Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Review and Herald, Vol. 32, No. 11.
FAREWELL DISCOURSE.Page 1
Earlier text: FAREWELL DISCOURSE.ARE THE COMMANDMENTS ABOLISHED?
By R. F. Cottrell
My Dear Friend: Before the Heaven-sent message concerning the law of God and his Sabbath was preached in your place, the above question did not trouble your mind at all. You had been taught at home, at Sunday school, at meetings, and everywhere, that it was sin to break one of the ten commandments, and had been warned especially of the evil consequences of breaking the Sabbath, as this would lead the way to all kinds of iniquity. No one had ever warned you that if you truly kept the Sabbath of the Decalogue, you would fall from grace, as long as you took it for granted that Sunday was the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. But when you saw that this was false, that there was not a word in the Bible in favor of the first day of the week as the Sabbath, and felt it a duty to turn your feet into God's testimonies, and truly keep the Sabbath of the Lord, then you began to hear that the “Jewish Sabbath” (a thing not mentioned in the Bible), was done away. Your pious friends and neighbors, some of them aged and venerable, who had never before uttered a word of warning against your keeping the fourth commandment, but encouraged it, now began to search up the evidence that it had been long ago abolished, being nailed to the cross; and failing to find any evidence that the particular precept concerning the seventh day had been singled out and expunged from the Decalogue, they have tried to force the Scriptures to say that the whole law, even that which was “written and engraven in stones,” has been done away—a position outrageous and presumptuous enough to make any one shudder, but for the soothing opiate, the intoxicating wine, that has been diffused among all nations, which makes men insensible to the guilt of blaspheming against God.
This has thrown you into a perplexing study. You have puzzled your brain over the book of Galatians, and 2 Cor. iii, till your Bible seems unwilling to open to any other place. But you are not satisfied, and your perplexity remains. I propose therefore to try to help you.
In the examination of this question, you must not forget that the “carnal mind,” which “is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be,” will ever strive for the mastery, holding up earthly inducements to get you to decide against the truth. It will be so much more convenient, and tend so much more to your earthly prosperity and happiness, if the decision can be innocently made against the law of God. If you would arrive at the truth, the carnal mind must be crucified, and these considerations must have no weight in the decision.
Now, if you can get positive testimony that speaks right to the point, inferences from passages that do not thus speak are proved to be unnecessary and inadmissible, unless indeed the Scriptures contradict themselves, a conclusion, as I trust, you are not prepared for. You have read of not being “under the law,” and of being “delivered” from it by the reception of the faith of the gospel, but this may only mean that by faith in Christ we are justified from our sins that are past, so that we are no longer under its condemnation, but are delivered from its claims against us as sinners, and consequently from the penalty of a law which still remains “holy, just and good,” and which the spiritual still delight to obey. Bear in mind too, that the Apostle Peter advertises as of the fact that some would wrest the teachings of Paul to their own destruction. Now if we make Paul abolish a holy, moral law, one he has not told us is abolished, this will prove our destruction, when the penalty of that law comes to be executed. But should we err in favor of so good a law as the ten commandments, doing more in obedience of it than God requires, we cannot apprehend much danger, since he has nowhere forbidden us to keep any one of its precepts. You have found no place where Paul brings up the question of the abolition of the law, and plainly tells us that it is abolished. He nowhere teaches this doctrine so pointedly as one Eld. Levi H——— did in a discourse delivered against the Sabbath in Niagara Co., N. Y. Said he, “Levi, do you believe the law of God is dead? I DO!” The apostle in his writings has left no such decisive record. But on the other side of the question he has given an explicit decision; first raising the very question now at issue, and then deciding it most emphatically in the negative. “Do we then make void the law through faith?” he inquires. This is the very question you wish decided. Then hear the answer, and do not forget it: “God forbid! Yea, we establish the law.” To make void is to abolish; it is rendered from the same Greek term translated so in 2 Cor. iii. To establish is the very opposite of this. If the law is established it remains in full force. Does the apostle teach the very reverse of this? does he say that that which was engraven on stones is done away? No. He teaches that the ministration—service of a minister—connected with the giving of the law on tables of stone, and its glory, which was seen in the face of Moses the minister, was to be done away and is abolished, being eclipsed or excelled in glory by the ministry of Jesus Christ, and the glory that shines forth from his character and office as the High Priest of the present dispensation. Death is used by a figure of speech to represent the law of God written on the tables, because to administer the law of God alone, to those who have transgressed it, could only bring death—the penalty of the law—upon them, while the ministration of Jesus Christ brings pardon for the violation of that same law, righteousness and life. But death, representing the law, is in the objective case, and governed by the preposition of, and consequently cannot be the subject of the affirmations expressed by the verbs in the clauses, “was glorious,” “is done away,” and “is abolished.” The language of the apostle must be violated, forced, wrested, to make him teach that that which was engraven in stones was to be done away, and is abolished. And what would be the result? Men would be at perfect liberty to break any and all of the ten commandments; for that which is abolished is no longer a law, and “where no law is, there is no transgression,”—no sin. And there is no re-enactment of one of these commandments in the New Testament. If I quote the commandments to enforce a doctrine, as Paul has done, (See Eph. vi, 1–3,) no one ever thinks that I am re-enacting them. This plea of re-enactment is a subterfuge to evade the legitimate and logical conclusion or consequence of their own teaching. My friend, do you wish the question concerning the abolition of the law, decided by apostolic authority? Paul has deliberately and distinctly enunciated the decision. “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid! Yea, we establish the law.” If this direct and positive answer will not satisfy you, neither would you be persuaded though the apostle should rise from the dead and repeat it. He could not speak more to the point. He taught in perfect harmony with his Lord. See Matt. v, 17–20. Jesus Christ came not to destroy the law. “I came not to destroy.” But he did accomplish all he came to do, and no more. Therefore he did not destroy the law. And because the law was not to be abolished, nor a jot or tittle of it removed, he promised a blessing in the future kingdom of Heaven, to all that should do and teach all its commandments, in all time then to come. Can this be reconciled with the idea that he took all or even one of those commandments out of the way, nailing it to his cross? He died to make it possible that men might be pardoned their violations of that law. How utterly absurd the idea that his death to make pardon possible, took away the law, and thus made pardon unnecessary. Such thoughts are unworthy of man made in the image of God. The gospel fact that Christ died for man's transgressions of that law, establishes its justice, and makes it sure that if we do not obtain pardon through repentance and faith in him, we shall finally die for our transgressions. Thus the gospel establishes the law. Be not deceived, my friend, and lose your life. The opponents on this question cannot both be right. If you make a mistake and decide against the law by which you are to be judged in the last day, that mistake will be fatal; for the law you have decided against will decide against you. It is a fearful thing to trifle with the law of God; and to try to make an apostle contradict in one place, what he positively affirms in another. I beseech you then as you love life, and as you would love our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave his life for you, that you crucify the carnal mind, every selfish desire to have the law of God different from what it is, be willing to forsake each and every transgression of that holy law, coming to God through Christ for pardon for all the past, and grace to help you in the path of obedience in time to come, take the positive affirmations of Christ and the apostles concerning the moral law to mean just what they say, and regulate your conduct accordingly, regardless of worldly considerations. In so doing you will be delivered from the state of perplexity under which you now labor. The subject of the law of God will be clear and satisfactory, and you will realize in your own experience that you are no longer under the law, but under grace. Then can you say with David, “I will walk at liberty, for I seek thy precepts,” or with Paul, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” By reading Gal. v, 19–23, you can see that works of the flesh are disobedience to the law of God, and the fruit of the Spirit is a character conformed to that law. Those that are led by the Spirit, obey God, and are not under the law,—“against such there is no law.” May there be no law against you, my dear friend, in the Judgment; and may I enjoy the privilege of meeting with you from Sabbath to Sabbath in the new earth, where the sacred institution of Eden shall be a delight to all, and men will not load it with opprobrium and be willing to abolish the whole moral law to get rid of it. It is sometimes almost painful to witness the attempts of those who were themselves among the foremost in the great Advent movement of 1840–44, to entirely repudiate that movement as being of God. The following from the Voice of the West, whose editor was one of the great leaders in that work, illustrates this point: “Some are puzzled by a specious plea that because God blessed the early Advent movement, therefore the prophetic periods must then have been correctly understood. This fallacious reasoning has deceived some. The same argument, however, would prove the immortality of the soul, because God blessed the great Wesleyan revival in England under men who believed it; transubstantiation, because God blessed the labors of Luther, who held to, and contended for, that error, in the great Reformation that shook the very throne of the ‘Man of Sin.’” Whatever there may be of “fallacious reasoning” in connection with the above, is certainly on the part of the Voice. The cases cited are not parallel with the Advent movement, and the comparisons, therefore, are not good. There is a great difference between being blessed for an item of religious belief and being blessed in that belief, or while entertaining it; and that difference must be apparent between the cases cited above, and that of the Advent proclamation. What was the great burden of the Wesleyan revival in England? Was it to teach the immortality of the soul? And was the preaching of this doctrine the means of bringing about that revival? By no means. While this error was among the incidentals of Wesley’s belief, the preaching of Christ and his gospel was the means of saving souls; and the blessing from God experienced by those engaged in the work was not because they believed in the immortality of the soul, but because, even while holding that belief, they labored for the salvation of their fellow-men. And so of the great Reformation. The cry that “shook the very throne of the ‘Man of Sin,’” was not “transubstantiation,” but “justification by faith.” And this was the message that God blessed, and was165the commencement of the great work, not even yet accomplished, of stripping from the church all the errors of the “mother of harlots,” including transubstantiation, the immortality of the soul, and other unscriptural dogmas, not the least of which is Sunday-keeping, yet to be renounced by the church who are to prepare for translation by keeping all “the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. xiv, 12. And the blessing received by Martin Luther, and his fellow-laborers, was not in any sense connected with their belief in those errors, but because of their zeal in defense of the great truths of God’s word which brought about the Reformation. But, unlike these cases, the great Advent movement was based on what is called, by those who now repudiate it, “the error in time.” The prophetic periods were not an incidental item of faith, indulged in and preached about by those who were engaged in some other and greater work, but they were themselves the burden of the message, and that which gave it such power. What made the message go with such mighty power? Definite time. What brought such consolation, such rejoicing, and such blessings, to the hearts of those engaged in that work? The belief in definite time; and everywhere, as the prophetic periods were explained, and the certainty of their immediate termination clearly demonstrated, joy and rejoicing were sure to follow. The Lord set the broad seal of his approbation to the work of preaching definite time, by the outpouring of his Spirit, the conversion of sinners, the reclaiming of backsliders, and the comforting of the saints; and to repudiate that work, and prove that God did not bless the preaching of time, for its own sake, will require a greater amount of “fallacious reasoning” than the comparison of that work with the errors of the Reformers, and good men of any age, who have not made their errors the burden of their work in saving souls. TO THE BELIEVERS IN THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE.
By Joseph Harvey Waggoner
DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS IN THE LORD: For some time past I have felt it my duty to make some more direct and explicit reference to the testimonies given to the church and to individuals; and now, as close testimonies are being given, and minds unused to the trials of the way, may be tempted to harbor feelings against them, I can no longer forbear, but must utter a few words of warning to all. Some of my brethren know that I have suffered afflictions, and endured trials much of my life; and, although some of them could not be avoided by me, much could have been. And if you wish for peace of mind and strength in the Lord, I entreat you to take warning by me. I have been made weak when I should be strong. When I first received the faith of this message, I received also the visions given through Sr. White as of God. Some have judged that, because I did not always walk fully up to their instructions, I did not believe them. This was a mistake. Since the fall of 1855 I have never entertained a doubt of their truthfulness and heavenly origin. But sometimes duties were marked out which seemed difficult to conform to, and I excused myself after making an effort, and became discouraged. Again, when testimonies were presented coming close to those whom I loved more than my life, they seemed hard; not that I disbelieved them, or actually rebelled against them; but they seemed hard, and my sympathy was often enlisted to the injury of my judgment. Here was the deception of the enemy, and the danger; and here I wish to give the warning. There may be those somewhat similarly situated, to whom the testimony may seem hard and severe. Let me entreat you, as you value peace of mind here, and your soul's salvation, to resist these feelings, and let your spirits become fully reconciled to the things of God's Spirit. Wherever I have hesitated, or suffered my feelings to rise against a single word in those testimonies, there have I learned by the most painful experience that the word and will of the Lord must be respected in every particular. No one, it appears to me, could have deeper love for family and home than I have had. My wife and children have been everything in this world to me; and I have labored with untiring energy to fit up a home that would be pleasant and cheering to them. But where God is dishonored, and his authority disregarded, there can be no real nor lasting happiness. More bitter than a thousand deaths has been the agony I have suffered while some whom I have loved so fondly, and for whom I have labored so devotedly, have turned against me, and planted thorns in my breast, which must rankle there till the Great Physician shall heal all the wounds of his suffering ones. That home, around which might have clustered only pleasant associations, appears gloomy and cheerless to me. Each tree and shrub planted and nurtured by my hand, for the sake of the loved ones, is now but a reminder of wasted energies and blighted hopes. This result was faithfully pointed out years ago, and the way of peace, union and happiness marked out before us; but the spirit of rebellion hedged up the way of peace; my heart sunk in discouragement; my hands hung down in feebleness; and instead of a peaceful home, a cheerful age, and strength to labor for my ever-faithful Master in Heaven, I feel like a homeless outcast, deserted and betrayed by dearest friends, my declining years to be spent in sorrow; and with energies crippled, physical constitution broken, and mental powers greatly impaired, I scarcely dare to offer to God the lame sacrifice of my remaining days. Dear brethren and sisters, do not think the picture is overdrawn. Words cannot express what I have suffered because these precious testimonies have not been regarded by my household. It is impossible to tell what anguish of spirit I have endured. It is not pleasant to refer to these things. Those who know me best know that I am inclined to hide my sorrows in my own breast, and to let a cheerful countenance hide an aching heart. But I write from a sense of duty; duty to God, to more explicitly acknowledge his kind, Fatherly hand in the gift of these testimonies; and duty to my fellow-beings, to warn them never to slight the messages sent in love through these visions. If you pass them by with the least degree of carelessness, you do it at your peril. No one, perhaps, has had more plausible reasons, or more unfavorable circumstances, to plead, for a partial fulfillment of their directions, than I have had. But God will not be trifled with. He never admits excuses. Circumstances do not stand in his way; and he will order our steps if we promptly acknowledge him. Do not think I am in despair, or feel at all like giving up the struggle. No, no. I have much, very much, to be thankful for. All is not lost. Some who are very precious to my heart are trying to walk in the way of truth. It is of the Lord's mercy. All that I am, though but a wreck compared to what I ought to be, is to the praise of his grace. Satan has worked mightily for my overthrow, but the Lord is my conqueror. He is my preserver. I have feared I should let my afflictions work against me, instead of having them work for me. I have fainted at the rebuke of the Lord. My daily prayer is that he will forgive me, and still suffer me to occupy some humble place, and bear some little part, with his own dear people, who are preparing for translation at the coming of our Redeemer. Again I entreat all to draw near to God when you are corrected of him, and you will find him a loving Father, chastening only in love and for our profit. To his name be praise and glory forever. Battle Creek, Mich., Aug. 25, 1868. HAVERHILL, MASS.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
I HAVE spent Sabbath and Sunday, Aug. 15 and 16, at this place. There are only eight here who keep the Sabbath. Most of them are very poor, and not in very favorable circumstances to live out the truth. Yet most of them seem to love the truth and to be trying to obey it. They have never had but little labor. I enjoyed my visit here very much. Had good freedom in speaking the word. On Sunday we had quite a large congregation. I tried to show them the importance of the health reform. Here they are much behind. Yet allowance is to be made for their circumstances. OUR BLESSED HOPE.
By H. S. Gurney
Bro. Smith: I feel a little ashamed that my friends have not heard from me for so long, through the REVIEW. But longer delay will not bring pardon for past neglect. My confidence remains firm in the truths which have made us a peculiar people. Our conclusions are studied, and that from principles that are founded deep upon the rock that is sure, as the word of God is immutable. Having this confidence, we are ready to endure all things, bear any cross, or make any sacrifice. We have an enduring substance. Even death does not mar our hope, nor blight our prospects. Brethren, we hold an honored position. Angels are our guards and sentinels, and, when need be, manifest themselves in holy vision, bringing up the rear, and warning us of danger. All this we can believe, because we seek the love of the truth. My motto is, Onward. Victory is sure to the overcome. The time has come when men, even ministers, will not believe sound doctrines. They consider it a sin to understand that God's word has a plain, literal sense. I heard one say from the pulpit the other day, “There is no such place as Heaven. Heaven is a character.” Oh! thought I, how can men of sense sit under such preaching. Well, they would not if it were not an effort against Adventism. “The people love to have it so.” So far as I have access to, and influence with, the people, I must warn them against the influence of such teachers, and show them from the Scriptures of truth the utterly groundless and sandy foundation they occupy, a refuge of lies, which the time of trouble will sweep away, leaving them to mourn over the fruits of rashness and folly. We have no reasons to exult because we are disposed to believe the truth. If we find ourselves thus inclined it is an evidence of weakness and blindness of heart—an unconverted state of which we need to repent and humble ourselves. Oh! when will our Lord come? We want to see Jesus crowned, and behold the order in Heaven among the four living creatures, elders, and angels. Should we not sigh to be there? Should we not mourn because our Lord is absent? Should our affections be here on things that perish? Certainly not, if we love our Lord. Love to all friends of truth, and may the God of peace be with us all till Jesus comes.
H. S. GURNEY. A CAUTION.
By T. Z. Andrews
For the good of the cause of truth, and that none be deceived, the Seventh-day Adventist church of Alma, Gratiot Co., Mich., with sorrow make the following representation respecting John Hicks, who joined the church at Seville, in said county, when that church was organized. He shortly moved to Alma, and met with the Alma church until about June, 1867, when by trying to enforce quite rigid rules in his family in regard to the Sabbath, against which they rebelled, he rashly drove his wife and daughter from his home. This was disapproved of by the brethren; but it was difficult to bring him to see that he did anything wrong. He, however, made some acknowledgments, in a general manner, and we still tried to fellowship him. Last winter he went to the State of New York, on a visit, and about the last of June left again. It was reported that while gone on said visit he married another woman, and he said, to some of the brethren, that he should not deny the report. We further state that he left on Sabbath evening, and in debt to some here, with whom he made no effort to settle. We think it prudent to have this published in the Review, from the fact that he has a letter of commendation, which he got from the church in Seville just before the rupture with his family, which he did not present here, as he would have done had it not been for that circumstance. We withdraw fellowship from him, and trust that none who see this will be misled by his letter. Done by order of the church at Alma, Gratiot Co., Mich., Aug. 16, 1868. Sell Not Thy Conscience with Thy Goods
SELL not thy conscience with thy goods. WHAT IS MOST WANTED.
By M. J. Cottrell
Picking up a scrap of an old newspaper, some time since, my eye fell on these words: “I think what is most wanted is a revival of a Christianity that is not afraid of persecution, a religion which has a martyr, at least once in a century, and is not the mere reflection of public opinion.” My attention was at once arrested, and wondering from whom such sentiments could proceed, I looked farther, and found that they were the words of Judge Bond, of Baltimore, written in reply to a letter from a colored clergyman, who complained of “the burning of twelve churches and school-houses, and other outrages upon the poor freedmen.” “To think,” says the judge, “that such things could take place, and all the pulpits remain as silent as if the millennium had dawned, is marvelous. You colored ministers ought to make your complaints known to the churches to which these clergymen belong in the North. You might shame them into the enforcement of some precept of Christianity, equally bearing on a man’s duty to his neighbor, if he be black.” I could not help thinking, Not so, Judge Bond. They are not to be shamed into the enforcement of any such thing, else it had been done long ere this. “What is most wanted is a revival of a Christianity that is not afraid of persecution, a religion which has a martyr, at least once in a century, and is not the mere reflection of public opinion.” Truthful words! Ah! yes, for it is a religion which is the mere reflection of public opinion, a Christianity which is afraid of persecution, which fills and governs the churches of our land. What kind of a Christianity is this? Christ was not afraid of persecution; and the faith which he inculcated shrank not from martyrdom. Had it been the mere reflection of public opinion, there had been no persecution, no martyrs. But, alas! that faith has been driven from among the professed friends of its author, crushed out; and now wherever it dares to raise its primitive standard it is laughed to scorn. Yes, such a religion does need to be revived; but it is to be feared this cannot be done. It has so long been smothered beneath popularity and “style,” that it is to be feared there will be no possibility of bringing it back to anything more than a feeble, inactive life. Yes, we are in want of the revival of such a religion; but how is this want to be supplied, while the professed friends of humanity feed so greedily upon the dry husks of pride, selfishness, and popularity, leaving untouched the rich fruits of benevolence, humility, and right. M. J. COTTRELL. THE CONVERT'S PLEDGE.
By Othniel F. Tripp
Lo! true followers of Messiah,
You glad tidings now shall hear,
I have found the living treasure,
And my heart is filled with cheer.
I henceforth will be your brother,
Freely now this pledge I give;
For my trust is in Christ Jesus,
He hath bade me look and live. And the thought of his soon coming,
Bringeth holy joy to me;
And his glorious second advent
I am hoping soon to see.
Then all trials will be over,
Mammon's work of death be done,
And the crown of life be given,
And the last great victory won. Courage, then, my brother, sister,
You have labored not in vain;
For you led my soul to Jesus,
With its load of guilt and shame.
Aye, you truly found me dying,
Of a wound from Satan's dart,
Hugging close to worldly errors,
Drinking poison to my heart. Oh! the torture of that moment,
When in deadly fear I gazed,
On the viper I had cherished,
'Mong the idols it had raised.
Then it was I groaned in anguish,
But you heard my bitter cry,
And, like Christ, the tender Shepherd,
Did not pass me heedless by. Aye, you knelt beside the sinner,
Kindly raised my drooping head,
Then it was I heard my Saviour;
Then I unto him was led.
And in Christ my soul now liveth,
With him now no risk I run,
For he is the living promise
Of that better world to come. Soon we'll see him in his glory,
On the wings of lightning borne;
Then the image shall be smitten,
Then shall every nation mourn.
Then the saints shall sit in Judgment,
Babylon shall meet her doom,
And the stone become a mountain,
Filling all with Eden bloom. Courage, then, ye valiant Christians,
Though all Satan's hosts assail,
For the Lord will surely conquer,
And his word will never fail.
Oh! then let no word of murmur
E'er be heard within our lines;
For our King is surely coming,
He hath warned us many times. Oh! let every lamp be burning,
Let each heart in hope rejoice,
Give a ready, happy welcome,
To the Leader of our choice.
Yea, give unto God the glory,
Let your voices loud be heard,
Telling of the joys that follow
In the footsteps of his Word. EVERY MAN FINDS HIS LEVEL.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
I want to say a few words to that brother who thinks he is not duly appreciated, that he is slighted, that he is not put forward as fast as he ought to be. From what I have observed of life, I have concluded that all such feelings are entirely unfounded, except in your own pride and imagination. Every man, woman, and child, is weighed in the balances and marked at their proper value by all with whom they associate. This is generally true from the school-boy up to the statesman. Go into a school and ask the children what they think of a certain boy or girl, and the majority will agree in their estimate of him or her. Go into a society and ask a score of persons what they think of such a neighbor, and they will all mark him at about the same price. Go into a church and ask them what they think of such a brother or sister, and you will get a unanimous testimony about them. They are weighed and marked in every mind at just what they are worth. They are not only marked, but others stand back and make way for them to fill any place which they are qualified to fill. They need not push themselves forward. Only let them keep quiet and attend to their own business, and their merit will sooner or later be found out. Nothing could keep a Washington in the ranks as a private soldier, nor Lincoln as a rail-splitter, nor Webster as a petty lawyer. Every one instinctively bows to their merits and opens a way for them. Every thing naturally and easily finds its level. A cork cannot sink in water, nor lead swim. So the person who has the natural abilities to teach, to lead, or to rule, will find others ready and willing to be taught, led, and ruled, by him. A ball of lead would have a hard time trying to swim. So the man who desires to teach or to rule others, but has not the ability to do it, has a hard time at it. Now, my brother, if you are troubled in this way, just set it down as a settled fact that the trouble lies in yourself, your unfitness for what you desire. When you change, your friends will change their opinions of you. If you find it hard getting up higher than you are, set it down that you have found your level, and there rest contented. Remember Jesus' parable about taking seats at a feast, and go thou and do likewise. D. M. CANRIGHT. THEOLOGY is a science; religion is a spirit. The mere theologian may prosecute his task in a logical and exact manner, but the system he erects may be as dry and lifeless as a statue or a skeleton. Great Talkers and Broken Pitchers
GREAT talkers are like broken pitchers; everything runs out of them. FRUITS OF THE DEMON DRINK.
Of the thousand floating rumors, which may be truth or sensation, none is more painful than the assertion which every now and then forces itself into ugly prominence, that intemperance is a growing evil among the women of the higher classes of our land. There is none certainly which any good man would be slower to believe or more reluctant to credit. Yet again and again the unpleasant allegation is made, not flippantly, but supported with the aid of stubborn facts. From the report of the State Temperance Convention, held at Harrisburg two months since, we extract an entry or two from the official records of application for entry into the Inebriates’ Asylum of New York, which are simply fearful: Clergymen, 20
Judges, 8
Merchants, 340
Physicians, 226
Gentlemen, 240
Rich men’s daughters, 1,300
Total, 2,134 It may very possibly be that this institution does not fairly represent the cases from all classes of society, or is especially devoted to the cure of females. But all that does not materially alter the terrible story of its records. It is frightful to think of thirteen hundred young women of New York given over to the demon of drink, no matter how the cases are collected. And again, for every daughter handed over in despair to the public shame of an asylum, how many are there dying unknown and unheard of—the skeletons in the closets of gilded homes?—Press. ARE WE WEARY?
By Eliza Putnam
Look up, you that are faint and weary, to things above, and cease to dwell upon trials and disappointments. We often hear it said, Oh! I am so weary of life. I have had some severe trials to pass through, and the way looks dark before me; yet we often see those that have had their hearts torn by bitter anguish. Some have lain away their dear friends, that the ties of nature bind close to their heart strings, never to look upon their sweet faces again until the last loud trumpet shall sound to wake the sleeping dead. Then, oh! then we shall see those we have last looked upon a lifeless corpse, an immortal body, if they die in that blessed hope of immortality. Then look up. Why so downcast? There are trials to be borne in the way to Heaven. We may have the scorn of an ungodly world. We may see our most dearly cherished friends turn away from us; but look up, there is a friend that will never leave nor forsake us. Trust him, yes, trust to him to raise those up that will prove to be true-hearted friends. Those that scorn God's chosen few, we are far better off without their friendship, if friendship it can be called. When we started we bargained for the displeasure of a sin-loving world, and why now feel so weary and forsaken when the trials come. Life's sharp anguish must be borne; and if we can bear the disappointments with patience, how much easier the trials of life do appear. We have a strong arm to lean upon; not the arm of flesh. No, the puny arm of man is but a slight support in the time of trouble. How much the people of God have to cheer them on. They have that which the world cannot give or take away. A calm, peaceful mind, a hope of a life where we shall no more droop and die. How much we have to encourage us on, and how little to entice us to turn back to the sinfulness of the world. It makes our hearts ache when we look upon the sinfulness of the present day. We long to see Jesus coming upon the great white cloud to gather his weary but patient waiting ones home. Let us take courage, knowing that we have but a little while longer to struggle on. Soon He that is to come will come and will not tarry. Oh! may we wait patiently his own good, appointed time. He knows best what trials we need to purify us for the kingdom. May we ever look up and say, Thy will, not mine, be done. Kennebec Co., Me., July 31, 1868. BRO. SMITH: I am oftentimes cheered and encouraged by reading the communications from the dear brethren and sisters in the Conference Department of our good paper. I feel unworthy and incompetent to write. Notwithstanding this, I do not feel excused on these grounds. It is upward of seven years that I have been identified with Seventh-day Adventists. During this time I have been trying to learn in the school of Christ, and I am satisfied that my effort has not been in vain. I know that Jesus has the words of life; and may the Father ever give us grace and faith to submit to the instructions given us through the law of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the testimonies for the church. With these I feel that it is our privilege to go on to perfection, and that we are thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Now as God is so good in giving us instruction how to live, and what to do, let us move forward in our pilgrimage, bearing our burdens, and the strong helping the weak, and let us be united in staying up the hands of those whom the Lord has called out and placed at the head of this great work, that they may be free to labor in new fields and teach the truth to others, that they may be gathered into the fold of Christ.