Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 13, 1881
General Articles.
By Ellen G. White
IN THE DOWNWARD PATH.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
ONE wrong step prepares the way for another. Samson had transgressed the command of God by taking a wife from the daughters of the Philistines, and ere long he ventured again among that people—now his deadly enemies—in the indulgence of his unlawful passions. Trusting confidently to his great strength, which had inspired the Philistines with such terror, he boldly entered Gaza, one of their largest and most powerful cities, and visited a harlot of that place.
The disgraceful fact was soon made known to the inhabitants of the city, who were eager to be avenged upon their dreaded foe. Fearing to attack him, however, they sent for reinforcements, and kept a vigilant watch at the gate of the city, determined by some means to put him to death in the morning.
At midnight Samson was aroused. The accusing voice of conscience filled him with remorse, as he remembered that he had broken his vow as a Nazarite. But despite his sin, God's mercy had not forsaken him. His great strength again served to deliver him. Wrenching the city gate from its place, he took it entire, with its posts and bars, and carried it several miles, to the top of a hill on the way to Hebron; the guards meanwhile, being too much surprised and terrified to intercept or pursue him.
But even this narrow escape did not serve to stay him in his evil course. The third step downward soon followed the second. He did not again venture into the territory of the Philistines, but sought at home those sensuous pleasures that were luring him on to ruin. "He loved a woman in the vale of Serek." Her name was Delilah, which fitly signifies consuming, or wasting. In the society of this enchantress, the judge of Israel squandered precious hours that should have been sacredly devoted to the welfare of his people. But the blinding passions which make even the strongest weak, had gained control of reason and of conscience. The vale of Serek, a little valley not far from his own birthplace, was celebrated for its vineyards. These also had a temptation for the wavering Nazarite, who had already indulged in the use of wine, thus breaking another tie that bound him to temperance, to purity, and to God.
The Philistines were well acquainted with the divine law, and its condemnation of sensual indulgence. They kept a vigilant watch over all the movements of their enemy, and when he degraded himself by this new attachment, and they saw the bewitching power of the enchantress, they determined, through her, to accomplish his ruin.
Accordingly, a deputation consisting of one leading man from each of the five Philistine States was sent to the vale of Serek. It was not their purpose to seize him while in possession of his great strength, but to learn if possible some means by which that strength might be taken away. Such marvelous power, far exceeding anything which they had ever known before; that of the famed descendants of Anak, who dwelt among them, could not be compared with it, and the Philistine lords decided that it must be supernatural, the result of some condition that might be changed, or some charm that might be broken. They therefore bribed Delilah to discover the secret of his strength, and reveal it to them, offering her eleven hundred shekels of silver from each of their number, aggregating a sum of more than three thousand dollars.
As the betrayer plied Samson with her questions, he deceived her by declaring that the weakness of other men would come upon him if certain processes were tried. When she put the matter to the test, the imposition was discovered. Then she accused him of falsehood, saying, "How canst thou say thou lovest me, when thou hast deceived me and lied to me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth?"
Samson's infatuation seems almost incredible. At first he was not so wholly enthralled as to reveal the secret; but he had deliberately walked into the net of the betrayer of souls, and its meshes were drawing closer about him at every step. Three times he had the clearest evidence that the Philistines had leagued with his charmer to destroy him; but when her purpose failed and his strength returned, she treated the matter as a jest, and he blindly banished all fear of danger.
Day by day Delilah pressed and urged him, until "his soul was vexed unto death," yet a subtle power kept him by her side. Her heart was set upon the tempting bribe, and she exerted all her blandishments to secure it. Overcome at last by the bewitching spell which he seemed to have no power to break, Samson made known the secret: "There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my birth. If I be shaven then my strength will go from me, and I will become weak and be like any other man."
Eagerly the betrayer listened to his words, fully convinced by his serious and earnest manner that he had told the truth; and she determined to profit by it. A messenger was immediately dispatched to the lords of the Philistines, urging them to come once more to her chamber without delay. She next sent for a man who, while the warrior slept with his head upon her knees, shaved off the heavy masses of his hair. Then, as she had done three times before, she called, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!" Suddenly awaking, he thought to exert his strength as before, and destroy them all; but his powerless arms refused to do his bidding, and then he knew that the Lord had departed from him.
When he had been shaven, Delilah began to annoy him and cause him pain, thus making a trial of his strength; for the Philistines dared not approach him till fully convinced that his power was gone. Then they seized him, and having put out both his eyes, they took him to Gaza. Here he was bound with strong fetters of brass, and kept in their prison house as a trophy of their victory, and compelled to drudge in hard labor.
What a change to him that had been the judge and champion of Israel!—now weak, blind, imprisoned, degraded to the most menial service! Little by little he had violated the conditions of his sacred calling. God had borne long with him, but when he had so yielded himself to the power of sin as to betray his secret, that moment God departed from him. There was no virtue in the length of his hair, in itself, but it was a token of his loyalty to God, and when the symbol was sacrificed in the indulgence of lustful passion, the blessings of which it was a token were also forfeited. Had Samson's head been shaven without fault on his part, his strength would have remained. But his course had shown contempt for the favor and authority of God as much as if he had in disdain himself severed his locks from his head. Therefore God left him to endure the results of his own folly.
In his sufferings and humiliation, a sport for the Philistines, Samson had opportunity for reflection, and he learned more of his own weakness than he had ever known before. As his afflictions led him to repentance, his hair began gradually to grow, indicating the return of his extraordinary powers; but his enemies, regarding him only as a fettered and helpless prisoner, felt no apprehensions.
As the Philistines exulted over their great victory, they ascribed the honor to their gods, praising them as superior to the God of Israel. The contest, instead of being between Samson and the Philistines, was now between Jehovah and Dagon, and thus the Lord was moved to assert his almighty power and his supreme authority. A favorable opportunity for this was soon presented. The Philistines held a feast in honor of their God Dagon. A vast company was assembled, and in the height of their sacrilegious festivities, they ordered the captive to be produced, that the people might have a new source of amusement. The multitude greeted his appearance with shouts of triumph, and praised their god who had thus subdued the "destroyer of their country." Samson had been made the sport of the people before; but now even the rulers of the nation mocked at his misery.
The immense building was thronged with the brave and the fair. Even the roof was crowded with thousands of spectators. After a time, as if weary, Samson asked permission to rest against the two central pillars which supported the temple roof. Then he breathed the prayer, "O Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes." With these words he seized the pillars in his mighty arms, and with the cry, "Let me die with the Philistines," he bowed himself and the roof fell, destroying at one dread crash, all that vast company. "So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life."
God designed that Samson should accomplish a great work for Israel. Hence the utmost care had been taken at the very outset of life to surround him with the most favorable conditions for physical strength, intellectual vigor, and moral purity. Had he not in after years ventured among the ungodly and the licentious, he would not so basely have yielded to temptation. Physically he was the strongest man upon the earth; but in self-control, integrity, and firmness, he was the weakest of men.458His passions were not held in subjection to reason and the fear of God. The blandishments of beautiful women often have been dangerous temptations to the young. Those who do not make God their strength will be overcome by Satan's devices.
The very men whom God purposes to use as his servants, the dread adversary uses his utmost power to lead astray. Yet the sacred word presents for our encouragement noble examples of men who have in the strength of God resisted the fiercest attacks of the powers of darkness. The youthful Joseph was subjected to a most severe temptation. It came from one in high position, one whose enmity might destroy his worldly prospects. The future of Joseph's life was determined by the decisions made in that trying hour. He calmly looked up to Heaven, and exclaimed, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" The fires of unholy passion were not permitted to kindle. God's commands, God's promise were before Joseph. He felt that the all-seeing eye was upon him, extending to all his thoughts, penetrating to the secrets of the heart, to the motives underlying every action.
Samson in his peril had the same source of strength as had Joseph. He could choose the right or the wrong as he pleased. But instead of taking hold of the strength of God, he permitted the wild passions of his nature to have full sway. The reasoning powers were perverted, the morals corrupted. God had called Samson to a position of great responsibility, honor, and usefulness; but he must first learn to govern by first learning to obey the laws of God. Joseph was a free moral agent. Good and evil were before him. He could choose the path of purity, holiness, and honor, or the path of immorality and degradation. He chose the right way, and God approved. Samson, under similar temptations, which he had brought upon himself, gave loose rein to passion. The path which he entered upon he found to end in shame, disaster, and death. What a contrast to the history of Joseph!
The youths of to-day can bless or blight their future life. God calls young men in the strength and glory of their manhood to do service for him. But many whom God could use refuse to obey. They desire to secure worldly gain and worldly honor. To become a servant of Christ they consider as requiring too great a sacrifice.
The history of Samson conveys a lesson for those whose characters are yet unformed, who have not yet entered upon the stage of active life. The youth who enter our schools and colleges will find there every class of mind. If they desire sport and folly, if they seek to shun the good and unite with the evil, they have the opportunity. Sin and righteousness are before them, and they are to choose for themselves. But let them remember that "whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap." He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."
WE ARE WAITING.
By Mary M. Buckland
BY MARY M. BUCKLAND.
WE are waiting for the coming
Of our Saviour, Priest, and King.
For the dawning of that morning
That will our deliverance bring.
For we are pilgrims sad and lonely,
While in this dark vale we roam.
Here we feel that we are strangers,
And we are waiting to go home.
Here we have no place of resting,
This is not the Christian's home,
But we are seeking for a country
Where no sorrow ere can come.
And we know that we are nearing
That bright land we long to greet,
That our journey's almost ended,
We shall soon our Saviour meet.
We are waiting, and the moments
Swiftly now are speeding on,
And we must be up and doing,
Striving well our race to run.
For we see the many tokens
Which proclaim our Saviour near;
On every hand they're rising,
And we know he'll soon appear.
We are waiting for his coming,
And we strive to overcome,
For we want to be all ready,
That we may be gathered home.
To that home of glorious beauty,
To that golden city fair,
Where we'll ever be with Jesus,
Free from sorrow, pain, and care.
Albion, N. Y.
THE GOSPEL HOPE.
By John Norton Loughborough
BY J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH, SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND.
HOPE is defined to be, "A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it." Neither desire nor expectation alone constitutes a hope. A person may desire what he has no reasonable ground of expecting. Again, he may expect to receive that which he by no means desires. One may desire the future kingdom of God, with all its attendant glories, and yet cannot expect to receive it, unless he is found walking "in the statutes of life." The sinner may expect, on the authority of the word of God, that, if he does not turn and serve the Lord, he will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power (2 Thess. 1 : 8, 9), yet he does not desire it. So we may conclude that the true hope is a combination of expectation and desire, based upon what God has promised, and upon the assurance that we ourselves are complying with the conditions of the promise.
The Scripture writers have not placed many hopes before us, but as St. Paul says, "There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling." Eph. 4 : 4. There are indeed several events to be accomplished in order to the full and final realization of the gospel hope. Each of these events may be spoken of as the hope, but only in the sense that the accomplishment of these events are embodied in the ushering in of the one hope. These objects, or events, have to be called the hope; because if these are not fulfilled, the hope itself would fail of its accomplishment.
We might compare these events to steps to be taken in ascending a tower. Each is taken to gain the top of the tower, but no one of the steps alone will bring us to the top. Although each step is taken to gain the top, still the top is not gained unless all the steps are taken. So with the different events of the hope, all must be fulfilled or that hope will never be realized.
To make the point plainer we say, 1. The hope is spoken of as the inheritance awaiting the faithful in Heaven. St. Peter says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance *incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Pet. 1 : 3-5.
We learn, 2. That eternal life is called the hope. St. Paul says, "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." Titus 1 : 2. This same apostle has made this very plain in writing to the Corinthians where he says, "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth 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, 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." 1 Cor. 15 : 50-53. Looking forward by faith, cherishing the hope of a part in the future kingdom, we see that ere we enter that kingdom we must be made immortal, in other words we must receive eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. So we see that "eternal life" is a part of that hope of inheritance in the kingdom.
We further learn, 3. That the resurrection is called the hope. We read of St. Paul, "He cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." Acts 23 : 6. Again, "But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets; and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." Acts 24 : 14, 15. This is also clear when we consider that it is at the resurrection of the just that the saints of God are to be made immortal. The resurrection of the just then is indeed the hope, for it is at the resurrection that corruption puts on incorruption in order to obtain an entrance into the future kingdom of God.
The second appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ is also called the hope; "The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus 2 : 11-13. It is at the coming of Christ that to take place, "For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 1 Thess. 4 : 16. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But, every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." 1 Cor. 15 : 22, 23.
If there were no second coming of Christ, there would be no resurrection. The resurrection is spoken of as an event to transpire at the coming Christ, hence, if there should be no coming of Christ, the saints would not be raised. If the saints are not raised, immortality will not be given. If immortality be not given, the hope of the future kingdom must all prove a failure; for "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom." Thus it is evident that the second coming of Christ is the grand and glorious event which is to usher in the consummation of the hope of God's people. There is then no marvel that so much importance is attached in the Scriptures to the great theme of Christ's second coming.
It has been claimed, by those who have counted, that one verse of every thirty, in the New Testament treats of Christ's second coming. Receiving the idea that our hope centers in his coming to raise the dead and bestow immortality upon his people, that they may possess the immortal kingdom, there is a glory clustering around the event of his coming, like the glory of dawning day. It is the grand door that must be opened to usher us into the kingdom of God.
In harmony with the thoughts already suggested in this article, we may understand why the promises of the entire Bible which relate to the future reward are made in the manner they are. A fact which must have suggested itself to the careful student of Scripture is this. When Bible writers have occasion to speak of the reward of the righteous, they either point us to Christ's coming, the resurrection, or eternal life and the kingdom of glory beyond the resurrection.
Said Job, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God," Job 19 : 25, 26. Comparing this with his statements in previous chapters we see he had no other hope but in the awaking at Christ's coming. He says, "There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down that it will sprout again." Then he contrasts it with man's death, comparing it to the drying up of the waters, and saying they are in a sleep from which they shall not awaken until the heavens be no more, and says, "If a man die shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come." Job 14 : 7-15.
In chapter seventeen he shows us plainly that his hope is not consummated while he is dead. "If I wait, the grave is mine house; I have made my bed in the darkness. I have said to corruption, Thou art my father; to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. And where is now my hope? as for my hope who shall see it?" Verses 13-15. He waits in the sleep of death, with worms consuming his body, resting in hope that his Redeemer will come at the last day and he shall then be resurrected and see God in his flesh.
The prophet Ezekiel, in treating of the resurrection of God's people, under the similitude of a valley of dry bones, represents the bones of the dead as speaking, and saying, "Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts." But the Lord says, "Prophecy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel." Eze. 37 : 11, 12. Designating clearly that their hope is not cut off, because that there will be a resurrection of the dead.
As to the time of reward we instance the words of our Saviour as recorded in St. Luke. He had been bidden to a feast. "Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14 : 12-14.
The words of St. Paul are also in point, when writing to the Colossians, he says, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Col. 3 : 3, 4.
St. Paul seemed very desirous that the church should have the true hope before them as we see in his words addressed to those of Thessalonica. He says, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thess. 4 : 13-18.459By looking carefully at these words of St. Paul we learn, 1. That those he addressed were sorrowing like those who had no hope. 2. The reason they were thus sorrowing was because they were ignorant concerning their friends who had died. 3. He tells them he would not have them ignorant, which is conclusive proof that he was not himself in ignorance concerning the dead. 4. Having thus intimated that they are ignorant and that he is not, and that he would not leave them in ignorance we should expect him, as a faithful apostle of Christ, to write in such a manner as to remove this ignorance respecting the dead by placing the true gospel hope before them.
Under such circumstances, with such a preface to his remarks, what does he tell them? That their friends are in Heaven receiving their reward? That they are already happy in the full fruition of their hope? No! he has no such statement to make; but that the Lord is coming to raise their friends from the dead, and take them up with the living saints, to meet the Lord in the air, when he comes, to be forever with him. And he concludes by saying, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." Thus he points them to Christ's coming and the resurrection for the consummation of their hope.
What he taught others in his life and ministry was the hope that cheered him when he neared the close of his pilgrimage. Writing to Timothy, he said, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure [death] is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth [from the time of his death] there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." 2 Tim. 4 : 6-8. This shows that the reward of righteousness is to be given at Christ's second coming. This is in exact accordance with our Saviour's words, as recorded in Revelation, "And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22 : 12.
Both St. Peter and St. John, the beloved apostle, agree with the above in their testimony concerning the hope. St. Peter says to the ministers of Christ, "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." 1 Peter 5 : 2-4.
St. John says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." 1 John 3 : 2, 3.
The coming of Christ then is the time we shall receive our reward, and it is then the hope of God's people will be consummated.
THE WORLD'S ESTIMATE OF CHRIST.
By Stephen N. Haskell
BY ELD. S. N. HASKELL.
THE life of Christ is the noblest and most fruitful study for men of every age. He spake as never man spake, and his life was an illustration of the truths he taught. Adherents to every faith acknowledge him to be above all the prophets. The Jews confess admiration of his character as exhibited in the gospel. Great men of every age, whether Christians or infidels, set the name of Jesus Christ above every other. Says one writer, "The life of Christ concerns Him who, being the holiest among the mighty, the mightiest among the holy, lifted with his pierced hand empires off their hinges, and turned the stream of centuries out of its channel, and still governs the ages." Goethe in his conversation with Eckerman, says, "I esteem the gospels to be thoroughly genuine, for there shines forth from them the reflected splendor of a sublimity, proceeding from the person of Jesus Christ, of so divine a kind as only the divine could ever have manifested upon earth." Rousseau, who with Voltaire exerted a powerful influence over French culture in the eighteenth century, says, "How petty are the books of the philosophers, with all their pomp, compared with the gospels." In speaking of Christ he says, "What sweetness, what purity in his ways, what touching grace in his teachings! what a loftiness in his maxims, what profound wisdom in his words! what presence of mind, what delicacy and aptness in his replies! what an empire over his passions! where is the man, where is the sage, who knows how to act, to suffer, and to die without weakness and without display? My friend, men do not invent like this. These Jews could never have struck this tone, or thought of this morality."
Thomas Carlyle whose fame as a writer of fiction is world wide, thus expresses himself in one of his books, "Jesus of Nazareth, our divinest symbol! Higher has the human thought not yet reached," and then he goes on to say that his infinite character is beyond human comprehension.
The Bible presents Christ as God and requires that all men shall worship him, and in his worship men become unselfish. It ennobles and elevates them, while the same devotion paid to any human being belittles the soul, enslaves the mind, and destroys those powers which elevate and civilize society.
The first Napoleon was neither a pious nor weak-minded man. However worthless and depraved in a moral sense, he was a man of gigantic intellect, and he studied the great men of antiquity, comparing himself with them, and seeking to excel them all. Conversing one day at St. Helena with one of his suite, he said to him, "Can you tell me who Jesus Christ was?" The officer made an evasive answer. "Well, I will tell you," said Napoleon, and then went on to compare Christ with himself, and with the heroes of antiquity, showing how far he surpassed them all. "I think I understand somewhat of human nature," he continued, "and I tell you all these were men, and I am a man, but not one is like Him. Jesus Christ was more than a man. Alexander, Cæsar, Charlemagne, and myself founded great empires; but upon what did the creatures of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded his empire upon love, and to this very day millions would die for him." "The gospel is no mere book," said he at another time, "but a living creature, with a vigor, a power, which conquers all that opposes it. Here lies the Book of books upon the table (touching it reverently); I do not tire of reading it, and do so daily with pleasure. . . . Men wonder at the conquests of Alexander, but here is a conqueror who draws men to himself for their highest good; who unites to himself, incorporates with himself, not a nation, but the whole human race."
Again he says, "Jesus is the same; always the same—majestic, and simple, infinitely severe and infinitely gentle. Throughout a life passed under the public eye, he never gives occasion to find fault. The prudence of his conduct compels our admiration by its union of force and gentleness. Alike in speech and action, he is enlightened, consistent, and calm. I know men; and I tell you Jesus is not a man. Everything in him amazes me. His spirit outstretches mine, and his will confounds me. Comparison between him and any other being in the world is impossible. His ideas and his sentiments, the truth that he announces, his manner of convincing, are all beyond humanity and the natural order of things. His birth, and the story of his life, the profoundness of his doctrines, which overturns all difficulties, and is their most complete solution, his gospel, his appearance, his empire, his progress through all centuries and kingdoms: all this is to me an unfathomable mystery. I defy you to cite another life like that of Christ." Thus Christ stands as a beacon light to those who wish light, and a marvel to the unbeliever.
CHRISTIANS, TO THE RESCUE!
By Dwight Spencer
INFIDELITY is rapidly gaining ground in the West. To be convinced of this one only needs to spend a few months west of the Rocky Mountains. What a scramble for wealth and pleasure! All fear of God and all thought of a future have been flung to the winds. Mines and mining, theaters and dances, dresses and balls; these are the general topics of conversation. All are eager for excitement, and whether it be found in the dram shop, the gambling saloon, or the low playhouse, does not matter. The coarser the play, the better it will draw; the more impious the book, the greater the number of its readers. Profanity is the rule rather than the exception, and in many instances the women swear worse than the men.
The few Christians, finding themselves powerless to oppose this tide of sin and iniquity, often fall in and float along with the current. Vital piety—old-fashioned, prayer-meeting religion—is hardly known. The vigorous, self-supporting churches west of the Rocky Mountains would hardly exceed two or three score. There are towns of five hundred people without a single church-goer; and entire Territories, numbering a hundred thousand inhabitants, where not one in a hundred statedly visits the house of God. In the great mining-camps, and in many of the towns, sin runs loose six days in the week, and holds high carnival on Sunday.
The reason for this state of things is not hard to find. The wonderful facilities for accumulating wealth which the West has afforded, have given the people the means for the gratification of their appetites and passions. Multitudes who at home were kept temperate and chaste, either by poverty or social ties, coming here and finding relief from the one and freedom from the other, give way to their naturally evil tendencies, and follow the leading of unbridled appetite and lust. And when men become impure in life and beastly in practice, they don't want a God looking around, nor a future terrifying them with its retributions. Men first become bad and then infidels; they never say "no God" till they have made themselves fools. A man with a red and scabby face came hiccoughing up to me the other day, and with a drunken laugh said, "I understand that they have left 'hell' out of the revised Testament."
This accounts for Ingersoll's great popularity in the West. His lectures, next to the cheap novel, are more widely read than anything else. Ingersoll is simply a product of the times. Some men would be great if born in any age, others owe their greatness to the age that produces them. The demand of this age was for a man who could amuse; and lo! Ingersoll! Frisky and frivolous, witty and wicked, he was just the man for an easy-living, irreverent age. The people were bent on sinning, and he was just the man to make them believe that they could do it without running any risk. Men buy his books and attend his lectures for the same reason that a housebreaker employs a talented and witty lawyer; they want to get clear. Take the dishonest, the drunken, and the unclean out of the ranks of his admirers, and there would not be many left. Every seducer, every Nihilist, and every bloody-handed assassin is ready to throw up his hat for Ingersoll.
I know that the picture is a dark one, but it is not too dark. I have been over the ground, and know whereof I write, and the picture, dark as it is, is one that American Christians need to look at. If we would retain our hold upon the East, we must save the West. We cannot have a Christian East and an infidel West. Infidelity is vigilant and active; it is bent upon conquest. No half-hearted efforts will answer. The church must gird herself for a mighty struggle. We have for a long time been preaching self-denial, and practicing self-indulgence. We have well-nigh lost the meaning of the word sacrifice.
Last year the Mormon Church with its hundred and forty thousand members, men, women, and children, contributed more for missionary work than was contributed by the whole Baptist church. When I think of this it makes me blush with shame. The Mormons might well send missionaries to us to preach the duty of giving. Five hundred new missionaries are needed to fully occupy this field. Shall they be forthcoming? Shall the West be saved?—Dwight Spencer, in The Watchman.
Looking Down The Chimney.—
It is said of a man who looked down his neighbor's chimney to see what he was cooking for supper, not only did he not find out, but was nearly blinded by the smoke. When you hear men say, "I have watched those who profess so much religion, and I don't see that they are any better than those who do not make such a high profession," depend upon it they have got some smoke in their eyes, and those whose eyes are full of smoke cannot see very clearly. Denominational smoke is about the most blinding smoke we know of, and prevents the gospel from taking hold of the masses, more than any other agency. Were we to sit down by our neighbor's fire occasionally, instead of looking down his chimney, we should see many good points in his character that smoke will surely obscure.—Sel.
Patient Until the Lord’s Coming
"Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord."