“ESAIAS also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved; for He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” Rom. 9:27, 28.
“For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.” “That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” Rom. 9:6, 8.
We can plainly see from what the Lord here says that it is not the literal children of Abraham who are to be saved eternally, but those who become children of God by faith in Christ. It is the “remnant,” and they will belong to that class who “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” We read in Rev. 12:17: “The dragon was wroth with the woman [which here symbolizes the true church of God], and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Notice, it is the “remnant” of the woman’s seed which keep the commands of Jehovah, and it is for this reason that Satan stirs up the wicked of earth against them. Then it will be the very last of the children of God on the earth who will be thus persecuted for obeying their Maker. At the time when this persecution is going forth against the people of God, and the people of earth are forming religious confederacies, then the Lord will arise to vindicate his own majesty and truth, and to gather his people, who are being ill treated by these false religionists.
In Micah 4:6–8 we are told what the Lord will do for his people: “In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halteth a remnant, and her that was cast off a strong nation; and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even forever.”
When earthly powers are combining to preserve their governments by enforcing religion on the people, God’s people will stand on his word, and in Christ will they trust. The people of God have in the past trusted in the nations of this world to help them when they were persecuted for their faith, but it will not be so with the “remnant;” they stay on God.
Just as soon as men lose faith in God, and cease to trust in his power to give them victory from trials and persecution, they will accept of a form of religion, which will satisfy the carnal heart, because it does not require self-denial, nor change of heart. Such forms of religion have been forced upon men in the past, and are being forced on them to-day.
Such a “confederacy” for earthly profit, with which the Lord has nothing to do, is brought to view in Isa. 8:9–13. The Lord there instructs his people what they should do, and this is when his people are looking for his coming. Verses 17, 18. “Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.” In that day the saints will no longer put their trust in men, but in the living God. This is evident from the language of Isa. 10:20–23: “The remnant of Israel . . . shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.” Yes, they shall trust in God for righteousness and strength, and not in the law, or in themselves. Christ is to them righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption,—all in all.
They love the law of Jehovah, because it reveals to them their defects and shows them their need of a Saviour who can save from sin and its effects too. By the faith of Jesus they are able to “keep the commandments of God,” for Christ died for our sins, “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:4. The Father’s law is a transcript of his character, and so it is holy, just, and good; and when the Spirit of God dwells in his children, they will perform holy actions, and so keep the law. This does not give the Christian any confidence in the flesh, for he well knows “in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing;” and, having no power in the flesh to do the thing we know is good, we who have trusted in Christ look to him for righteousness and strength every day. “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Phil. 3:3, 9.
Those who have no confidence in the flesh do have confidence in One who can help in every time of need, and their language is, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Phil. 4:13. Such are ready to exclaim, with the Psalmist, “And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.” Ps. 35:28.
Bless the Lord for the subject of righteousness by faith in Christ, and let us thank him that he will finish the work of the Third Angel’s Message, and cut it short in righteousness, when the earth has been enlightened with its glory; and that will soon be done, “because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” Light must flow out from those whose theme is the righteousness of Christ, and in whose lives it appears as a living reality.
Of those who thus live it can truly be said, “And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass.” Micah 5:7. The world will not esteem them, for the Lord declares, “I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord.” But the God of heaven esteems them, for he says, “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.” Zeph. 3:12, 13. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and the latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” James 5:7, 8.
Of such a people the Lord says: “The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.” Isa. 60:19–21. “This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” Isa. 54:17.
May the Lord hasten the day when his work shall be cut short in its righteousness, and his saints gathered home to the inheritance he has in store for them.
Gisborne, N. Z.
GOD THE HELP OF HIS PEOPLE.
By Mrs. A. W. Heald
BY MRS. A. W. HEALD.
1. TO WHOM belongeth all power?
“Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?” 2 Chron. 20:6.
“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.” Ps. 62:11.
2. Does God take notice of the afflicted?
“And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.” “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me; and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.” Ex. 3:7, 9.
3. Has God promised to help his afflicted children?
“But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel; for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.” Jer. 46:27, 28.
4. Is the same help promised to evil doers?
“Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers.” Job 8:20.
5. Are the righteous especial objects of persecution?
“The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.” “The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.” Ps. 37:12, 14.
6. Why does God help and deliver them?
“But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them; he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.” Ps. 37:39, 40.
7. How long does God continue to help?
“And as long as he [Uzziah] sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.” “And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.” 2 Chron. 26:5, 15.
8. After King Uzziah was so wonderfully helped of God, what befell him?
“But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction.” Verse 16.
9. What does God say of those who forget him, and trust in their own strength?
“And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish.” Deut. 8:19, 20.
10. Why cannot God help those who have become proud and forgetful of him?
“Because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.” Verse 20.
11. What then does God require of those whom he helps?
“Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee137in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions; for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.” Ex. 23:20-22.
12. What was the example of our Saviour in this respect?
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:8.
13. How did Christ learn obedience?
“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Heb. 2:10.
“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” Heb. 5:8.
14. Being perfected through suffering, what did Christ become?
“And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” Heb. 5:9.
15. Through obedient suffering, and the help of our Heavenly Father, what may we too become?
“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life.” Phil. 2:15, 16.
16. Is the severest suffering sometimes needed for the perfection of the saints?
“The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.” Ps. 116:3, 4.
17. While passing through these painful experiences, how may we encourage our souls?
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Ps. 42:11.
18. How will the hope of God’s obedient, trusting ones at length be realized?
“Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” Ps. 28:6, 7.
“Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; to the end that my soul may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.” Ps. 30:11, 12 (margin).
19. How blessed is the estate of these afflicted souls when, in the eternal world, they join the angelic song!
“What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? . . . These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Rev. 7:13-17.
EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN.
By Mrs. Z. A. Adams
BY MRS. Z. A. ADAMS.
My little boy sat on the carpet one day,
His pretty dark eyes bright with fun;
With my workbook and work he was busy at play,
And with all he could lay his hands on.
I chided him gently for tangling my skeins,
And he quickly obeyed my commands;
Then softly he asked, as his tears he restrained,
“Mamma, what shall I do with my hands?”
“What shall I do with my hands?” is a question which becomes one of vital importance to every mother, and father as well, when propounded by our own little ones, for whom we, as parents, are responsible; responsible, not only for the future of this present life, but also for their future eternal destiny. This being the case, where is there in this world the responsibility equal to that of the parents? There is none greater. That this is true, and that God would have us realize it, is plainly evident from the many admonitions given in his word.
As parents become aroused to the importance of their work, we hear them exclaim, “To me the thought that the training of my children, the education received at my hands, must result in the formation of such a character as will stand the test of the judgment,—to me this is the most solemn thought of my life.” Truly it is a thought which should cause every parent, especially the mother, to cry out: “Lord, give me wisdom. I am wholly incapable without thee, for I can do nothing of myself.” I say the mother, because to her is given largely the moulding and training of her children for the first few years of life, which is the most important period with reference to character building or usefulness in after life.
One of our greatest mistakes in this matter lies in our failure to recognize the true Source of knowledge. We waste precious time and exhaust our best energies seeking after methods and book education, which is simply somebody’s else experience, who, like ourselves, have sought the experience of somebody else to attain to that which alone can be attained to successfully by the simple means within the reach of all,—the Spirit and word and works of God. Doubtless the one question above all others in the heart of every mother is, “How can I teach my children to know God and his love from earliest infancy, that a knowledge of him and his love may grow in the heart with the growth of the child?” The Lord speaks to us in Deut. 6:6: “These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.” Dear parents, this is what we want, what we must have,—a real heart zeal and heart knowledge, that we may train or mould our children for God and usefulness, not pleading that our incapabilities necessitate the placing of our children in the hands of some kindergartner to be “brought up.” The Lord does not want such a shirking of responsibility, but he does want to fill us with wisdom, that we may be able to impart that education, to exert just the right influence over our children, that will be for our own and our children’s highest moral and intellectual good.
The influences brought to bear upon the early life of a child form the basis for after life. The education of early life stamps the character, and to a great extent the image of the educator is reflected. What we desire then is to be able to impart that education that will—leave our stamp of character?—oh, no! the divine impress. In order to do this, “these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.”
A worthy writer has said: “Every act of life, however small, has its bearing for good or evil. Faithfulness or neglect in what are apparently the smallest duties may open the door for life’s richest blessings or its greatest calamities.” Again, “It is the unpretending acts of daily self-denial, performed with a cheerful, willing heart, that God smiles upon.” These words were spoken to us and for us as mothers. How glad we ought to be for them! Who of us does not desire to enjoy the approving smiles of God? Well, he says we may, if we are “faithful in the little, unpretending acts of daily life.” That means be a child with our children. Enter into their joys and sorrows and amusements; minister to their childish wants, remembering that we are “only children grown tall,” and that once we were so helpless that all we could do was to kick and cry, and that to be allowed to kick was a delightful privilege, and the only means of expressing the activity of life enveloped in the tiny bundle of humanity, which to confine would be to dwarf. A God-given duty and privilege, then, is to be patient and loving while training those little feet, realizing that much importance may be attached even to the manner of expression in their exercise, prayerfully, carefully instilling the little mind with the fact that God made those little feet to be used to his glory, for the development of the physical being and the promotion of health and morals. With this principle woven into every emotion of and experience in life, the promise is ours, “Our children shall rise up and call us blessed.”138Then, as the little feet grow older and must needs be piloted in the walk of life, knowing as we lead they will follow, as we walk they will walk, in short, they will be what we are or what we make them,—then it is we must needs whisper, “Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.” Then, too, is the blessed assurance most precious, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” And how we desire to embrace this strength as we go forth, sharing with our child its joys and griefs as well, while guarding the little feet and directing the little mind in that channel that ever points to a God of love and infinite wisdom, proclaimed by stately trees, beautiful flowers, lofty mountains, and singing birds, and drawing from each a lesson that will leave an indelible impression upon the heart and mind for time and eternity!
Can we do this?—Yes, if we have a living connection with Him who is the only true source of help and strength. Do we feel that the responsibility is great?—Yes, and also that the requirement at our hands is great, for account must be rendered to God for the souls of our children. Then let us enter heartily into the work left for us to do, by beholding and teaching our children to behold a loving Creator in all the works of nature. Parents, take time to examine and talk of the grass, the trees, the flowers, the leaves, the birds,—the ten thousand speaking beauties of nature,—all pointing to nature's God. Recognize his love in giving us eyes with which to see, ears with which to hear, a mouth with which to speak, food to eat, raiment to put on, yes, and even the blocks with which we build our wonderful houses, especially the ones which are lettered, which may be made to spell out the wonderful words of life, and the beautiful texts which we transfer to our small blackboards—which, by the way, is an indispensable article in the home for children, patiently teaching the little fingers to transfer them to the board, while praying God to print them on the heart.
But time would fail me to speak of the many, many ways which abound all around us, and means at the command of every true seeker of imparting to our children such knowledge as will lead to a pure, true, noble life, avoiding the vice and evil with which the world is now extant.
PRAYER FOR OUR CHILDREN.
By Horatius Bonar
FATHER, our children keep!
We know not what is coming on the earth;
Beneath the shadow of thy heavenly wing
Oh, keep them, keep them, thou who gav’st them birth!
Father, draw nearer us.
Draw firmer round us thy protecting arm;
Oh, clasp our children closely to thy side,
Uninjured in the day of earth’s alarm!
Them in thy chambers hide;
Oh, hide them and preserve them calm and safe,
When sin abounds, and error flows abroad,
And Satan tempts, and human passions chafe!
Oh, keep them undefiled,
Unspotted from a tempting world of sin,
That, clothed in white, through the bright city gates,
They may with us in triumph enter in!
—H. Bonar.
Steadfast and Immovable
By Dr. John Hall
BE ye steadfast—fixed in your convictions and pronounced in their defense, even though men count you narrow, obstinate, etc.—“be ye steadfast, immovable;” not the slaves of the world, not unstable as water, not laboring to shape yourself as the word of fashion or the like would have you to be, and “always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
WONDERFUL PRESENCE OF MIND.
It was in India. Dinner was just finished in the mess room, and several English officers were sitting about the table. Their bronzed faces had a set but not unkindly look common among military men. The conversation at best had not been animated, and just now there was a lull, as the night was too hot for small talk. The major of the regiment, a clean-cut man of fifty-five, turned toward his next neighbor at the table, a young subaltern, who was leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
The major was slowly looking the man over, from his handsome face down, when, with a sudden alertness and a steady voice, he said:
"Don't move, please, Mr. Carruthers. I want to try an experiment with you. Don't move a muscle."
"All right, major," replied the subaltern, without even turning his eyes. "Hadn't the least idea of moving, I assure you. What's the game?"
By this time all the others were listening in a lazy, expectant way.
"Do you think," continued the major, with his voice trembling just a little, "do you think you can keep absolutely still for, say, two minutes—to save your life?"
"Are you joking?"
"On the contrary, move a muscle and you are a dead man. Can you stand the strain?"
The subaltern barely whispered, "Yes," and his face paled slightly.
"Burke," said the major, addressing an officer across the table, "pour some of that milk in a saucer, and set it on the floor here just back of me. Gently, man! Quick!"
Not a word was spoken as the officer quickly filled the saucer, walked with it carefully around the table, and put it down where the major had indicated on the floor.
Like a marble statue sat the young subaltern in his white linen clothes, while a cobra di capella, which had been crawling up the leg of his trousers, slowly raised its head, then turned, descended to the floor, and glided toward the milk.
Suddenly the silence was broken by the report of the major's revolver, and the snake lay dead upon the floor.
"Thank you, major," said the subaltern, as the two men shook hands warmly. "You have saved my life."
"You're welcome, my boy," replied the senior, "but you did your share."—Youth's Companion.
FROM FOO-CHOW, CHINA.
By Editor
[We have received two letters from Rev. Nathan Sites, a Methodist missionary at Foo-Chow, and from one of these we take the following. Extracts from the second letter will be given at another time.]
The city and suburbs of Foo-Chow comprise over half a million souls, and furnish a field for the workers of three Protestant missions. Our work includes day schools, boarding schools, the Anglo-Chinese College, the School of Theology, and our great printing press. The statistical results of these various departments do not show as markedly as in some other departments, but on the work at large their effects are incalculable for good. Evidence of progress is manifest in the multitude of children freely coming to our Sunday schools.
Rev. J. H. Worley and Pastor Hu Bo Mi started an afternoon Sunday school in our East Street city chapel, and the children came by scores, remaining through the hour to study Scripture texts and listen to the explanation of God's word.
"The poor have the gospel preached unto them," and it has sometimes seemed as if only they were willing to accept Christ. The wealthy and literary classes have ever been the secret leaders of opposition and persecution against our work. But thanks be unto God, the strong wall of conservatism with which they have encircled themselves seems weakening and crumbling. We have now over twenty first-degree graduates as full members of the church, besides a large number of probationers. At the late great triennial examination for second degree, not less than twenty Christian students were among the competitors. Such a thing was never before known in the history of this old nation.
Here at Foo-Chow a first-degree literary graduate, the late Dr. Ling Seng Nguong, a native physician of great renown, left idolatry to serve God. He was the head of a large family, with children and grandchildren, and servants, male and female, in all thirty or more persons, all living in one large residence built some ten years ago. Dr. Ling was formerly very devout in his worship of idols, and so revered them that if at any time he saw one neglected or uncared for, he took it home and cared for it, and in this way he gradually collected about a hundred images.139
At one time during the flood he saw the limbless trunk of an idol floating on the swollen waters. He secured it, and found upon the back two characters indicating its name. He took it home and had workmen repair it, putting on new limbs, and had made for it a little shrine of finest hard wood, carved. A few months ago, when the true God became his one and only object of devotion, he presented this same idol, with its shrine and all complete, to my daughter, who in return sent him a large, handsomely bound Bible. He said of it, "If I were offered all the gold of famous California, and all the wealth of my own land beside, it would not purchase this book of me."
But not long after he had cared for the flood-driven idol, his wife took sick and died. Then his eldest son died; and in the despair of her hopeless grief this son's wife hung herself. Very soon afterward the second son also died; and, hearing of his death, the young girl to whom he was betrothed committed suicide. Beside himself with grief, the doctor angrily cast out almost all the images for which he had so reverently cared, but which had not prevented calamity from befalling his household.
A friend said to him not long after, "I have found what you need, better than any medicine to heal your heart and cure your body." With this he handed him a copy of Dr. Allen's Shanghai paper News of the World. This proved a source of intense interest, not only for the news it contained, but because of the light it gave regarding another religion, of which he had never heard.
He at once bought a Bible and began careful study of it. His home has since been a place of weekly public worship, and himself an interested learner. His failing health had of late kept him much at home, and he never was within a Christian church. But in his own home he accepted Christ. His dying testimony was, "All peace within."
But "he being dead yet speaketh," and not only are all his large family now committed to Christ, but from unexpected sources far and near some reports of his work. While healing others of physical ailments he had for years past, ever since his own first study of the Bible, been pointing his patients to Christ, the soul Physician. His fourth son, also a literary graduate, is now teaching in our School of Theology, and proving himself an earnest follower of Jesus Christ.
THE BOTOCUDO LIP ORNAMENTATION.
THE Botocudos are a rapidly disappearing tribe of Brazilian Indians. They inhabit the country along the upper portion of the Rio Doce, about three hundred miles northeast of Rio de Janeiro, and the region lying along the borders of the States of Bahia, Espirito Santo, and Minas Geraes, especially between the Rio Doce and Rio Pardo, and along the Sierra dos Aymorés. Although they are now in contact with civilization and fast yielding to and dying out before its influences, it is not many years since they and the various branches of their great family occupied a large portion of Southern Brazil, and were justly looked upon as the most ferocious of all the wild tribes of that country. But few travelers have seen anything of them, and these have observed only the straggling outskirts, as it were, of their tribe. Even to this day the latest and best maps of Brazil have written broadly across the vast region referred to, "But little known, and inhabited by Indians."
In these dense and almost impenetrable forests they spend their lives, seldom or never visiting either the campos of the interior or the coast. To judge of the stage of civilization of these Indians, it is worth while knowing that they cannot count, and that their reckoning is done by using the fingers and toes, and that even this does not go beyond twenty. The children are dirt eaters and are sold for slaves, often for the merest trifles. Formerly these people wore no clothing at all; nowadays, they are coming more and more to use it. Their straight, deep black hair, high cheek bones, flat noses, complexion, and stature are all suggestive of the Mongolian race types. An ancient custom among them is that of wearing large and broad lip and ear ornaments. The opening in the lower lip is made when the person is quite young, by piercing it with a long, slender thorn that grows on a kind of palm tree; this is enlarged with the point of a deer's horn, and a stick or a small stone is inserted and the wound greased with salve. These openings are gradually enlarged by forcing bigger and bigger plugs into them, until the desired size is reached.
It was formerly the custom when the young men were old enough to bear arms that the openings were enlarged and the green stone labrets inserted. The lip ornament is of two very different forms, one broad and stopper-shaped, the other long and rudely T-shaped. Several writers tell of the use of stones for labrets. Jean de Lery speaks of polished bone, white as ivory, used by the big boys, and replaced when they are grown by green stones. Many are made of clay and formed like pottery, while the ornaments in most common use now are made of wood. The ear ornaments are not essentially different from those worn in the lips. The plugs are of the same materials, size, and appearance. They differ only in that they are worn in openings made in the lobes of the ears instead of in the lower lip.—Popular Science Monthly.
THE COMMISSION.
By J. E. Rankin
BY REV. J. E. RANKIN, D.D., LL.D.
I TEACH what Christ has taught me,—
The wisdom from above,
The news from heaven he brought me,
That God himself is love,
And that in every nation
He waits that soul to bless
Who seeks from sin salvation,
And worketh righteousness;
How Jesus, God anointed
With his own mighty power,
To meet the time appointed,
And bring us mercy's hour,
Endowed with grace of healing,
How fair earth's walks he trod,
At length, in death, revealing
Himself the Son of God.
And this is my commission:
That all who trust his name,
Of sin shall have remission—
For this is why he came,
Not for our condemnation—
For that, alas! we have—
To bring, instead, salvation,
And triumph o'er the grave.
—S. S. Times.
THE YOUNG MAN WHO FORGAVE HIS ENEMY.
IN Greenland, when one man had killed another, the nearest relative of the murdered man might avenge his death. Once a boy saw his own father killed before his eyes. He was then but thirteen years of age, and was considered too young to avenge himself. He was therefore obliged to flee; but revenge was in his heart. Fifteen years passed by. He had grown into a fine young man, and one day set out on the long journey of his return to his native place. He did not expect to reach it for a week. What was his object? —To kill the man who had killed his father.
When he arrived at his old home, he could find no lodging but in the house of the missionaries, and, though he would have preferred living with his countrymen, he accepted their invitation. Everyone knew why he had come, and his enemy knew too. The missionaries did not talk to him about the wickedness of the deed he was going to commit, but they were very kind to him, and invited him to family prayer. One morning he went to one of the missionaries and said, "I wish you would read to me some more of that Book which tells about Jesus; I wish I could read it myself." The missionary read him the account of the crucifixion. When he had finished, he said: "I do love Jesus—I would do anything for Jesus. How kind of him to die for me!"
Missionary—Are you sure you would do anything for Jesus?
Young Man—Oh, yes! I would do anything for Jesus. Tell me what I can do.
Missionary—This Book says, "Thou shalt do no murder."
Young Man—Oh, but that man killed my father, and drove me from a happy home!
Missionary—Jesus says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." This is one of them.
Young Man—Oh, I do love Jesus; but—but—I must, I—
Missionary—Be calm, dear young man; go out and think about it. Then come and tell me your decision.
He went out. When he came back, he said: "I cannot decide; one moment I will, the next I will not. Oh, help me to decide!" The missionary replied, "When you will, it is your own wicked heart trying to gain the victory; and when you will not, it is the Spirit of God striving in you." The result was he gave up the murderous intention which had been encouraged for years. The young Greenlander sent a message to his enemy, inviting him to come and meet him as a friend. He came, but with treachery in his heart. He gave the young man an invitation to visit him on the other side of the river, and treated him with kindness; but on returning to his boat, he discovered a hole in the bottom, made by that very man. He speedily stopped it up, and on raising his eyes saw his defeated enemy burning with wrath, for he had gone up to a high rock to see his victim drown. Preserved from destruction, the young man exclaimed, "I forgive you, for Jesus has forgiven me."—Book and Its Missions, 1856.
CRYING OUT AFTER GOD.
ONE of the most pathetic instances of the yearning of the human being for the divine is that related by Bishop Whipple, of Minnesota.
"Some years ago," he said, "an Indian stood at my door, and as I opened it, he knelt at my feet. Of course I bade him not to kneel. He said:—
"My father, I knelt only because my heart is warm to a man who pitied the red man. I am a wild man. My home is five hundred miles from here. I knew that all the Indians east of the Mississippi had perished, and I never looked into the faces of my children that my heart was not sad. My father had told me of the Great Spirit, and I have often gone out into the woods and tried to talk with him."
"Then he said so sadly, as he looked into my face:—
"You don't know what I mean. You never stood in the dark and reached out your hand and could not take hold of anything. And I heard one day that you had brought to the red man a wonderful story of the Son of the Great Spirit."
"That man sat as a child, and he heard anew of the love of Jesus. And when we met again, he said, as he laid his hand on his heart:—
"It is not dark; it laughs all the while."
—Gospel in All Lands.
The Dangers of Unlimited Power
"POWER will intoxicate the best hearts, as wine the strongest heads. No man is wise enough nor good enough to be trusted with unlimited power; for, whatever qualifications he may have evinced to entitle him to the possession of so dangerous a privilege, yet, when possessed, others can no longer answer for him, because he can no longer answer for himself."
Siberia AND THE NIHILISTS.
By William Jackson Armstrong
By Hon. William Jackson Armstrong.
THIS THRILLING VOLUME,
By the Pioneer of the Russian question, who exposed the cruelties of the Czar's government before Mr. Kennan was aware of their existence and while he was apologizing for Russian tyranny, is a MASTERPIECE OF ELOQUENCE.
The lecture on Nihilism, which forms part of the book, moves with majestic and manly eloquence from the opening sentence to its conclusion. It is the same lecture which was afterwards delivered for and COMMENDED BY BEECHER; and Mr. Armstrong was introduced to a Washington audience on the occasion of its delivery there by Col. Robert G. Ingersoll.
A DEBATE WITH KENNAN,
In which Mr. Armstrong opened Kennan's eyes to abuses of which he had denied the existence, forms an interesting and hitherto hidden phase of the subject. Kennan was overwhelmed by the arguments which proved the existence of horrors which he afterwards found to exist as stated by Armstrong.
THRILLING SCENES,
As depicted by Commodore Melville of the unfortunate Jeanette Arctic expedition are given; also, the heroic descriptions of Siberian scenes from the great work of Mr. James Buell, of St. Louis, one of the brave pioneers who first laid bare the cruelties common in that region.
An Introduction by Leigh H. Irvine, author of "The Struggle for Bread," puts Kennan in a new light and summarizes the whole Russian question in ten interesting pages.
The Book is selling fast and producing a sensation wherever sold. It is more fascinating than a novel, yet true as a problem in mathematics.
The work, well printed and copiously illustrated, sells at 25 cents. The trade supplied at usual discounts.
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AMERICAN SENTINEL
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THE SABBATH QUESTION
By John Nevins Andrews
IS THE
LEADING SUBJECT OF THE DAY.
THE GREAT DEMAND OF THE HOUR, FROM THE PULPIT AND THE PRESS, IN SOCIAL CIRCLES AND IN LEGISLATIVE HALLS, IS
That the Sabbath be more strictly observed. To assist the intelligent-minded of our land to have correct views of this important question, a book has been prepared which thoroughly discusses the Sabbatic institution in every conceivable phase. Such is the valuable work entitled
"History of the Sabbath and the First Day of the Week."
BY ELD. J. N. ANDREWS.
This great and exhaustive work is the result of ten years' hard labor and historical research. The book contains 548 12mo pages, and is printed in clear type, on good paper, and is well bound. Price, post-paid, $2.00.