I ONCE knew the captain of a sperm whaler in the Pacific, whose name was Morgan. About ten days before sailing on his first cruise, he happened to enter a chapel where a revival service was being held, and the result was eventful. Divine grace now wrought so wondrous a change in him that when he once more went to sea, the old hands among his crew could scarcely recognize him as the man. He who once never gave a command unaccompanied by an oath, was now never heard to swear; and such was the force of his character and the power of his example, that in a few months' time not a man of his crew dared to use a profane expression while within his hearing. The discipline of the ship was not a bit lessened, and every one was happier, from the sobriety and good feeling of which the captain set example.
His owner was a Sidney merchant, who had several vessels employed in the sperm fishery. The young captain had actually sailed for the fishing-grounds, when one night, as he was reading his Bible in the cabin, he came upon the commandments, and the question of lowering his boats on the Sabbath, should a whale appear in sight on that day, all at once started up in his mind. The words were not to be evaded: "In it thou shalt do no manner of work;" and he resolved to follow the divine command implicitly, although it was not without a great inward struggle that he did so. But, as he thought of his officers and crew, who were not paid by wages, but by proportionate shares of the oil captured, he felt anxious. They might mutiny and resist him by force. He could only hope that the occasion might not arise; but if so, he would do his duty—the issue was in the hands of God.
They reached their selected station, and many weeks passed without a sperm whale coming in sight. At last, one Sabbath afternoon, two hours before sunset, the longed-for cry of "There she spouts! there again!" reached the deck from the lookout at the masthead, and instantly all was activity and bustle. Each crew sprang to lower its respective boat, and for one brief moment the young captain hesitated. It was but for a moment, however.
As if spoken actually in his ear, he thought he heard clearly and distinctly the words, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy!" and his own voice rang through the ship, declaring that not a boat should leave her that day.
The scene that ensued—the amazement, succeeded by rage, when they understood his motive, the violence and tumult—all may be imagined. But the captain was unmoved, and his courageous, undaunted demeanor at last quelled the riot; but not until he had promised them that he would give up to them from his own share in future captures, an equivalent for their loss on the present occasion.
"The owner will think nothing of losing his share, of course!" said his mate, who had been foremost in opposition, as he followed his captain into the cabin. "This will be the first and the last vessel you'll ever command of his, at any rate! I'd like to have that agreement down in black and white, if you please, Captain Morgan, and so would the crew, and at once, too."
The captain answered mildly, pointing out to the mate that any agreement executed on the Sabbath would be null in law, and promised to satisfy them on the morrow. There was sadness in his tones as he spoke; for Morgan felt the truth of what the mate had said, that no owner would ever give him a ship to command again.
The mate was a rough sailor, who had known his commander from boyhood. He felt touched with pity for one whose motive in thus acting he respected, and in his blunt way he apologized to the captain for what he had said about the shares:
"You see, Captain Morgan, I have a wife and five children to keep, and if Providence sends us a whale on the Sabbath, I take it that Providence means us to catch that whale—"
The words were arrested on his lips, and he stood still and motionless, his eyes fixed intently on an object before him. Morgan had thrown himself down listlessly after the fierce and turbulent scene he had just passed through, and he sat for some minutes brooding over the probable effect on his future prospects of that day's incident, and trying in the strength of his newly-found hopes to say, "Thy will be done." He had continued for some minutes thus, when a sudden exclamation aroused him:
"Captain Morgan! Come here quick, sir, please! Look!"
And the mate pointed at what had arrested his attention, while an expression of alarm, mingled with astonishment and incredulity, overspread his features as he actually saw the mercury of the barometer falling lower and lower as he stood. Morgan jumped up and looked and both bounded to the deck to summon the crew. Well was it for that crew that none of them had left the ship in her boats, for in half an hour all were engaged in a desperate life-and-death struggle which taxed every energy, and demanded the utmost efforts of every individual on board.
For three days they scudded before the hurricane, and when it had passed by they found they had been driven some hundreds of miles beyond the bounds they had set to their cruising grounds; but to their intense delight, they discovered that part of the ocean to be in reality one of the best fishing grounds possible.
Scarcely had the weather moderated, when they found themselves in the midst of a whole "school" of sperm whales, and two were secured. Hardly had these been tried out, i. e., rendered into oil, when more were seen; and, in short, so fortunate were they, that instead of two or even three years, (the usual time taken to fill a good-sized ship) Captain Morgan's vessel returned to Sydney in ten months! Thus the captain's firmness in acting up to his convictions of duty, instead of causing him loss, actually had a contrary effect; and his owner was so much pleased at his speedy return with so rich a cargo, that he told him he might lower or not when he pleased.—Christian Weekly.
Like to Enjoy Religion.
By The Methodist
THE sublime condescension of some sinners! To hear them talk and see them act, you might suppose that the universe had been made and appointed specially to give them gratification? They are the sort of persons who will say to the minister, at times when the conscience makes them a little uneasy, "The fact is, I would like to enjoy religion, but you Christians make it so hard on us 'outsiders,' with all your restrictions! Now, I like to enjoy the world, and if you can fix it up so I can see it to be possible, I will entertain the proposition, and should not so much mind becoming a Christian!" And it is for these very persons that the minister often paints the most flattering picture of the pilgrim's road, smoothing over the rough places, and covering the thorns with roses; for he says to himself: "If I may but induce them to enter upon the Heavenward route, they will gradually lose their love for these other things which now bind them, and follow in the way from choice. Let me but succeed in persuading them to enter, and all will be well!" So the divine life is represented as something quite different from that of self-denial, oppositions, and heavenly consolations described by the Saviour himself; and the sinner, not being much alarmed by the beautiful account, and thinking that if there is really so little difference, he may slip into it some day all in time for the Judgment, and so come through all safe, betakes himself to his worldly diversions once more, unsaved, and most likely to remain so.
The religion of Christ is a separative force. It divides the good from the evil, always. There is no provision in it for carrying along the pleasures of sin, for it can make no compromise with it. Those who embrace it do it for their own sakes solely, for God does not receive benefit from the imperfect service of a creature. This is the plain truth which the condescending type of sinner mentioned above needs to have emphatically before him. All the fine points, accommodating his selfish ease, must be disregarded for God's light catches so feebly upon them that it is lost altogether in vagueness. Let the square truth of utter soul-loss without him, be made to shine into the mind, and there will be no mistake as to its actual meaning. This catering to men's preferences, though conscientiously done, only fosters the idea that there can be some sort of merit in the act of coming to be saved.
Again, how many of the avowed disciples of our Lord lose half the joy of his service by seeking exclusively for the enjoyment it affords! They are lifeless and sad-hearted through all the busy days of quiet work in the church, when God's people are repairing the breaches in the wall, or replenishing their stores, but as soon as the first intimation of exciting contest is heard, they throw themselves into the front, and are all eagerness and enthusiasm. There is a mental stimulus in the clash of arms and roar of trumpets, which they enjoy! None can shout louder, or strike more valiantly than they, for they "so like it!" It is for just such seasons of spiritual enjoyment as these that they enlisted; and though there is, now and then, a murmur of disapprobation in the host at such arrogant presumption on the part of the delinquents in duty, it is soon lost, in the low prayer for victory in any case. No high zeal for a holy cause inspires this kind of Christian. They follow Christ for the loaves and fishes when he goes into the desert, and for the promise of "thrones" when he is scoffed at in the temple.
If Christianity be true at all, it is certain that man is the one whom God wishes to benefit. Hence, refusing to enter the ranks of discipleship on the ground of not finding enjoyment there, is as shortsighted as it is selfish. A higher object than the mere pleasures accruing to the soul should be held before the sinner. It is a "reasonable service," this one of heart-consecration, as every reasonable sinner will allow; and when any are persuaded into it, see to it that they come with a high loyalty which will follow through thick and thin, in defeat or victory, with enjoyments or without them, knowing the eternal right of their cause, and glorying in it.—The Methodist
Home and Blessings.
By Theodore L. Cuyler
While among the invisible things the foot of the Cross is the most sacred place, home is the most precious among visible; society roots in it; in it careers are made or marred, and seed sown to bear fruit for eternity. How, then, shall we make home happy and holy? To business men, who make their daily bread in a very hot oven, this is a very important question, and their homes will be what they make them. If prosperous, spend some of your surplus in adorning home; if things are awry, learn from a wife and child that every man is not a cheat; watch your little shaver as he builds his block houses, and see how very easily things tumble down that are out of the perpendicular. To have a good home, stay in it. All wives hate the name of clubs, and if there should be a righteous uprising, to make a conflagration of all club-rooms, billiard-tables, gambling-tables and liquor saloons, it would be such a good demonstration of woman's rights as ought not to provoke the interference of the fire department.
God designed to pack men into families, and home religion reaches all the way from the cradle to the judgment seat; the church in the house must supplement that in the temple if religion is to control mankind. To fill homes with sunshine and holiness, there is one watchword, one key-note, whose variations will fill the house with harmony. Love! Love God supremely and sincerely, and his smile will fill your dwelling. Let love to Jesus reign, and your home shall be another Bethany; love will break the alabaster box of ointment, rear the altar of devotion, and offer not only the yearly but daily sacrifice.
Our homes are what we choose to make them; we cannot all have luxury, but we can have love; if we do not have style, we can have sympathy. If we cannot keep a carriage, we can a good conscience. We cannot keep away death; but our houses need not be dark, for if the bright-eyed sisters—Faith, Hope and Charity—be kept abiding, they will lift up the windows to let in the sunshine from God's throne.
Light, then, the lamp of cheerfulness; invite them to abide, and ask Jesus to go with you, and take an inventory of your mercies. That wife can only be reckoned by Solomon's label. The hungry boy is worth his weight in gold. You will only know the value of those daughters when somebody comes to transfer them. Your Bible is an unfailing casket of treasure.
Our cup is overflowing. It contains—if not all we desire—more than we deserve.
The good Spirit is not taken away. Christ is yours, and all in Him.—Rev. Dr. Cuyler.
The Splendor of Earthly Lives
When some die, all that can be said of them is, "They lived in splended style, were driven in splendid equipage, and died, leaving to their heirs a splendid fortune."
In a Tunnel but Safe.
By Uriah Smith
At Stuttgart a man came to me in the depth of gloom, saying, "Oh, Mr. Smith, I was so filled with joy in the meeting yesterday, and now it is all gone—all—and I do not know what to do. It is as dark as night!"
"I am so glad," I quietly remarked.
He looked at me in astonishment,—"What do you mean?"
"Yesterday," I remarked, "God gave you joy, and to day he sees that you are resting on your emotions instead of on Christ, and he has taken them away in order to turn you to Christ. You have lost your joy but you have Christ none the less. "Did you ever," I continued, "pass through a railway tunnel?"
"Yes, often."
"Did you, because it was dark, become melancholy and alarmed?"
"Of course not," he said.
"And did you," I asked, "after a while come out again into the light—" "I am out now" he said interrupting me—"It is all right, feelings or no feelings."—R. P. S.
Cultivate Good Manners..
IT IS one of the laws of our being that every inward disposition is strengthened by the outward expression which represents it. Besides this so much of human happiness is dependent upon the manners that no truly benevolent person, if thoughtful, can disregard them. We have all experienced the charm of gentle and courteous conduct; we have all been drawn irresistibly to those who are obliging, affable and sympathetic in their demeanor. The friendly grasp, the warm welcome, the cheery tone, the encouraging word, the respectful manner bear no small share in creating the joy of life; while the austere tone, the stern rebuke, the sharp and acrid remark, the cold and indifferent manner, the curt and disrespectful air, the supercilious and scornful bearing are responsible for more of human distress, despair and woe than their transient nature might seem to warrant.
Whether we aim at self-improvement or the well-being of others, success is largely dependent on our outward demeanor. No one can slight it with impunity. It has many counterfeits and shams which are truly despicable; but where the pure motives are supreme, and the aims of life are worthy, the culture of manners is an essential means of progress, conferring dignity and grace upon every noble endeavor.—Philadelphia Ledger.
Power of Influence.
By William Morley Punshon
THE stone, flung from my careless hand into the lake, splashed into the water, and that was all. Look at those concentric rings, rolling their tiny ripples among the sedgy reeds, dipping the overhanging boughs of yonder willow, and producing an influence, slight but conscious, to the very shores of the lake itself. That hasty word, that word of pride or scorn flung from my lips in casual company, produces a momentary depression, and that is all. No, it is not all. It deepened that man's disgust at godliness, and it sharpened the edge of that man's sarcasm, and it shamed that half converted one out of his penitent misgivings, and it produced an influence, slight but eternal, on the destiny of a valuable life. Oh, it is a terrible power that I have—this power of influence—and it clings to me; it has grown with my growth, and is strengthened with my strength. It speaks, it walks, it moves; it is powerful in every look of my eye, in every word of my lips, in every act of my life. I cannot live to myself. I must either be a light to illumine, or a tempest to destroy. I must either be an Abel, who, by his immortal righteousness, being dead yet speaketh, or an Achan, the saddest continuance of whose otherwise forgotten name is the fact that man perishes not alone in his iniquity. O brethren, this necessary element of power belongs to you all. Thy sphere may be contracted, thine influence may be small, but a sphere and influence you surely have.—Punshon.
The Maine Camp-Meeting.
By Uriah Smith
THIS meeting was held at Richmond, Me., at the time appointed, Sept. 2-6, 1875. And as we write this heading we are almost tempted to omit the letter e from Maine, and write it "the main camp-meeting;" for it has been one of the best of the season.
Twenty tents were erected, and about two hundred brethren and sisters were present, men and women of substantial worth, as sound and solid as the granite of their native State.
Fifteen discourses were given in all, and the speakers from the first enjoyed freedom in presenting the truth. The social meetings increased in interest from the beginning to the end; but especially towards the close were they excellent. The cheering testimonies brought in, in rapid succession, showed an intelligent standing in the truth, a great appreciation of its value, and a joy in the hope of soon-coming deliverance, when the storms and trials of the way will all be past, and we shall meet the loved and lost in the kingdom of our God, a kingdom peaceful, perfect, and eternal.
The place of the meeting this year was a new place for such meetings of our people, and the announcement of it had not gone out so fully as it will go another year; yet on Sunday the crowd was large, numbering probably not far from twenty-five hundred people. Bro. and sister White had most excellent freedom in speaking to them. And in their testimony on this day, and the many other occasions upon which they spoke, a good impression was made, and much prejudice was removed. We do not believe that the prejudice raised by the low and bitter work of opposition carried on by some against sister White and her labors has been able to survive a single discourse of hers, when the person affected has been present to see and hear for himself. At any rate, we have known of many who came with prejudice and went away confessing that they had been deceived, that their prejudice was gone, and that the spirit of opposition manifested against sister W. was not of God. In no State probably has her name been more meanly handled than in Maine. Hence it is especially gratifying that here she should have the opportunity to speak for herself, that the nature of her work may be seen, and the deceptive and unchristian character of the opposition against her may be exposed.
The crowd was very orderly and attentive during Sunday, and no disturbance was experienced at any time during the meeting. The people of Richmond and vicinity are entitled to our thanks for the respect and courtesy shown to this gathering of our people.
A good number came forward for prayers on the Sabbath. On Monday two were baptized by Bro. Corliss in the Kennebec River, near by the camp-ground. This was not a large number, but as it was the first scene of the kind that has occurred in connection with the S. D. A. Camp-meetings in this State it was an item of no small encouragement.
Among the features of interest connected with the meeting the singing should not be passed by. There are good voices among the brethren and sisters here, and they gave us some rare and excellent songs of Zion calculated to inspire joy and a spirit of devotion in all our hearts.
To understand the good this meeting is calculated to produce, it is necessary to understand the state of things in this Conference more fully than those not living or laboring here can do. Quite a feeling of discouragement has prevailed here during the past year. It was evident that much was depending upon this camp-meeting. If it should prove a failure, the result would be disastrous; and on its success seemed to depend very largely the future prosperity of the cause in this State. Hence much anxiety was felt by those who have at heart the interests of the cause here, in this meeting. The relief of such at the success that has attended this effort cannot well be described. But the existing state of discouragement kept many from the meeting who would otherwise have been present. Such lost much by staying away.
It would be interesting to give the different words that were used in describing the meeting by the brethren and sisters present. One says, "It has been a smooth meeting from beginning to end." Another says, "I have always had pretty good courage, but my courage has been greatly increased by this meeting." Another says, "They who have not been here, do not know what they have lost." Another, "This has been not only the best camp-meeting but the best meeting I ever attended." And so we might go on.
In the parting meeting at 5:30 Tuesday morning sixty spoke in the hour allotted to that exercise, all testifying to the blessing and encouragement they had received from this occasion, and that they were determined to show it in their lives the year to come.
The brethren who labor in this Conference will now take hold of the work with renewed courage, and the brethren, according to their resolution passed in Conference session, will take hold with greater interest to second their efforts. There is a feeling and hope that the cause is destined to rise in this part of the field; and the workers in Maine have this to stimulate them in their efforts, that they have as precious souls here for whom to labor as can any where be found. U. S.
The Question of Job's Wife.
By James White
Job was in sore affliction. From the possession of great wealth, he was suddenly reduced to the extreme of poverty. From being the happy head of a family, he was suddenly bereft of all his children. He was afflicted also in his person; his body was full of sores, and there was no soundness in his flesh. Of all his family only his wife was left to him. In his deep affliction she might have proved a great consolation to him. But she turned against him. I have often thought that the reason why Satan spared her was, he knew her disposition, and knew that he could subject Job to greater suffering through her cruel course than by her death. Instead of pitying and consoling him, she taunted him. As if his affliction was not deep enough, she tried to unsettle his mind and to destroy his confidence in God—his only source of hope and comfort in his sore distress.
"Dost thou still retain thine integrity?" said his wife; "Curse God, and die." The German renders it, "Bless God, and die." The original word has exactly opposite meanings; it may be rendered either bless or curse. If that be the correct rendering, then her words had a still greater power to torment. They were spoken in irony. "You have ever been faithful to God, serving him continually. Now see what you get by it. Go on; persevere in serving him; Bless him and die!" A sneering manner adds power to the evil force of ill-spoken words.
But Job was not moved. Her words were as the words of foolish ones to him. Foolish, indeed! What could Job have gained by turning against God in his affliction? Even granting, as she seemed to suppose, that God was the sole and direct author of all his troubles, how would his condition have been bettered by rebelling against God and turning to the service of Satan?
Job was a man of wisdom. He knew that all the blessings which he had ever received came from God. He well understood that Satan is not the author of any mercies or benefits. How, then, could he profited in his affliction by turning from the service of God, who had so greatly blessed him in times past, unto Satan, who had never blessed him in any case? If we receive evil at the hands of the Lord, we may remember that it was from him we received all of good that we ever received. If the Lord taketh away, we must consider that it was he that gave.
And still Satan, through his agents for evil, is tempting the saints of God by this suggestion. How often are they led to exclaim, "My trials are so great that I am ready to give up the service of God. I am discouraged trying to keep his commandments." And why so? Will the service of Satan offer better results? Is the prospect of death and destruction more pleasing than that of life and salvation? Has Satan been so anxious to do you good, and so faithful to his promises in all the past, that it is more safe to trust him than to trust God? Why not maintain your integrity? When your affliction is so great that it turns darkness into light, and changes evil into good, and makes Satan more kind and loving than the Father of all our mercies, then it will be time to think of turning from the commandments of God to the service of the devil.
Thousands suffer themselves to be hindered from keeping all the commandments of God in the third angel's message, by the foolish fear that it will result to their injury! They fear that they will suffer losses which they cannot afford. They will lose in their influence or their worldly possessions. They cannot so easily support their families, etc. But they may consider that all they possess they have received from the Lord, or from Satan. If from Satan, the sooner they rid themselves of it the better, for it cannot be to our good to live on Satan's bounty, as he never bestows with good intention. But if we receive our benefits from the Lord, then the question arises, Are the blessings of God more sure to us in disobedience than in obedience? Will he take better care of us in rebellion than in obedience to his law? The thought is absurd. Surely this is as the foolish ones speak.
O for more of the firmness and integrity of Job, in these days. "Though he slay me, yet I will trust in Him." And why not? "The righteous hath hope in his death," if he is slain; but the end of the wicked is without hope. Darkness and despair are their portion.
True faith in God is rare. The form of godliness prevails; the power thereof is but little known. Zeal has nearly died out; lukewarmness is everywhere. How timely is the third angel's message, to arouse the servants of God to a sense of their danger, and to lead them to engage in the preparation necessary "to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord."
J. H. W.
The Seven Plagues Precede the Coming of Christ.
By John Matteson
It appears that the seven last plagues will all precede the second coming of our Saviour; in proof of which I would offer the following considerations :—
In Rev. 16 : 12-16, we read of the pouring out of the sixth vial. In connection with this the proclamation is made : "Behold, I come as a thief." It is certain that up to this time the Saviour has not come; and it is not stated that he does then appear; but, "Behold, I come," in other words, I am coming, or about to come. It is, evidently, the same announcement which is recorded in Rev. 22 : 12 : "And behold, I come quickly;" for in verse 11 the time of the plagues is introduced, and the fact stated that repentance is past and probation closed.
During the seventh plague "there came a great voice out of the temple of Heaven, from the throne, saying, it is done." Chap. 16 : 17. This is the voice of the Father, who sits on the throne in Heaven. Rev. 4 : 1-3; 5 : 1. This is the voice which shakes heaven and earth. Heb. 12 : 26. It causes the lightning to flash more vividly and the thunder to roar more terribly than men have ever seen or heard; and the earth quakes mightily. The towers of proud Babylon fall. The cities become a heap of ruins. The islands flee and the mountains fall. Rev. 16 : 18-20. Then the kings of the earth, and the rich and poor, free and bond, try to hide themselves from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne. Chap. 6 : 14-17. The appearance of the brightness and exceeding glory of the countenance of Jesus is so terrifying to those who are not his people, that they would rather be crushed by the mountains and rocks, which are falling on every side than endure his presence. This proves that Jesus appears at the closing scenes of the seventh plague.
The same is also evident from the order of events in other places. The great hailstones are mentioned in connection with the thunderings and earthquake, in Rev. 11 : 19. It is, no doubt, synchronal with the falling of the cities and mountains. "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake." Joel 3 : 16. "The powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matt. 24 : 29-30. During the last plague, the atmosphere will be heavily charged with electricity. The thunder-clouds will be darker and heavier, until the earth be perfectly enveloped and darkened thereby. The lightning glares fearfully in this outer darkness, and every flash reveals scenes of increasing terrors. The earth heaves like surging billows. The sea boils and waves roar. Islands are swallowed up, and cities crumble into ruins. Rocks fall in every direction. Mountains are carried through the air and scattered over the country. The fearful hail falls, tormenting the wretched victims. The brief intervals between the roarings of the thunder are filled up with the frantic shrieks and blaspheming cries of the ungodly. O, my soul! who shall be there? The vain laugh has ceased. The silly conversation is past. The sleeping, drowsy time is over. The alluring dreams of heaven, by those who would not watch, have ceased. No more sleeping now; no more pretended godliness; no hypocrisy; but all reality, dreadful reality! Alas! alas! for the day is at hand. "Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly," etc. Isa. 33 : But you who obey not the gospel, if you do not quickly repent, your lot is cast; your eternal fate is decided; you will be a partaker in that fearful scene.
Hark! hear the wailing. Oh! that I had known the day of my visitation. Oh! that I had forsaken every sin. Oh! that I had listened to the counsel of the faithful Witness. But now it is too late. Cursed be the day in which I was born; cursed my folly and sloth. It is too late, too late. The eyes of the unfaithful servants are consuming away in their holes, and their tongues in their mouths. Zech. 14 : 12.
In the midst of all this terror and mourning of the tribes of the earth, the glory of the heavenly clouds penetrates the darkness. The scene is changed from one extreme to another. The glory of ten thousand bright angels and the brightness of the appearing Son of God are still more terrible to the doomed sinner than the falling of rocks and mountains.365Dear reader, will you now secure a shelter for that day? Will you repent and be zealous? For such only as have the Father's name in their foreheads, and no guile in their mouths, can then be redeemed from among men. Rev. 14.
Three heavens are spoken of in the Scriptures; the atmospheric heavens, the sun, moon and stars, or starry heaven, and the place of God's throne. The two first are visible, the last invisible. The two first will be shaken during the last plague, with the earth, but the third cannot be shaken. This signifies the removing of the things that are shaken, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Heb. 12. The New Jerusalem in the third Heaven, or paradise of God has foundations that stand secure. Brethren, come! It is high time for us to stop trusting in the uncertain riches. Let us long with all our heart, and look with both eyes, for the city of God, to secure a mansion in our Father's house. The things which we see are soon to be removed. "Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire."
JOHN MATTESON.
Joy in Heaven.
By John Nevins Andrews
“LIKEWISE, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15 : 10.
The angels of God do not view repentance in the same light that it appears to sinful men. To them it is an elevated, honorable, and sacred work. To us, alas ! it is a work to be shunned, if possible, or if not wholly shunned, to be disposed of in as private a manner as we can. We think of it with shame ; we speak of it with pain and regret. It is so humiliating to have it known that we have had to break our hearts, to bow our stubborn wills, to humble our proud natures under the mighty hand of God. We are not so much ashamed of sin, as of repentance. Nay, we are frequently far from being ashamed of sinful conduct or of wicked dispositions. But to have it known that we have made frank and humble confession of wicked acts, is too humiliating for us to endure. We are not ashamed of sin, but ashamed of having it known that we confess and repent of our sin. Yet sin is that abominable thing which God hates, and genuine repentance is that which he approves and accepts. Sin is the fruit of our own evil nature, aided by the powerful co-operation of the Devil. Repentance is the work of the Spirit of God wrought in us by our consent, and with our active co-operation. How strange that we should be ashamed of repentance, rather than ashamed of sin ; that we should cherish that which comes from Satan, and loathe that which proceeds directly from the Spirit of God. Sin is the only real cause for shame, and it is cause enough surely. But repentance is something noble, dignified and honorable. It shows that though we have been wicked, now that we have come to ourselves we put away the wickedness, and allow not one particle of it to cleave longer to us. How the Devil perverts things in our minds when he makes us ashamed of this most sacred work.
What a wonderful fact our Lord has revealed to us in stating that there is joy in heaven among the angels of God when a single sinner repents. Great as is the joy of the angels in their own exalted bliss, they are capable of feeling an addition to this joy when one poor prodigal returns to God. How intense the interest they feel for us ! How disinterested and unselfish is their conduct. If that which benefits us alone can give such joy in heaven, shall we not make it the most earnest business of life to develop perfect repentance ?
It is worthy of notice that our Lord does not speak of the joy of our departed friends, but the joy of the angels at our repentance. Yet if they were in heaven, how much keener their joy than that of the angels !
J. N. A.
The Greatest Pleasure Is Doing Good
ONE good action, one temptation resisted and overcome, one sacrifice of desire, or of interest, purely for conscience’ sake, will prove a cordial for low spirits beyond what either indulgence, or diversion, or company can do for them.
THERE is a pleasure in contemplating good; a greater pleasure in receiving good; but the greatest pleasure of all is in doing good.