decide if they really desired to live as did the idolatrous nations around them. If it seemed evil to them to serve the Lord, if his requirements seemed a grievous exaction, he bade them that day choose whom they would serve,—the idols worshiped by their fathers from whom Abraham was called out, or the gods of the Amorites, "in whose land ye dwell."
In these last words was a keen rebuke to the idolatry of Israel. The gods of the heathen had no power to bestow peace or prosperity. Their worshipers had ascribed to them praise and honor for all the bounties bestowed by the mercy and love of God. Hence the Lord had removed from them his blessing, and had left them to the mercies of the gods in whom they trusted. That wicked people had been destroyed; and the good land which they once possessed, had been given to God's people. Then what suicidal folly for Israel to choose the gods for worshiping whom the Amorites had been destroyed!
[When a man comes to his right mind, he begins to reflect upon his relation to his Maker. It is moral madness to prefer the praise of men to the favor of God, the rewards of iniquity to the treasures of Heaven, the husks of sin to the spiritual food God gives his children. Yet how many who display intelligence and shrewdness in worldly things, manifest an utter disregard to those things that pertain to their eternal interest.]
Joshua assured the Israelites that of themselves they could not serve the Lord. The natural heart is a battle-field, upon which there is a constant warfare; conscience seeking to hold sway, and passion also struggling for the victory. God would not grant them his favor and support while they persisted in transgression. If they honored him, he would honor them. If they should forsake him, and serve strange gods, he would forsake them. As God is a being of perfect truth and holiness, it was impossible for them to serve him and yet continue in sin; for he could not unite with iniquity. Only by thorough repentance and reformation of life, could they hope to secure the divine favor.
[God's plan for the salvation of men, is perfect in every particular. If we will faithfully perform our allotted part, all will be well with us. It is man's apostasy that causes discord, and brings wretchedness and ruin. God never uses his power to oppress the creatures of his hand. He never requires more than man is able to perform; never punishes his disobedient children more than is necessary to bring them to repentance; or to deter others from following their example. Rebellion against God is inexcusable.]
The judgments of God quickly following upon transgression, his counsels and reproofs, the manifestations of his love and mercy, and the oft-repeated exhibitions of his power,—all were a part of God's plan to preserve his people from sin, to make them pure and holy, that he might be their strength and shield and their exceeding great reward. But the persistent transgressions of the Israelites, their readiness to depart from God, and their forgetfulness of his mercies, showed that many had chosen to be servants of sin, rather than children of the Most High.
God had created them, Christ had redeemed them. From the house of bondage their cry of anguish went up to the throne of God, and he put forth his arm to rescue them; for their sake, bringing desolation upon the whole land of Egypt. He had granted them high honors. He had made them his peculiar people, and had showered upon them unnumbered blessings. If they would obey him, he would make them a mighty nation,—a praise and excellence in all the earth. God designed to magnify his name through his chosen people, by showing the vast difference existing between the righteous and the wicked, the servants of God and the worshipers of idols.
Joshua sought to show his people the inconsistency of their course of backsliding. He wished them to feel that the time had come to make a decided change, to put away every vestige of idolatry, and to turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart. He endeavored to impress upon their minds the fact that open apostasy would not be more offensive to God than hypocrisy, and a lifeless form of worship.
If the favor of God was worth anything, it was worth everything. Thus Joshua had decided; and after weighing the whole matter, he had determined to serve him with full purpose of heart. And more than this, he would endeavor to induce his family to pursue the same course.
God said of Abraham, "I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the ways of the Lord to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." The promises of God to Abraham and his posterity, and through Christ to the nations of the earth, may appear to have been unconditional. But such was not the case. Whether Abraham would share in their fulfillment, was determined by the course which he pursued. The Lord approved his faithfulness in the government of his household. Abraham firmly restrained evil, and endeavored by precept and example to promote justice and godliness among them. Thus he worked in harmony with God, faithfully performing his part in the great plan.
Our dangers are similar to those which threatened the prosperity of ancient Israel. The oft-repeated warnings against idolatry addressed to the Hebrew host, are no less applicable to us. Everything which leads the affections away from God is an idol, and betrays us into sin. If we serve God willingly and joyfully, preferring his service to the service of sin and Satan; if we choose him, openly and boldly turning from all the attractions and vanities of the world, we shall enjoy his blessing in this life, and shall dwell forever in his presence in the future life.
The Lord our God is a jealous God. He is just and holy. He will not be trifled with. He reads a deceptive heart. He abhors a double mind. He hates lukewarmness. We cannot serve God and mammon, for they are antagonistic.

"THE POOR MAN'S HYMN."

As MUCH have I of worldly goods, As er'e my Master had. I diet on as dainty food, And am as richly clad, Though plain my garb, though scant my board, As Mary's Son and Nature's Lord.
As much of this world's goods I share, It's favor and applause, As He whose blessed name I bear, Hated without a cause. Despised, rejected, mocked by pride, Betrayed, forsaken, crucified.
The manger was his infant bed, His home the mountain cave. He had not where to lay his head, He borrowed e'en His grave. Earth yielded him no resting spot, Her Maker, but she knew him not.
Why should I court my Master's foe? Why should I fear his frown? Why should I seek for rest below, Or sigh for brief renown? A pilgrim to a better land, An heir of joy at God's right hand.

THIS GENERATION.

By Wm. Penniman

BY WM. PENNIMAN.

(Concluded.)

WE are living in the time of which the prophet Isaiah speaks (Isa. 24:5, 6): "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth;" in the time when "they will not endure sound doctrine," but "shall turn away their ears from the truth" "unto fables," 2 Tim. 4:3, 4; when perilous times have come, 2 Tim. 3:1-8; when many have departed, and many are departing, from the faith, 1 Tim. 4:1; when faith is so small and scarce upon the earth in this age of doubt (Luke 18:8) that one (as Mr. Spurgeon in a recent sermon expresses it) "will have to look through a microscope to find it;" when unclean spirits have gone forth, and are deceiving the nations just before the coming of Christ as a thief. Rev. 16:14-16. Iniquity is abounding, and the love of many waxing cold when the end is near. Matt. 24:12. Evil servants (backsliders, hypocritical professors of the advent faith) are saying, "My Lord delayeth his coming," and are eating and drinking with the drunken just before the Judgment day. Matt. 24:48. In the last days scoffers were to come walking after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming?" 2 Pet. 3:3, 4. Men seem as sinful and secure as they did at Sodom's overthrow. Luke 17:28-30. The world is just as careless in regard to Christ's coming as it was to the coming of the flood in Noah's time. Matt. 24:37-39. Men are saying, Peace and safety, and that there is a good time coming, when sudden destruction is coming upon them. 1 Thess. 5:1-9. The gospel, in a threefold sense, has been preached in nearly all the world. Matt. 24:14. Many of the unwise are slumbering and sleeping just before the coming of the Bridegroom. Matt. 25:1-5. Near the end there was to be distress of nations with perplexity (see article in this paper from New York Herald on this subject), the sea and the waves thereof roaring, and stormy wind fulfilling his word. Luke 21:25; Ps. 148:8. The nations are now prepared for war as never before, and are angry, and have been in the recent past. Rev. 11:18; Joel 3:9-12.
Earthquakes are increasing, and have recently been in divers places. Luke 21:11. The sun has been darkened (May 19, 1780), and the stars have descended from heaven (Nov. 13, 1833) even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. Matt. 24:29; Rev. 6:13. Fearful sights and great signs are foreshadowing the approach of the King of kings. Luke 21:11. Many are heaping up earthly treasures for the fires of the last days. James 5:1-9. Many are running to and fro, and knowledge is increasing at this the time of the end. Dan. 12:4. The increase in knowledge does not refer merely to the wonderful discoveries and inventions in the arts and sciences, such as the railroad, and telegraphy, and yet more recent inventions, but to the increase of prophetic knowledge of the word of God, and of the nearness of the end.

THE LESSON.

What is the lesson we are to learn from the teachings of our Saviour that, "This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled"? Seven times our Lord has given the injunction to watch. "Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." Matt. 24:42-44. Not only sermons, but volumes are implied in this brief language of Christ. When he says, "Watch therefore," he refers to all the signs which the generation which precedes his coming should witness, and gives his disciples a brief, and yet most comprehensive lesson in a few words. They are taught that although they know not what hour he will come, yet they are enjoined to know this, etc. Therefore (as the good man of the house would have watched had he known what hour the thief would come) be ye also ready (not knowing the hour, etc.,), for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
A letter recently received from a brother in the truth contains the following exhortation to the church (we extract briefly): "I beseech of you, my brethren, do not put off the coming of the Lord. The world is growing darker, the struggle is getting harder. The world is filling up with prophets who are foretelling everything almost, but the greatest of all events, the second coming of Christ. Let us keep the coming of the Lord before us constantly. If we are every day looking for the coming of the Lord, we shall not neglect our duty nor grow cold in his service."
A work has recently been written, entitled, "The Decisive Battles of the World," referring to the conflicts with carnal weapons, and to the confused noise of warriors, and to the sight of garments rolled in blood. But there is a great and decisive battle coming which shall conclude the war of the great day of God Almighty. "Multitudes in the valley of decision" (Joel 3:14) are now deciding their eternal destinies, placing themselves on the side of the Lord or of the enemy in the coming great battle. How important it is to decide and act right now while probation lasts, and before the decree goes forth (Rev. 22:11): "He that is unjust let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous let him be righteous still: and he that is holy let him be holy still." "And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man (Greek oudeis, no one can enter therein, plainly teaching that the work of mercy is closed during the pouring out of the plagues) was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled." Rev. 15:8.
Do not think the uninhabited regions must yet be settled, and that the immense amount of coal in the earth must first be consumed before the Lord comes. Those who are waiting for the wilds of America to be settled will not have to wait long, for they are fast being peopled by the hundreds of thousands pouring in from foreign countries. As to the coal, or to the consumption of minerals and fluids in the earth; who knows but that the Lord is reserving some of these forces of nature (as the Lord works by means) in accordance to what we find in Job: "Hast thou seen the treasures of the hail which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?" Job 38:22, 23. Do not say there is yet too much good in the world for the Lord to destroy it. True, there is much good in the world, and that is what causes the Lord in mercy to spare it. But when the time comes for its destruction the Lord will take care of the good as he did in the time of the flood, at the destruction of the cities of the plain, and also of Jerusalem. Now is the time to escape the impending wrath of God. Many who will not obey the truth and are too high-minded, and have too much pride to pray now, will be in the great and terrible prayer-meeting soon to come: "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Dear reader, let us pray earnestly unto God, seek him by fasting and prayer, walk in the light of his truth, "seek righteousness,—seek meekness,"make a "covenant with God by sacrifice," pray for, and do all we can for those around us, do all we can in sending out the light and truth, and "it may be" as the prophet says: "Ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." Let us heed the injunction (1 Pet. 4:7): "But the end of all things is at hand, be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer."
Again we read, 2 Pet. 3:10, 11: "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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?" H. L. Hastings, in his "Signs of the Times," alluding to the closing words of the text just quoted, says: "What manner of persons ought we to be? Shall we dance, and dally, and riot, and play? Shall we drown our senses in indulgence, and stupefy our souls with lust? Shall we cling to our idols while the true God is so soon to come? Shall we heap up treasures to perish in the day of wrath? Shall we yield to fleshly lusts that war against the soul? Shall we build our hopes upon a fleeting world, which will soon reel to and fro like a drunkard and fall in utter ruin? Or shall we, who are of the day, be sober, and diligent, and earnest, and sincere? The Judge standeth before the door. The temple of eternity echoes with the advancing tread of him who is Lord of all. Is it a time for petty strifes and contemptible bickerings? Is it a time for vain wranglings and perverse disputations? Is it a time for seeking honors, and hoarding wealth, when the day of wailing is so near, and the multitudes around are so secure? Is it not rather a day for putting on the whole armor, and girding up the loins for the final conflict? Is it not a day for fasting, and praying, and tears? Is it not a time for men to seek the Lord, and seek righteousness, and seek meekness, that they may be hid in the day of the Lord's anger?"
We quote from another writer, which is to the point: "Bride of the Lamb, awake. The cry has gone forth, 'Behold he cometh;' the night of unrest and weeping is almost ended; the foe's distress has begun, and the church's rest hasteth. The storm will soon sweep wildly around, and the angry elements already seething and foaming in rage, becoming daily more and more exasperated with hatred and anger, will rush the final storm. Christian cheer thee; land is nearing."
Yes, the promise is sure, and "unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:28. Again we say, in conclusion, Judgment-hastening generation, awake! All the signs given by our Saviour in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew (except the shaking of the powers of the heavens, and "the sign of the Son of man in heaven") are now in the past. The great day hasteth greatly. "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief." 1 Thess. 5:6. "Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 21:36.
a soldier on his back. France adds taxes to her budget in order that she may have greater armaments. Russia throbs with revolution, and is in the hands of a young and intrepid prince.
"It will need the wisdom and strength of conservative nations like England to prevent a conflict which may result in the most destructive and disastrous war of modern times. England should preserve herself for the struggle that cannot much longer be postponed in Europe. The peace of the world depends more on the strength of England, her moral force, the wisdom of her ministers, than upon any other influence. The world sees now that if England had been wise at the close of the Franco-German war, or even at the beginning of that unfortunate strife, she might have forced upon the contending nations, a peace which would have lasted as long as that which came after the battle of Waterloo. So long as France is in an unsatisfied mood, so long as her people feel that her honor was satisfied at the time her territory was despoiled, so long as every Frenchman feels that his highest aim is to save money and buy arms, the contest on the Continent is adjourned. Russia may provoke it by new adventures in Turkey. Austria may be drawn in by an attempt to govern her newly acquired provinces with a strong hand. Germany may strike, as she wished to do not long since, the first blow in self-defense; Italy scarcely conceals her desire for Trieste and the Austrian provinces on the Adriatic; Greece, highly gifted, intellectual, flashed with new life, strong and animated by the memory of an ancient and illustrious lineage, may rashly bring on what may be the most desolating war of modern times. If England exercises her influence on the Continent, this war may be postponed. It may even be adjourned forever. As it is, the outlook is dark enough, and it would be well for Americans to expect the worst and prepare for it."
It can be seen by the preceding that the prospect for a long reign of peace in the world is not very promising, as the dark clouds of war and commotion seem to be hanging over the nations. WM. PENNIMAN.

THE CLOSING DISPENSATION.

By N. W.

How few are aware that the evening shadows of this gospel dispensation are stretching across the world. As the sunset of the age approximates, time seems to speed away with a constantly accelerated swiftness. Prophecy and history give no uncertain warning that the crisis of ages impends. The index-finger on the dial-plate of heaven now nears the mysterious figure that marks the closing hour of Gentile times. The awe-inspiring future will soon unveil its solemn realities of judgment dooms and irreversible destinies of life or death eternal. The chief-like coming of our Lord for his precious jewels is near, very near. At some midnight or mid-day; at some dawning morn or dewy eve, after a very little while, the heavenly Bridegroom will come for his bride. That parousia will occur as suddenly as the lightning's shaft flits across the face of the storm cloud. In less time than the utterance of the shortest monosyllable will every grave sunder where one sleeps in Jesus.
A learned professor says, "We have now arrived at the very borders of that period which is to be signalized by the winding up of that drama which has for ages been enacted in Christianity." A celebrated historian observes, "Modern history seems not only a step in advance of ancient history, but the last step. Modern society seems to bear marks that the fullness of times is come—that there will be no future history; and if it be the case, that we are living in the last age of the world's history; that no other race remains behind to perfect what we have neglected, to restore what we have ruined; then, indeed, the interest of modern history becomes most intense." In the gloaming of this evening twilight of time our lot is cast.
The finishing up work of the centuries devolves upon the church of the now passing generation. Responsibilities as solemn as eternity weigh now upon every child of God. The last heir to a crown of glory will soon win the fadeless diadem. Some honored herald of the cross and kingdom will soon place the last repentant believer of the gospel beneath the waters of holy baptism. Some little church of the faithful and true will soon, and for the last time, place the emblems of the broken body and shed blood of a once crucified Redeemer upon the commemorative table.
He is coming! Israel's hope and earth's restorer—will his words to us be words of welcome? Will time's closing hour find us among the faithful servants of the King of kings? He is coming! He that holdeth the keys of death and the grave. He is coming! He that crowns the heirs of glory and shares His eternal kingdom with the redeemed. He comes, and comes quickly! May it be in every heart to say—"Even so, come, Lord Jesus.—Restitution.

“DISTRESS OF NATIONS WITH PERPLEXITY.” LUKE 21:24.

THE New York Herald has able correspondents in every land, and their statements in regard to the different countries are reliable. The following extracts from an editorial in this paper of April 1, 1881, will show the condition of the nations: “The strained relations between Turkey and Greece have a special importance now, when we consider the assassination of the Czar, and the advent to the imperial power of a sovereign, who is believed to have ambitious plans for the development of his nation, and who is known to be a soldier of approved courage.
“If the question between Turkey and Greece related simply to the boundary lines between the two nations, it might be easily adjusted. Nothing seems more certain (unless we misread the decrees of fate) than that the Turkish Empire in Europe must come to an end. With Greece fighting Turkey alone, it is in the power of the Sultan to destroy Greece. If Russia or Austria interferes, then there is no knowing where the contest may end. In fact, Europe is now in a critical condition. The spirit of revolution is abroad. The continent is burdened with standing armies, every peasant in Germany (as it is said) carrying

UNPROFITABLE SOCIAL MEETINGS.

By N. W.

WHAT would be thought of a convention of persons professing to be teachers, who never did any teaching and never intended to do any, and yet assembled every week for mutual congratulation on the delights of their profession? Some such paradox is seen in the weekly gatherings of Christians to talk of their enjoyment and progress in the divine life with no thought or plans for aggressive work in winning souls. Their exercises inevitably become common-place and destitute of interest. Stereotype methods and prayers and testimonies in the social meeting should be displaced, and each participant's claim to a hearing should depend upon its activity and efficiency in inducing men to seek Christ. "What is the state of your feelings?" should always be the leading question to believers. Every prayer and class meeting should be a council of workers, to canvass ways and means to save souls. Every prayer offered, every word uttered, should bear on this point.
It is the lack of this practical use of social meetings that causes them to languish. It is difficult to maintain much interest in what relates exclusively to our own or others' personal feelings and aspirations, when we have told or heard it fifty-two times a year, with little or no variation. We tire of such meetings and of our part in them. They have no interest for the unconverted. The way to make the social meeting a power for good and a source of perennial interest and enthusiasm is to make it a business meeting, in which men who are working for God stimulate each other to greater activity, and talk, not in stilted, stereotyped phrases about how they feel toward God, but in the most earnest, simple manner, of how they shall best glorify him by doing his work. —N. W. Christian Advocate.

EVERYBODY BOTHERED.

"Man never is, but always to be, blest." Each individual finds, on attaining to the object of his ambition, that he is still hampered by restrictions and worried by obstacles, and that the bed he had fancied to be of roses is thickly sprinkled with thorns. The patriot who, after long suffering, succeeds in attaining the mightiness of a position on the police force, soon finds that the policeman's lot is not a happy one altogether. The able attorney who becomes a member of the City Hall Commission is fretted by the difficulty of keeping "my men" in positions. The politician who gains a place in the Legislature soon discovers that he cannot be happy till he gets to Congress; the congressman sighs to become Governor; the governor lays pipes toward the United States Senate; the senator looks toward the Cabinet; the cabinet member intrigues for the presidency; the president plans for another term. Nobody is satisfied. The Czar is scared of his life all the time. Emperor William and Bismarck are in little less trepidation. The kings of Spain and Italy never feel safe. The king of Greece is preparing to skip out, if necessary. And now comes said Pasha, Prime Minister of the Porte, and talks in this discouraged way to a delegation of bankers who have been urging peace and industry as necessary for Turkey:—
"I quite understand that European capitalists are frightened away from here, since every offer based on concession of an industrial nature, is rejected. I myself have always seen clearly that the regeneration of Turkey is bound up with two conditions—peace and productive labor. But there are elements at work stronger than I. Whenever I support a petition for a concession, I notice that I am suspected of having been bribed; and important local reforms cease to be recommended, because one does not care to be suspected of being subject to foreign influence. I find the same hindrances in the arrangement of political questions. When ignorant eunuchs obtain a voice in the State Councils, ministers cannot govern."—Alta.

Advice and Approbation

WE ask advice, but we mean approbation.—Colton.
Continue reading: "WHERE IS THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING?" 2 PET. 3:4