Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 22, 1882
General Articles.
By Mrs. E. G. White
"The Schools of the Prophets."
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
THE institutions of human society find their best models in the word of God. For those of instruction in particular, there is no lack of both precept and example. Lessons of great profit, even in this age of educational progress, may be found in the history of God's ancient people.
The Lord reserved to himself the education and instruction of Israel. His care was not restricted to their religious interests. Whatever affected their mental or physical well-being, became also an object of divine solicitude, and came within the province of divine law.
God commanded the Hebrews to teach their children his requirements, and to make them acquainted with all his dealings with their people. The home and the school were one. In the place of stranger lips the loving hearts of the father and mother were to give instruction to their children. Thoughts of God were associated with all the events of daily life in the home dwelling. The mighty works of God in the deliverance of his people were recounted with eloquence and reverential awe. The great truths of God's providence, and of the future life, were impressed on the young mind. It became acquainted with the true, the good, the beautiful.
By the use of figures and symbols, the lessons given were illustrated, and thus more firmly fixed in the memory. Through this animated imagery the child was, almost from infancy, initiated into the mysteries, the wisdom, and the hopes of his fathers, and guided in a way of thinking and feeling and anticipating, that reached beyond things seen and transitory, to the unseen and eternal.
From this education many a youth of Israel came forth vigorous in body and in mind, quick to perceive and strong to act, the heart prepared like good ground for the growth of the precious seed, the mind trained to see God in the words of revelation and the scenes of nature. The stars of heaven, the trees and flowers of the field, the lofty mountains, the babbling brooks, all spoke to him, and the voices of the prophets, heard throughout the land, met a response in his heart.
Such was the training of Moses in that lowly cabin home in Goshen; of Samuel, by the faithful Hannah; of David, in the hill-dwelling at Bethlehem; of Daniel, before the scenes of the captivity separated him from the home of his fathers. Such, too, was the early life of Christ, in the humble home at Nazareth; such the training by which the child Timothy learned from the lips of his "mother Eunice, and his grandmother Lois," the truths of Holy Writ.
Further provision was made for the instruction of the young, by the establishment of the "school of the prophets." If a youth was eager to obtain a better knowledge of the Scriptures, to search deeper into the mysteries of the kingdom of God, and to seek wisdom from above, that he might become a teacher in Israel, this school was open to him.
These institutions were missionary seminaries, designed to maintain a higher standard of morals and religion at a period when the deplorable condition of degeneracy and corruption called loudly for such reformatory effort. The aged Eli had dishonored the Lord by his neglect to restrain and control his children. These degenerate sons called license liberty, and under the cover of their holy office practiced the most debasing sins. The character of these men as leaders of the nation, indicates clearly the state of things existing at that time. Had Eli restrained his excessive fondness for his sons, and performed his duty to them as a father and a priest, theirs had been a nobler life and a happier fate. They might have been an honor to their father, the crown of the nation, and the guardians of the sanctuary. But their crimes had polluted the ordinances of the Lord, and corrupted his people. To prevent the moral degeneracy from becoming universal, he resorted to a speedy and powerful remedy. Divine justice destroyed the father and the sons.
Then amid the moral darkness there shone forth once more the light of purity and holiness and truth. The chosen leader was a youthful Levite, whose infant years had been guarded by a faithful, praying mother, whose boyhood had been unsullied by the surrounding corruption. Samuel was now invested by the God of Israel with the threefold office of judge, prophet and priest. Placing one hand in the hand of Christ, and with the other taking the helm of the nation, he holds it with such wisdom and firmness as to preserve Israel from destruction.
By Samuel, the schools of the prophets were established, to serve as a barrier against the widespread corruption, and to promote the moral and spiritual welfare of the youth. These schools proved a great blessing to Israel, promoting that righteousness which exalteth a nation, and furnishing it with men qualified to act, in the fear of God, as leaders and counselors. In the accomplishment of this object, Samuel gathered companies of young men who were pious, intelligent, and studious. These were called the sons of the prophets. As they communed with God and studied his word and his works, they were imbued with wisdom from above, as well as richly endowed with intellectual treasures. The instructors were men not only well versed in divine truth, but those who had themselves enjoyed communion with God, and had received the special endowment of his spirit. They enjoyed the respect and confidence of the people, both for learning and piety.
In Samuel's day there were two of these schools—one at Ramah, the home of the prophet, and the other at Kirjath-jearim, where the ark then was. Two more were added in Elijah's time, at Jericho and Bethel, and others were afterward established at Samaria and Gilgal.
The pupils of these schools sustained themselves by their own labor as husbandmen and mechanics. In Israel this was not considered strange or degrading; indeed, it was regarded a crime to allow children to grow up in ignorance of useful labor. In obedience to the command of God, every child was taught some trade, even though he was to be educated for holy office. Many of the religious teachers supported themselves by manual labor. Even so late as the time of Christ, it was not considered anything degrading that Paul and Aquila earned a livelihood by their labor as tent-makers.
The chief subjects of study in these schools were, the law of God with the instructions given to Moses, sacred history, sacred music, and poetry. The manner of instruction was far different from that in the theological schools of the present day, from which many students graduate with less real knowledge of God and religious truth than when they entered. In those schools of olden time, it was the grand object of all study to learn the will of God and the duties of his people. In the records of sacred history, were traced the footsteps of Jehovah. From the events of the past were drawn lessons of instruction for the future. The great truths set forth by the types and shadows were brought to view, and faith grasped the central object of all that system, the Lamb of God who was to take away the sins of the world.
The Hebrew language was cultivated as the most sacred tongue in the world. A spirit of devotion was cherished. Not only were students taught the duty of prayer, but they were taught how to pray, how to approach their Creator, how to exercise faith in him, and how to understand and obey the teachings of his Spirit. Sanctified intellects brought forth from the treasure-house of God, things new and old.
The Spirit of God was signally manifested in these seminaries, in prophecy and sacred song. Upon one occasion a company of prophets met Saul at the "hill of God," not far from Gibeah, with psaltery and tabret, pipe and harp. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, these men were prophesying and praising God with the music of instruments and the voice of song. The Spirit of the Lord and his converting power came also upon Saul, and he prophesied with them.
The art of sacred melody was diligently cultivated in those schools of the prophets. No frivolous waltz was heard, nor flippant song that should extol man and divert the attention from God; but sacred, solemn psalms of praise to the Creator, exalting his name and recounting his wondrous works. Thus music was made to serve a holy purpose, to lift the thoughts to that which was pure and noble and elevating, and to awaken in the soul, devotion and gratitude to God.
How different the objects to which musical talent is often devoted! How many who possess this gift employ it to honor and exalt self, instead of glorifying God! A love for music leads the unwary to unite with world-lovers in pleasure gatherings where God has forbidden his children to go. Thus that which is a great blessing when rightly used, becomes one of Satan's most successful agencies to allure the mind from God and from eternal things.
Music forms a part of God's worship in the courts above. We should endeavor in our songs of praise to approach as nearly as possible to the harmony of the heavenly choirs. I have often been pained to hear untrained voices, pitched to the highest key, literally shrieking the sacred words of some hymn of praise. How inappropriate those sharp, rasping voices for the solemn, joyous worship of God. I long to stop my ears, or flee from the place, and I rejoice when the painful exercise is ended.
Those who make singing a part of divine worship should select hymns with music appropriate to the occasion, not funeral notes, but cheerful yet solemn melodies. The voice can and should be modulated, softened, and subdued.
The proper training of the voice should be regarded as an important part of education. The singer should train himself to utter every word distinctly. It should be remembered that singing as a part of religious service is as much an act of worship as is the prayer. The heart must feel the spirit of the words, to give them right expression. Parents should not employ to instruct their children, a teacher of music who has no reverence for sacred things, nor should they allow them to learn and practice dance songs and frivolous music.
How wide the difference between the schools of ancient times, under the supervision of God himself, and our modern institutions of learning. Few schools are to be found that are not governed by the maxims and customs of the world. There are few in which a Christian parent's love for his children will not meet with bitter disappointment.
In what consists the superior excellence of our systems of education? Is it in the classical literature which is crowded into our sons? Is it in the ornamental accomplishments which our daughters obtain at the sacrifice of health or mental strength? Is it in the fact that modern instruction is so generally separated from the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation? Does the chief excellence of popular education consist in treating the individual branches of study, apart from that deeper investigation which involves the searching of the Scriptures, and a knowledge of God and the future life? Does it consist in imbuing the minds of the young with heathenish conceptions of liberty, morality, and justice? Is it safe to trust our youth to the guidance of those blind leaders who study the sacred oracles with far less interest than they manifest in the classical authors of ancient Greece and Rome?
"Education," remarks a writer, "is becoming a system of seduction." The most bitter feelings, the most ungovernable passions, are excited by the course of unwise and ungodly teachers. There is a deplorable lack of proper restraint and judicious discipline. The minds of the young are easily excited, and drink in insubordination like water.
The existing ignorance of God's word, among a people professedly Christian, is alarming. The youth in our public schools, have been robbed of the blessings of holy things. Superficial talk, mere sentimentalism, passes for instruction in morals and religion; but it lacks the vital characteristics of real godliness. The justice and mercy of God, the beauty of holiness, and the sure reward of right-doing, the heinous character of sin, and the certainty of punishment,—these great truths are not impressed upon the minds of the young.
Skepticism and infidelity, under some pleasing disguise, or as a covert insinuation, too often find their way into school-books. In some instances, the most pernicious principles have been inculcated by teachers. Evil associates are teaching the youth lessons of crime, dissipation, and licentiousness that are horrible to contemplate. Many of our public schools are hot-beds of vice.
How can our youth be shielded from these contaminating influences? There must be schools established upon the principles, and controlled by the precepts, of God's word. Another spirit must be in our schools, to animate and sanctify every branch of education. Divine co-operation must be fervently sought. And we shall not seek in vain. The promises of God's word are ours. We may expect the presence of the heavenly Teacher. We may see the Spirit of the Lord diffused as in the schools of the prophets, and every object partake of a divine consecration. Science will then be, as she was to Daniel, the handmaid of religion; and every effort, from first to last, will tend to the salvation of man, soul, body, and spirit, and the glory of God through Christ.
MY ONLY REFUGE.
LET me fly to Jesus' arms!
Let me find a refuge there,
When the foe my soul alarms,
And would tempt me to despair;
I will trust the changeless love,
That hath pledged itself to save;
Jesus! help me from above,
While life's beating storms I brave.
To thy cross I lift mine eyes,
There in thy dear wounds I see,—
Though my sins before me rise,—
That thy death is life to me!
On this Rock my soul shall rest,
No keen dart shall reach me here,
Leaning on thy loving breast,
Thou wilt calm each rising fear.
Jesus near thy wounded side,
Let me walk from day to day;
Ever with my soul abide,
While I tread life's thorny way;
When the evening shadows fall,
Fading in the darksome west,
O, be thou my all in all,
Thou my everlasting rest.
Special Promises Respecting The Earth.
By By Eld. J. N. Loughborough.
WE have, in the unfulfilled promises of God concerning our earth, conclusive evidence that there is to be a future inheritance. This evidence we will state in the form of a logical argument. The first premise is: God has made certain infallible promises respecting this earth. Second, These promises have not yet been accomplished, and, according to the description the Bible gives of the last days, they cannot meet their accomplishment this side the second advent of Christ. From these premises we must draw the following logical conclusion: Therefore, there is a future for this earth, beyond the second advent of Christ, when the saints of God shall possess it, and when these promises shall be fulfilled.
The first promise of this character to which we will call attention is that of the Lord to Moses, "But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord." There can be no doubt as to the certainty of the fulfillment of this promise; for the Lord has pledged his own life for its accomplishment. The history of the past presents no testimony that the earth has ever thus been filled with the Lord's glory. But, in every age since this prediction, violence, anarchy, and sin, have reigned predominant. It seems in the days of the prophet Habakkuk, the Lord was still pointing his seers to that glorious time as yet future. We read, "For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." To evade the conclusion that this refers to a perfect state, when "the people shall be all righteous," some have suggested that there are islands in the sea which are not covered by the waters, so there may be people, even in this glorious time, that are still rebellious.
To show that this cannot be the meaning of the prophet, we refer again to the first promise quoted above, "All the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord." Jeremiah, the prophet, when speaking of that glorious time in the future, when God's people shall receive the final benefits of the new covenant, says, "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Surely there will be no "islands" of sinners remaining on earth when that blessed time comes.
As these promises have not yet been fulfilled, so also, we claim that they will not be fulfilled this side the second advent of Christ. Some have taught that all the world is to be converted and enjoy a thousand years of peace and quietness prior to Christ's second coming, and that during that thousand years these promises will be fulfilled. The testimony of Christ and that of St. Paul is against the view of any such world's conversion. First we will notice the parable of our Lord concerning the tares of the field: "So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."
Now mark the Saviour's explanation of this parable: He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that soweth them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." From this we see that both righteous and wicked are to be together on earth until the end of the world. Then it is evident that the world will not be converted prior to the second advent.
St. Paul says, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof; from such turn away."
It seems from St. Paul's description that a degenerate mass of nominal professors (having a form of godliness) are to exist in that very time when it is claimed that the world will be converted and enjoy a millennium. There can be no days later than the last, so the "last days" must include the very last day before Christ's coming. The above, then, is a description of the state of things just before our Lord's return. In this same chapter St. Paul says of their course, "As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth." It cannot be that "all the earth" is filled with the glory of the Lord while such a class are still upon it.
We quote again from this apostle, "Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." The doctrines of devils will be taught by seducing spirits, and many will give heed to them. This we understand is already being accomplished by the teachings of modern Spiritualism. The state of things just described, and which we see so rapidly drawing on, does not look like a triumph of the gospel in the last days, or a binding of Satan before the second advent.
Dr. Priest, and other advocates of a world's conversion, say, "Christ is coming spiritually, Satan is to be bound, and a thousand years of millennium to be enjoyed by God's people on earth prior to the Christ's coming to Judgment." The word of God tells of no spiritual second coming of Christ. His testimony to his disciples, when giving their commission to preach the gospel, was, "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, . . . and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." He promises, in this testimony, that his Spirit shall abide with them, even as we read concerning the Comforter which he promised to send, "I will pray the Father, and shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever." It would be folly to talk of a spiritual second advent of Christ before the end of the world, unless it could first be shown that the above promises had failed, and his Spirit had left the world.
Our Lord's coming will be real. When he had given to the disciples their commission to preach the gospel, he ascended up before them literally and bodily into heaven, "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." His coming will be as literal and visible as his ascension into heaven. There is, then, no grounds for the claim that the promise that "the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord," can be fulfilled this side the literal coming of our Lord from Heaven. With reference to the promises of earthly glory thus far noticed, we have sustained our two premises, and now respecting them, draw the logical conclusion: Therefore, there must be,279beyond the second advent, a future state for this earth, when the "glory of God shall fill the earth as the waters cover the sea."
To any who still urge the idea of a millennium prior to Christ's coming, we would say, If you locate a millennium this side of his coming, it will be strongly infected with Romanism. We read in the book of Daniel respecting this "little horn," "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."
St. Paul, when speaking of the same time, and of the same power, calls it, "That man of sin, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped." He further says of this same power, "Whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." Dr. Adam Clarke says, "The general run of Protestant writers understand the whole of this as referring to the popes and church of Rome; or of the whole system of the papacy." If the power thus described is to continue till the coming of Christ, and continue to make war on God's saints, then there cannot surely be a state of millennial glory until after his coming. This doctrine of a world's conversion and a temporal millennium before our Lord's coming is of very modern date. The first man who proclaimed it to any extent was Daniel Whitby, who died A. D. 1726. Previous to his time, as shown in a former article, the almost universal sentiment was that the final inheritance of the new earth would be the fulfillment of the promises respecting the earth.
Kindness in School Discipline
In discussing school discipline, the Toronto Globe says that a sunny face and a kindly tone are mightier forces with the average boy or girl, than the darkest frown or the sternest accents can possibly be. The child is framed by nature to delight as much in activity of mind as of the body, and one does not see why the mental gymnasium should be more irksome than that for the exercise of the muscles, or why the skillful director of the former should not find his work more enjoyable than that of the other.
The Gospel Its Own Attraction.
By W. N. Glenn
BY W. N. GLENN.
THE numerous worldly attractions attached to and thrown around the popular church and popular preaching, at the present time, would lead one to suppose that there were no attractions in the gospel itself. The house of worship is constructed on an aristocratic basis, with everything necessary to make it a center of fashion—no matter what a burden of debt it may entail—on the plea of attracting men “under the sound of the gospel.” All manner of worldly entertainments are put upon the tapis by professors, to show that “Christianity is not all gloominess,” and that Christians may enjoy themselves as others do. The children of the Sunday-schools are much of the time kept under the excitement of drilling for public attraction at the Christmas entertainment, benefit concerts, or the May-day festival. All this is supposed to be the attraction of the gospel.
The fact is, all these things only tend to allure the mind away from the gospel, and to inculcate the idea that without these additions it has no attraction; that of itself it is a gloomy, monotonous proclamation, needing the skillful manipulations of the architect, the painter, upholsterer, musician, and dramatist to make it at all presentable to the refined sensibilities of proud humanity. These worldly follies produce far more of spiritual dearth in the church than of spiritual life out of it. It is “giving the trumpet an uncertain sound.” Men, women, and children, attracted by means of such devices, are generally interested only to the extent of the attraction.
But can the teaching surrounded and overhung by such trimmings be properly styled the gospel? Can those who sanction such things preach a pure gospel in the midst of them? Is not their preaching, to a great extent, like their paraphernalia and religious revelings, executed with a view to pleasing the multitude? Do they, who think the gospel needs these worldly additions to make it attractive, really appreciate it or understand what it is? Do they honor the Saviour with their lives, who still “count reveling for a day, pleasure”? Let the Scriptures answer: “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh, with the affections [passions] and lusts.” “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
I cannot see wherein is the Christian’s self-denial, if he is to live on in fellowship with the world, and if pomp and gayety are to be the attractive features of the gospel. Let the gospel stand on its own footing. “What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?” I cannot imagine anything more attractive to man under sentence of death than the proclamation of life—eternal life.
What is the gospel? It is simply the glad tidings of life for a race of creatures doomed to die. The plain publication of the fact of eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s appointed way of converting men to him, and we have no assurance that they can be converted through any other means. The principle laid down in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus—“They have Moses and the prophets, if they will not hear them they will not believe though one rose from the dead”—holds good to this day. Men are not convinced of sin by means of architecture and drapery, nor by fashion and popular music, nor by creeds and litanies, nor by religious theaters and social revelings, nor by any other man-made schemes. “By grace ye are saved, through faith.” “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.”
All Judea followed John the Baptist into the wilderness, attracted by the simple truth, although he continually confronted them with rehearsals of their sins. The multitudes followed Jesus from place to place, attracted by the plain tidings of salvation, without any modern embellishments whatever. Peter spoke but a few words of plain truth on the day of Pentecost, when three thousand were turned to the Lord. Paul entirely ignored “vain philosophy” and the “enticing words of man’s wisdom,” as well as every species of ostentation and worldly folly, yet his preaching proved to be “the power of God unto salvation.”
Yes, the gospel is brilliant with attraction when presented in its purity, untrammeled by human improvements and substitutes. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth.” Isa. 52:7.
Christian Warfare.
By Dr. Maclaren
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 2 Tim. 2:4.
IN Paul's time there were no standing armies, but men were summoned from their ordinary avocations, and sent into the field. When the hasty call went forth, the plough was left in the furrow, and the web in the loom; the bridegroom hurried from his bride, and the mourner from the bier. All home industries were paralyzed while the manhood of the nation were in the field. That state of things suggests the language here. The word rendered "that warreth" might be more vividly translated, as the Revised Version has it, "on service"—the idea being that as long as a man is on a campaign, he can do nothing else but soldiering. When peace is proclaimed, he may go back to farm or merchandise; but in the field, he has but one thing to do—and that is to fight. He will scarcely win the general's good word on other terms.
Now it is to be noticed, that the parallel of the soldier on service and the Christian in his warfare, fails in this one respect: that the soldier had to abandon entirely all other occupation, even the most needful and praiseworthy, because he could not both do them and fight; but the abandonment of the affairs of this life is not necessary for us, because occupation with them is not incompatible with our Christian warfare. Nay, so far from that, these "affairs" furnish the very fields on which a large part of that warfare is to be waged. If these are abandoned, what is left to fight about? What is our Christian warfare, but the constant struggle with evil in ourselves, and temptation in the world; the constant effort to bring all the activities of our spirits and hands under the power of Christ's law, and to yield our whole selves, in heart, mind, will, and deed, to him? How then can that warfare be waged, and that ennobling self-surrender achieved, but by the heroic, patient effort to deal with all the affairs of this life in a Christ-like temper, and to Christ-pleasing ends? The Christian who abandons any of these is much nearer the frightened deserter who runs from his post, and may expect a stern rebuke, if nothing worse, than the faithful soldier, whose face will one day brighten beneath the smile of his chief.
We must put stress on that word "entangled," if we would rightly understand this saying. It is not occupation with the things of life, but entanglement in them, that is fatal to the possibility of pleasing the King. The metaphor is plain enough, and vivid enough. As some poor struggling fish in the meshes of a net vainly beats its silver scales off, and gasps out its life, and swims no more in the free deep; or as some panting forest creature is checked in its joyous bounding, and, tangled in the half-seen snares, only tightens the cords by its wild plunging; or as some strong swimmer is caught in the long, brown seaweed which clings to his limbs till it drags him under and drowns; so men are snared and caught and strangled by these multitudinous cords and filaments of earthly things.
We are not bound to abandon the affairs of this life, but we are called upon to prevent their interfering with our warfare. If we are caught in the thicket whilst we are pressing on to the fight, out with the bill-hooks and hew it down. It may be full of pretty peeps, where there are shade and singing birds; but if it stands in our way, it has to be grubbed up. "If thy right eye cause thee to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for thee."
But if you have to stand to your post, perilous though it be, lift your heart to Him who can neutralize the poison, and who will so pour health into the veins of his servants that, in the execution of his commands, "they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them." The affairs of this life must not entangle us; that is the one indispensable condition to pleasing him. That they may not, they must always be rigidly subordinated, and used as helps to our higher life. Sometimes, when they cannot be so used, they must be abandoned altogether. Each must settle that for himself. Only let us make it our one great purpose in life that, whether present or absent, we may be well-pleasing to him; and that single, lofty motive will breathe unity into our life, and giving us clear, sure insight into good and evil, will instruct us, by the instinct of hearts and wills tuned to harmony to his, to shun the evil and cleave strenuously to the good. So living, ever looking to his face to catch his smile as our highest reward, it will not be hard to give up anything that hinders the light of his countenance shining upon us. So surrendering, we may hope to be his obedient, and therefore in highest reality his victorious, soldiers. So fighting, we may possess in our hearts the assurance that his wonderful mercy accepts even our poor service as well-pleasing in his sight, and may lay ourselves down in peace on the field where we seem to ourselves to have borne ourselves so badly and been so often beaten, with the wondrous hope to keep us company in the grave, that when the triumph comes, and the King goes up as conqueror, we, even we, shall follow, and receive from his lips the praise, and from his face the smile, which make the highest heaven of reward for all Christ's soldiers.—Dr. Maclaren.
Correct Use of Words.
By S. S. Times
WORDS are of value only as they represent ideas If a word is misused, it is likely to so far misrepresent a truth. A common and a vicious misuse of this sort is in applying the word "worth" to a man's moneyed possessions. "He is worth a hundred thousand dollars." "He is worth millions." Nonsense! Yes, and worse than nonsense. The truth is that the man has a hundred thousand dollars, or has two or three or perhaps twenty or thirty millions of dollars, while perhaps he isn't worth fourteen cents as a citizen, or as a neighbor, or as a fellow-man. Many a man who has a great deal of money isn't worth anything to speak of; and many a man without a hundred dollars in the world is worth millions to the world. But is there any harm in using a word in this way, in its popular sense as distinct from its legitimate meaning? Of course there is. It accustoms one to the idea that the two meanings are interchangeable. A confusion of words brings a confusion of ideas. When a youth finds that a man's bank account is spoken of as the measure of that man's worth, he sees a new meaning in Pope's declaration, "Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow;" And he is not unnaturally inclined to ask with Butler, "For what is worth in anything, But so much money as 'twill bring."
If you want to keep character from being bought and sold in the market, never, never speak of a man as "worth" so many dollars. If that phrase means anything, it means that that is the price of the man's manhood; and if it means that, it isn't kind to speak it out plainly. Say, if you will, that the man has so much money, and that you hope he came by it honestly; but don't say he is "worth" that much, as if you knew what he could be bought for.