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Review and Herald, Vol. 29, No. 1.

The Sermon

Review and Herald

Dec 11, 1866

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 11, 1866

The Sermon.

By John Norton Loughborough

Preach the Word. 2 Tim. iv, 2.

THE KINGDOM.

BY ELD. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
TEXT. “And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke i, 32, 33.
The above words were spoken by the angel to Mary, the mother of Christ, concerning Jesus and his kingdom. His statement is, that “of his kingdom there shall be no end.” The first question that will engage our attention in this discourse, will be, What is Christ’s kingdom? Is it an immaterial kingdom beyond the bounds of time and space? Is it simply the work of the gospel? Or, is it a tangible, literal kingdom, the territory of which is as literal as the earth itself? Each of the above views concerning the kingdom, has its advocates.
While we admit that the kingdom, or at least the capital of it,—the New Jerusalem—will come down out of Heaven, we cannot admit that it comes from beyond space; but, it is a literal city in space, constructed of most glorious materials. Those texts too, which speak of the gospel as the kingdom of God, only speak of the kingdom in a secondary sense. The language even so used is mostly that of parables. The gospel, in its perfecting work upon the heart of the receiver, is called the Kingdom of God, because it has as its great ultimatum, the preparation of subjects for that kingdom. If, then, the kingdom of God is spoken of in the Scriptures in its primary sense, in the same manner as we would speak of the kingdom of Assyria, Greece, Rome, or Great Britain, then it becomes necessary in the proper investigation of this matter, to inquire, What is the territory of the kingdom of Christ?
Of the many scriptures which speak of the locality of that kingdom, our space will only allow us to notice a few. In Dan. ii, while speaking of earthly kingdoms in their last, divided, and mingled state, the prophet says to Nebuchadnezzar, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Verse 44. This scripture shows that the kingdom, which the God of Heaven sets up, is to take the place and territory of earthly kingdoms.
In Dan. vii, we have the record of a vision given to Daniel concerning earthly kingdoms and the close of their career. This is presented before him under the symbol of four beasts diverse one from the other.
In making the record of this vision, he says, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Verses 13, 14.
In making the explanation of this matter, the angel says to Daniel, “These great beasts which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” Verses 17, 18. This, of course, shows that they are to take the kingdom which earthly monarchs have ruled. But this is made still plainer in the description of the close of the career of the little horn of the fourth beast. “But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” Verses 26, 27. A dominion which is “under the whole heaven,” can be nothing less than this earth.
But let us also read the testimony of the prophet Micah: “And thou, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.” Micah iv, 8. All will readily admit that this tower of the flock is Christ. He is to receive the “first dominion.” What is the first dominion? As we find this scripture refers to matters on this earth, the dominion must also apply here. If we turn to Gen. i, 26, there we read the first testimony concerning a dominion on earth: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowls of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” David in recording the same fact says of man, “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands.” Ps. viii, 6. Man by transgression, lost the position in which God had placed him; but Christ is interposed as a help. He, by his death and suffering, not only opens up a way for man’s escape from the effects of sin, but he also brings back that which man lost in the fall. By reading Paul’s testimony, this is all made plain. He says to the Hebrews, “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Heb. ii, 5-9. We understand Paul, in the above as teaching, that although all things were once placed under man, we do not see them there now; but Christ has been made a little lower than the angels, that he might help man out of death, and recover his lost dominion, so that, “in the world to come,” man, with Christ, may exercise that first dominion which was given to him.
Of Christ’s dominion, we read in Psa. lxxii, 8, “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” The same statement is made in Zechariah’s testimony, which is clearly shown by its partial fulfillment, to apply to Christ. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and he shall speak peace unto the heathen; and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.” Zech. ix, 9, 10.
My hearers are all familiar with the fulfillment of the former part of this passage, as recorded in Luke’s testimony concerning Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, a short time before he was crucified. See Luke xix, 28-40. The latter part will also be fulfilled when Christ shall cause “wars to cease tothe ends of the earth,” thus cutting off the battle bow, and setting up a kingdom the dominion of which shall fill the whole extent of the earth.
In the time of the establishment of that kingdom upon this earth, we shall find the fulfillment of such promises concerning this earth, as Num. xiv, 21. “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.” Here the Lord has pledged his own life for the fulfillment of his word. None surely would claim that this text has been fulfilled in the past history of the world, while it has been filled with anarchy, violence, and sin. The same great event is spoken of by the prophet Habakkuk; but, it is placed in the future from his time. “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Hab. ii, 14. If we look at Isaiah’s testimony, we shall learn that this filling of the earth with God’s glory, is after Christ comes again and destroys his enemies.
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots; and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth, and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Isa. xi, 1-9.
Then will be fulfilled the promises made to Abraham and his seed, that they should have the land for an “everlasting possession.” Gen. xiii, 14-15; xv; xvii, 7, 8. These promises did not relate to an inheritance in Abraham’s lifetime; for we read, “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their’s and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years. . . . And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.” We read in the discourse of Stephen, concerning Abraham: “Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran; and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on; yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.” Acts vii, 4, 5.
From Paul’s testimony in Heb. xi, we learn that Abraham and the multitude of his natural descendants, “all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Vers. 13. That this does not refer to a possession of the earth in its present state, but to a future possession, after it is redeemed from the effects of the curse, is clear from what follows: “For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city.” Heb. xi, 14-16. This heavenly country, and city, which God hath prepared, we understand to be the same that are mentioned in Rev. xxi, of which more hereafter. Paul continues to speak in Hebrews of ancient
worthies, “who were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword, wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Heb. xi, 37-40.
The plan God has devised, is better than to have Abraham or his posterity receive the possession in their lifetime, or even at their death. When perfection comes on all of God’s saints, at the day of final reward, then they with us, will be made perfect, then will these ancient worthies receive the fulfillment of the promises made. These promises, as we shall see by examining the testimony to the Galatians, refer to Christ as the seed, and of course could not be fulfilled till that seed comes, nor till that state of things is introduced which is called his kingdom; which, as we have already shown, is when his dominion is “from sea to sea,” when the glory of God fills the earth “as the waters cover the sea.” Paul says: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Gal. iii, 16.
No one, by carefully reading the Scriptures, could claim that any of these promises above quoted concerning the earth, had yet been fulfilled, or that they will be fulfilled this side of Christ’s coming and the resurrection of those to whom the promises were made. The Lord said to Abraham, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it.” So, when that promise is fulfilled, Abraham must be there to participate in it. This will explain why Paul in pleading before Agrippa, Acts xxvi, 6-8, says: “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers; unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead.” His testimony shows clearly that the promise to the fathers involves their resurrection, in order that they may be partakers in person of the things promised. It also as clearly shows that the fulfillment of those promises will be in the resurrected state of the saints.
Some of these promises refer to a time when the earth shall be as full of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea, and when “They shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord.” Jer. xxxi, 34. No such state of things as this has been seen on earth since these promises were made, nor need we expect such a state before the coming of Christ. Paul says, “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 2 Tim. iii, 13; “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Tim. iv, 3, 4; “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” 2 Tim. iii, 1-5. The above texts are receiving a striking fulfillment in the age in which we live, when evil and wickedness of every kind is on the increase.
Such also is to be the condition of things till the coming of Christ, as is further evident from the parable of our Saviour; “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matt. xiii, 24-30. Our Saviour gives an exposition of his own parable to his disciples in this same chapter: “He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the Devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.” Verses 37-43.
The above testimony clearly shows that wickedness is to exist on earth till the judgment and the second coming of Christ; and it also shows that the righteous are not to receive this earth as the kingdom, until the destruction of Christ’s enemies in the furnace of fire.
Again, this text is also additional evidence that this earth is the kingdom of Christ. He is to gather offenders out of his kingdom. To apply this language to this earth it is all clear, but to apply it to Heaven itself would only make confusion, for there are no sinners, or offenders in Heaven.
But we will now inquire, When is Christ’s kingdom established on this earth? The testimonies last quoted, prove that it will not be till after the second coming of Christ. This is also still further confirmed by the parable of Christ recorded by Luke: “He added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money,” &c. Luke xix, 11-15. Christ is the nobleman of the parable. Heaven is the distant country where he goes to receive his kingdom. His coming to earth is the coming of the nobleman of the parable. This shows that his kingdom is not established on earth till after his second advent. But whether it is then immediately established here, or whether other events are to transpire before the final filling of the earth with God’s glory, will yet appear in the testimony we wish to present on the subject of the establishment of that kingdom.
(To be continued.)

THE INNER CALM.

By Bonar

Calm me, my God, and keep me calm, While these hot breezes blow; Be like the night-dew's cooling balm Upon earth's fevered brow.
Calm me, my God, and keep me calm, Soft resting on thy breast; Soothe me with holy hymn and psalm, And bid my spirit rest.
Calm me, my God, and keep me calm; Let thine outstretching wing Be like the shade of Elim's palm, Beside her deepest spring.
Yes, keep me calm, though loud and rude The sounds my ear that greet, Calm in the closet's solitude, Calm in the bustling street.
Calm in the hour of buoyant health, Calm in my hour of pain, Calm in my poverty or wealth, Calm in my loss or gain.
Calm in the sufferance of wrong, Like Him who bore my shame, Calm 'mid the threatening, taunting throng, Who hate Thy holy name.
Calm when the great world's news with power My listening spirit stir; Let not the things of the hour E'er find too fond an ear.
Calm as the ray of sun or star Which storms assail in vain, Moving unruffled through earth's war, The eternal calm to gain.—Bonar.

The Source of Happiness.

REASON’S whole pleasure, all the joys of sense, Lie in three words; health, peace, and competence, But health consists with temperance alone; And peace, O, virtue! peace is all thy own:

Words on Character and Resistance

The less a man makes of himself the more of a man he is.
Care for what you say, or what you say will make you care.
The only proper thing to do with the DEVIL is to RESIST him.

A Busy World.

By R. F. COTTRELL

This is a busy world. The people are too busy in its affairs to attend to the interests of the future. All is bustle and hurry; railroad speed is too slow to suit the times. The pursuit of wealth is ardent. There is no lack of activity and zeal in this direction. Pleasures also are sought; and these only weigh anything against the pursuit of riches. The people being lovers of pleasures will sacrifice some of their time and wealth at the altar of pleasure. Hence the only successful appeal in behalf of religion or charity, must be addressed to the love of pleasures and the gratification of the appetites. If means are to be raised for some charitable purpose—to aid the poor or to build places of worship—a grand festival is the best means to reach the sympathies of the people. If means are to be raised to support the minister, a pleasure party—a feast and a ball—is the surest bait.
But the people have no time to devote to the service of God. No time to learn what God requires of them. No time to pray. No time to seek for salvation in the world to come. Sometimes an hour can be spent at the prayer-meeting on the way to the theater. But religious meetings must be short, or they cannot be endured. Time is too precious to spend much of it in the duties of religion. The sick and needy would be visited and cared for, but that there is no time for it. An hour or two on Sunday is all there is to spare.
Ask people to hear upon the all-important subjects of the word of God—on the thrilling theme of prophecy and the signs of the times, the present truth—and they have no time for it. No time to learn that the Lord is coming, no time to prepare for it. No time to study the Bible, or read the papers and publications which teach the doctrines of the Bible. Really they have more reading than they can attend to without any of these.
The farmer, the mechanic, the merchant, the teacher and the professional man, are all busy, extremely so. The professor of religion has no time to learn the solemn and fearful truths which God has designed for these very times. He can only attend meetings on Sunday; and then he would think it wrong to leave his own meeting to go to another. But the ministers! Oh, if we could only get access to them and teach them the present truth. Ah! they, like all the rest, have no time to learn the truth. They are busy fulfilling their appointments on the day they call the Sabbath. They have no time to hear. They are the instructors of the people; they have no time to be instructed.
What shall be done? “The day of the Lord will come,” whether men have time to prepare for it or not. It will not wait till each one has gained the whole world and got time to attend to a preparation for the world to come. Whether men are prepared for it or not, it will come. It will come as a thief in the night; because men have not had time to take warning. It will come as a snare. While the flock of birds are feasting upon the wheat which has been spread out to allure them, suddenly the snare is sprung upon them, and they cannot escape. So while the world are absorbed in their feasting and pleasures, the day of the Lord will come on them as a snare.
Oh, that they had time now to learn the truth and prepare for the day! But alas! alas! they are too busy. Too busy to take warning and secure eternal life. The cry of “peace and safety” is in their ears from week to week, and they have no time to learn that “sudden destruction” is about to come, and they and their seducers who cry, Peace, will not be able to escape. Oh, that they might be saved from that awful destruction!
Brethren, what shall we do? Let us gird up our loins for the work. Let us cry aloud and spare not. Let us lift up the voice like a trumpet, and cause some to hear. Let us ask the aid of the Holy Spirit—let us ask for the latter rain—to give success to our efforts. Let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. And let us do all we can to arouse and save our fellow men. Vast concerns hang upon the present little moment of time. Men are to be saved or lost; and it depends upon the improvement of a very little time. May God help us to find time to save ourselves and others; and not let souls perish and lose our own souls, because we have no time to labor for their salvation. Time flies; and soon it will be true that we have no time in which to prepare for the great day of the Lord. Now is the time.
R. F. COTTRELL.

Report From Bro. Matteson.

By John Matteson

Since my last report I have labored in the vicinity of Poy Sippi, to strengthen and build up the church. I stayed about five weeks, and held as many meetings as the weather and going would permit. The good Lord blessed us. We tried to show the necessity of the Health Reform, the gifts in the church, and of confidence in the work of the third angel's message; also the importance of a deep, personal work of grace in the heart, to prepare us for the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and final victory. Prejudice has been removed. The brethren have pressed together. And, whereas six months ago the majority wanted to sell out and go to other places, now all desire to stay and help the cause, that the candlestick may not be removed till the Lord comes.
Last Sabbath we met to celebrate the ordinances. We had to hire a hall, and it was crowded. This was one of the best meetings I have enjoyed in Poy Sippi. Eight united with the church. We went to the riverside and five willing candidates followed their Saviour in baptism. Most of these have lately started in the service of our divine Master. Our communion season was one of deep interest. And, as I spoke in different languages, I wondered to see how the Spirit would move, also, upon the hearts of those who could not understand, and to hear them praise the Lord. This is much better than to go to sleep when one speaks in another tongue, which is most natural. Others have started to keep the commandments and we hope they will go on in the good work.
We found it to be of great importance that a meeting-house should be built, and having prayerfully considered the matter, presented the plan to the brethren. In the evening we gathered in the street, (for we could not get a house) a committee was appointed, and shares taken in the enterprise. The plan is to get ready for building next spring. Size, 24x36 feet. The site will be near the riverside in Poy Sippi, a quiet little village. The prospects are good, and we believe the work will be carried through by the help of the Lord.
This will be a great blessing to the Sabbath School, which is growing fast in numbers, and which, rightly conducted, will prove a great help to the cause.
I am now arranging for lectures in the court-house in this place, and hope my brethren will pray for me, that the Lord may bless us and advance his cause.
JOHN MATTESON.
Wautoma, Wis., Nov. 19, 1866.

Report from Bro. Taylor.

By C. O. Taylor

ACCORDING to the action of our State Conference, at its last session, and by the arrangement of the committee, I met the appointment at Buck’s Bridge, Oct. 27 and 28. Nearly all of this church, a good delegation from Norfolk, and one from Bangor, were present. The meeting was characterized with deep solemnity, heart searching, and a settling into the will of God. Three were baptized, and two united with the church. While attending the ordinances, the sweet, melting and cementing influence of the Holy Spirit rested on our hearts, drawing us together and making us one in the work of the Lord. This church is ready for every good word and work. They promptly responded to the call of the Conference, and sent their proportion to aid the Roosevelt church.
Oct. 30 and 31, I was with the church at Norfolk, visiting from house to house during the day, and holding meetings evenings. While with them we were comforted with the comfort wherewith the Lord comforts his people.
Nov. 3 and 4, I spent with the church in Bangor. I had not visited this church for some time, and had many things to say to them; and while I endeavored to hold up and impress on their minds the light from the faithful and true Witness, the blessing of health they would receive if they would live out all the laws of their Maker, and the state of holiness and purity we must attain to in order to be holy still,—then faith quickened, and the meeting increased in interest till it closed.
Sunday evening I went to Brandon and spoke to a congregation on the signs of the Lord’s coming. We had the evidence that some rays of light and truth were falling on the minds of the people, particularly the truth that—the end of all things is at hand.
During the meeting at Buck’s Bridge the next Quarterly Meeting at Norfolk was appointed. It was also agreed to continue their Monthly Meetings as they had for a number of years. We found some in these churches who wanted no hoops, at this late hour of time, no, not so much as small ones.
C. O. TAYLOR.
Perry’s Mills, N. Y.

Report from Bro. Bates.

By Joseph Bates

I LEFT home Nov. 6th, to fulfill my published appointments. Evening of the 5th, held a profitable meeting in a school-house near Parkville, Kal. Co., near Brn. Langdons. Evening of the 7th, met with the church and people in the Parkville meeting-house. People listened attentively, hope some good was accomplished. Evening of the 8th, another meeting at the house of Bro. J. A. Strong, in Brady. A traveling stranger attended this meeting, pretending to know all about Adventists, &c., and that Christ fulfilled the law of Matt. v, 17, at his first advent, and that was the end of it. We quoted chapter iii, 15; Gal. vi, 2; and James ii, 8, to show him that the meaning of the word fulfill in the New Testament was directly the opposite of his view of it. He remained silent, but the people of the Lord were encouraged and strengthened to believe the straight testimony of the Saviour.
Nov. 9th, Bro. S., with his team, took me to Kalamazoo. From thence I came to spend the Sabbath and first-day at Battle Creek. Evening commencing the Sabbath had a good conference meeting. It was very encouraging to meet with so large a company of Sabbath-keepers and commingle our voices in prayer and praise before his throne. Sabbath-day Bro. A. C. Bourdeau and self occupied the time with the exception of the last hour which closed with a cheering social meeting.
First-day, visited the brethren, friends, and sick ones, in the Health Institute. Here, we learned were some twenty patients, cheerfully hoping to be relieved from their diseases by Hygienic treatment under the skillful directions of Dr Lay and assistants.
The new Seventh-day Adventist meeting-house is about finished, outside, and progressing for the mason-work, inside. It is pleasantly located, and has a commanding appearance. May the cloud of the Lord ever rest upon it.
Monday and Tuesday evenings held two interesting meetings with the church in Convis. The Lord added his blessing, and strengthened and encouraged them. Brethren B. Hill and J. H. Murray conveyed me to Charlotte, Eaton Co. Here we held two meetings with the church and people in a school-house, near the village, evenings of Nov. 14 and 15. The congregation seemed much interested to hear. We hope some good was accomplished.
Sabbath and first-day, Nov. 17th and 18th, Bro. H. Allen took us with his team to meet with the churches in W. Windsor, Oneida, and Charlotte, at Potter's school-house. Here we held four profitable meetings and celebrated the Lord's supper. A large company, accommodated at Bro. Carman's, enjoyed a sweet, social meeting, in his house, evening after the Sabbath. Some that were not in the message came in on Sunday and listened attentively. The brethren and sisters were encouraged to go forward in the message.
JOSEPH BATES.
Monterey, Nov. 26, 1866.

The Knowledge of God's Word the Highest Wisdom.

In opening a Department to be called The Commentary, in which we design to present from time to time, such comments upon the word of God, as shall throw light upon its meaning, and excite an interest in its study, we feel that we cannot better introduce it than with the following beautiful thoughts from J. F. Tuttle, D. D., President of Wabash College, Ind. They are taken from the baccalaureate discourse delivered in 1864 to the graduating class of that Institution. Speaking of a knowledge of the word of God, surpassing in value all other wisdom, President Tuttle says:—
“In closing the religious instructions of another term, allow me to say to you, young gentlemen, that time deepens my convictions that he has the highest wisdom who combines in himself the clearest knowledge of God's Word, and the most earnest purpose to make that Word “a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path.” In Heaven's estimation, he is not the wisest who can most easily and elegantly translate the illumined pages of the ancient classics, or most comprehensively and clearly demonstrate the theorems of the higher mathematics. Gesenius was a scholar of vast attainments, who like some other great scholars was ever learning, yet never able to come to the knowledge of the truth which teaches a sinner how he may be saved. La Place is regarded as one of the greatest of mathematicians, achieving his place by demonstrating some of the most astounding problems ever announced; and yet La Place belonged to a class described in these words by the inspired pen, “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God!” What folly does he commit who pursues learning merely for its own sake, and who lays the ripe product of a gifted intellect on the altar of a selfish heart, forgetful of what Dr. Chalmers so finely terms “the two magnitudes—the littleness of time, and the greatness of eternity.” Oh, how cheerless the prospect of such a one! How dreary the anticipation! God forbid that it shall be our portion at the last.
“You will bear me witness as your religious instructor, that I have never hinted—at least intentionally—that any accumulations of worldly learning can be a compensation for ignorance of God's Word, and especially that magnificent central truth that it seeks to impart. We have heard of David Hume, an aged and insincere trifler in the midst of the deepening shadows of eternity; of the refined, the courtly, the scholarly Campbell, in old age, possessed of a brilliant fame as a poet and an ample competence, yet sick at heart because of the cheerless future. We have seen the man of wealth weeping as his eye wandered wearily over the princely domain, with all the harvest-fields and meadows, the herds and the flocks, which he called his own, a possession from which death was just ejecting him. We have seen the statesman dying at Marshfield, at the Hermitage, or at Mount Vernon, and have perceived that all the splendors of their past achievements brought very little comfort aside from that which flowed from the Gospel. We have seen earth's great men despondent as their worldly grandeur was paling and their worldly joys fleeing away at the approach of death. Oh, what deep meaning there is in the oft-repeated remark of the man whose genius has left so bright an illumination behind it, ever since the hour when he flung up into the sky, like a many-colored rocket, his ‘Lay of the Last Minstrel,’ to be succeeded by others so brilliant that the very heavens seemed ablaze! He said to his son-in-law, ‘Lockhart, for a dying man there is but one book!’ The Lay, Marmion, Waverly, Ivanhoe, the Antiquary, the Heart of Mid-Lothian—the sirens whose incantations have bewitched the world—all were nothing to their author when he was dying. There was no mirth-provoking wit, no elegantly-turned sentiment, no word of lofty daring, which he could recall in all his works, as appropriate to one who was about to pass into the presence of God. One word from God's Book was, at such a time, worth more to him than all human literature. He was right, and the brilliant example justifies me in closing the religious services of this term by reiterating and inculcating the truth, that all your acquirements should ripen themselves into the sweetest joy and richest attainment of them all—the knowledge of God as he is revealed in the person of Christ.”
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