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Signs of the Times, Vol. 4, No. 39.

General Articles
Earlier text: THE REJECTED ORDINANCE

The Order of Events in the Judgment.

By John Nevins Andrews

NUMBER NINETEEN.

The reason why so vast a period as 1,000 years intervenes between the resurrection of the righteous and the resurrection of the wicked, is now made very apparent. The work committed to the saints, demands no less a period than that assigned it by the Holy Scriptures. It is that they examine the books of God's record todetermine the measure of guilt of each wicked man, and of every fallen angel. To this great exaltation the psalmist refers in these words :—
Ps. 149 : 4-9 : “For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people; he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written; this honor have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.”
The saints have no participation in the work of the judgment, until the coming of the Lord. 1 Cor. 4 : 5. The decision of every case is made by God the Father before he sends his Son to execute the judgment. Dan. 7 : 9-14, compared with Jude 14, 15. It is the execution of the judgment, therefore, that pertains to the Son. John 5 : 22, 27. And that work which is given to the Son, he shares with his saints. For when he sits in his own throne, all his saints shall sit down with him in it, as he once thus sat down with the Father. And that power which the Father gives him over the nations when he receives his own throne, he shares with his saints when he exalts them to his right hand to unite with him in the execution of the judgment. Compare Ps. 2 : 6-9; Rev. 2 : 26, 27. The most important part of this work is the determination of that measure of guilt which pertains to each individual of the lost. God the Father having pronounced them unworthy of eternal life, it is then the business of the saints to determine that measure of anguish which their respective lives of sin demand. This Psalm is worthy of careful study.
1. When the meek are beautified with salvation, it will be by the change to immortality. They will bear the image of the second Adam, as in this life they bear that of the first. 1 Cor. 15 : 47-49. Compare also Isa. 33 : 17, with 1 John 3 : 2.
2. This beautifying of the saints, and exalting them to glory precedes their participation in the judgment, mentioned in verses 7-9 of this Psalm.
3. The two-edged sword in their hand is doubtless the same as that which proceeded out of the mouth of Him whose name is called the word of God. Rev. 19 : 11-15.
4. And if we consider this Psalm from verse 6-9, we shall see that the work of the immortal saints in the judgment of the wicked is effected by the examination of the book of God, the sharp sword which they hold in their hands (Eph. 6 : 17; Heb. 4 : 12), and the written record of their evil deeds. So that the record of their lives will be compared with the rule given them to govern their conduct, and the measure of their guilt determined thus.
A brief survey of Rev. 20 may now be in place. We understand the events of this chapter, as stated in verses 1-11, are given very nearly in strict chronological order; and that verses 12-15, cover the same ground, though they necessarily begin at a point somewhat earlier than the binding of the dragon, and the resurrection of the just.
For there can be no doubt that the judgment scene of Rev. 20 : 12, is precisely identical with that of Dan. 7 : 9, 10. In the one case it is God the Father sitting in judgment with the books opened before him. In the other, it is the Ancient of days who takes the position of judge, and before whom the books are opened.
It has already been shown that God the Father thus sits in judgment before the advent of Christ; and that at this tribunal our Lord acts as advocate for his people, and closes his priesthood with securing their acquittal, and the blotting out of their sins. He determines every case, deciding who shall have eternal life, and thus counting all others unworthy of it. Then he commits the execution of the judgment to the Son, who, in fulfillment of this work, makes his saints immortal, and associates them with himself in the judgment, of the wicked. When God thus commits the judgment to his Son, and the Son ceases forever his work of intercession, the words of Ps. 76 : 7-9, will be found true :—
“Thou, even thou, art to be feared; and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, when God arose to judgment to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.”
When the Son of God shall thus save all the meek of the earth, he will raise them up from the dust to inherit the throne of his own glory. 1 Sam. 2 : 8; Matt. 25 : 31-33; Rev. 3 : 21.
But the adversaries of the Lord will be broken to pieces; out of heaven will he thunder upon them (Rev. 16 : 18); he will render decision in strict justice in the case of all men, and then clothe his anointed King with strength to execute that decision. 1 Sam. 2 : 10. Indeed, it is because that the Son loves righteousness, and hates iniquity, that he is anointed to do this work. Ps. 45 : 7; 2 : 6-9. His arrows will be sharp in the heart of the King's enemies (Ps. 45 : 4, 5), and none will escape his just infliction of wrath. Rom. 2 : 6-9.
The session of the judgment by God the Father, is to determine who shall have part in the resurrection of the just. Now it is of especial interest that the dead are represented as standing at this tribunal. The session of the Father's judgment being an event that precedes the advent of his Son, the dead have their cases brought into the judgment in the books which are brought forth, and in particular the righteous dead appear in the person of their Advocate. They do not personally stand as dead men at the Father's judgment-seat, for that is in the heavenly temple; but they are judged by the Father while dead, as if they were personally present at his bar; and all who have secured the services of the only Advocate in the court of heaven, by obeying the gospel while they lived, will have decision rendered, that the Spirit of God shall quicken them to immortality. 1 Pet. 4 : 6. This judgment work begins with the saints who render account through their High Priest; and if they are scarcely accounted worthy of eternal life when weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, what will be the end of those who have no Advocate in the judgment, but who come up to it with all their sins standing against them in the book of God? 1 Pet. 4 : 17, 18. Verily, the ungodly will not stand in the judgment. Ps. 1 : 5.
The judgment of God the Father, in Rev. 20 : 12, in which the cases of the dead are decided, must precede that event which is mentioned in verse 6 in these words : “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power.” Now it is this very session of the Father's judgment which determines who are worthy to have a part in this resurrection to immortality, and which leaves all the others to the second death at the resurrection of the unjust.
The binding of Satan precedes the resurrection of the just. This seems plain enough from Rev. 20, but it is very plainly taught in our Lord's parable of binding the strong man, and spoiling his house. Matt. 12 : 29; Mark 3 : 27; Luke 11 : 21, 22. He is evidently bound before the complete slaughter of the wicked in the battle of the great day.
Every mention of the bottomless pit, or deep, or abyss, both in the Old Testament and in the New, seems plainly to refer to our earth, or some part of it, in some form, or at some time. And in the most emphatic sense, after our earth has been turned upside down by the awful convulsions of the great day, and made utterly desolate, we understand it to be fully fitted to constitute the place of Satan's confinement, termed in this prophecy the bottomless pit. A strong confirmation of this view, is found in the fact that this expression is used in the Septuagint in Gen. 1 : 2, where the earth while yet without form and void, is spoken of as the deep; Greek, the bottomless pit. And the Hebrew original signifies the same. And it is predicted that our earth shall be reduced to this condition again. Jer. 4 : 23.
This binding of the devil we understand to be at the very time when, as the antitypical scape-goat, he receives the sins of the righteous. Lev. 16. And our earth in its utter desolation is the land not inhabited, where he shall remain with this terrible load of guilt upon him, while the saints sit in judgment upon the fallen angels, and upon all the members of the human family who would go on still in their sins. J. N. A.

Thoughts.

By Eliza H. Morton

Prophecy tells us that the long history of this world is to be marked by two great events—the coming of Christ in human form as a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," and his second appearing in regal splendor as "King of kings and Lord of lords." The first prediction was fulfilled long, long years ago in Bethlehem of Judea. The second points its warning finger into the now not distant future. The destiny of a world is involved in these two events, and the loftiest strains of human eloquence cannot do them justice; not even the tongue of an angel is powerful enough to portray before our minds the associations which cluster around the one, and the events which will precede and accompany the other. No sublimer themes can occupy the mind of man, and no more exhaustless subjects can come before his notice. In the one we see the "length, depth, breadth, and hight, of a Saviour’s love;" in the other, the plan of salvation will be finished, the unsatisfied longings, dim hopes, and sad, bitter cry of the human heart after a life to come, will all be hushed, and the "mystery of redemption" solved.
Nearly two thousand years have rolled away since the Son of God walked the plains of Galilee and stood upon the hills of Jerusalem; and those years have been fraught with deep interest to the human race. "Jacob’s promised star" has been shining, and the tiny flame, kindled so long ago, has spread its glorious light throughout the world. The time now draws near when He who was spit upon, reviled, and crucified, will once more visit this earth, not as a man, frail and mortal, but as a king, glorious and eternal.
In contemplation of this event we become wrapt in "holy enthusiasm," and long for the glad day to dawn when the last cry of human agony will be hushed, all nature breathe long and peacefully, and the smile of God rest upon a redeemed race. Whatever is deepest and most sublime in human nature is called out by these anticipations, and our aspirations are quickened for something purer, nobler, and more lofty, than this poor life affords. We know that the future holds hidden within its awful precincts that for which our restless hearts yearn. What matters it if the world is dark with tempests, and mists are on the hills, and the "blast of the north is on the plains!" Beyond, there is light and joy, and we have a promise yet to be fulfilled which is glorious—even the return of our Master and the setting up of his everlasting kingdom.
The love of God is as vast as eternity and as wide as the world; and though finite mind cannot fathom the mystery of human life, yet we know that our Father is tender-hearted, kind, and forgiving. If we take fast hold of that divine arm which reaches to the lowest depth of human woe while it grasps the throne of the Eternal, we shall be strengthened with everlasting strength, and finally we shall become pillars in the temple of our God, to go no more out forever. Eliza H. Morton.

God’s Providence Overthrows Infidelity

“Gibbon, Voltaire, and Chesterfield, distinguished infidels, labored earnestly to overthrow the cause of Christ. How has God in his providence thwarted all their plans! Gibbon’s house at Lake Leman is now a hotel, in which there is a room for the sale of Bibles; Voltaire’s printing-press, from which he scattered widely his infidel tracts, has been appropriated to printing the word of God, which he sought to destroy; and Chesterfield’s parlor, where an infidel club used to meet and rail at religion, is now a vestry where the songs and prayers of the penitent go up to God. Thus God makes the wrath of man to praise him, and the remainder he restrains.”

Our Message.

By Joseph Harvey Waggoner

IN Rev. 10:6, 7, an angel swears to the ending of the time, prophetic time, contained in the little book which was opened, in his hand. This was fulfilled by the first angel's message of Rev. 14:6, 7, proclaiming "the hour of his judgment is come." The judgment of investigation and of decision of character is identical with the cleansing of the sanctuary; a work to take place at the end of the prophetic period of two thousand and three hundred days. Dan. 8:14. Rev. 10 closes with these words: "Thou must prophesy again before many peoples nations, tongues and kings."
Without a full understanding of the fact that the time referred to in the oath of the angel is prophetic time, it would be natural to conclude that this oath announced the coming of Christ, and the end of the dispensation. And this was the view of those who gave the first message. They did not understand that the judgment was to sit, and the sanctuary be cleansed, before the coming of the Lord. They fully believed that they were giving the first angel's message, and that, with the close of their message, time should be no longer. But "their eyes were holden," that they did not see that two messages were to follow the one they were giving, and that the coming of the Lord is after the three are all given. The words of Rev. 10:11, are a prophecy of the third angel's message, and by this we learn that it is to go to "many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."
Rev. 14:9, says the third angel proclaimed his message "with a loud voice." Thus in these texts we learn two interesting and important truths: 1. This message is to go to the nations of the earth. 2. It is to go with a loud voice, or in mighty power.
God's purposes of grace are worked out by instrumentalities. He has committed to man the work of proclaiming the gospel to his fellow-man. The responsibility of this message is upon us. Not as a burden, grievous to be borne, but as a privilege granted to us by infinite mercy, that we may be "workers together with God," the highest honor that weak mortals can enjoy. This message must increase in extent and power. God's word has spoken it, and it cannot fail. But to fulfill this, those who proclaim it, who send it forth to the nations, must be clothed with power from on high. It is their privilege to "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." As the message rises in power, God will clothe his servants with strength and power to rise with it. He will be "the health of our countenance," if we put our trust in him.
When Israel went out of Egypt they came to a point where they were hemmed in by the sea, the mountains, and the host of the Egyptians. At this point, with every avenue closed before them, the voice of the Lord is heard, saying, "Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward."
These things "were written for our learning." Let us rise up and go forward. The sea, so dark and forbidding before us, will divide as we approach it, and soon we shall sing the song of victory on the other shore.
J. H. WAGGONER.

Let Me Share in the Work.

By R. F. Cottrell

THE Lord, as I verily believe, is doing a great and infinitely important work in the earth. By the last merciful warning he is drawing a line between the righteous and the wicked, between those, whatever be their profession, that serve God and those who serve him not. And it is my heart's desire and prayer to God that I may have some humble part in his work. For this I pray, and for this I labor ; and I believe my prayer will be heard, and my labor will not be in vain.
No greater honor can one attain than to be a humble servant of the Lord, have his approving smiles, and be owned of him as a helper in his work. This honor all may have who will seek it by yielding themselves to God to do his will in all things. Those, and those only, who make a covenant with God by sacrifice, can share in this glorious work and in the special honors that will soon be conferred on those who have fully overcome and endured to the end. I seek no higher honor, but I feel that I must have a part in the work of the Lord. And since it is possible to all, I hope in the mercy of God to be accepted of him. We sing :—
"Oh, give me a part in thy kingdom."
And I would as earnestly pray for a part in the labor and the crosses and struggles that lie between us and the kingdom. And let us
"Toil on till the sheaves of the Lord are bound, And joyfully borne from the harvest ground."
R. F. COTTRELL.

True Economy.

By Central Protestant

We have yet to hear of the first actual sufferer who has habitually, liberally and systematically devised of his means to the cause of God. It is a dreary thought that the means of support in time of old age are safer in a bank of deposit than if loaned on the promise of God, and yet men repeat, and will to the end of time, the sad mistake. But what have we to say of those who so successfully, and for years, kept up the appearance of poverty, and whose better circumstances were only revealed in the fact of their loss in the bank failure? Only this: “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Of course, this sentiment can apply to none but those who did actually pretend to be poor—poorer than they were—that they might fortify themselves with credit in bank; and the mere fact of having been a depositor, in the absence of the attending circumstances, subjects no one to be classified unfavorably.—Central Protestant.

Light for the Upright

To the upright there ariseth light.

Facing Death as a Man

By Daniel Webster

ONE may live as a conqueror, or a king, or a magistrate; but he must die a man. The bed of death brings every human being to his pure individuality, to the intense contemplation of that deepest and most solemn of all relations, the relation between the creature and his Creator.—Webster.

A Beautiful Picture.

By Daniel March

Rev. Daniel March, D. D., in "Our Father's House," draws the following beautiful picture:—
"I have stood on the top of the high mountain when the sun was up in heaven filling the world with his glorious light. As I gazed around and beneath, I saw clouds ridged and rolling like the billows of the sea. I saw them far off and far beneath, advancing toward the rocky hight on which I stood. In the distance they seemed like mighty masses of Parian marble, white as the drifted snow in the noonday sun. It was a delight to watch their ever-changing beauty as they sailed on the viewless air. The play of imagination easily transformed them into the white thrones of the cherubim; then again they seemed like the streaming banners of the armies of heaven; and now, behold chariots of fire and horses of fire advancing with such restless might as to sweep away the summits of the eternal hills in their march. By and by they approached and smote the side of the mountain far beneath, and they rolled upward swiftly, silently, till they reached the summit and shut out the light of the sun with their shadow. And then the bright forms, which seemed so mighty and glorious in the distance, proved to be nothing but a driving, darkening mist—a mere mass of shapeless vapor—disfiguring everything with its touch, and leaving no trace of beauty for the eye to rest upon while it went sweeping by. But in a moment the mist was gone. Again the sun shone clear and bright upon the bald mountain. Again I could see the cloud as it rolled down the rugged steep till the air was of sufficient density to bear its weight. Then, again, it put on the shape and hues of glorious beauty, and sailed away in serene and gentle majesty upon the wings of the wind.
"And I said aloud, in the solitude, This is a picture of life. So do all the forms of temptation appear, fascinating in the distance, and worthless in possession. When the tempter allures from afar, we see an angel form, and his voice sounds like the music of heaven; but when he comes near, and we give him our hand, we feel the clutch of the demon, and we hear a voice that mocks at our misery. The rewards of worldly ambition, and the indulgences of worldly pleasure, seem so precious and beautiful, when seen afar, that we cannot wait to make them our own. But when they come near, and we grasp at the tempting prize, we fill our hand with the mist, and we draw it back to our bosom wet with the chill of death. When the gilded shadow which dazzled our vision and awakened our hope has come near and proved to be only such stuff as dreams are made of, then it passes away, and often, in the distance, it seems again as brilliant and alluring as before. If we would not spend our life in the chase of phantoms that lead to bewilder and dazzle to blind, we must turn our yearning hearts to him who is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. We must climb so high up the mount of faith that the clouds of doubt and fear will never darken our minds or deceive our hearts."

An Appeal to Mothers.

By Rev. J. M. Johnson

MOTHERS! cherish a deep and constant sense of your own importance to your children, especially to your sons. Take the high and responsible position which God has assigned you as your own, and strive, by his grace, to fill it. Remember that God has chosen to make the parental, and particularly the maternal, relation, a chief instrumentality in extending the knowledge of his truth, and building up his church. Remember that Jesus calls you to be workers together with him in preparing jewels for his crown of glory. Strive, therefore, to illustrate the beauty and power of the maternal character; assert and maintain your authority; make it lovely and winning.
Your difficulties and trials are great; but abundant help is offered for your time of need, and great will be your reward if you are faithful. Shrink not from your duty, for the consequences of your unfaithfulness will be terrible. "A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame;" terrible to you as well as to them. Attempt not your duty alone. The blessedness of bringing up children for God, to be workers in his earthly vineyard and heirs of his heavenly kingdom, is inconceivable and eternal. The sorrow and woe of training them to be cumberers of the ground, or bond-slaves of Satan and heirs of perdition, who can imagine it? Let no spurious love or false tenderness lead you to indulgence or neglect, which will surely prove fatal to your own peace and happiness, as well as that of your children.
Remember that you cannot delegate to another the authority and influence which God has given you as mothers. If you try to do so, you will only rob and destroy yourselves and your children. Surely, you would not have others take the rewards which belong to you. It is for you to say, at the judgment, "Lord, here I am and the children whom thou hast given me." What motives for personal piety press upon you!—Rev. J. M. Johnson.

A Lesson for the Times.

By Ellen G. White

ENTIRE abstinence from every pernicious indulgence, and especially from tobacco and intoxicating drink, should be strenuously taught in our homes, both by precept and example. Upon no consideration should wine be placed upon our tables. Our children should grow up to consider it a deadly evil, leading to misery and crime.
The youth of to-day are the sure index to the future of society; and as we view them, what we hope for that future? These young men are to take a part in the legislative councils of the nation; they will have a voice in enacting and executing its laws. How important, then, is it that the voice of warning should be raised against the indulgence of perverted appetite in those upon whom such solemn duties will rest. If parents would zealously teach total abstinence, and emphasize the lesson by their own unyielding example, many who are now on the brink of ruin might be saved.
What shall we say of the liquor-sellers, who imperil life, health, and property, with perfect indifference? They are not ignorant of the result of their trade, but they become callous of heart. They listen carelessly to the complaints of famishing, half-clad mothers and children. Satan has no better agents by which to prepare souls for perdition, and he uses them with the most telling effect. The liquor-seller deals out his fiery draughts to men who have lost all control of reason and appetite; he takes their hard-earned money and gives no equivalent for it; he is the worst kind of robber.
We find in the special precepts given by God to the Hebrews, this command: "If an ox goad a man or a woman that they die, then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and his owner also shall be put to death. If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him." "And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein, the owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them, and the dead beast shall be his."
The principle embodied in this statute holds good in our time. The liquor-seller compares well with the man who turns a vicious ox loose upon his neighbors. The liquor-seller is not ignorant of the effects of the fiery draught which he deals out unhesitatingly to husbands, fathers, youth, and aged men. He knows that it robs them of reason, and in many cases changes them to demons. The liquor-seller makes himself responsible for the violence that is committed under the influence of the liquor he sells. If the drunkard commits murder, under the effect of the maddening draught, the dealer who sold it to him, aware of the tendency of its effect, is in the sight of God equally responsible for the crime with him who did the deed.
The liquor-dealer digs a pit for his neighbor to fall into. He has seen the consequences of liquor-drinking too often to be ignorant of any one of their various phases. He knows that the hand of the man who drinks at his bar is likely to be raised against his own wife, his helpless children, or his aged father or mother. He knows, in very many instances, that the glass he hands to his customer will make him a raging madman, eager for quarrel, and thirsting for blood. He knows that he is taking bread from the mouths of hungry children, that the pence which fall into his till, and enable him to live extravagantly, have deprived the drunkard's children of clothes, and robbed his family not only of the comforts, but of the very necessities of life. He is deaf to the appeals of weeping wives and mothers, whose hearts are breaking from cruelty and neglect.
Crimes of the darkest dye are daily reported in the newspapers as the direct result of drunkenness. The prisons are filled with criminals who have been brought there by the use of liquor; and the blood of murdered victims cries to Heaven for vengeance, as did the blood of Abel. The laws of the land punish the perpetrator of the deed, but the liquor-seller, who is also morally responsible for it, goes free; no man calls him a murderer; community looks calmly on at his unholy traffic, because justice is fallen in the streets, and equity cannot enter. But God who declared that if a man owned a dangerous ox, and knew it to be so, yet let it loose upon his neighbors, if it caused the death of any man or woman, he should pay the penalty with his own life,—that just and terrible God will let fall the bolts of his wrath on the liq-uor-vender, who sells violence and death to his fellow-men, in the poisonous cup of the inebriate, who deals him out that which takes away his reason, and makes him a brute.
Oh, if men, formed in the image of God, would let reason hold sway in their minds; if they would remember that cursed is he who putteth the bottle to his neighbor's lips, and that no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of heaven; if they would count the cost beforehand of creating an appetite which has no foundation in nature,—how much misery, crime, and disease might be spared the children of men!
Parents who freely use wine and liquor leave to their children the legacy of a feeble constitution, mental and moral debility, unnatural appetites, irritable temper, and an inclination to vice. Parents should feel that they are responsible to God, and to society, to bring into existence beings whose physical, mental, and moral characters shall enable them to make a proper use of life, be a blessing to the world, and an honor to their Creator. The indulgence of perverted appetite is the great cause of the deterioration of the human race. The child of the drunkard or the tobacco inebriate usually has the depraved appetites and passions of the father intensified, and at the same time inherits less of self-control, and strength of mind. Men who are naturally calm and strong-minded not infrequently lose control of themselves while under the influence of liquor, and, though they may not commit crime, still have an inclination to do so, which might result in the act if a fair opportunity offered. Continued dissipation makes these propensities a second nature. Their children often receive this stamp of character before their birth; for the appetites of the parents are often intensified in the children. Thus unborn generations are afflicted by the use of tobacco and liquor. Intellectual decay is entailed upon them, and their moral perceptions are blunted. Thus the world is being filled with paupers, lunatics, thieves, and murderers. Disease, imbecility, and crime, with private and public corruptions of every sort, are making the world a second Sodom.
For the sake of that high charity and sympathy for the souls of tempted men for whom Christ died, Christians should come out from the popular customs and evils of the age, and be forever separated from them. But we find in the clergy themselves the most insurmountable obstacle to the promotion of temperance. Many are addicted to the use of the filthy weed, tobacco, which perverts the appetite, and creates the desire for some stronger stimulant. The indifference or disguised opposition of these men, many of whom occupy high and influential positions, is exceedingly damaging to the cause of temperance.
The safety of society, and the progress of reform, depend upon a clear definition and recognition of fundamental truth. The principles of God's law must be kept before the people as everlasting and inexorable as the character of God himself. Law is defined as a rule of action. Civil law represents the supreme power of the State, regulating the actions of men, and restricting them from doing wrong under penalty of punishment. The good of society and the safety of man require that the law be respected. All enlightened law is founded on the law of Jehovah, given on Mount Sinai. To the inebriate, both the law of God and the law of man are meaningless. His senses are benumbed, he cannot comprehend the language of Sinai, and he tries to bring the law down to meet his debased standard rather than elevate himself to meet the exalted standard established by the rules of God's government.
If Christian men would protect their homes from the horrors of vice, let them respect the laws of God. Let them be jealous for the sanctity of the ten precepts given for the government of mankind. Let them thus purify themselves, and decide to obey God at any cost to themselves. Then they will understand the mystery of godliness, and exclaim with David, "How love I thy law. It is my meditation all the day." "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."—MRS. E. G. WHITE, in Health Reformer.

Finished.

SINNER, why that look of sadness? Why so unbelieving grown? All thy unbelief is madness, All thy griefs could not atone, It is finished! Hallelujah! Jesus saves, and he alone.
'Tis thyself thou hast been seeing, Not the dying Lamb of God, Weeping, striving, praying, fleeing, Weary of thy heavy load. It is finished! Hallelujah! God is reconciled through blood.
Oh! for sin, what bitter anguish Jesus bore upon the tree; See him left by God to languish In a toning agony! It is finished! Hallelujah! Jesus died for thee and me.
At the cross is now thy station, See, without thy grief or prayer, What a full, a free salvation God has waiting for thee there. It is finished! Hallelujah! Frees from all thy anxious care.

Wisdom.

By Jos. Clarke

"Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." Prov. 3:17.
It is believed by the great mass of mankind that the path of the righteous is a very gloomy and painful one. They imagine that the life of the Christian is one of continual sorrow and unhappiness. But nothing could be more incorrect than this view. The first dawn of a genuine religious experience upon the converted soul is often a period of such happiness as words cannot describe. The very fact that his peace is made with his Judge; that he has applied to Jesus for the pardon of sins of which he has deeply repented; that he sympathizes with God in hatred of sin and love of holiness; and that he loves God and his people—all these are in his favor.
But, greater than all, the faith the Christian exercises in God buoys him up above the world. God by his Spirit moves upon his heart, and first convicts, then pardons, then comforts him. These operations of his Spirit God would not grant to one who had no faith in his word; and this faith reconciles man to God, through Christ. Such a condition of things would bring peace to the sinner, even if this life were all, and there were no future beyond.
But there are additional reasons which should make the life of the Christian one of continued enjoyment. He is now in the school of Christ; he knows the way to God, and thus his communication with Heaven is never severed, except by his own neglect; and good angels are now specially interested in his behalf.
The future reward should not be left out of the account in our list of reasons for Christian peace and joy. No! Like Abraham, the people of God look forward, with unspeakable joy, to that city which hath foundations, whose maker and builder is God.
Such a foundation being laid, it is not strange that the Christian is happy, calm, and self-possessed, even amid opposition and hatred.
Wisdom in the text means the highest wisdom, such as is here described; and we must not forget, that God by his Spirit operates in power upon the heart which has made choice of this wisdom. Those who possess such wisdom as we have here spoken of will outlive the present state of things, and will shine in undiminished and increasing luster, while the ages of eternity roll on.
Faith in God is the foundation of the Christian's hope. This is what gives life to what would otherwise be a dim and uncertain theory; for in every part of our history, the Spirit of God is present. And if we recognize this Spirit and cherish it, we shall be led along from one degree of wisdom to another, until we have the unutterable joy of embracing the One, who, as the Author of true wisdom, died a painful death, thereby showing the true value of wisdom, and winning man to embrace it. Jos. Clarke.

The Person of Jesus Christ.

THE following description was found in an ancient manuscript sent by Publius Lentulus, president of Judea, to the Senate of Rome:—
"There lives at this time, in Judea, a man of singular character, whose name is Jesus Christ. The barbarians estimate him as their prophet; but his followers adore him as the immediate offspring of the immortal God. He is endowed with such unparalleled virtue as to call back the dead from their graves, and to heal every kind of disease with a word or touch. His person is tall and elegantly shaped; his aspect amiable and reverent; his hair grows in those beauteous shades which no united color can match, falling in graceful curls below his ears, agreeably couching on his shoulders and parting on the crown of his head; his dress is of the sect of Nazarines; his forehead is smooth and large; his cheeks without either spot, save that of lovely red; his nose and mouth are formed with symmetry; his beard is thick and suitable to the hair of his head, reaching a little below his chin, and parting in the middle like a fork; his eyes are bright, clear and serene. He rebukes with mildness, and invites with the most tender, persuasive language; his whole address, whether in word or deed, being elegant, grave, and strictly characteristic of so exalted a being. No man has ever seen him laugh; but the whole world beholds him weep frequently; and so persuasive are his tears, that the whole multitude cannot withhold their tears from joining in sympathy with him. He is modest, temperate and wise. In short, whatever the phenomena may turn out in the end, he seems at present to be a man of excellent beauty and divine perfections, every way surpassing men."

A Carriage Telling Its Own Story.

SOME time ago two young men went to a livery stable to hire a horse and carriage. They told the keeper of the stable that they only wanted to go to a village seven miles off. When they came back, the man thought the horse looked as though he had driven much farther than that. He asked them how much farther they had been. They said they had only been to the next village. Then he opened a box that was fastened to the side of the carriage. In this box was a little thing almost like a clock. This had the power of keeping a correct account of every turn made by the wheels of the carriage. It did this by pointing with a finger to the figures on a dialplate. The man knew how many turns of the wheel it took to make a mile; and so when he saw the figure to which the finger pointed, he knew in a moment how far the carriage had been.
As soon as he opened the box he saw that the carriage had traveled thirty miles, instead of fourteen. Those young men did not know that they were carrying with them a silent witness against themselves. They did not know that that little instrument was keeping a correct account of every yard of ground they went over. And just so it is with conscience. It is busy all the time; and at last it will give a correct account of all that we have done.—Sel.
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