Signs of the Times, Vol. 14, No. 50. (12/28/1888)

Signs of the Times

Dec 28, 1888

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 28, 1888

General Articles.

By Mrs. Ellen G. White

THE TRUE STANDARD OF MANHOOD.

BY MRS E. G. WHITE.

God designs that improvement shall be the life-work of all his followers, and that it shall be guided and controlled by correct experience. The true man is one who is willing to sacrifice his own interest for the good of others, and who forgets himself in binding up the broken-hearted. Many fail to understand the true object of life; and under the influence of cherished errors, they sacrifice all there is of life that is really valuable.

Nero and Caesar were acknowledged by the world as great men; but did God regard them as such? No! they were not connected by living faith to the great heart of humanity. They were in the world, and ate, and drank, and slept, as men of the world; but they were Satanic in their cruelty. Wherever went these monsters in human form, bloodshed and destruction marked their pathway. They were lauded while living; but when they were buried, the world rejoiced. In contrast with the lives of these men is that of Martin Luther. He was not born a prince. He wore no royal crown. From a cloistered cell his voice was heard, and his influence felt. He had a noble, generous heart, as well as a vigorous intellect, and all his powers were exercised for the good of humanity. He stood bravely for truth and right, and breasted the world's opposition, to benefit his fellow-men.

Intellect is a mightier force than wealth or physical power. If sanctified and controlled by the Spirit of God, it can exert a powerful influence for good. Yet intellect alone does not make the man, according to the divine standard. One's claim to a true manhood must be determined by his use of the powers which God has given him.

That which will bless humanity is spiritual life. If the man is in harmony with God, he will depend continually upon him for strength. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." It should be our life-work to press forward continually toward the perfection of Christian character, ever striving for conformity to the will of God. The efforts begun upon earth will continue throughout eternity. God has set before the human family an elevated standard, and he who is true to his God-given manhood will not only promote the happiness of his fellow-creatures in this life, but will aid them to secure an eternal reward in the life to come.

The members of the human family are entitled to the name of men and women only when they employ their talents, in every possible way, for the good of others. The life of Christ is before us as a pattern, and it is when ministering, like angels of mercy, to the wants of others that man is closely allied to God. It is the nature of Christianity to make happy families and happy members of society. Discord, selfishness, and strife will be put away from everyone who possesses the Spirit of Christ.

Those who are partakers of Christ's love have no right to think that there is a limit to their influence and work in trying to benefit humanity. Christ did not become weary in his efforts to save fallen man. Our work is to be continuous and persevering. We shall find work to do until the Master shall bid us lay our armor at his feet. We must wait and watch, submissive to God's will, ready and willing to spring to our duty at every call.

Angels are engaged night and day in the service of God, for the uplifting of man in accordance with the plan of salvation. Man is required to love God supremely, that is, with all his might, mind, and strength, and his neighbor as himself. This he cannot possibly do unless he shall deny himself. Said Christ, "If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

To deny self means to rule the spirit when passion is seeking for the mastery; to resist the temptation to censure and to speak fault-finding words; to have patience with the child that is dull, and whose conduct is grievous and trying; to stand at the post of duty when others may fail; to lift responsibilities wherever and whenever duty requires it, not for the purpose of applause, not for policy, but for the sake of the Master, who has given each of his followers a work to be done with unwavering fidelity; when one might praise himself, to keep silent and let other lips praise him. Self-denial is to do good to others when inclination would lead us to serve and please ourselves. Although our fellow-men may never appreciate our efforts, we are to work on.

Fellow-Christians, search carefully, and see whether the word of God is indeed the rule of your life. Do you take Christ with you when you leave the closet of prayer? Does your religion stand guard at the door of your lips? Is your heart drawn out in sympathy and love for others outside of your own family? Are you diligently seeking a clearer understanding of Scripture truth, that you may let your light shine forth to others? These questions you may answer to your own souls. Let your speech be seasoned with grace, and your demeanor show Christian elevation. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that

love him." Ever remember that the moral nature needs to be braced with constant watchfulness and prayer. As long as you look to Christ, you are safe; but the moment you trust to yourself, you lose your hold upon God, and you are in great peril.

Many limit the divine Providence, and divorce mercy and love from his character. They urge that the greatness and majesty of God would forbid him to interest himself in the concerns of the weakest of his creatures. "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

It is difficult for human beings to give attention to the lesser matters of life while the mind is engaged in business of greater importance. But should not this union exist? Man formed in the image of his Maker should unite the larger responsibilities with the smaller. He may be engrossed with occupations of overwhelming importance, and neglect the instruction which his children need. These duties may be looked upon as the lesser duties of life, when they in reality lie at the very foundation of society. Happiness of families and churches depends upon home influences. Eternal interests depend upon the proper discharge of the duties of this life. The world is not so much in need of great minds as of good men who will be a blessing in their homes.

THE YEAR'S RECORD.

By R. F. Cottrell

ANOTHER year has sped, 'Tis numbered with the past; Its transient hours have fled, Unceasing to the last. Its record now is all complete, Sealed up to the great judgment-seat.

The fleeting hours are passed, Their deeds are in the book, Which shall be oped at last, And God shall on it look. Will it be faultless in his sight, Because its deeds have all been right?

Mercy is yet my plea; I have an advocate! To him I now will flee, Before it be too late! Though the true record stand the same, Write, Pardon, Thou, against my name?

Jesus, I look to thee; Thy blood can still atone; Still I may hope to be Faultless before the throne! Blessed be God! Blessed his Son, My Advocate before the throne!

For time to come, my all I consecrate to thee! For help, on thee I call, That I may faithful be. My record be of victory won! Prepared to hear the glad, Well done! —R. F. Cottrell.

“ROMANIZING” HISTORY.

THE Boston correspondent of the New York Evening Post gives an account in the columns of that paper for November 17, of the first of a series of public meetings which will be held in Boston during the coming winter for the agitation of the question of Roman Catholic interference with the public schools. At the meeting last week the Committee of One Hundred, appointed, at the mass-meeting in July, to look after the interests of the Protestants, made a statement upon their own authority, charging that Anderson’s General History, which was substituted by the Boston School Committee for Swinton’s History, had been Romanized by the alteration or omission of passages which might seem to reflect upon the Catholics. As to Anderson’s History itself, which was substituted for Swinton’s on the ground that “it gives a fair account of indulgences”—to quote from the words of the School Committee—the Committee of One Hundred charge that “it does not contain a word about indulgences.” The committee then go on to present the case against Anderson’s book as follows:—

“What then are we to understand? That the committee had not examined the book, and had been imposed upon? or having examined it, they would impose upon the public? We leave the gentlemen to explain. It was further said in the committee: ‘If facts are to be given in a history, they must be given as they are, and not distorted.’ Very true, and that is just what Swinton does. But how about the history that does not give the facts?

“On page 598 of Anderson’s new General History we read that in the reign of Maximilian I. ‘Martin Luther published his famous ninety-five theses against the doctrines of the Catholic Church.’ Is this what the members of the Boston School Committee call ‘truthful history’? Do they know that Martin Luther’s theses were against indulgences? Again, on page 599, we read that ‘from the spread of Luther’s tenets grew what is called the Reformation.’ And this is all that the School Committee of Boston would teach the youth of America concerning one of the greatest and grandest events of modern history. Cardinal Newman, a very high authority of the Roman Catholic Church, says in his pamphlet in reply to Mr. W. E. Gladstone’s ‘Vatican Decrees,’ that, while Protestants speak of the blessed Reformation, Catholics, when they describe it, speak of it as the so-called Reformation.’ Singular agreement between Anderson, the author, and Newman, the cardinal.

“Why is it that Anderson’s General History, so highly commended by the School Committee of Boston, speaks thus slightly of such a great event, and otherwise falsifies and distorts history? Why? Anderson’s History has been Romanized.

“Three years ago the Third Plenary Roman Catholic Council of Baltimore that put Swinton’s History on the index of prohibited books, and enjoined priests everywhere to be diligent in purging schools of such dangerous works, placed Anderson’s General History on the same list. How does it happen, then, that Anderson, three years ago condemned and prohibited by the Romish Church, is now commended and eulogized by that church, and substituted in the public school for another prohibited book which the church had succeeded in having removed? Why? The book has been Romanized and doctored to meet the wishes of the Roman Catholic hierarchy.”

Following this in parallel columns are passages from the old Anderson History, and the history now in use, showing how the text has been altered and revised to avoid giving offense to Roman Catholic sensibilities. For example, in the old version, a passage referring to Henry IV. as endeavoring to gain the favor of the church by persecuting the followers of Wycliffe, is omitted entirely in the new version. A passage in the old history that reads as follows is also omitted in the new: “The Inquisition was established at Toulouse, and all who refused to conform to the tenets of the Church of Rome were mercilessly punished.” One of the changes noted in the phraseology of the two versions is the substitution of the words “rise of the Albigenses,” for “the persecution of the Albigenses.” These citations are sufficient to show that the charge that the Anderson History has been Romanized is based on self-evident truth. No intelligent person would have the hardihood to pretend that the alterations and omissions noted could have been made with any other purpose in view than that of conforming the history to the strictly Roman Catholic standard. The exposition made by the committee shows also what we may expect in every case where the

Papists obtain the ruling hand in the public schools, as they have in Boston. It will mean that the children who attend them will receive their history only after it has passed through a process of evisceration at the hands of the bigoted, jealous, narrow-minded, and truth-hating ecclesiastics who form the great majority of the priesthood of the Roman Church. This is taking it for granted that the Romanists would not allow the public schools to stand at all where their influence was dominant. Where they cannot do away altogether with the public-school system, they can introduce their garbled and falsified text-books in the schools, and so accomplish in a more indirect way their chief ends.—N. Y. Observer.

THOROUGHLY FURNISHED.

By Editor

PAUL tells Timothy what the man of God is to do. The object of his Bible training is good works. Not that good works are in themselves meritorious or saving, but they are the evidences of regeneration. The man of God must do them because of the new life that he has received. Life will reveal itself in action. Spiritual life cannot lie dormant any more than natural life. How intensely active is a child. Its vitality is irrepressible. But the child’s activity needs to be wisely directed, and so does the Christian’s. He is to be thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

That word translated "thoroughly furnished" occurs only here in the New Testament. It means completely equipped—fitted up with all that is necessary. The figure is that of a factory. At first there is an empty building. Then an engine is put in, then dies and drills and tools of all kinds adapted to the manufacture of something useful. It requires great labor and skill to furnish a factory for the production of any one article of utility. But let us imagine a factory that is to turn out everything good and useful—to make buttons and brooms, carpets and curtains, pianos and plows, hats and harness, clothing, furniture and implements of all kinds—what wonderful furnishing that factory would need! But such a factory is the man of God, the Christian soldier, the servant of the Most High. He is to do all sorts of good works, from soothing the sorrows of a little child, to rebuking sin in high places, and helping a fellow-citizen to triumph over the last enemy, death. How important, then, that the man of God make the word of God his vade mecum—his constant companion and counselor. How important that he lay up the word in his heart!

Our Saviour illustrates the result of this thorough furnishing in his conflict with Satan in the wilderness. Wherever the adversary attacked him he was ready to repel him with a quotation from the word of God. In this we are to imitate him. All that we need is in the inspired word. If we are not good soldiers of the cross, efficient laborers in the vineyard, thoroughly furnished unto every good work, ready at last to render up our account with joy, and to be welcomed as the blessed of our Father, it will be simply and solely because we did not equip ourselves fully out of the armory of our Lord.—Interior.

THE LEADERSHIP OF HOPE.

By Christian Union

THE difference between taking counsel with one's fears and with one's hopes was practically illustrated twenty-five years ago in the campaigns of McClellan and Grant. Both were honest men, well-trained officers, and sincere patriots; but the one always waited on his apprehensions, and the other moved with his hopes. It is safe to say that no great enterprise was ever yet inaugurated, sustained, or completed in any other spirit than that of hope. The Suez Canal was not built, nor the ocean cable laid, nor the great war of a quarter of a century ago brought to a successful termination, by men who were easily discouraged. All these undertakings, and all undertakings of equal magnitude, have had their roots in hope.

Nothing is ever to be gained by taking counsel with one's fears. Courage is the keynote of success—the music to which every attacking column that has ever surmounted a strong position has always marched. In the vicissitudes of life, which come not only to one's personal estate, but to one's affections, one's aspirations, and one's bodily health, there are recurring depressions, times of discouragement and almost of despair; these are unavoidable in every life, however resolutely directed. No one can avoid them; they seem to inhere in the order of growth. One secret of successful living is to learn to recognize them when they come, and to refuse to follow their promptings.

No man ought ever to settle an important question when he is discouraged or depressed; he ought to recognize such a condition as something abnormal and unhealthful—a condition which makes wise judgment and right action impossible. If we learn to treat our times of depression and discouragement as symptoms of disease, and avoid deciding or acting when they are upon us—to look at them as something apart from our best and truest selves, we shall avoid the mistakes into which they will lead us, and we shall do much to overcome them. When depression is not distinctly physical, it is largely a matter of habit; it can be thrown off by force of will. When it is purely physical, it must be treated as a disease, and one must wait upon the return to health. But there is a great deal of depression that is a matter of feeling, and that can be overcome by fighting against it, and by treating it as if it were an unnatural and abnormal thing. A discouraged man is a defeated man. Many a man has given up in the moment of discouragement advantages which, if they had been pushed a little further, would have resulted in a permanent success. Many an enterprise has failed because at the critical moment, when courage was the essential thing, counsel was taken with fear, and the flag was struck which might have been successfully carried forward and planted on the citadel.

The inspirations of life, those sudden revelations of things we may attain, are the children of hope; depression never yet gave birth to an inspiring thought or purpose. We only really live when we hope, and when hope leads us forward by its divine impulsion. If the good and evil angels of each were personified, hope would shine from the face of one and despair from the face of the other. To listen to the words of discouragement is to throw away one's strength and opportunity, to reject the crown of achievement. To wait on the counsel of hope is to strike resolutely through all difficulties and to grasp that success to which all men were born, if character matched faith, and faith kept locked hands with hope.—Christian Union.

SPECIAL PRAYERS AND ANSWERS.

By Frank Hope

THE other day a man said to me: "The reason why I have stopped serving God is because out of the thousands of prayers I offered to him, not one was ever answered, and at the same time God has promised to answer prayer. Therefore I consider the whole thing foolishness;" or words to that effect. That man was certainly very hasty in his conclusion, and could not have known very much about faith. But there are a great many persons who are troubled in the same way; they do not see that God has answered their prayers, and they cannot see any reason why he should not. To such the following Bible reasons may be of use:—

1. God will not answer those who are living in rebellion against him. Common sense would tell us that before we can expect God to grant our petition we must submit ourselves to him in willing obedience. But the word of God says plainly: "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." Prov. 28:9. If we are cherishing any known sin, we cannot expect God to grant our petition, for if he were to do so, he would be to that extent encouraging us in our sin. He would give some foundation to the oft-heard excuse for duty, "Well, the Lord has blessed me while I was living so, therefore I know it cannot be wrong." The Lord may, in his mercy, bless one who is sinning in ignorance, but he cannot bless those who are living in willful disobedience. Says David: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Ps. 66:18. Therefore before we approach God with any special request, we must search our hearts and seek the Lord for grace to put away every sin. Then we must come to him in that spirit of humble obedience that Christ had when he said: "Not my will, but thine, be done." Then God will hear us, for "the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear."

2. Our prayers are often not answered because we ask with a wrong motive. James says: "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." This may seem a little severe, but a man cannot always tell what is in his heart, for "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" Many a man would be astonished if God revealed to him the true motive of his request. He would, perhaps, see that selfishness was the main cause of his request. Simon the sorcerer asked for the gift of the Holy Ghost. That was a good desire, but he desired it from a selfish motive, and to use to his own end. Therefore he could not have it, until his heart was right within him. Nothing can be more desirable than to have our motives right in God's sight. Let us pray with David, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

3. Another reason why we cannot always see a direct answer to a special prayer, is because what we have asked for may be the worst thing we could have. Paul says: "We know not what we should pray for as we ought." This is, perhaps, the most common reason why we think our prayers a failure. We do not know what is best for us. We are in the same condition as a little helpless sick child, who does not know what ails it, or what is good for it, but asks for almost anything that comes into its mind, hoping thereby to get relief. In the same way we oftentimes cry for things that are not best for us to have, but if we ask in faith, God will give us that which will do us most good, just as the nurse gives the little sufferer that which is best for it. So we must not be discouraged if God does not answer our prayers just in the way we think he ought, but must remember that he doeth all things well and for our good. Though the way may be dark for a time, we know that God is working to accomplish an ultimate result. Let us not, like Hezekiah, press any particular request, or undertake to dictate to God, but let us leave it with him to do that which is best for us, and in the words of the Saviour say, "Not my will, but thine, be done." FRANK HOPE.

BEGINNING AGAIN.

WHEN sometimes our feet grow weary On the rugged hills of life— The path stretching long and dreary, With trial and labor rife— We pause on the toilsome journey, Glancing backward in valley and glen, And sigh with an infinite longing, To return and begin again.

For behind is the dew of the morning, In all its freshness and light, And before are the doubts and shadows, And the chill and gloom of the night. We remember the sunny places We passed so carelessly then, And ask, with a passionate longing, To return and begin again.

Ah, vain indeed is the asking! Life's duties press all of us on. And who dare shrink from the labor, Or sigh for the sunshine that's gone? And it may be, not far on before us, Wait fairer places than them; Life's paths may yet lead by still waters, Though we may not begin again.

For, evermore upward and onward Be our paths on the hills of life, And soon with a radiant dawning Transfigure the toil and the strife, And our Father's hand will lead us Tenderly upward then; In the joy and peace of a fairer world He'll let us begin again. —Selected.

THE NATURAL CONSEQUENCES OF SIN.

THE man who listens to the voice of right and obeys it will enjoy intense internal delights which spring from active moral faculties. There is no possession which brings so much real joy as an approving conscience. Its approbations are sweeter and richer than the sweetest strains of music. They thrill the whole soul with delight. To be able to stand erect, to look every man in the face without fear, to be conscious of having done our duty to God and our fellow-men, is the supremest happiness that it is permitted mortal man to enjoy.

On the other hand, commit sin, violate God's moral laws, and groanings and tears await you. Just so soon as you think the malicious thought, indulge the vicious feeling, and execute the wicked purpose, you feel the shock. In a moment the harmony of life has fled, the chorus of the soul is thrown into discord, and all melody is gone. When the excitement is passed, and the lights are out, you will hear the discord within. You will have strange and mysterious longings for that which you have not; your soul will utter its sighs for rest and peace. The great effort of most men is to hide themselves from themselves. They hate to be alone. The reason of this is that they feel that all is not right within. They know that there are unpleasant guests there making all kinds of discords. To close their ears to these they rush from business to pleasure and from pleasure back to business.

Another effect of sin is that it incapacitates the soul for right action. It perverts the conscience, warps the judgment, enslaves the will, and cuts the wings of the imagination. This becomes very evident when anyone gives loose rein to his passions. Then the path between honor and disgrace, respect and infamy, is very short. Sin drives him at headlong speed down to shame and ruin.

Another characteristic of the divine laws is that they act independently. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." If a man obey the laws of health, he will enjoy good health, though at the same time he might cheat and lie and steal. What he has sown, that shall he also reap. On the other hand, the man who is honest and truthful, if he neglect the laws of health, must suffer the consequences of his neglect. The men who sow only to this world shall reap this world's goods. They have sown for time, and shall reap the rewards of time; they have not sown for eternity, and they shall not reap the rewards of eternity.

Another characteristic of the divine laws is that they are universal. The same physical, organic, and moral laws prevail in all parts of the earth. Water boils at the same temperature at the level of the sea in the torrid as in the frigid zone. The overladen, leaky vessel will go down in the Pacific as in the Atlantic. Poison taken into the stomach will destroy life as readily in China as America. Not less universal are God's moral laws. It is impossible to conceive a place where truthfulness is not right, and where untruthfulness is not wrong; where gratitude is not praiseworthy, and ingratitude is not blameworthy. We cannot imagine a place in the universe of God where the false, dishonest, censorious, and selfish man can be happy, nor where the honest, sincere, charitable, and self-sacrificing person can be miserable.

A fourth characteristic of these laws is that they are eternal. So long as God endures, these laws shall endure. In them is everlasting blessedness; in them is everlasting punishment. God is love, has been, and always will be love. But whether his love shall be to a soul joy and blessedness, or pain and misery, depends upon its character. The same fire that melts the gold, hardens the clay. The same beautiful sunlight, so cheering to the eye in a healthy condition, becomes the most exquisite torture to the diseased eye. So God's love, which is sweeter than the sunshine, and dearer than life to the good man, is to the wicked the most painful of all things, because there is nothing that so kindles the fires of remorse within him.—Selected.

CALMNESS IN ARGUMENT.

BANISH utterly out of all conversation, and especially out of all learned and intellectual conference, everything that tends to provoke passion, or raise a fire in the blood. Let no sharp language, no noisy exclamation, no sarcasms or biting jests, be heard among you, no perverse or invidious consequences to be drawn from each other's opinions, and imputed to the person; let there be no willful perversion of another's meaning, no sudden seizure of a lapsed syllable to play upon it, nor any absurd construction of an innocent mistake. Suffer not your tongue to insult a modest opponent who begins to yield; let there be no crowing or triumph, even when there is evident victory on your side. All these things are enemies to friendship, and the ruin of free conversation. The impartial search of truth requires all calmness and serenity, all temper and candor. Mutual instruction can never be obtained in the midst of passion, pride, and clamor.—Selected.

THE SILENT SERMON.

By Thorp

It has been truly said that a holy life is a continual sermon. Though it be silent in its speech, yet it speaks with a force that cannot be unheeded, even by the most careless—a force that pulpit oratory never can attain, however eloquent it may be. We may extol the name of Jesus from the pulpit, in words of eloquence and elegance, and be listened to with indifference; but let the humblest disciple of Christ manifest holiness in his daily walk and conversation; let him be meek and lowly as our Saviour was; patient under difficulties; bold and fearless in danger; trusting and confident in the darkest hour, and he wields an influence for Christ which all the eloquence and wisdom of this world cannot equal. Best of all sermons is the silent sermon of a holy life; and, indeed, without it all other preaching is useless and vain.—Thorp.

THE DECLARATION OF THE HEAVENS.

WE were standing on a green strip of land, the waters of Casco Bay on either side, and also on either side was spread a rare panorama, a display of the handiwork which all along the firmament was showing the skill and glory of God. The setting sun was sending great bands of golden sheen along the western horizon on the one hand, while a full moon was rising in majestic splendor on the other. To the right the waters of the bay glanced with seeming scintillations of burnished gold; on the left, the smooth surface sparkled with the calm radiance of silvery brightness. "Oh," exclaimed a young friend at my side, "how can anyone deny the existence of a God who ever gazes on a scene like this! And yet they do," was added with a tone of regret and sadness. In our heart of hearts we have always been exceedingly skeptical as to the sincerity of skepticism, and on such an evening as the one described, it would seem that involuntary, spontaneous belief in a divine power must assert itself in the heart of any intelligent human being. . . .

When at the close of day one stands surrounded by the mighty illuminations of the heavens, when the condensed glory of the great monarch of day is flushing sky, earth, and sea, with widespread rainbow tints of his receding rays, and luna, with the calm grandeur of her paler light, is mounting higher and higher in the blue expanse, riding with unimpeded course along her given way, what wonder that the solemn march of the luminous bodies drew from the psalmist the impassioned utterance, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" And how every work and design of art and cunning known among men and women pales into insignificance and comparative worthlessness when considered beside the perfect work of God? Viewing the firmament at the hour of sun setting and moon rising, watching the stars come twinkling forth, each in its appointed place, behold the fancy work, the intricate, exquisite, finished handiwork of the fingers of almighty God! And yet man is the most wonderful and most noble of all his created works; man, with his intellect so like a God.

One great, grand lesson should be borne into the soul through the silent yet stupendous influence of the daily and nocturnal declaration of the heavens. Shall mortal man be more wise than God himself? Shall the thing created deny the great Creator of all things? Look abroad at nightfall; consider for an earnest, serious moment the heavens which God has created, the moon and the stars, the matchless samples of the work of his fingers; then open wide the soul to the glorious convictions which will leap into life, and with all the heart make haste to recognize and acknowledge the power, the belief, the trust awakened by the grand declaration of the heavens. For in very truth they declare in golden and in silvery voices the existence and the glory of our God.—Christian at Work.

AGAINST COVETOUSNESS.

By J. Oswald Dykes

No divided or impure heart whatever can clearly and steadily see the light of God. But we do not need to be told what a darkening influence is exercised over Christian men by the love of money in particular. We are, unhappily, too familiar with its ravages in the modern church; with disciples, genuine enough, zealous sometimes to a fault, and loud in their profession of Christianity, who nevertheless betray, by the stationariness of their moral character, or by their unconscious perseverance in faulty habits which everyone notices but themselves, or by overlooking very obvious duties lying in their path, that they cannot be walking open-eyed in the light of God.

Christians who, throughout the greater part of life, remain unchastened, ungentle, unmellowed, hardly distinguishable from the utter worldling by reason of their petty, grasping, saving ways, are frequent enough everywhere. Were the cause of such religion to be faithfully inquired after, or could it be plainly told, how often would it prove to be just this—that the real desire of their heart is not bent with single-minded longing upon the attainment of God's approval or of his celestial rewards, but has become diverted to an excessive degree on temporal objects, chained down to earth, and made earthly by the over-eager pursuit of success, or by an over-warm delight in such perishable gains as they have been able to win for themselves in the scramble of business.

With such Christians a reverse process has been going on from that which happened to the converts of Ephesus. The eyes of those hearts at Ephesus were enlightened, so that they saw the riches of God's own inheritance—the celestial wealth destined for children of God in the everlasting kingdom of their Father. But we suffer the dazzle of corrupt gold to fall across our vision, and draw after it the worship of the heart; then our eyes, which were full of Heaven's own light, grow dim again, the celestial glory fades away, the shining crown suspended over Christian heads has leave to hang there unseen, and we toil on to rake together in the dark what is but dust after all, though it be the dust of gold.—J. Oswald Dykes.

"BE CONVERTED."

"REPENT ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." The words to be emphasized in this passage are, "Be converted." Repentance is one of the prerequisites. The blotting out of sin is one of the results, or accompanying blessings, of conversion. The main thing is to be converted. This involves a turning away from sin, a cleaving to Christ by faith, and an experience of the regenerating power of the Spirit. This should be a thorough work. There should be so much of conscientiousness and earnestness in it as to revolutionize the whole life. All that is sinful should cease at conversion. St. John says that those who are born of God cannot sin. He does not mean to say that it is impossible for them to fall from grace, but that unless they do fall from grace they cannot sin. The Christian character and sinfulness are incompatible. The Christian must not transgress God's law. He must not do wrong. He must be holy as regards the law, whether he professes the blessing of entire sanctification or not. One Christian is under just as great obligation as another to keep the commandments of God and abstain from every appearance of evil. In conversion God forgives all sin. The work of cleansing is complete. All the sins of the past and all the guilt of the present are taken away, made to be as if they had never been. We are not now speaking of the "roots of sin," "the remains of the carnal mind," which Mr. Wesley says may remain in the believer, and can be eradicated only by a further work of grace; we are speaking of actual sin. This is taken away, and the soul is at peace with God. Conversion does more for believers than some people acknowledge. Theologians tell us that the great blessings of regeneration, justification, and adoption are all bestowed in the moment of conversion. One of these blessings is never given without the others. They are concomitant; that is, they are collaterally connected with each other in the experience of pardon. By justification we are delivered from past transgressions; by regeneration we experience the inward change of a new heart; and by adoption we are made members of God's great spiritual household. What a work is this! How worthy of being sought and enjoyed! How quickly it should engage the attention of every sinner! Repent and be converted! Get away from your sin, which disturbs and destroys, and will drag you down to endless death. Gain the new heart, and become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Let this engage your first attention. Yield to God. Ask him to forgive you and make you his child. To your dying day, yea, to all eternity, you will thank him for the rich experience he will give you.—Selected.

A GREAT NEED.

THE great need of the church to-day is a cordial and demonstrative faith. If our hearts were as full of the promises as our heads are—if we believed in them as the bride believes in the husband for whose sake she leaves all else that is familiar and dear and goes to a new home, her only knowledge of which is from his word, the world would feel the power of the church as it did in apostolic times. Men are waiting all around us for a demonstration of the life of our religion. They admire it as a system. They see, too, that it has some influence for good upon individuals and society. But they do not see in those who profess it evidence of the constraining love of Christ. They hear us sing,—

"Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow thee;"

But when they look for the crosses on our shoulders, lo, they are not there! Instead of staggering under them as pilgrims, we are riding in palace cars. We are being "carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease." And instead of leaving all to follow Christ, we send a few of our enthusiastic brethren and sisters to the famishing heathen, and give a dollar a year to foreign missions.—Interior.

ALL IS THINE.

By Madame Guyon

I LOVE my God but with no love of mine, For I have none to give; I love thee, Lord; but all the love is thine, For by thy love I live. I am as nothing, and rejoice to be Emptied, and lost, and swallowed up in thee. Thou, Lord, alone, art all thy children need, And there is none beside; From thee the streams of blessedness proceed, In thee the blessed abide; Fountain of life, and all-abounding grace, Our Source, our Center, and our Dwelling-place. —Madame Guyon.

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