Review and Herald, Vol. 10, No. 18. (9/3/1857)

Review and Herald

Sep 3, 1857

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 3, 1857

THE SEVENTH MONTH MOVEMENT.

(Continued.)

THE TIME IN OUR YEAR OF THE TRUE SEVENTH MONTH.

As it was believed that the types predicted the Advent of the Lord on the tenth day of the seventh month of the Jewish sacred year, it was necessary to harmonize the Jewish time with our present calendar, to ascertain what day, according to our reckoning, would synchronize with that day of the Jewish year. According to the Rabbinical reckoning, it fell this year on the 23d of our September; and many of the religious editors and their correspondents have made themselves quite merry that the Adventists should have supposed it synchronized with the 22d of October,—"not one of the Adventists," as those learned men say, "having discovered the mistake." From a full and careful review and examination of the question, we are still convinced that the true Jewish seventh month could only synchronize with our October,—commencing with the first appearance of the new moon on the 13th of that month, and ending with the appearance of the new moon on the 11th of November.

According to the Levitical law, the Jewish year began with the month "Abib," which signifieth "green-ears." All the Oriental nations, from the Chinese in the East, to the Latins in the West, with the exception of the Egyptians, commenced their year at about the vernal equinox. From this fact Dr. Hales argues that it was the anniversary of the commencement of the primitive year. The Egyptians began their year near the Autumnal equinox, when the waters of the Nile, in their annual flood, were at their greatest height. While the Israelites were in Egypt, they conformed to the Egyptian mode of computing time; but on their departure, the original year in their reckoning was retrieved. The month in which they left the land of their captivity, was thenceforth to be reckoned their first month. In Exodus xii, 2, we read that God spake unto Moses, saying, "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you." And this month, we learn by Ex. ix. 31, 32, was about the time when the barley was in the ear, and the flax was "bolled," but "the wheat and the rye were not grown up." In the tenth of this month, the children of Israel were commanded to take a lamb of the first year without blemish, and to keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, when the whole assembly of the congregation were to kill it in the evening—(margin) "between the two evenings," which was, as we read in Deut. xvi, 6, "at even, at the going down of the sun." In that memorable night, they were to leave the land of Egypt, out of which God brought them, in accordance with his word. In commemoration of that event, they were commanded annually, in the fourteenth day of the first month at even, to eat the Lord's passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month, was to be the feast of unleavened bread, which was to be eaten for seven days. On the morrow after the Sabbath during this feast, a sheaf of the first fruits of the barley harvest, was to be waved before the Lord." Lev. xxiii, 9—14.

As the Jews were obligated to conform to this requirement, they could never observe the passover until the barley harvest was ripe; nor could they defer it much after its ripening, as they could not eat of the harvest until the "wave-sheaf" had been offered by the priest. The Jews, we are told, commenced their months with the first appearance of the moon, which, in that climate, was usually the second evening after the change. And they commenced their year with the appearance of the new moon nearest the ripening of the barley harvest. Their years consisted sometimes of twelve and sometimes of thirteen moons, an intercalary moon being added about once in three years. If, on the appearance of the moon at the end of Adar, the 12th moon of the preceding year, there was a probability that the barley would be ripe by the fourteenth day of the month, they made that moon the first month of their year; but if the barley would not probably be ripe till after the fourteenth day, they added the whole of that moon to the old year, calling it Ve-Adar, or the second Adar. If, therefore, we can ascertain the time in the year of the ripening of the barley harvest in Judea, we may know very nearly the commencement of the Jewish sacred year.

The following items respecting the seasons in Palestine, are taken from an "Economical Calendar" of that country, by Johan Gottlieb Buhle, Fellow of the Philologic Seminary, at Brunswick, 1785. The Calendar was compiled from the researches of travelers of acknowledged authenticity, at the request of the Directors of the royal college at Gottingen, and may be found in full in "Calmet's Dictionary."

Feb. According to this Calendar, the snows and colds of Winter begin to cease about the last of February, which month is remarkable for its excessive rains. In this month, the fields, which are only here and there green in January, are covered on every side with verdure. Barley is sometimes sown as late as the middle of this month. The peach and apple blossom, and peas and beans.

March. The cold seldom continues till March, except on the tops of mountains. In this month, the weather is mostly warm and temperate, so that the heat of the sun is often inconvenient for travelers. The inundation of the river Jordan, caused by the melting of the snow on the mountains, is about the end of this month, at which time, barley is often ripe at Jericho, when it is about fourteen days earlier than at Jerusalem. In this month, every tree is in full leaf. The fig blossoms about the middle, and the Jericho plume, toward the end of it. The latter rains commence in this month and continue into April; after which, none are observed until Summer.

Apr. In April, the heat begins to be extreme. The harvest falls out entirely according to the rainy season. After the rains cease, the corn soon arrives at maturity; but it usually remains in the

fields a long time after it is ripe. Barley is ripe in the beginning of April, in the plain of Jericho, according to Mariti l. c. In all other parts of Palestine, it is in ear at this time, and the ears turn yellow about the middle of this month. (Shaw l. c.) Egmont and Korte inform us, that it is for the most part cut down this month. Almonds and oranges also ripen; and the grass begins to be very high.

May. In the month of May, the Summer season commences, when the excessive heat of the sun renders the earth barren. Wheat is cut down in May, in Galilee, but it is often not all gathered till the first of June. Frequently, barley is not all cut down until this month commences. Early apples are gathered this month.

At the present time, the Rabbinical Jews commence their year with the new moon nearest the vernal equinox, irrespective of the barley harvest; so that their first month synchronizes with our March, and their seventh, with our September; but it is evident that as they disregard the ordinances of Moses, and substitute for them their traditions, they are therefore of no authority as to the true time for the commencement of the Jewish year.

According to the Caraite Jews, the true year cannot commence until the appearance of the new moon in April. They are strict observers of the Mosaic law. Rees, in his Encyclopædia, says of them:—

“Upon the whole, the Caraites are universally reckoned men of the first learning, of the greatest piety, and of the purest morals of the whole nation.”

Calmet thus writes:—

“Caraites, a sect of the Jews, implying persons consummate in the study of the Scriptures, and adhering closely to the letter of it. This distinguishes the Caraites from the Rabbins, who admit traditions. The Caraites pass for the most learned of the Jewish doctors.”

Of the Caraites, and Rabbinical Jews, Dr. Hales says:—

“The Rabbinites held to oral tradition, and supposed that God dictated many things by word of mouth, to Moses on Mount Sinai, which were propagated in the traditions of the elders, and long after, were put in writing, lest they should be forgot. Hence, those maxims of their schools; ‘the words of the Scribes are lovelier than the words of the law, the words of the elders are weightier than the words of the prophets.’ They were reproved by our Saviour for teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. “There was a sect of the Scribes called Caraites or Scripturians, who rejected the cabalistic or allegorical interpretations of Scripture, and contended for the literal sense. And if the literal was inadmissible, they endeavored to discover the figurative meaning by careful comparison of Scripture with itself, in parallel places.” New Anal. Chro. Vol. II, p. 788.

The Caraite Jews maintain that the Rabbins have changed the calendar, so that to present the first fruits of the barley harvest on the sixteenth of Nisan, as the law directs, would be impossible, if the time is reckoned according to the Rabbinical calculation; for barley is not in the ear, at Jerusalem, until a month later. The accounts of many travelers confirm the position of the Caraites. Mr. E. S. Colman, a converted Jew, who has been employed as a missionary to the Jews, in Palestine, in an article published in the American Biblical Repository, for April, 1846, says:—

“At present the Jews in the holy land have not the least regard to this season appointed and identified by Jehovah, but follow the rules prescribed in the oral law, viz., by adding a month to every second or third year, thus making the lunar year correspond with the solar. And when the fifteenth day of Nisan, according to above-mentioned, arrives, they begin to celebrate the feast although the chabub should pass or not come. In general, the proper time is not to be expected; it is a whole month, which is just reversing the law. Nothing like ears of green corn have found in the law. Nothing like the celebration of this festival. Around Jerusalem they observe it later than the Rabbinical, for they were made by Abib, and they charge the latter with eating guided bread during that feast. I think, myself, that the charge is well founded. If this feast of unleavened bread is not celebrated in its season, every successive festival is dislocated from its appropriate period, since the month Abib is laid down in the law of God, as the epoch from which every other is to follow.”

Jahn, in his Archaeology, says, pp. 111, 112, that Moses “obligated the priests to present at the altar on the second day of the passover, or in the sixteenth day after the first new moon in April, a ripe sheaf. For if they saw on the last month of the year that the grain would not be ripe, as expected, they were compelled to make an intercalation, which commonly happened on the third year.”

“The Jewish Rabbins say, that March and Sept., instead of April and October, were the initial months of these two years. That they were so at a late period is admitted, but the change was probably owing to the example of the Romans, who began their year with the month of March. The Jews being pleased with their example in this respect, or overruled by their authority, adopted the same practice. That this is the most probable statement, is evident from the fact, that the position of the Rabbins is opposed not only by Josephus, but by the usage of the Syriac and Arabic languages; from the fact also, that the prescribed observances of the three great festival days will not agree with the months of March and September, as has been shown by Michaelis: see Commentat, de Mensibus Hebraeorum in Soc, Reg. Goett—1763—1768, p. 10, et seq.”

Archbishop Usher even makes their year still later. In his Annals of the World, London ed. 1658, p. 26, he says:—

“Upon the fourteenth day of the first month, (the fourth of May being our Tuesday,) in the evening, the Israelites celebrated their first passover, in the land of Canaan, Josh. v. 10. Next day after the passover, (May fifth being on Wednesday,) they ate of the fruit of land of Canaan, unleavened bread and parched corn, and manna ceased the very day they began to live on the fruits of the land. Josh. v. 11, 12.”

Again he says, page 40. “The eighth day of the seventh month, (to wit, 20th of our October being Friday,) was the first of the seven days of the dedication. The tenth day, (with us Nov. 1st, upon a Saturday,) was the first of fast of expiation or atonement held, whereupon (according to the Levitical law, chapter xxv, 9,) the jubilee was proclaimed by the sound of a trumpet. The 15th day (our November 6th, being Friday,) was the feast of tabernacles. The 22d, (our Nov. 13th, being also Friday,) was the last of the feast of tabernacles, which was also very solemnly kept. 2 Chron. viii. 9; with Lev. xxii. 36; and John vii. 37.”

It is therefore very evident from the foregoing testimony, that the Rabbinical Jews are incorrect in their time for their commencement of the Mosaic year; so that, according to the Caraite reckoning and the ripening of the barley in Judea, the new moon of April is the proper commencement of the Jewish year. Consequently, this Jewish year began with the appearance of the moon on the 18th of April, bringing the passover on the 1st of May—an entire moon later than the Rabbinical passover. Reckoning from this moon, the seventh Jewish month commenced with the appearance of the moon on the 13th of October; so that the tenth day of the seventh month synchronized with the 22d of that month.

A reference to the climate in Judea and the time of ingathering, shows that October is the true seventh month. Josephus, after speaking of the “seventh month” and the “feast” on the “tenth day,” says:—

“Upon the fifteenth day of the same month, when the season of the year is changing for Winter, the law enjoins us to pitch tabernacles in every one of our houses, so that we preserve ourselves from the cold of that season of the year.” Ant. B. 3, chap. 10.

By the “Economical Calendar” before referred to, we learn that the climate during the Autumn, is as follows:—

Sept. In September, the rainy season usually commences from the 18th to the 25th. The second clusters of the vine, which blossom in April, are ripe in this month; and cotton is also gathered.

Oct. The rainy season in some years, does not commence in Palestine until October. Wheat, barley, millet, &c., are sown in this month; and the third clusters of the grapes are gathered. The October rains, called early or former rains, follow about twenty or thirty days after the September rains.

Nov. November is reckoned among the rainy months. The trees retain their leaves, until about the middle of it. The nights are cold and uncomfortable.

Dec. December is the first winter month. The coldest weather is usually from the 12th of December, and the 20th of January. Snow seldom remains all day on the ground, and ice seldom forms sufficiently to bear man.

The apostle Paul, in giving the history of his voyage to Rome, (Acts xxvii, 8) says, “when sailing was now dangerous because the fast was already past,” he admonished them that the voyage would be of much hurt to the lading of the ship and to their lives. And in a very few weeks they were shipwrecked on the island of Malta, (Melita) where they remained three months through the Winter, Acts xxviii, 11. As they would not be able to depart until about the middle of February, they must have arrived at Malta about the middle of November, a few weeks after the fast. The following extract of a letter dated on board the U. S. Frigate Cumberland, Port Mahon, Oct. 25th, 1844, which we copy from the Mercantile Journal of Dec. 10th, is further evidence that the sailing in those seas becomes dangerous the last of October. The writer says:—

“We arrived here last night, after a tedious, boisterous passage of nine days from Malta. We had a succession of head winds, squalls, and rains, which were felt, in their full discomfort, after the series of pleasant weather we had experienced during our Summer’s cruise. The passage from Malta to this part is, perhaps, the worst in this sea; the approximation of Sicily and Africa, and the sprinkling of rocks and reefs in the Strait, make it one of anxiety for the navigator—while the constant prevalence of storms off the south point of Sardinia, has earned for it the name of the Cape Horn of the Mediterranean.”

It is therefore evident that the seventh month must have commenced with the new moon in October; and that the tenth day of the seventh month of the Jewish sacred year, in A. D. 1844, could only synchronize with the 22d of that month.

As that time drew nigh, the meetings of the respective Advent bands were marked by a deep solemnity of feeling, an all-prevailing sense of the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, and a realizing expectancy of the Saviour’s appearing, at the time specified. For a short time before the 22d, secular business was in most cases laid aside, and Adventists every where gave themselves to the work of preparation for his coming, as they would prepare themselves were they on their bed of death, expecting soon to close their eyes forever on all earthly scenes. There were some cases of extravagance, as has been in all great movements; and it would be strange if there had not been; these were greatly exaggerated, and were thus circulated in connection with hundreds of reports which had no foundation in fact; but the general effect on the minds and hearts of those who embraced that view, was salutary and permanent. The Advent bands were thus prepared for any contingency, and for any disappointment.

At length the day arrived, the long wished-for day, the day of hope and ardent expectation, the day that thousands looked to as the day that would release them from their earthly pilgrimage, and usher them into a state of endless joy. But it passed away. The sun arose and set, again arose, and disappeared again, until all hope that that was the appointed time which God would honor by Christ’s appearing, expired in every breast. The expectation was proved to be premature. At first, the friends were sad, but still hoped on, believing a few days more would close the scene. The enemy came in like a flood; and dark and dreary was the prospect, unless the Lord should speedily come to save. But time continued on. The truth still shone forth from the sacred page. The slanders of the wicked were hurled back upon them, and the enemy fell back abashed. The Adventists were therefore cheered anew, their desponding hearts were reinvigorated, they saw this disappointment did not destroy their hopes that Christ will soon appear, and that the evidence of the Advent at the door, was unaffected by it. Consequently, they have renewed their strength, and are still toiling on, laboring in the cause, which they believe the cause of God, praying to be perfected in His love, and that they may with patience wait his Son from heaven; believing he may now at any moment come, and that his coming cannot be long delayed. (To be Continued.)

HEAVEN.

By Sarah M. Swan

TUNE.—"Do they miss me at home"

O tell me of heaven, sweet heaven, The home of the pure and the blest, Where sorrow and sin cannot enter, Where the weary forever shall rest. Let me hear of that heavenly city, Where all is immortal and fair; And I'll flee from all earthly enchantments, And earnestly strive to be there.

Let others seek earthly possessions, And lay up their treasures below; I have heard of a land that is better, And to seek it with ardor I'll go. I have heard of a world robed in glory, And freed from temptation and care, Where sickness and death may not enter, And I long, O I long to be there.

Ambition may spread her bright phantoms, And whisper of honor, and fame, She may lure on her thousands to labor, To win an illustrious name; Be this my ambition to follow, The path my Redeemer has trod; Be an heir of his heavenly kingdom, And dwell in the city of God.

Though the way of the wicked may prosper, And be sprinkled with flowers so gay. Though wide be the path that they travel, And pleasant and easy the way; Though no troubles their path may encompass, And triumphant through life they may go, I'll envy them not for their journey Ends only in sorrow and woe.

Let me enter the gate that is narrow, The way that with dangers is spread, And though rugged and dark be my pathway One bright ray is over it shed; For I hear the sweet voice of my Saviour, Saying, "Fear not for I am thy God, I know thy temptations and trials, For I the rough pathway have trod."

Dear Saviour, thy promise is precious, Thy guidance I evermore crave; O help me to walk in thy footsteps, And trust in thy power to save. O give me a place in thy kingdom, When life with its turmoil is o'er, Let me dwell with the King in his beauty, And I ask, O I ask for no more.

SARAH M. SWAN. Orwell, Ohio, July 30th, 1857

The Saviour's Prediction.

By Nelson

“AND when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto; for these be the days of vengeance. And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles till the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled.” Luke xxi, 20–24.

Observe, first, the time the Redeemer fixed and left on record for his followers and children to depart from that devoted city, was the time when it must seem to them that they could not get out of her. How were they to escape after the invaders had surrounded them? The church in Jerusalem had increased sometimes as fast as several thousand in a day. How were these families to depart, when Jerusalem was compassed with armies? The sign named by their Saviour as the token of their flight was of itself an impassible barrier in the way of their travel. The incident which dictated their hasty journey, must necessarily hedge up their way. If the reader wishes a particular recital of many striking incidents, let him turn to the cotemporary historian, Josephus, who was himself an actor in the military occurrences of the time. This much admired and much respected writer does not seem to have known or, to have remembered that the Saviour had said anything of the Roman eagle standing where it ought not, or of Jerusalem being compassed with armies. When this siege did occur, he relates the circumstances truthfully, although it is evident he did not know they were appointed of heaven. The banner which the soldiers worshiped, and which the prophet called the “abomination which maketh desolate” moved before the temple gates. Josephus relates accurately the movements of the Roman general, Cestius, on that occasion. He informs us, that when he might have taken the city speedily, and with comparative ease, thus terminating the war at once, he led his army away. He retired “without any just occasion in the world.” Josephus seems to want words to express his wonder at the conduct of this commander. Perhaps Cestius scarcely knew himself why he thus acted so much to the astonishment of beholders; but had we been there, knowing what we now know, we could have told all spectators and historians the reason why he withdrew. God’s people were in that city. His little flock—little in comparison with the multitude of the ungodly—never noticed by the haughty of this world unless to deride or calumniate, are never forgotten by Him. They were to seek safety in the mountains; they were to have an opportunity to retire. To afford this the Roman legions must be taken to a proper distance. They were, thus conducted, and the followers of the Saviour with their families, did retire. The young reader is here again reminded that we are not giving merely the Christian account of these things. He may gather these facts from the pens of ancient and modern unbelievers, if he prefers their history. When those who had vociferated, “Crucify him, crucify him; his blood be upon us and our children,” were crucified themselves, with their children, around the walls of their blazing city, nailed many on the same cross, until there was no more space on which to plant a cross, and no more wood of which to make one; when famine, gnawing, unparalleled famine, was doing a work along those crowded streets, the bare recital of which would cause the stupid, the callous, or the cruel to faint with sickening horror, there were no Christians there. They had gone to Pella. They had watched for the Redeemer’s token, and obeyed the signal. The words spoken by the Man of Calvary, unheeded by the world then, unnoticed by after generations, and that scoffers of the present age scarcely know are in the Bible, were the means of their salvation.

Ancient Records.

By Editor

[The two following curious documents have been sent us for publication. It is the opinion of some that records of this nature had their origin in the dark ages, as the inventions of unscrupulous popish monks. But while we should not surrender ourselves to groundless credulity, we need not condemn without evidence. We see nothing here which conflicts with those records of our Saviour and his ministry on earth, in which we have implicit confidence; and it is not impossible nor even improbable that such records might have been made, and preserved like many other things which have come down to us from that age.—Ed.]

Description of Christ.

A description of Jesus Christ, as it was found in an ancient manuscript, sent by Publius Lentulus, President of Judea, to the Senate of Rome:

"There lives at this time in Judea a man of singular character, whose name is Jesus Christ. The barbarians esteem him a prophet, but his followers adore him as the immediate offspring of the immortal God. He is endowed with unparalleled virtue, as to call back the dead from their graves, and to heal every kind of disease with a word or touch. His person is tall and elegantly shaped—his aspect amiable and reverend. His hair flows in those beautiful shades, which no united colors can match—falling into graceful curls below his ears, agreeably crouching on his shoulders, and parting on the crown of the head, like the head-dress of the rest of the Nazarites. His forehead is smooth and large; the cheek without spot, save that of a lovely red; his nose and mouth are formed with exquisite symmetry; his beard is thick and suitable to the hair on his head, reaching a little below his chin and parting in the middle like a fork. His eyes are bright, clear and serene. He rebukes with majesty, counsels with mildness, and invites with the most tender and persuasive language. His whole address, whether in word or deed, being elegant, grave, and strictly characteristic of so great a being. No man has seen him laugh, but the whole world behold him weep frequently; and so persuasive are his tears, that the multitude cannot withhold theirs, from joining in sympathy with him. He is moderate, temperate and wise. In short, whatever this phenomenon may turn out in the end, he seems at present a man of excellent beauty and divine perfections, every way surpassing the children of men."

DEATH WARRANT OF CHRIST

Translated from the "Courier des Etats Unis."

DEATH WARRANT OF CHRIST.

Chance has just put into our hands the most imposing and interesting judicial document to all Christians, that ever has been recorded in human annals: that is, the identical death warrant of our Lord Jesus Christ. We transcribe the document as it has been handed to us:—

Sentence rendered by Pontius Pilate, acting Governor of lower Galilee, stating that Jesus of Nazareth shall suffer death on the cross.

"In the year seventeen of the Empire Tiberius Caesar, and the 25th day of March, the city of holy Jerusalem, Anna and Caiaphas being priests, sacrificators of the people of God, Pontius Pilate, Governor of Lower Galilee, sitting on the presidential chair of the prætory, condemns Jesus of Nazareth, to die on the cross between two thieves—the great and notorious evidence of the people saying—

Jesus is a seducer.
He is seditious.
He is an enemy of the law.
He calls himself falsely the Son of God.
He calls himself falsely the King of Israel.
He entered into the Temple, followed by a multitude, bearing palm branches in their hands.

Order the first centurion, Quillus Cornelius, to lead him to the place of execution. Forbid to any person whomsoever, either poor or rich, to oppose the death of Jesus. The witnesses that signed the condemnation of Jesus, are, viz:—1. Daniel Robini, a Pharisee; 2. Joannes Rorobable; 3. Raphdel Robani; 4. Capet, a citizen. Jesus shall go out of the city of Jerusalem by the gate of Struenus."

The above sentence is engraved on a copper plate, on one side are written these words:—"A similar plate is sent to each tribe." It was found in an antique vase of white marble, while excavating in the ancient city of Aquilla, in the kingdom of Naples, in the year 1820, and was discovered by the Commissariats of Arts, attached to the French armies. At the expedition of Naples, it was found enclosed in a box of ebony, in the sacristy of the Chartram. The vase in the Chapel of Casserta.

The French translation was made by the members of the Commission of Arts. The original is in the Hebrew language. The Chartram requested earnestly that the plate might not be taken away from them. The request was granted as a reward for the sacrifice they had made for the army. M. Denon, one of the savans, caused a plate to be made of the same model, on which he had engraved the above sentence. At the sale of his collection of antiquities it was bought by lord Howard for his museum.

Christ in the Family

the day! He is not present as an austere censor, but as a personal friend, kind, patient, forbearing; yet he is pure and holy, and is grieved and offended at any departure from the perfect law of rectitude and love. And now with Christ thus at your side, you are supposed to act naturally in all respects as you are accustomed to do, assuming nothing for the occasion. How far are you prepared to submit to the personal inspection of Christ? He enters the family. He rejoices in the genial play of affection, and in the innocent mirth of the fireside. The little prattler on your knee engages his attention and receives his caresses. He is a cheerful, affectionate, considerate visitor, entering with interest into every subject relating to your happiness. But what impression does the general, the usual course of affairs in the family produce upon the mind of such an observer? How much place is given to religion? Is God honored in your house? Is your family worship so conducted—I speak it reverently—that Christ himself could join in it, or could at least be an approving spectator? How much of the conversation of the family is upon topics agreeable to Christ? And to what extent is your conversation upon domestic affairs and secular things characterized by a tone of natural and cheerful piety—the recognition of God's providence, of moral obligation, and of the superior importance of spiritual things?

In the whole economy of the household, in the intercourse of the several members of the family with each other, how much is there of the spirit of kindness, subduing irascibility and fretfulness, and causing the day to glide smoothly and pleasantly onward? How far are your expenses, your style of living, the education of your children, in a word, all your domestic arrangements, regulated so as to meet the approbation of Christ? Endeavor thus to entertain Christ in your family for a day, and you may discover whether you do truly live with him.

From the family, Christ now accompanies you to your place of business. He observes your deportment in your intercourse with the world. He is with you in the counting-room, he is with you in the shop, wherever you go, Christ is at your side; whatever you say or do Christ is a witness of it. He sees with what temper you hear the disappointments and vexations of the day; he sees upon what principles you conduct your business, and for what end; whether you are in haste to be rich, or whether, while "not slothful in business," you are still "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Christ stands by you when you are making a bargain, knows whether you speak the truth, or take advantage of your neighbor. If you act just as you are accustomed to do, how much will Christ see in you to approve, and that will cause him to rejoice in such a representative? how much that will cause him to blush for the honor of his name?

From your family and your place of business, Christ next goes with you into society. Perhaps the company to which you introduce him is a circle of relatives, or of Christian friends, who have met for social entertainment. Such a company ought to be congenial to his tastes and feelings. Does it prove to be so? Is your deportment and that of your fellow-Christian in the social circle, are your topics of conversation and methods of entertainment such that Christ will feel quite at home there, and, as a cheerful friend, can participate therein?

Leaving these scenes Christ next attends you to your closet. He observes whether you resort thither cheerfully, or by constraint of conscience and of habit; whether you enter it in a hurry, and after a hurried prayer and a listless mechanical reading of the Scriptures, rush forth again to the world of business or of pleasure, where your heart has mainly been; or whether your closet is a favorite resort, which you delight to seek, and where you love to linger, that you may hold near and intimate converse with him. Are you willing that Christ should thus enter your closet with you?

He attends you also to the prayer-meeting, and to the house of God. He knows what passes in your mind before going,—whether you go cheerfully or of constraint, after a long conflict between duty and inclination. He knows what preparation you make for these social and public religious services and in what spirit—for he reads the heart—you engage in them. Would you be willing to perform these duties as you are accustomed to do, with Christ at your side as a close observer?

And in the same manner Christ takes notice of what you do for his cause. He knows whether you visit the poor, converse with the impenitent, seek out the vicious and degraded, and in what spirit you perform such labors. Are you quite willing that Christ should see and know, as a personal observer, just what you are doing for his cause?

If you will endeavor thus to conceive of Christ as with you in the body, for a single day, you may judge how far you truly live with him.—Sel.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

By Gen. Evangelist

Christian, nerve thee for the fight; Gird thine armour on; Fearlessly maintain the right, 'Till the battle's won: Victory shall crown thy way— End in everlasting day.

There, in yon celestial bowers, All life's perils o'er, Thou shalt pluck immortal flowers; Life forever more: Then, the toil of battle past, Thou shalt rest in Heaven at last.

"Receipt for making Tattlers."

"TAKE a handful of the vine called Runabout, the same quantity of root called Nimbletongue, a sprig of the herb, called Backbite, (either before or after the dogdays,) a table-spoonful of don't you tell it, six drachms of Malice, a few drops of Envy, which can be purchased in any quantity, at the shops of Miss Tabitha Tea table, and Miss Nancy Night-walk. Stir them well together, and simmer for half an hour, over the fire of discontent, kindled with a little jealousy; then strain it through the rag of misconstruction, cork it up in a bottle of malevolence, hang it upon a skein of street yarn, shake it occasionally for a few days, and it will be fit for use. Let a few drops be taken just before walking out, and the patient will be enabled to speak all manner of evil, and that continually."

Human Elevation.

“I know,” says Channing, “but one elevation of a human being, and that is the elevation of the soul. Without this, it matters not where a man stands, or what he possesses; and with it, he towers—he is one of God's nobility, no matter what place he holds in the social scale. There are not different kinds of dignity for different orders of men, but one and the same to all. The only elevation of the human being consists in the exercise, growth, and energy of the higher principles and powers of his soul. A bird may be shot upwards to the skies by a foreign force, but it rises in the true sense of the word only when it spreads its own wings, and soars by its own living power. So a man may be thrust upwards in a conspicuous place by outward accidents, but he rises only so far as he exerts himself and expands his best faculties, and he ascends up, by a free effort, to a noble region of thought and action.”

Joy and Sorrow.

As the most luxuriant plants thrive best with an equal mixture of sunshine and shade, showery and dry weather, and in a soil composed of sand, as well as richer materials, mingled in due proportion together,—so the human mind is a plant, which thrives best with a just proportion of prosperity and adversity, joy and sorrow.

Continue reading: Heart Searching