Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 20, 1856
WHEN WILL THE NATIONS BE DASHED IN PIECES?
(Continued.)
Objection. Christ is a priest after the order of Melchisedec; but Melchisedec was both a priest and king, at the same time: therefore the priesthood of Christ will not cease at his coming, but will continue while he is a king on the throne of David.
Paul to the Hebrews says the earthly priests "serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things;" [chap. viii, 5;] but there were certain things which were not exemplified by the priests of the order of Aaron, and there were other things in their ministration to which there is nothing corresponding in the antitype. Therefore it is evident that Aaron and his sons, or the priests of that order, were not complete types of the Minister of the new covenant in the heavenly Sanctuary. They offered a multitude of offerings "year by year;" but he offered but one. Heb. vii, 27, ix, 25, 26, x, 1, 11, 12. Some have endeavored to follow the types so strictly that they have lost sight of this fact, and imbibed opinions subversive of some of the most important truths on this great subject. The points of difference in the ministration of the two orders are specified by the Apostle in his letter to the Hebrews. They could not continue by reason of death; but he ever liveth to make intercession for us. With them the priesthood descended from father to son; his is unchangeable. Heb. vii, 23-25. The reckoning of their genealogy was essential to their being admitted to discharge the duties of their office; but no priests were reckoned of the tribe from which he sprang. Chap. vii, 13, 14. They did not unite royalty with their priesthood; but he is both King and Priest.
As Aaron could not typify the character and priesthood of Christ in these respects, Melchisedec is presented in the Scriptures to make up the deficiency, says Paul. "For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the king and blessed him: To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is, king of peace; without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually." Heb. vii, 1-3. The record in Genesis would give us to understand that Melchisedec was a real personage, as much as Abraham who gave tithes to him; and he can only be said to have been without parents, descent, &c., as contrasted with Aaron and his sons, whose genealogy had to be carefully preserved, otherwise they were not permitted to fill the priestly office. That this method of expression was common among the Hebrews, who were very careful in preserving such records, we have the very best authority to show. Says Dr. Clarke: "He who could not support his pretensions by just genealogical evidence, was said by the Jews to be without father." . . . This sort of phraseology was not uncommon when the genealogy of a person was unknown or obscure. Now the record in Genesis gives us no information in regard to Melchisedec, further than that he was king of Salem and priest of the Most High God. Many have conjectured relative to the identity of Melchisedec, and some suppose he was Shem; but all such conjectures must be vain and fruitless, as it is evidently the design of the author of the Scriptures that it should not be known. If it were possible to ascertain who Melchisedec was, further than the simple statement of Gen. xiv, 18, he would no longer stand a type of Christ's priesthood according to the declaration of Heb. vii, 1-3. All the conditions specified in that Scripture regarding Melchisedec are fulfilled in the priesthood of Christ in the heavenly Sanctuary, and no where else. He has neither father nor son; that is, he has neither predecessor nor successor in that office; for it is in regard to his priesthood that these terms are applied. He has neither beginning of days, nor end of life; that is, his office did not come to him because he was born of a certain line—it was not of lineal descent; neither does death cause a cessation of his ministry, as was the case with all of Aaron's order.
But the particular point at which the objection aims is that of his kingly priesthood. We have seen that all the other points specified in the type of Melchisedec apply to the ministry of Christ, at this present time, where he is officiating even in "heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." And is this point an exception? I think not, for several reasons. In the argument of the Apostle to the Hebrews he proves that Christ is superior to Aaron, constituted a priest by the oath of God after the order of Melchisedec. He points out the characteristics of his priesthood, including its royalty, and sums up in chap. viii, 1, thus, "Now of the things which we have spoken"—concerning the priesthood of Christ—"this is the sum: We have such a High Priest"—What kind of a High Priest? Such a High Priest as has been described; to wit: a priest who is holy, harmless, and undefiled; not subject to death; whose priesthood is unchangeable; not of the order of Aaron, but after the order of Melchisedec—King of Peace, and Priest of the Most High God. And where have we such a High Priest? on the throne of David?—"Who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." He goes on to teach that the heavenly Sanctuary, where Christ ministers, must be purified with blood; also that he makes but one offering; that he offers it but once; and enters once into the perfect tabernacle to make an atonement. From these facts it is evident that the atonement must be fully made when he leaves, or ceases to minister in, the Sanctuary and true tabernacle;" and not a declaration of the whole argument will admit of his performing this work a second time in heaven, or resuming it somewhere else. The above statements of Paul relating to the Melchisedec order of priesthood, are general; and as generals comprehend the sum of the particulars unless exceptions are directly granted, each particular must be included in the summing up of the argument, as no exception is noticed.
But again, the Scriptures prove that that particular specification is now fulfilled by the Minister of the new covenant, in heaven. See Zech. vi, 12, 13, which has been quoted (I might say perverted) to prove that Christ will be a priest on the throne of David. It reads, "Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord; even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."194It is altogether impossible to make this scripture apply to the reign of Christ on the throne of David. It will be perceived at a glance that two persons are introduced by the prophet: the Branch, which is Christ, the Son of God, and the Lord, or Jehovah. The Father and the Son. Now if we substitute these names for the pronouns in verse 13, it will read, "And the Son shall build the temple of the Father; and the Son shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon the Father's throne; and the Son shall be a priest upon the Father's throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both;" that is, between the Father and the Son. This scripture is fulfilled in the position of our Melchisedec priest, "who is set down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." Jesus himself testifies to his position in Rev. iii, 21, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." Some will, perhaps, be ready to start in astonishment at the idea that Christ is a King at this present time, and has been during his whole ministry in heaven. But the word of God clearly teaches it, and therefore I believe it. Not on the throne of David, in the Kingdom of Israel, (which is cast down during his priesthood,) but on the throne of God, in the kingdom of the universe.
We are taught that if we suffer with Christ we shall also reign with him; and Jesus promises a seat on his throne to the overcomers. Then if we reign as kings with Christ, sitting upon his throne, is it too much to believe, that Christ reigns as a King with the Father, while sitting on the Father's throne? It may be contrary to our ideas of Christ's position during the present dispensation, but if our ideas conflict with such plain teachings of Scripture, let them be discarded at once. The Word says he shall rule and be a priest on the throne of the LORD; and as the counsel of peace is 'between them both' during his priestly rule, therefore he is at once 'King of Peace and Priest of the Most High God.' When I read the words of the risen Saviour to his disciples, that all power in heaven and earth is given to him; [Matt. xxviii, 18;] that men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father; [John v, 23;] and learn that the Father hath highly exalted him, even to a seat on his own universal throne. My soul rejoices at the thought that 'we have such a High Priest' to make intercession for us. Surely they that put their trust in such a Saviour shall not be ashamed.
It is greatly to be feared that we have not considered the Apostle and High Priest of our profession,' in all respects, in the light in which he is presented in the Word. It is necessary that we recognize his exalted position, in order that we give him that honor which the Father requires we should bestow upon the Son while in the joint occupancy of the throne of universal dominion.
Another point claims our attention, which is this: As Christ is a royal priest, or king and priest at once, these offices being united in Melchisedec, it is necessary, to fulfill the type of Melchisedec, that there be no genealogical reckoning in regard to either his priesthood or kingship. We should search in vain to find who was king before Melchisedec, or who succeeded him, or from whom he, as king descended. What is applicable to him as priest, is true of him also as king. And so it is with Christ in regard to that kingship which is united with his priesthood. He is exalted to the throne of God, not by right of descent, but to fulfill his priestly work there, in which descent was not reckoned. And as he is the 'one mediator,' having neither predecessor nor successor in that office, as he is the only one that ever will enjoy the high privilege of sharing the power and honors of the throne of the Most High. This fact alone would render it certain that Christ's kingly priesthood is not upon his own throne, or on the throne of Israel, for when he takes that throne it is as the Son of David; and it is as necessary that his genealogy be traced to David in order for him to occupy that throne, as it was for the sons of Aaron to prove their descent from Levi, or from Aaron, in order to be permitted to minister in the sanctuary on earth. The objection urged on the priesthood of Christ, is clearly invalid. A correct understanding of his priestly work confirms the view that every case is decided at, or before, his coming, and that his saints will be redeemed, and his enemies, including all the unredeemed, will be 'dashed in pieces' at that time.
(To be Continued.) J. H. W.
AN HOUR WITH GOD.
ONE hour with thee, my God, when day-light breaks
Over a world thy guardian care has kept,
When the fresh soul from soothing slumber wakes
To praise the love that watched me while I slept.
When with new strength my blood is bounding free,
The first, best, sweetest hour, I'll give to Thee.
One hour with thee, when busy day begins,
Her never-ceasing round of bustling care,
When I must meet with toil, and pain, and sins,
And through them all, thy cross again must bear;
O then, to arm me for the strife, to be
Faithful to death, I'll kneel an hour with Thee.
One hour with thee, when rides the glorious sun
High in mid heaven, and panting nature feels
Lifeless and overpowered, and man has done,
For one short hour, with urging life's swift wheels
In that deep pause my soul from care shall flee,
To make that hour of rest one hour with Thee,
One hour with thee, when saddened twilight flings
A soothing charm o'er lawn, and vale and grove,
When there breathes up from all created things
The sweet, enthrilling sense of thy deep love;
And when its softening power descends on me,
My swelling heart shall spend an hour with Thee.
One hour with thee, my God, when softly night
Climbs the high heaven with solemn step and slow,
When thy sweet stars, unutterably bright,
Are telling forth thy praise to men below;
O then, while far from earth my thoughts would flee,
I'll spend in prayer one joyful hour with Thee!
II. When does this change take place? I answer, At the second advent of Christ. For as He was born at his resurrection who is the HEAD, so also will his disciples at their resurrection, who are the MEMBERS of that same body of which he is the head. 1 Cor. xv, 23. "Christ the first-fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's." When? "At his coming." Again, [verses 50-53,] "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." When? "At the LAST TRUMP: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Isa. lxvi, 14. After speaking of the birth or resurrection of Zion's children, and their being comforted in Jerusalem, he adds, "When ye see it, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb; and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants and his indignation toward his enemies. For, behold, the Lord will come with fire and his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." Read also chapters xxv, 8, 9; xxvi, 19-21, and compare with 1 Thess. iv, 15-17; 2 Thess. i, 7-10. From which scripture we learn it is at the last trump. When the Lord himself descends from heaven in flaming fire to take vengeance on the wicked, and with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. Then shall we be born of the Spirit, and come forth into a new and eternal life. When God shall be glorified in all his saints! How glorified in them! By their birth when they receive immortal and glorified bodies like unto Jesus' glorious body. Every one reflecting the image and glory of Christ. Thus we see the birth of the Spirit, which is the resurrection, is at the coming of our God from heaven, instead of at conversion and a point in the past. And this is the only birth that will ensure us an entrance into the kingdom. As Paul teaches, [1 Cor. xv, 14.] "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." Verses 17, 18. "And if Christ be not raised your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are PERISHED." Again, [verse 32.] "If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink: for to morrow we die."
We see from this that conversion cannot be the second birth, neither can it insure us an entrance into the kingdom. For, although we may have faith, not suffer for Christ here, and die in its triumphs and sleep in Jesus; yet all is vain without a resurrection. With what power then comes thundering home the declaration, "Ye must be born again;" even by the Spirit of the eternal God that raised Jesus from the dead, or ye can in no wise see or enter the kingdom of God. And it gives new force to such passages as Phil. iii, 11, "If by any means I might attain unto a for anastasis resurrection out from among the dead." And also, Rom. ii, 6, 7, "God will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality: eternal life." "For [Rev. xx, 6.] blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." And how this truth harmonizes, and lights up with new rays of glory the word of God. See 1 John, iii, 9. "Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him and he CANNOT sin, because he is born of God."
Now, although we may allow that men may live here, and sometimes do by the assistance of God's grace without sin for a season, yet are any prepared to take the ground that the best men that ever lived attained a state here that rendered it impossible for them to sin? I presume not. Then are they not born of God. But if any doubt lingers in your mind, this same writer writes it. Chap. ii, 1. "Little children, these things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father." Here John supposes we may sin after conversion. And provision he assures us is made for such. But in the other place he assures us that if born again we CANNOT sin. I am aware many efforts have been made to pervert this passage by modifying its meaning to suit our theories. But there it stands a positive declaration, and eternal refutation of all such theories. They cannot sin because they are born of God. Then conversion we see clearly is not the new birth.
We will here notice an objection that may arise in the minds of some, in 1 John v, 1. "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born (begotten) of God: and every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him." We are to remember that this translation was made in view of the position that conversion is the new birth. Now in this sense the words born, begat, and begotten, are all from one and the same verb in the original—Gennao—the first definition of which is, to beget, generate, and the word here rendered born should be rendered begotten. This is evident, 1st, from the whole tenor of the apostle; 2d, from what follows in the same verse, "he that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him;" 3d, but still more so from his own explanation in the 18th verse of this same chapter, where he distinguishes between being born and begotten. "We KNOW that whosoever is born of God sinneth not." How do you know? In chap. iii, 9, he tells you, "his seed remaineth in him, he cannot sin because he is born of God." "But he that is BEGOTTEN of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not." Says Paul in 1 Cor. ix, 27; "but I keep my body under," &c., "lest I myself become a cast-away." By which teaching I understand that when we are born of God we are in a state rendering it impossible for us to sin. But when begotten of God we keep ourselves by the use of those means God has appointed for our salvation. Or in other words, by conversion; we are begotten of God by the truth when we receive the spirit of adoption, which is the first-fruits of the Spirit and pledge of our adoption. But we are not born until the resurrection; which is the order of nature and accords with the teachings of the sure word of prophecy, as we will endeavor now to show. James i, 18. "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." The word here rendered begat is Apokueo. 1 Cor. iv, 15. "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet there are not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have BEGOTTEN you through the Gospel." See also Phil. 10. "I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds." Rom. viii, 17-23. "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear: but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father." Here mark, we have not received the adoption, but the spirit of adoption; and in the 23d verse he tells us when we receive the adoption, for "ourselves also which have the FIRST FRUITS of the SPIRIT, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for (for what?) the adoption; (what is the adoption, Paul?) to wit, the redemption of our body." From these passages and many others we might quote, we perceive that through the truth we are begotten sons of God but not yet born. But having the spirit of Christ, which is the earnest, the first-fruits and pledge of our adoption, we wait, groaning for the adoption; to wit, the redemption of our body in the resurrection morn, when we shall be born (born free) of the free woman; [Gal. iv;] born into the kingdom unto eternal life. Glory to God! Whom the Son maketh free is free indeed. "For as soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children." Unto which we are sealed (made sure) by the spirit of adoption. For, says God in the next verse, [Isa. lxvi, 9.] (and I will quote the verse with the marginal readings, and I wish you to notice its power and glory and assurance of hope unto the end,) "Shall I bring to the birth, and not be able to bring forth! saith the Lord: shall I beget to bring forth and shut the womb? saith thy God." No! is the implied answer. Having of my own will begotten you through the truth, [Jas. i, 18, &c.,] I will not shut the womb. No. "I will open your graves and ye shall come forth out of your graves and I will put my spirit in you and ye shall live." Eze. xxxvii, 14. "Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust, for your dew is as the dew of herbs, for the earth shall cast out her dead." Isa. xxvi, 19. "For her children shall break forth on the right hand and left." Isa. liv, 3. So here, [Isa. lxvi,] after representing them as already begotten for the express purpose of bringing forth and assuring us that he will not shut the womb. He represents the children as nursing, [verses 10, 11.] "Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her; that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out and be delighted with the brightness of her glory." And the reason follows, for [because, verse 12] "Thus saith the Lord, behold I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the195Gentiles like a flowing stream; then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in JERUSALEM." For, says Paul, [Rom. viii, 11.] "If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you." This accords with the teachings of Christ in John i, 12-14. "The word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power (margin, right, or privilege) to BECOME the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born not of blood." No, that life which we received from our first parent must be yielded, "the blood is the life of the flesh;" [Gen. ix, 4.] "nor of the will of the flesh;" no, that must be yielded, for the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and these are contrary the one to the other. See Rom. vii, 23; Gal. v, 16. No blood in that birth. There is flesh, but no will of the flesh, "nor will of man but of God." Not born of the first Adam, who was made a living soul, but of the second Adam who was made a quickening spirit unto eternal life. "For (says Jesus) I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish." From this passage we learn that as many as received Jesus, believing on his name, to them he gave the privilege to become the sons of God. How? By giving them the spirit which is the pledge of adoption, by which spirit they are sealed unto the day of redemption. See 2 Cor. i, 22; Eph. i, 13, 14; iv, 30. As Peter also testifies, [1 Pet. i, 23.] "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which (who, says Macknight) liveth and abideth forever." This word is Christ, by whose voice the dead in Christ will be awakened and be born again. John v, 25. "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth." The Father gives not the spirit unto him by measure but with him is the residue. And all who believe in him receive the spirit of adoption; and, says Jesus, [John vi, 40.] "This is the will of him that sent me, that every one that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
I will notice one more objection and leave the subject with you. You will find some passages relating to the birth in the past or present tense. Such passages are to be harmonized on the principle that it is no uncommon thing for Old and New Testament writers, in speaking of events in the future, to use the past or present tense. Isa. ix, 6. "Unto us a child is born," &c. This was 700 years before Christ's day. Again, [chap. liii, 4.] "He hath borne our griefs," &c., past tense. So Paul, [Heb. xii, 22.] "But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem," &c. This is not yet fulfilled.
I might notice other objections, but on a careful examination of the subject they will all disappear before the light of the Word. I ask you, my brethren, to examine this subject candidly and prayerfully, and you will find it full of glory. It will harmonize the Word and pour in a flood of glory into your soul that no other view of the subject will. And the Scriptures will open before you in the investigation, and such rays of glory be shed upon them as shall feast your soul and make you glad through the Word. And this view gives such an importance and glory to the new birth, that we shall not, like Nicodemus, any longer marvel that Jesus attached so much importance to the truth, "Ye must be born again." Have we the spirit of adoption? Let us then rejoice in the hope of soon realizing the adoption unto glory, honor and immortality. For blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Amen.
J. H. W. Seneca Falls, Sept. 20th, 1845.
A Thrilling Picture.
By Elliot
In perusing the early history of the church there is nothing that more forcibly arrests the attention and appeals to the mind, than the terrible sufferings which the early Christians endured, and over which they triumphed. Let us for a moment contemplate them.
Go with me to the province of Bithynia. Its cities and villages are thronged with Christians. Every day witnesseth their increase, and the temples of the Roman gods are abandoned. Pliny is the governor of that province. An edict comes from the Emperor of Rome, demanding that Christianity be exterminated; that those who will not renounce it, who will not revile Christ and adore the heathen gods, be put first to torture and then to death. It is the command from Rome, and the arm of Rome, of appalling power, is raised to enforce it. It makes the blood run cold to imagine the conflict now to ensue, a conflict between the powers of bodily agony and the stability of regenerated hearts. A few of the timid and half converted sink from the terrible ordeal, and renounce the Saviour. The rest nerve themselves to endurance. They fast and pray, and pray and fast. They call upon Christ for help; they try to encourage one another, and look forward to the hour of trial with trembling hearts, for fear they should not be able to sustain the burden they are called to bear.
Go into the hall of judgment and witness the scene there; it is morning. Pliny is seated to judge and condemn. Ferocious Roman soldiers drag into the hall a Christian family. A father and mother, with their son and daughter, compose the trembling group. The hour of trial is come.
"Are you a Christian?" says Pliny to the father.
"I am!"
"Will you revile Christ, and worship the gods?"
"No!"
"Apply the punishment."
Bone after bone breaks beneath the dreadful wheel.
"Will you renounce Christ?"
"No!" groans the agonized Christian.
The glowing pincers are applied, and nerve after nerve is lacerated, till the whole frame is a mangled mass quivering with agony.
"Will you renounce Christ?"
"No!" feebly exclaims the exhausted sufferer.
"Take him to his death."
And as the father is hurried to the yard to be beheaded, he turns his languid eye to his fainting family, and says, "They that endure to the end shall be saved." He forgets himself and his own agony in his solicitude for his wife and children—and as the axe falls upon his neck, his lips are moving in prayer that they may be sustained.
And now the mother stands before the judge! And now will woman's nerves endure this trial! The mother's heart is a tempest of anguish for the trembling daughter at her side. And as the wheel crushes her limbs, and the flesh is torn from her bones, her only cry is, "Oh, God of mercy, help my children."
The soldiers, maddened with rage, drag her rudely to the block, and the next moment her headless trunk lies by the side of that of her husband.
And now the daughter takes the stand; trembling, fainting, praying, she clings to her Saviour. But as the wheel performs its dreadful work, and the pincers tear her youthful limbs, one dreadful shriek pierces every ear, and a frantic cry of the renunciation of Christ escapes her lips.
But the cry was but the delirium of her agony. For ere the tormentors have time to stop their work, she renounces her renunciation—she cries for forgiveness—she clings to her Saviour, and in contrition for her momentary and almost unconscious denial, forgets her pain, and terrifies her executioners by the calm, the unearthly determination with which she invites them to finish their work. They do finish it; terribly they finish it.
But let us leave this dreadful scene, not forgetting that for days, and weeks, and months, this bloody persecution raged with unsparing rapidity; and that these very sufferings, by the fortitude with which they were endured, multiplied converts to the Saviour.
Let us go from the province to the capital. It is a Roman holiday. Let us go to the Coliseum. A hundred thousand spectators crowd its vast amphitheatre, rising rank upon rank, almost to the clouds; lank, half famished lions are growling along the avenue, flashing their fierce eyes upon the multitudes beyond their reach; the impatience of the countless throng is manifested by loud murmurs, like the noise of many waters, as the expected sport is delayed.
An iron door is cautiously opened—every eye is fixed upon it. A female is thrust in, and the door closed. There is a growl and a rush, and her limbs are torn into a thousand pieces, and crumbling beneath the teeth of the contending lions. One shout from the vast multitude, louder than the ocean's tempest, rends the air—when again the door is opened, and another victim thrust in for their sport. What is the crime of the sufferers? They are Christians. They have renounced the idol gods of Rome, and have become the disciples of Jesus.
But let us turn from this dreadful spectacle, and go to the gardens. It is a lovely evening. Every tree is spangled with many colored lamps. Through the foliage, the illuminated palace turns night into day. All that Rome can give of splendor or of elegance adorns the walks. Statutes crowd the corners and hover around the fountains, and music of enchanting melody is breathed as if by magic, from every bower and grove.
But what mean those shrieks which now and then rise above the murmur of the multitude, and with awful discord pierce through the harmony of Nero's most accomplished bands?
What mean those bonfires blazing so brightly, resembling the human form convulse as if with pain, and emitting their mysterious shrieks! They are living Christians wrapped in sheets, smeared with tar and pitch, and bitumen, and fired to light the pathway of Nero's chariot, and to give a brilliance to the rejoicings of the population of Rome.
These were the trials of early Christians. The young man who then became a Christian, went to be mangled on the wheel, and to be beheaded at the block. Young man, why do you not become a Christian? Associates will revile me, you reply. If I give my heart to Christ, and consecrate my life to his service, I cannot mingle in gayety, and flutter through life in pleasure. The Roman youth who joined the church of Christ, must endure the utmost bodily agony, and lay down his life. If you, in sincerity of heart, join the friends of Jesus, you have nothing to fear but the jest of the wicked.
A day of Judgment is coming. And the pleasure-loving young man of these privileged days must stand by the side of the youthful martyrs of Rome. The youthful females of the present day, who now neglect the Saviour, must stand in the judgment by the side of their Roman sisters, who so loved the Saviour, that for his sake they would lie upon the torturing wheel, and feed the famished lion with their bodies. How will you meet the contrast!
ELLIOT.
[Boston Recorder.
The Worth of the Soul and Eternity
The soul for worth, life for brevity, eternity for duration, the judgment for awfulness, hell for misery, heaven for happiness, and Christ for condescension, have no equals.
He Knows Best
Could the Christian at all times, and in all seasons, believe with the heart that which he must believe with the head, that "God knows best," how much more happy and contented, how really blessed he would be! He who created the universe, also clotheth the lily and feedeth the sparrow; and while nothing is too great for his power, so nothing is too insignificant for his notice. "Our heavenly Father careeth for us." Surely the thought of this should be sufficient to suppress our every feeling of discontent, and enable us to pray from the depths of the soul, that our desires may be granted, only so far as may be expedient for us. "In quietness and in confidence" our true strength must lie; and when we "know even as we are known," we will understand the meaning of much that we now vainly endeavor to pry into. Until then, like little children, we should rest in our Father's arms, knowing that all things shall work together for our good.