Signs of the Times, Vol. 14, No. 10. (3/9/1888)

Signs of the Times

Mar 9, 1888

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 9, 1888

THE NEED OF HUMILITY.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."

WE are not charged with the task of exalting ourselves. We need not labor for the highest place in the estimation of others, or seek supremacy for our opinions in the counsels of our brethren. The task that God points out to us is that of self-humiliation. We are to "do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly" before God. We are not to encourage self-esteem and personal pride, nor to cherish the thought that we are not appreciated, and that our ability is underestimated. It is our work to take up our duties, however lowly, and perform them with fidelity and courage, doing all things "heartily, as to the Lord."

We are the property of God; and shall we not be willing to stand in the lot that he assigns us, trusting his judgment, and gratefully accepting the privilege of becoming co-laborers with him in any part of his vineyard? If we are capable of a larger service, a more important work, the Lord knows all about it, and it is his work to lift us up. How thankful we should be that we are not burdened with the responsibility of estimating our own ability, and choosing our own place and position. It is our duty to exercise the talents that God has given us, and to study to show ourselves approved unto God, "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed." Every duty should be done with faithfulness and care, and the smile of God will rest upon him who is "faithful in that which is least." Let the humble service be devoted to God, and in due time you will be made "ruler over many things." Give yourselves unreservedly to God, and trust in his love and wisdom to dispose of all your interests and affairs.

Says the apostle, "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." Oh that everyone who professes the name of Christ among us would heed the admonition and humble himself, take up every duty, and co-operate with Christ in the work of salvation. If this were done, we would not be complaining at the lack of spirituality, for the showers of God's blessing would fall upon his church. All murmuring at the hardships of the way would be changed into songs of thanksgiving and praise to God; for he would lift you up according to his promise.

Cultivate the precious grace of humility. This will make you valuable in the sight of Heaven, for "God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." Those who esteem themselves more highly than they should, make themselves a center of thought. They neglect their duty to their fellow-beings, for they do not cultivate that tender, care-taking spirit which should characterize the servant of Christ. All their care is spent upon the interests of self; but God would have us show thoughtful courtesy to others. We are not to set up our individual opinions as infallible. We are to respect the opinions of others. God would have us counsel together. We should be tractable, teachable, kind to each other, not striving which shall be esteemed as the greatest and have the highest honors.

Paul writes, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." It should be the constant effort of every disciple of the meek and lowly Jesus, to keep "the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." It is the desire for the exaltation of self that brings discord and dissension among brethren. If all were "kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another," the peace of Christ would abide in our midst, and rule in our hearts.

Jesus, the precious Saviour, was the majesty of Heaven; but he came to our world and walked among the children of men, not as a king demanding homage, but as one whose work was to serve others. He estimated man by the price he paid for his redemption. He said, "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." His constant anxiety and care was not how he could obtain the services of men, but how he could aid and bless humanity. His heart had been touched with compassion for a fallen world, and he left the heavenly courts, clothed his divinity with humanity, made himself of no reputation, "took upon him the form of a servant," and "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross," that we might be cleansed from sin, and share in his eternal glory. The cross of Christ puts to shame our selfish desires and ambitions, our strife for position and the honor of men. Jesus was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;" and shall his followers expect to be exalted and favored? Christ is our example, and he says to every one of us, "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart." Have we learned this precious lesson in the school of Christ? If we have not, let it be our first work to seek the lowly spirit of Jesus; for we are unfit to become teachers of the truth until we have learned

this first great principle of true religion: "Whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all."

God forbid that any of us should be deceived. We must study the life of Christ, for by beholding we are to become changed. We must be like Christ or we shall never see him as he is. We must constantly abide in the Vine if we bring forth the fruits of righteousness. With living faith we must present our petitions to the compassionate Saviour, for "without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." We may lay hold on the arm of infinite strength, and draw from the source of infinite power. We must individually have more of the grace of Christ. We want to be settled, rooted and grounded in the faith. We are called upon to be bold, faithful soldiers of Jesus. We need not be weak and inefficient in the work of God. Every need has been provided for in the great gift of Heaven. "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

There is need of elevating our thoughts to dwell upon the promises of God. There is need of encouraging our faith and hope by exercise. Lay your soul before your heavenly Father in all its weakness and want, and repeat the assurances of his word, and claim their fulfillment, not because you are worthy, but because Christ has died for you. Plead the merits of his blood and take the Lord at his word. We must learn the simple art of perfect trust; and we shall be "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." Let nothing interpose between your soul and Christ. Let no darling sin be cherished. Present to God your whole body, soul, and spirit, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable.

When you are tempted to give expression to doubt, restrain your words. Educate your lips to speak the praise of your Creator and Redeemer. Praise belongeth unto God, for he is full of loving-kindness and tender mercy. Let not coldness and ingratitude bind your souls and keep you away from Christ, who is your only hope.

We must not allow self so much time and attention. We do not study the life of our Example as we should. His life was one of continual self-denial, sacrifice, and cross-bearing, and shall we, the subjects of his grace, the objects of his great love, be found depressed and discouraged, because we have trials to meet, and sacrifices to make? Shall we go mourning and complaining because the road that leads to Heaven and eternal life, is strait and narrow? Jesus trod every step of the way before us, and shall we not gladly take up the cross, and say, "I will follow thee, my Saviour, wheresoe'er thou leadest me"?

If we were all walking in the footsteps of the Man of Calvary, our proud hearts would be subdued by the grace of Christ. There would be no contention existing among the brethren, but in lowliness of mind each would esteem others better than himself. Your love for one another would be expressed in words and acts of tenderness, and this cold hard-heartedness would be melted away by the love of Jesus. You would obey the injunction of the apostle, when he says, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently."

We are to be growing Christians, growing up in "the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." We are to be living stones in the temple of God; and now we must endure the hewing, the chiseling, the squaring of the Master-builder, until all roughness is removed, and our characters are polished and perfected for the heavenly building. There are many who claim to believe the truth, who are content with their defects of character. They do not make efforts to reform, or seek earnestly for a fitness to stand before God; but everyone who enters Heaven will enter as a conqueror, and will wave the palm branch of victory. There is no need of deficiency. Christ is a perfect Saviour, and those who seek him with their whole heart, will find that where sin abounded, grace shall much more abound. There is no reason why we should not be overcomers. God has "given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." We are not to live like the world. We must show that the grace of Christ has a sanctifying influence upon our lives. Our natural appetites and passions must be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. We must reveal Christ in our daily words and actions. He bore reproach, insult, shame, mockery. He was rejected, maligned, crucified, that we might reflect his image, and be made perfect in his righteousness. When we fail to meditate upon the example of Christ, we do not comprehend its meaning, and we become sensitive, and unwilling to endure hardness. We shrink from becoming partakers of his sufferings. We lose sight of the cross of Calvary, while self attracts our attention, and claims our care and affection.

Let us change our course of action. God's standard must be our standard, or we shall fail of everlasting life. We are still in the precious hours of probation, "and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins." He worked out the wonderful plan of redemption, and united fallen and finite man with the holy and infinite God. The world that Satan had claimed and ruled over with cruel tyranny, the Son of God, by one vast achievement, encircled in his love, and connected again with the throne of Jehovah. Cherubim and seraphim, and the unnumbered hosts of Heaven, sang anthems of praise to God and to the Lamb, when this triumph was assured. The worlds rejoiced that the way of salvation had been opened for rebellious man, and that earth would be redeemed from the curse of sin; and shall we, who are the objects of his unmerited favor, be unappreciative of the love of God? How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?

We are invited to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." We have an advocate with the Father, who pleads in our behalf with prevailing power. Christ's intercession is that of a pierced and broken body. It is the intercession of a spotless and victorious life, the pleading of all the wounds of Calvary. It is the intercession of our great High Priest, who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, who was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."

Let us then put away all self-exaltation. As long as the cross of Calvary stands as a monument of the cost of our salvation, as a reminder of the amazing love and humiliation of the King of glory, let us walk in its shadow, and seek to reflect the character of our Redeemer. Go to him as a perfect Saviour, for he has said, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." There is no reason why we should seek to exalt ourselves, for we are full of weakness. As you realize this, trust in him whose grace is sufficient for you, for "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." Therefore "humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up;" for "whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." Let self and self-interest be lost in the great themes of redemption. "Show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." The Lord says, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me; and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God."

AMEN.

I do not know Where falls the seed that I have tried to sow With greatest care; But I shall know The meaning of each waiting hour below Sometime, somewhere.

I do not look Upon the present, nor in nature's book To read my fate; But I do look For promised blessings in God's holy Book, And I can wait.

And I will try To keep the hot tears back, and hush that sigh, "It might have been," And try to still Each rising murmur, and to God's sweet will Respond, "Amen!" —Selected.

THE ONE THING NEEDFUL.

By Methodist Recorder

It is not always the man who possesses the greatest talents, or who is the most highly educated and cultured, that is the most useful. Talent and learning and culture, when properly estimated and wholly consecrated to God, are an important means in his hand for the accomplishment of good; but there is such a tendency in poor, weak human nature to trust in these things, and to consider them sufficient in themselves to accomplish the work, that they are often diverted from their proper use and become the means of exalting the individual in his own estimation rather than in promoting the glory of God.

The cultivation of the intellect is of great importance, especially when accompanied by the proper training of the heart. But mere intellectual power, unless under the influence of divine grace, instead of being made a blessing to others, may become the means of great injury to them. The usefulness of any kind of power depends entirely on the manner in which it is employed, and the object which it

is intended to promote. While properly controlled and directed, it is capable of accomplishing important purposes, but if not thus directed and controlled it may cause great injury. This is as true of intellectual as of any other power. Hence the importance, whether a man's talents be great or small, whether his learning be extensive or limited, of consecrating all he has to God, placing himself entirely under the direction of his Spirit and grace, and then, and only then, will God condescend to make him a blessing to others, and use him as a means of advancing the interests of his cause.

Piety, after all, is the great essential to success in the work of soul-saving. With this, a man of comparatively limited abilities may be very useful, but without it a man of the highest scholastic attainments will prove a failure. While every man should earnestly seek the best gifts, he should remember that gifts without grace will accomplish nothing in building up the kingdom of Christ.—Methodist Recorder.

TRUE TO GOD.

By Dr. Goulburn

NEVER lower your principles to this world's standard. Never let sin, however popular it may be, have any sanction or countenance from you, even by a smile. The manly confession of Christ, when his cause is unpopular, is made by himself the condition of his confessing us before God. If people find out that we are earnestly religious, as they soon will if the light is shining, let us make them heartily welcome to the intelligence. And then, again, in order that the lights may shine without obstruction, we must be simple and study simplicity.

This is by no means so easy as it at first appears; for in this highly artificial and pretentious age, all society is overlaid with numerous affectation. Detest affectation as the contrary of truth and as hypocrisy on a small scale, and allow yourselves to be seen freely by those around you in true colors. There is an affectation of indifference to all things, and a lack of sensibility, which is becoming very prevalent in this age, which is the sworn foe to simplicity of character. The persons who labor under this moral disorder pretend to have lost their freshness of interest in everything; for them, as they would have it believed, there is no surprise and no enthusiasm.

As Christians, we must eschew untruth in every form; we must labor to seem just what we are, neither better nor worse. To be true to God and to the thought of his presence all day long, and to let self occupy as little as possible of our thoughts; to care much for his approval, and comparatively little for the impression we are making upon others; to feed the inward light with oil, and then freely let it shine—this is the great secret of edification. May he indoctrinate us into it, and dispose and enable us to illustrate it in our practice.—Dr. Goulburn.

THE AUTHORITY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

By Samuel T. Spear

THE readers of the Bible should always keep in mind that the term "Scripture" or "Scriptures," when occurring in the New Testament, refers to the sacred writings existing among the Jews at the time of Christ, by them regarded as of divine authority, and among Christians now spoken of as the Old Testament, and by them accepted as a part of the Word of God. The manner in which Christ and his apostles treated these writings is a matter of no little importance to the Christian, in this age, or in any age, in determining in what light he should regard them. If they accepted them as of divine authority, then we have in this fact, not only a safe, but a conclusive rule for our guidance.

Nothing is clearer, in the New Testament, than that Christ, in the days of his flesh, had frequent occasion to refer to the Scriptures, and that, in doing so, he placed upon them the seal of his own indorsement, as a whole, and in various parts, often quoting from them to confirm his own teaching, not infrequently explaining them, always implying their divine authority, and never suggesting the remotest doubt on this point. Alluding to them as a whole, he said to the Jews: "Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me." The record of the interview with the two disciples on the day of his resurrection, when they were going to the village of Emmaus, contains the following words: "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." He met his apostles in the evening of the same day, and said to them: "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." It is said that "then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." He told the Jews before his death that he had not come "to destroy the law or the prophets," but rather to fulfill them.

The language of Christ in regard to the flood is an example of a specific reference to a portion of the Old Testament Scriptures. These are his words:—

"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

The book of Genesis gives an account of the flood in the days of Noah; and here Christ sets his seal to the truth of that account. He who denies the occurrence of such a flood, and the destruction of the race thereby, with the exception of those saved in the ark, assumes to be wiser than the great Teacher. He rejects what Christ accepted as true. Christ, beyond all question, did commit himself to the divine authority of the Old Testament. There never was a word of dispute between him and the Jews on this point.

Precisely the same attitude was assumed by his apostles; and of this fact we have a general statement in the following words of Paul to Timothy:—

"But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Paul here stamps the Jewish Scriptures, referred to collectively, with the signet of his own authority, and in the most express manner declares them to be stamped with the signet of God's authority. For three Sabbath days in succession he reasoned with the Jews at Thessalonica, "out of the Scriptures," assuming their divine authority, and showing therefrom that the Jesus whom he preached was Christ.

So, also, the same apostle, having in the first and second chapters of his epistle to the Romans declared Jews and Gentiles to be alike sinners and condemned by the law of God, supposes a Jew to ask this question: "What advantage then hath the Jew, or what profit is

there in circumcision?" His answer is the following: "Much every way; chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God." There is no doubt that he here refers to the Old Testament Scriptures as a whole, of which he speaks as "the oracles of God," without any distinction between different parts. The Scriptures, or oracles of God, of which Paul spoke, and from which he reasoned, included the five books of Moses; and in the first of these books we have an account of the creation of the world, of Adam and Eve as the primitive ancestors of the human race, of their temptation and fall in the garden of Eden, and of the introduction of death among men. This account is a part of the "all Scripture" that was "given by the inspiration of God;" and to it Paul was no stranger. What he thought of it appears in the following references to it:—

"Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. . . . And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul. . . . The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from Heaven."

"For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."

"But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

These are the words of a man who claimed to have been taught "by the revelation of Jesus Christ," and to speak in the words "which the Holy Ghost teacheth," and whom the Christian world accepts as the great inspired expounder of Christianity. It is impossible not to see that in the passages above quoted, he refers to the creation and fall of Adam and Eve, as stated in the book of Genesis. There was in his mind an Adam and an Eve, who were the first parents of the race. . . .

To say that he simply used current Jewish notions without intending to indicate his own faith in respect to them, is not only an assumption without a particle of evidence to support it, but also discreditable to his sincerity and honesty. If he really believed as he wrote, but was entirely mistaken, as some endeavor to show, then what becomes of his inspiration, and indeed of all his teaching as an apostle? This is a question for those to answer who reject the record which Paul accepted as true.

The fourth chapter of Genesis gives an account of the murder of Abel by Cain, both of whom are described as the sons of Adam and Eve. In the first epistle of John we find an exhortation to love one another, followed by these words: "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." This shows that John knew the history in Genesis, and believed the facts there detailed, with regard to these two sons of Adam and Eve. Paul, moreover, makes a reference to these facts in the following words: "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh." Still further, Jesus Christ himself refers to this very Abel, saying: "That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar." These words of Christ recognize the history given in Genesis in regard to "the blood of righteous Abel," and assume the truth of that history. Were Paul and John and Jesus Christ alike in error in respect to this history? The infidel may say this, but it will hardly do for the Christian to imitate his example.

Jude, in his epistle, speaks of Enoch as "the seventh from Adam," implying both an Enoch and an Adam, and clearly referring to the record of both as we find it in the book of Genesis. Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, cites this Enoch, who was "the seventh from Adam," as one of his examples of faith: "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." So, according to Genesis, there was a Noah and also a flood; and this Noah, in connection with the flood, furnishes another example of faith, as cited in the epistle to the Hebrews. These examples of faith are based on the history given in Genesis, and are no examples at all, but mere fancy-work, if that history be not true.

Luke, in giving the genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth, goes back to Adam, and there stops with all human ancestors, and speaks of Adam as "the son of God," meaning that Adam had no human father, but was himself the first man, as described in Genesis. Adam, according to Luke, was not the product of a protoplasm, fully grown, nor the lineal descendent of a monkey, but was "the son of God" by direct creation; and this is just what Moses says about him.

We thus see that the New Testament, in the words of Christ, and in the writings of his apostles, places the stamp of its own authority upon the Old Testament, including the writings of Moses. If we accept and believe the former, we must also accept and believe the latter. This indorsement of the latter by the former ought, with Christians, to be the end of the question in respect to the divine authority of the Old Testament. Such teachers as Christ and his apostles are not to be set aside or corrected by any uninspired human wisdom.

There are, however, some scientists who profess to have discovered that the Mosaic account of the origin of man is not correct, that the race did not begin as described in the book of Genesis, and that at least the earlier parts of this book are not to be regarded as historical, but rather as legends or fables which Moses or somebody else incorporated therein. What shall the Christian do with these scientists? The answer is that, if he is a scientist himself, he may reason with them, if he chooses, upon the merits of the question as one of simple science, and that whether he does so or not, he should not hesitate a moment to accept as true that which has the indorsement of Christ and his apostles, especially as the scientists, so-called, are at almost an infinite distance from certainty as to what they affirm, and what they deny. Their theory, taken at its best, does not rise much, if at all, above a mere conjecture on a subject in respect to which every man, except as taught by a revelation from God, must necessarily be profoundly ignorant.

A Christian pays a very poor compliment to the Bible, and to his own faith in it, when he starts out with the assumption that on such a subject science is the fixed point of certainty, and that the Bible is the variable point of uncertainty, and that if there be any seeming conflict between the two, the Bible must yield to the supreme authority of science. This, in respect to the matter involved, is giving to science more honor than it deserves, and to the Bible far less honor than it deserves. What Christ thought and Paul thought about the Mosaic record is a much better guide, to the Christian, as to what he shall think, than any scientist that ever lived or died. Christ and his apostles treated it as a true record; and this fact, though not enough for an infidel, ought to be enough for everyone, whether learned or unlearned, who believes in him and in the inspiration of his apostles. It is not possible to rest our faith upon a higher or more reliable authority. We must trust Christ and his apostles in respect to the great doctrine of our salvation. Why not trust them in every other matter to which they have affixed their signet?—Samuel T. Spear, D. D., in Independent.

BEGIN NOW.

By Thomas Fuller

I do discover an error, whereby I have long deceived myself, which is this: I have desired to begin my amendment from my birthday, or from the first day of the year, or from some special time, so that my repentance might bear some remarkable date; but when those days were come, I have adjourned it to some other time. Thus, while I could not agree with myself where to start, I have almost lost the running of the race. I am resolved thus to befool myself no longer. I see no day equal to to-day; the present time is always the fittest time. Grant, therefore, that "to-day I hear Thy voice." And if this day be remarkable in itself for nothing else, may it be remarkable as the day of my conversion.—Thomas Fuller.

GOD'S KEEPING.

LORD, I cannot keep my soul! I despair of self-control; I have tried and tried again, Wept, and prayed, and toiled in vain; Now I give it up to thee, Thou must fight this fight for me!

Not for dying grace I plead, It is living grace I need! Grace to set my spirit free From sin's galling slavery: Lord, it needs a power divine; Thou must keep this soul of mine!

From the depths I cannot see Subtle forms of sin in me, Which, unconsciously, create Character, and fix my state; Lord, to thee alone I fly, Thou must "search" and "sanctify"!

Thou art able, thou alone, Who didst for my soul atone; Kept by thee, I safely stand, None can pluck me from thy hand; If thy mighty power I claim, Who shall then my soul condemn? —The (London) Christian.

AN EVIDENT DANGER.

THE General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church at its last meeting appointed a committee of thirteen on home mission work. A circular issued by the committee presents several dangers which, in their opinion, menace the moral well-being of this country. The fifth specification is as follows:—

"And even more alarming and pressing is the problem of our modern cities. In 1800 our entire population, except some three per cent., was rural. In 1850 twelve per cent. lived in cities, and now a quarter of our citizenship. In 2000 A. D. one-third of our population will be civic. Commerce, manufactures, railroads, sanitary reform, and infrequency of wars have made it possible for enormous masses of men and women to swarm at certain centers. Social congestion and disease result. Poverty becomes the grievance of hundreds of thousands, vice abounds, and Socialism and Anarchism arise to mock at wealth and culture and to assail society. Thus in New York nearly one million of human beings dwell in

tenement houses; and the prevalent social depravity, which, like physical contagion, flourishes nowhere so virulently as in crowds, bids fair to rival the common personal discomfort and discontent. From these overcrowded retreats of human misery, churches and all self-supporting institutions of social or religious culture flee away. In 1840 there was in New York one Protestant church to two thousand of population; now there is one to four thousand. A like fate seems to impend over all our great or growing cities. And these misbegotten, unfed, untaught, and unhappy multitudes are American citizens, and, at the ballot-box, peers of the most eminent of our voters; their political freedom, a perilous privilege for them, is a fearful menace to us. It is no exaggeration whatever to say that all our institutions and our very civilization are challenged and threatened by facts so colossal and portentous."

AMERICAN HOMAGE TO THE POPE.

A GOOD deal of adverse comment continues to be made upon the gift of President Cleveland to the Pope on the occasion of his jubilee, not so much in respect to the gift itself, as in respect to the significance which the friends of the Pope have attached to it in its presentation at Rome, and in the Catholic papers of this country.

Archbishop Ryan, of Philadelphia, in presenting the gift, said: “It is a tribute paid to your Holiness by the ruler of sixty million of freemen.” And after stating that the Pope represents “a moral conquest over the greatest nations of the earth,” the Archbishop added: “This conquest, your Holiness, which received respectful recognition from the kings of the world, receives through the most worthy President, the tribute of a free and independent people.”

This tribute is thus magnified beyond all appropriate dimensions, for about eight or nine-tenths of the American people did not unite in it.

Quite in contrast with the course of our President was that of King Christian of Norway and Sweden. It was intimated to him that a present for the Pope's jubilee would prove acceptable. Whereupon the king replied that he was a Protestant prince, ruling over Protestant subjects, and neither gift nor homage was sent or rendered to the head of the Roman Church by him.

In order to understand the significance of Pope Leo's efforts to secure political recognition, and to interfere in the political affairs of nations, his real character and the purpose of his policy must be taken into consideration. Dr. Miller, in the November number of A Voice from Italy, sketches his career and design as follows:—

“Leo XIII. is a much shrewder and abler man than his garrulous predecessor. It is said that from the day he assumed the tiara he has been animated with the desire to establish peace between princes and peoples, and especially to place the church in Italy on a better footing relatively with the State. His ambition is to give the church greater political influence and greater spiritual power than she has ever had, and he is shrewd enough to see that he must stoop to conquer. He will study the things which make for peace, and if need be, feign the most resigned acquiescence in the altered condition of the Papacy, if by any means he can attain to uncontrolled supremacy in spiritual and ecclesiastical things, not only in Italy but throughout Christendom. This is the policy which the Jesuits have dictated, if not imposed. It was mainly due to their influence that Cardinal Pecci became Leo XIII. He has already rewarded them by revoking the Bull and Encyclicals which suppressed their order, and restoring them to all their former rights and privileges. And now it is only too evident that he has consented to personify the system they have built up. His allocution of May 23, which may be regarded as the first overt step toward conciliation, breathed the spirit of this Jesuit policy; and though that allocution aroused the wrath of the irreconcilables throughout the Papal world, Leo XIII. wants conciliation, and he will have it if he can.”

It is well for Protestants to remember that the Jesuits are again in the ascendant in the Roman Church, and that all the methods they can employ to gain influence and power in Protestant countries, will be employed in the future as in the past; and there is no country in the world in which they are so free to carry out their schemes as in the United States.—Lutheran Observer.

Continue reading: THE FOUR GOSPELS