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Review and Herald, Vol. 49, No. 24.

SPECIMENS OF ARGUMENTS

Review and Herald

Jun 14, 1877

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 14, 1877

SPECIMENS OF ARGUMENTS.

By Roswell F. Cottrell

I HAVE before me a tract entitled, “The True Sabbath. Which Day Shall we Keep?” I do not propose to review it, but to give some specimens of its logic, showing the character and strength (?) of its arguments. It is not a no-Sabbath tract, as appears from the question in the title, “Which day shall we keep?” though it argues for the abolition of the ten commandments, as being the old covenant, which all admit has vanished away. Of course the object of the inquiry is to show which of the two days now observed by Christians can claim the stronger evidence in its support.
1. The first specimen of argument we have is in the title. After what is quoted above, it continues: “An examination of Mrs Ellen G. White’s visions.” Now what has an examination of said visions to do in deciding the question of the day of the Sabbath? The writer very well knows that we appeal to the Bible alone to sustain our faith and practice in keeping the seventh day. Why examine that which we never refer to as evidence? Simply to prejudice the reader, and thus close his eyes to the plain testimony of the Bible. This is one of his very best arguments.
2. His second argument is of the same character, namely, “the doctrine of the Sabbath is dividing Christian families and churches,” therefore—what? Who is to blame? Those who are in the wrong, of course. “Which day shall we keep?”
3. Another class of his strongest arguments consists in bold and unproved assertions. We give a specimen, as follows: “No point can be more plainly expressed than the fact that the ‘ten commandments,’ ‘written and engraven on stones’ (2 Cor. 3:7), was the ‘old’ or ‘first covenant.’” Now if the Bible once said that the ten commandments were the old or first covenant, it would be much “more plainly expressed” than it is.
4. The writer says, “In all his [Christ’s] teachings, and in the writings of the apostles, there is not one single command to observe the Sabbath, or rest-day, kept by the Jews.” Now if the writer could show “one single command,” from Christ or the apostles, to keep the first day of the week, he might claim some show of advantage. But does he claim it? He will not pretend to. Then “which day shall we keep?” The seventh day was once commanded, the first day never. The Sabbath is rejected, because the commandment is not formally repeated in the New Testament; therefore a day never commanded in either the Old or the New, must be the day! How logical! The great want of the first day is a command, somewhere between the lids of the Bible, for its observance. If it only had a place in that law of which the Saviour spoke in Matt. 5:17–19, it would be binding now, and we would keep it. Was there no Sabbath in that law which the Son of God “came not to destroy,” but which he so fully and lastingly confirmed? Then there is none now; and the answer to the question, Which day shall we keep? should be, None at all.
5. We admit that God calls the ten commandments his covenant which he commanded; but they are not the old covenant, nor the new. We admit that God made the covenant, called the old, “concerning all these words.” Ex. 24:8. This covenant was the mutual promises recorded in Ex. 19, and ratified and dedicated in chap. 24. But our writer insists that the ten commandments themselves were the old covenant. Then he says, “The children of Israel adopted this covenant, before it was ‘written and engraven in stones.’ Had it not been mutual, it would not have been a covenant; for a covenant always implies the consent of two or more parties.” The logical deduction from this is that, had not the people consented to keep the Sabbath of the old covenant, they would not have been under obligation to keep it. According to this, the law of the Most High derives its authority from the consent of the governed. But that which is claimed as the Sabbath of the new covenant is not of this mutual character; the people consent to keep it, but on the other hand there is no command for it.
6. He says, “As the penalty has not been in force since the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, it follows that the commandment against working on Saturday is also abolished.” What is the penalty for working on Sunday? In what book, chapter, and verse is it written?
7. Again, he says, “The question arises, Does the new covenant give instruction sufficient for salvation? Of course, all must answer in the affirmative. But it does not contain a word requiring us to keep the seventh day; therefore it is not in the plan of salvation as taught by Christ and his apostles.” This assertion is false; for Jesus taught the perpetuity of the entire law. Matt. 5:17–19. But try the argument on the first day. Where is the “word requiring us to keep” it? The New Testament “does not contain a word requiring us to keep” the first day; “therefore, it is not in the plan of salvation as taught by Christ and his apostles.” “Which day shall we keep?”
8. We give another specimen. Says he, “All the law ever required was to work six days, and rest the seventh.” All right then; we may rest on Saturday, if we choose. But of those who choose to keep the seventh day he says, “They have turned back from Christ to Moses, from the new to the old covenant; from the gospel to the law; from grace to works.” He then quotes the text, “Whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace.” We ask now, What law have we turned back to, for which we are fallen from grace? Is it that law of which he affirms that all it “ever required was to work six days, and rest the seventh”? Does he not rest one day in seven? Is he fallen from grace? Our opponents should have a better memory; having taken one position, they should stick to that, and not contradict themselves. After judging us, as having rejected Christ by keeping the Sabbath, he proceeds gravely to quote, “Let no man therefore judge you.”
9. Again, he says, “The seventh-day Sabbath is not in the new covenant, therefore it is not binding on any one.” To which I reply, The first-day Sabbath is not in the new covenant, and therefore—“Which day shall we keep?”
10. On the supposition that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is still binding, he asks, “Why did not Jesus or his apostles say so somewhere in the divine record?” We reply, It was not necessary that they should repeat the precepts of the decalogue to make them binding. A law once enacted is law until it is abolished. But if a new day, one never commanded, became “the true Sabbath,” “why did not Jesus or the apostles say so?”
11. Once more, he says, “We are required to hear Jesus ‘in all things whatsoever he shall say.’” Acts 3:22. As he has nowhere intimated that he wishes us to keep the seventh day observed by the Jews, it is certainly not enjoined upon his disciples.” Transfer this argument to the first day. As Christ has never intimated that he wishes us to keep that day, “it is certainly not enjoined.”
The writer manufactures a world of difficulty about keeping a “sacred twenty-four hours,” as he expresses it, claiming that it must begin at the same moment all over the earth, and consequently must begin at all times of the day and night. This, of course, is not an objection against keeping “the true Sabbath,” the first day, which he claims “corresponds with the original rest-day in Eden”!
Then, out of his bewilderment, he comes to the following conclusion: “With the exception of the Jewish people, whoever works six twenty-four hours, starting either at sunset, midnight, morning, or noon, and rests the next twenty-four hours, complies with all the requirements in the Scripture.” According to this, “the true Sabbath” is any day of the seven, or parts of any two days. “Which day shall we keep,” and not reject Christ and fall from grace? Is it any day we choose? There is only one exception, that is the Jews. They were bound, by the fourth commandment of the decalogue, to a definite day. What day was that? “The Sabbath of the Lord.” What day was the Lord’s Sabbath? The day on which he rested, “the seventh day.” But our writer says this commandment is abolished. But this is the only weekly Sabbath ever commanded in the Bible. “Which day shall we keep?” The writer replies, Any day we choose, “starting” where we please; but if we keep the Sabbath of the decalogue, he says we “have turned back from Christ to Moses.”
The day which God blessed and sanctified, and commanded to be kept holy, as a memorial of his rest from the work of creation, he argues is not binding, because not commanded again in the New Testament; but a day never commanded at all is the “Lord’s day,” or “true Sabbath,” the first day, the day of the resurrection of Christ, and yet it comes on any day of the week which any one may choose. The question is still open, “Which day shall we keep?” The honest inquirer after truth will not be satisfied with an answer that he may choose for himself, provided only that he chooses a day that has no command, no sacredness, in short, nothing of God, in it. And is this the liberty of the gospel? “the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free”? Let me rather enjoy the liberty of the man of God who said by the Spirit, “I will walk at liberty; for I seek thy precepts.”
R. F. COTTRELL.

The Day of Judgment.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Whoever receives the Bible as the word of God must accept it as a settled fact that at some time in the history of this world there will come a final day of Judgment, the second advent of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the harvest of the world. That there should be a final day of reckoning at the close of human probation, is reasonable. The cases of men can then be impartially settled. Hence, as the Judge of all the earth is sure to do right, he has appointed a day of Judgment. Let us read a few plain scriptures upon this point. “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Eccl. 12:14. “The Judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Dan. 7:10. “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment.” Matt. 12:36. “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than for that city.” Matt. 10:14, 15. “Because He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained.” Acts 17:31.
These scriptures are as plain as positive statements can be. The day of Judgment is not an indefinite event, but it is a day appointed, fixed, and settled by the great God. That this day comes near the close of this world’s history is evident from every reference to it. The language of Peter upon this point very plainly locates the day of Judgment at that period. “But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Pet. 3:7. Jude, speaking of that great day, says: “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” Jude. 6. The book of Revelation, which relates almost wholly to the last-day events, plainly tells us that the day of Judgment comes under the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the last one. Thus it says: “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in Heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them that destroy the earth.” Rev.11:15, 18. Then the time when the dead shall be judged does not come till the sounding of the seventh trumpet. One more text will suffice upon this point: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works.” Rev. 20:12, 13.
This is a plain description of the Judgment. It is closely connected with the resurrection of the dead. All men will be judged at that time, small and great. For this day of Judgment, men are frequently exhorted to prepare. Exhortations to repentance are based upon the fact that we shall be brought into judgment. Promises of reward for obedience are to be fulfilled at the day of Judgment. The punishment of the wicked is to take place at the day of Judgment. God’s righteousness is to be vindicated at that time. Then his saints are to be delivered. This, therefore, is the great and important event for the human race.—D. M. Canright, in Bible Banner.

LIFE FROM DEATH.

By Bonar

The star is not extinguished when it sets Upon the dull horizon; it but goes To shine in other skies, then reappear In ours, as fresh as when it first arose.
The river is not lost when, o’er the rock, It pours its flood into the abyss below; Its scattered force re-gathering from the shock, It hastens onward with yet fuller flow.
The bright sun dies not when the shading orb Of the eclipsing moon obscures its ray; It still is shining on, and soon to us Will burst undimmed into the joy of day.
The lily dies not when both flower and leaf Fade, and are strewed upon the chill, sad ground; Gone down for shelter to its mother-earth, ’Twill rise, re-bloom, and shed its fragrance round.
The dew-drop dies not when it leaves the flower, And passes upward on the beam of morn; It does but hide itself in light on high, To its loved flower, at twilight, to return.
The fine gold has not perished when the flame Seizes upon it with consuming glow; In freshened splendor it comes forth anew, To sparkle on the monarch’s throne or brow.
Thus nothing dies, or only dies to live: Star, stream, sun, flower, the dew-drop, and the gold, Each goodly thing, instinct with buoyant hope, Hastes to put on its purer, finer mold.
Thus in the quiet joy of kindly trust We bid each parting saint a brief farewell; Weeping, yet smiling, we commit their dust To the safe keeping of the silent cell.
Softly within that peaceful resting-place We lay their wearied limbs, and bid the clay Press lightly on them till the night be past, And the far east give note of coming day.
The day of re-appearing! how it speeds! He who is true and faithful speaks the word. Then shall we ever be with those we love— Then shall we be forever with the Lord.
The shout is heard; the archangel’s voice goes forth; The trumpet sounds; the dead awake and sing; The living put on glory; one glad band, They hasten up to meet their coming King.
Short death and darkness! Endless life and light! Short dimming; endless shining in yon sphere, Where all is incorruptible and pure— The joy without the pain, the smile without the tear. —Bonar.

AFTER CONVERSION—WHAT NEXT?

By Theodore L. Cutler

Seasons of revival have been spoken of as harvest seasons. But the phrase is an erroneous and misleading one. Conversion is rather a planting time with a soul than its “harvest.” It is a beginning of better things, not a consummation completed. Those pastors and evangelists commit a fearful mistake who feel that the conversion of sinners is the one main object of all gospel effort; whereas conversion is only the means, the essential first step, to the great end of all true gospel effort, which is the service of God by a genuine godly life. Those young converts make a still worse mistake if they sit down happy and contented with having “confessed Christ” and united with his church. The clock that strikes one is expected to strike two.
What is conversion? It is a turning from the wrong road into the right one. The journey is yet to be performed before Heaven is attained. Too many, alas! set out on this straight road and fall away before they reach the mark of the prize. Conversion is simply an enlisting in the army of Jesus. The battles and the hard bivouacs are yet before you. Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off. We want to impress it upon the mind of every young convert that the real conflict has only begun, and they have done no more than to put on their armor and enroll their names. Supposing you to be truly regenerated by the divine Spirit, what next?
We would reply that the sowing time of your spiritual spring has just begun. Don’t repeat the current prattle about being a “harvested soul gathered into the garner.” The church is not a granary. You are just beginning to sow for yourself; and whatsoever you sow you will surely reap. You are forming new habits of thinking and acting. You are an utterly inexperienced beginner in an entirely new line of life. The first year of your Christian life will have a mighty influence on all your future.
Begin with a determination to learn Christ’s will and to do it. This is what that famous convert near Damascus was aiming at when he inquired so anxiously, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” It is very well to know what a Bunyan or a Finney or a Moody has written or said about the Christian life. But go to the fountain head. Go to Jesus in an humble, docile spirit, and ask him, in fervent prayer, to guide you. Bend your will to his will. He is perfectly willing to guide the meek and the teachable in the right way. I honestly believe that, when a docile heart sincerely asks to be led and then obeys the voice of conscience, that heart seldom takes a false step—yea, never does. Jesus promises to lead you in the way of all truth. Trust him.
Conscience is the vital point. You need not trouble yourself much about your feelings or your frames, as long as conscience turns as steadily toward Christ as the needle toward the north pole. It is the office of conscience to detect sin and righteousness, to decide for one and to reject the other. Feelings are very fallacious. Some Christians are very devout in their feelings and wretchedly deficient in their daily conduct. They forget that the best proof of love to Christ is to keep his commandments. Fervent Christians in the prayer-meeting, they are sorry specimens of Christians outside of it. There is a lamentable lack of conscience in too much of the flaming piety which burns out all its oil in the prayer room or the “praise meeting.” We do not wonder at the sneers which are often levied by shrewd men of the world at this sort of “revival religion.” See to it that you give no occasion for such sneers. See to it that Jesus is not betrayed before his enemies by your inconsistency. The best thing you can do for your Saviour and your Master is to live an honest, truthful, pure, and godly life. Others are watching you. Then watch over yourself.
In putting on your armor, don’t forget that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. Not content with merely reading your Bible, study it. Instead of skimming over whole acres of truth, put your spade into the most practical passages and dig deep. Study the twenty-fifth psalm and the twelfth chapter of Romans, as well as the sublime eighth chapter. Study the whole epistle of James. It will teach you how a Christian ought to behave before the world. As you get on further you may strike your hoe and your mattock down into the rich ore beds of the book of John. Saturate your heart with God’s word.
As for your field of Christian work, you ought not to have much trouble about that. Follow God’s leadings and go into the first field of labor which he opens to you. Do not seek easy posts or those which will flatter vanity. Brave Mary Lyon used to tell her pupils at Mount Holyoke to “go where no one else was willing to go.” Threescore of her graduates became missionaries for Christ Jesus. As soon as you begin to think that you are too good for your place, then the place is too good for you. Do what you can do best. While you are working for the Master, do not neglect the inner life of your own soul. If you do not keep the fountain well filled with the love of Jesus, the stream of your activities will run dry as soon as the novelty is over.
Your daily battle will be with the sins that most easily beset you. The serpent, often scotched, is not killed. Paul himself had to give his carnal appetites the “black eye” pretty often. The moment you fall asleep the Philistines will be upon you. Challenge every tempter that approaches you. The dangerous devil is the one that wears the white robe and cozens you with a smooth tongue.
Finally, strive to be a Christian man everywhere. Carry the savor of your communion with Christ wherever you go. Jacob brought into his old, blind father’s presence such an odor of the barley ground and the vineyard that he had “the smell of a field which the Lord had blessed.” Every place you enter ought to be the better for your presence. Never disappoint the expectation of your Master. He is the best master in the universe. Having put on the uniform of his glorious service, wear it until you are laid in your coffin.—THEODORE L. CUTLER, D. D., in Independent.

HOW TO READ THE BIBLE.

By James Hamilton

To some the Bible is uninteresting and unprofitable, because they read too fast. Among the insects which subsist on the sweet sap of flowers, there are two very different classes. One is remarkable for its imposing plumage, which shows in the sunbeams like the dust of gems; and as you watch its jaunty gyrations over the fields, and its minuet dance from flower to flower, you cannot help admiring its graceful activity, for it is plainly getting over a great deal of ground. But in the same field there is another worker, whose brown vest and business-like, straight-forward flight may not have arrested your eye. His fluttering neighbor darts down here and there, and sips elegantly wherever he can find a drop of ready nectar; but this dingy plodder makes a point of alighting everywhere, and wherever he alights he either finds honey or makes it. If the flower-cup is deep, he goes down to the bottom; if its dragon-mouth be shut, he thrusts its lips asunder; and if the nectar be peculiar or recondite, he explores all about till he discovers it, and then, having ascertained the knack of it, joyful as one who has found great spoil, he sings his way down into its luscious recesses. His rival of the painted velvet wing has no patience for such dull and long-winded details. But what is the end? Why, the one died in October along with the flowers; the other is warm in his hive in winter, amid the fragrant stores which he gathered beneath the bright beams of summer.
Reader, to which class do you belong, the butterflies or the bees? Do you search the Scriptures? or do you only skim them? Do you dwell on a passage till you bring out some meaning, or till you can carry away some memorable truth or immediate lesson? or do you flit along on heedless wing, only on the lookout for novelty, and too frivolous to explore or ponder the Scriptures? Does the word of God dwell in you so richly that in the vigils of a restless night, or in the bookless solitude of a sick-room, or in the winter of old age or exclusion from ordinances, its treasured truths would perpetuate summer round you, and give you meat to eat which the world knows not of?—James Hamilton, D. D.

THE REASONABLENESS OF GOD'S DEMANDS.

By W. W. Prescott

We are told to present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God, which, it is said, is a reasonable service. I propose to give a few reasons why it is our reasonable service to give or consecrate all our active powers to God, which I understand to be the meaning of the phrase, “present your bodies a living sacrifice.”
In the first place, all we have and are we owe to God. I make this a general proposition covering all cases.
If we have health it is through his favor that we are permitted to enjoy it. If we hold positions of honor or trust, and fill them well, we owe it to his goodness which has kept us in the right path and granted us the privileges necessary to fit us for these places. If we possess happiness, that great boon for which all the world is seeking in one way or another, it is the gift of God. If our lines have fallen unto us in pleasant places, and our cup runneth over with blessings, from whom can these blessings come but from God? And so in whatever situation we are, we can trace the hand of a power greater than human “whence all our blessings flow.”
But God's goodness is not shown toward us in prosperity alone. When adversity comes, and dark clouds seem to hide him from us, still through some rift his mercy will shine forth, proving to us that we are not forgotten, and that his love for us is ever the same. These blessings enumerated are common to all, whether they are peculiarly his children or not; for great mercies are not withheld even from those who will not remember him to serve him. He causeth the sun to shine upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust.
But all these reasons, which are good in their place, fall into insignificance when we think of the one great reason,—God's love to us as manifested in the gift of his Son. We are told, and with all sincerity believe, that “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” who are supposed to be his equals; but what shall we say of the love which has sacrificed the life of an only Son for those who are immeasurably inferior to Him? Well might this be called wondrous love. But this has been done for all, the rich and the poor, the high and the low, all classes and grades, without distinction. And to those who accept this sacrifice, what especial blessings are granted! They are received into the family of God, and made “heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.” To what? to much property and a high position in society? to all that the world calls good or great? No; but to “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.” Through life they are kept as in the hollow of his hand; and when they walk through the valley of the shadow of death, they fear no evil. Are not these blessings worth striving for?
But what is it to consecrate ourselves to God? Is it not simply to obey the mandates of a good and wise Sovereign, who has our welfare ever in mind? Is it not a privilege granted to those who cannot keep themselves to give themselves over to his keeping power? If we had been told to ask what we would, should we have had the hardihood to demand so much as this? And yet all this is offered to us, and urged upon us. Surely, God's demands are reasonable, and his law is holy, just, and good.
W. W. Prescott.

TIMELY WORDS.

By M. Wood

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” 1 Pet. 3:15. There are several prominent points presented to our notice in this scripture; and they are of great significance to those seeking a home beyond this vale of tears. Should all those who help to make up the missionary corps make a special application of these truths, we should witness a greater ingathering of souls into the ark of safety; and even in this life our hearts would be made glad by seeing recruits rallying around the standard of truth.
But in order to see fruits of our labor in the vineyard of the Lord, we must, as the apostle Peter says, sanctify the Lord God in our hearts; in other words, make the heart pure, holy, free from sin and iniquity, a receptacle for the Spirit of God, which will ever prompt us to love and to good works. With the Lord God sanctified in our hearts, there will be no time to engage in the dirty work of Satan, such as murmuring, fault-finding, backbiting, evil-speaking, or seeking to tear down another’s reputation to build up our own. The sanctified heart will be endowed with that heavenly grace, charity, which suffereth long, and is kind, envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.
Those who make such a high profession of Christianity should either desist from this soul-destroying habit of murmuring and of traducing God’s people, or seek company more congenial to their feelings. The cause of God can never prosper in any church where such blighting influences exist. Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, brethren, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
“Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.” The apostle would have us become converted to the truth, sanctified through it, and made partakers of the divine nature, before attempting to impart unto others that which we have not received ourselves. With a sanctified heart, a conscience void of offense toward God and man, and a knowledge of what is called present truth, the humble missionary will become a most efficient help in the promulgation of the third angel’s message, and will distinguish himself as a harvester for God. Some individuals appear to have but a very limited view of the great work in which we are engaged, the magnitude of it, the sacredness attached to it, and the absolute necessity of a thorough consecration of self and all we possess to God and his cause, that the work may move with greater alacrity, God be glorified, and ourselves blessed and benefited. If we were wedded to the third angel’s message as we are to the world, and manifested that deep interest in spiritual matters that we do in temporal affairs, we would indeed be as a city set upon a hill, whose light cannot be hid. Our lives would ever have a gathering influence for the cause of God; and instead of seeking after the perishable things of this life, we would thirst after a knowledge of those truths applicable to the times in which we live, so that when asked for a reason of the hope that is in us, we might give an intelligent answer.
In presenting to an inquiring mind the doctrines held and taught by S. D. Adventists, we should exercise the utmost caution. We should be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves; or as the apostle recommends, present the word with meekness and fear, lest we offend and repulse, and thus mar the work of God. And if we possess that meek and quiet spirit, which Webster says is mildness of temper, gentleness, etc., and which God acknowledges to be of great price, we shall not become excited, angry, harsh, and overbearing, and manifest an unchristian spirit when opposed by others. “Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.” Atruly meek man is a true Christian, and it is only the meek and humble soul that God chooses as his instrument, to carry forward his work upon the earth. With a sanctified heart and a knowledge of the truth, he calmly weighs the reasons of his faith and meekly presents them to others, with a view to glorifying God, to lessening earth’s miseries, and to lightening Heaven’s joys.
The fact that the meek of the earth are to seek meekness shows that we have something more to do than to spend our time in idle conversation, or in what the world call innocent amusements, such as card playing, theater going, and a thousand and one things which have a tendency to corrupt good manners and morals, and lead the mind away from God and his purifying truths. If we would have the Spirit of the Lord gently leading us in the path of duty, meekness is the grace required. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way. We find a pattern of meekness in the person of our Saviour.
M. Wood.

MEANWHILE

By-and-by comes the autumn’s rich fruitage; Meanwhile, the frail germ and fair flower Must wait all the tender unfolding, That cometh through sunshine and shower.
By-and-by the rough stone from the quarry The “head of the corner” may grace; Meanwhile, heavy strokes of the hammer Symmetrical beauty must trace.
By-and-by the dull gold may be beaten To vessels the Master shall use; Meanwhile, in the crucible’s burning, All vestige of dross it must lose.
Then, poor, restless heart, dost thou wonder If crosses, meanwhile, are for thee? Wait, suffer, grow purer through trial, And rich shall thy recompense be!

KNOWING YOUR DUTY, YE DID IT NOT.

By C. L. B. Aurner

Every way we turn our eyes, we see the necessity of having the whole life and its energies devoted to God’s service and accepted by him; and from none would it be more pleasing, than from those who have been born and bred “under the droppings of the sanctuary.” Did you ever know a settlement so small but that it had representatives of this class? or a large one but that had many of them? They are children of godly parents who have grown to manhood and womanhood, “having no hope, and without God in the world,” though they have been the subjects of hearty prayer since their infancy; they are wives of Christian husbands, husbands of Christian wives, or the dear friends of a lifetime,—for all of whom petitions are constantly ascending from earnest and consecrated hearts.
Dear friends, for what are you waiting? To know God’s will? Why, the whole plan of salvation is as plain to you as your alphabet, as familiar as your mother’s face. You know that you are sinners; that Jesus died that you might have possible access to the throne of God; and that his is the only name given to man whereby he must be saved. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” One says, “I am waiting for the call of the Spirit.” My friend, it has called you from your earliest years, by admonishing you when you were straying into forbidden courses, by those sudden fears in moments of alarm, in hours of serious illness. You have acknowledged its call, too, by those spasmodic promises you made to reform when you should get better or the danger be past,—promises which you forgot to put in practice when health and safety were attained.
Do you not believe in the religion of our Lord Jesus Christ? “To be sure we do,” chorus the voices of a multitude of this class. Then you believe that this earth is but a place in which mankind are now permitted to remain on trial; that this trial is to show whether man will or will not attain unto a life of blessedness; that this blessed life depends upon the acceptance of Christ and obedience to the commands of God? “Certainly.” You also believe that this continuance of life is so very uncertain that an accident, an hour’s sickness, or an undue exposure may terminate it? and if you die in your present condition, you have within you the conviction that you are lost? Silence in the great company, whose faces pale with emotion which they strive in vain to conceal. And if any of these causes should come across your path and summon you away, have you any consciousness within you of acceptance with God? “We don’t intend to die this way,” comes in indignant tones from the crowd, as from one voice. “We know religion is a good thing, and we intend to have it.”
Dear ones, your theory is all right till you come to the application, where it fails to tally with the divine plan in the most essential point—time.
Does God make any provision for delay? Does he say next week? after you get your debts paid? at any future time? No; hear him: “To-day if ye will hear my voice.” “My son, give me thy heart.” “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.” Through Christ he says, “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.” “Let the dead bury their dead; but come thou and follow me.” Will you longer delay in acknowledging God’s claims upon you for obedience and love? Can anything else compare in dignity, in value, with his compassionate mercy toward you? “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” But God so loved us while we were rebels and at enmity toward him, that he gave his only Son to die, that he might show compassion to us and yet be just. Some gladly avail themselves of this love, and declare, while so doing, that they never found in any other service such recompense of reward. Will you not also accept Christ and join their band? Will you not put your correct theory into beautiful practice? You know how safe your life will then be. “Your life is hid with Christ in God.” Do you want any safer place than this? The army who are now under orders say, Come, do not longer delay. Every hour is replete with danger. Temptations lurk in every corner. The longer you delay, the harder it will be to come; the more excuses you make, the more occasion you find to make them, and the less strength do they need to satisfy you. We know your position and thoughts, for very many of us have been like you; but we can say by experience, It is good to serve the Lord.
C. L. B. Aurner.
Swan Lake, Turner Co., Dakota, June 2.

THE VINE.

By J. H. Durland

“I AM the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.” In these words our Saviour illustrates by a forcible figure the intimate relationship which exists between himself and his disciples. We see the natural vine send forth its branches, we watch the growth of these branches as they send out their leaves and finally put forth fruit. So it is with the child of God. His growth is gradual. But if we are of Christ, we shall bear fruit, because he says, “He that abideth in me, the same bringeth forth much fruit.”
What is it to bear fruit? This subject is made plain in that great store-house of knowledge, the Bible. We turn to Gal. 5: 22, and read, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.” What a thorough work this brings to view! Are we, who expect soon to see our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ appear in the heavens, bearing this fruit? What if we are not bringing forth this fruit? Let the Saviour answer: “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away.” “And men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” Solemn thought! Should we not examine ourselves to see if we possess the true characteristics of the fruit-bearing branch?
Reader, how are you progressing? Are you bringing forth fruit? If not, you cannot expect a place in the great vineyard,—Christ’s kingdom; for none of the branches will be preserved but the fruit-bearing ones. Am I one of these branches? Dear friend, are you one of them? What if we should not be? We know the consequences. A rich, showy foliage will not answer; an outside appearance will do to deceive the world, but you cannot deceive God. It is the heart-work that will stand before the great Judge.
J. H. Durland.
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