Review and Herald, Vol. 28, No. 25. (11/20/1866)

Review and Herald

Nov 20, 1866

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 20, 1866

Glorifying God in All Things.

By C. A. Osgood

“WHATSOEVER ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Cor. x, 31. The word glorify is defined to mean, to make glorious; to give glory to; to extol. When we apply the word to God, we know that it would be impossible to add to his real glory, or excellence, as it would be impossible to add to the splendor of the sun by any thing we can do. When we speak of glorifying God, then, we mean to give glory to him, to “declare his glory,” “to show forth his praises.” And though we can not make him really more glorious, we can, by his grace helping us, make him appear more excellent in the eyes of some; we may remove some obstructions, which hinder the light of the glory of God from shining upon some minds. Man by sin, lives and acts continually to please, gratify and glorify self. He is a “lover of pleasure more than of God.” By grace he is not to “live to himself” but to God. He is required to “present his body a living sacrifice” to God. This is most reasonable, as God is our Creator and Preserver, and from him “cometh every good gift.” We are his property. Our bodies so “fearfully and wonderfully made” are his workmanship. Our mental powers and faculties we have from him. We are his by redemption. We are feeble and constantly dependent upon him. His bounty is our only support. To do all that we do to the glory of God is to be holy; not to do it, is to sin, to disobey the first commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Self is loved, gratified, exalted more than the infinitely great and good Creator, and this is man's great idol. On this subject of glorifying God I remark,

1. That those who suffer reproach and persecution for well-doing, patiently, glorify God. When Christians “do well and suffer for it, this is acceptable to God.” “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you, on their part he is evil spoken of but on your part he is glorified.” O how do love to enemies, and patience under persecution, cause the religion of Christ, the truth of God, and God the author of this religion to shine out, in this dark world, when the children of God do not “render evil for evil, nor railing for railing but contrarywise blessing.” How glorious, then appears the power of God's grace which has rooted out the spirit of revenge from the Christian heart, and keeps his mind in perfect peace.

2. God is glorified when men risk their lives, or even lose them rather than deny his truth, or violate his commands. Our Lord spoke to Peter concerning “the death by which he should glorify God.” John xxi, 19. and Paul said “Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain” to the cause of God. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to break God's law by falling down and worshiping the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up, and commanded to be worshiped, they honored God by a steadfast adherence to the right, and God was glorified in the result, “Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants, that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God.” Among the multitudes then assembled the faithfulness of God's servants was seen, and also his goodness and mighty power to save. So also when Daniel had been cast into the den of lions, because he continued to pray as before, although forbidden to do so by human authorities, and God preserved him, “king Darius wrote to all people, nations, and languages, I make a decree, that in every dominion of my kingdom, men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; for he is the living God, and steadfast forever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in Heaven and earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”

3. We may glorify God, in singing and speaking to his praise. “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth” God. The powers of speech and of song are excellent, these may be used for great good in promoting God's cause. They may be abused so as to diffuse a leaven of impiety and immorality. In singing, people frequently utter “solemn words with a thoughtless tongue.” This should not be. Our words and songs of praise, should be the outburst of humble loving hearts. Then should we sing with grace in our hearts, and make “melody to the Lord.” And thus God will be glorified.

4. We are to glorify God, by recommending the truth of God by precept and example. Said Jesus “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” Good works are good instructions and good examples. A man, if he were to be very moral, kind, and orderly, in his conduct, yet if he made no profession of love to God with his lips, it would not be known that it was the religion of Christ that shaped his conduct, and of course his light would not shine abroad. So he who teaches by word of mouth, the great truths of God, and still lives like an ungodly world, will do more hurt than good. But truthful teaching, correct living, and holy actions, are the things by which we are to “let our light shine” and thus will God be glorified.

5. We are to glorify God by acts of benevolence. Without love we are no better than “sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” Love moves us on to acts of benevolence toward the needy. God is the friend of the poor, the widow and the fatherless. If we would honor him we must seek the welfare of these. When we supply the wants of poor saints we cause thanksgiving to ascend to God. It is now as it was in the days of the apostles. “The administration of this service, not only supplieth the wants of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings to God, while by this ministration, they glorify God by your professed subjection to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution to them and to all men.” 2 Cor. ix, 12, 13.

6. If we would glorify God in all things, we must be strictly temperate. For every species of intemperance, tends in some respect to unfit us for the highest degree of usefulness. To glorify God continually, we need a mind clear, a body sound, a temper always unruffled, a conscience pure and tender. All these are promoted by temperance, but hindered by intemperance. How dyspeptic stomachs, aching heads, nerves unstrung, consciences blunted, minds impaired, and physical strength gone, dishonor that great Being who made us to be wise and good, useful and happy!

7. If we would glorify God aright, we must be acquainted with the times in which we live, and adapt our labors to the necessities of the times. Thus will we “serve our own age by the will of God.” These are evidently the last days. They are days of peculiar danger. Men must be warned of these perils. The stewards of God must “give to the household of God food in due season.” And all saints should “exhort one another daily, and so much the more as they see the day of the Lord approaching.”

Lastly, We are required to “do all” that we do with reference “to the glory of God.” In every act, great or small, this should be the controlling purpose of the mind. In all business transactions, we should regard the interests of others as sacredly as our own. In visiting our friends or neighbors, this great object should be kept in view, the glory of the Lord; and these seasons be spent so as to do and get good, so as to recommend truth and excite those we associate with to get ready for the great day of the Lord. The avocations in life we follow should be honorable and useful, not such as have a tendency to promote intemperance or immorality, or to build up pride or vanity. Yes, in all things, whether we eat or drink, or work or talk, or travel abroad, or stay at home, or write letters, or read books, or attend to our families' wants, or attend meetings, or whatever we do, let us “do all to the glory of God.” Thus doing, and continuing to do, we shall by and by, “be with Christ, behold his glory” and “be glorified” with him.

C. A. Osgood.

Heavenly Home.

By C. H. ROGERS.

While here, I meet with doubts and fears— Heavenly home, dear heavenly home, My couch is wet with midnight tears— Heavenly home, dear heavenly home, O, wearily I mark the hours, That keep me from thy soothing bowers, I'd fain admire thy gorgeous towers, Heavenly home, dear heavenly home.

Sweet promises of thee are given, Heavenly home, dear heavenly home, To cheer the thorny road to Heaven, Heavenly home, dear heavenly home, With thoughts of thee our hearts are pressed While waiting for thy holy rest, And in this rapturous love we're blessed Heavenly home, dear heavenly home.

And soon we hope the crown to win, Heavenly home, dear heavenly home, And worship our redeeming King, Heavenly home, dear heavenly home, We'll then thy glorious beauties know, When freed from all our grief and woe, We've vanquished every tempting foe, Heavenly home, dear heavenly home.

C. H. ROGERS. Menomonie, Wis.

Live to Do Good

Live to do good.

Cheerfulness.

By Henry F. Phelps

Why is it that the shining of the sun is the general rule, and its being clouded the exception? Why is it that Nature is always cheerful? Whether it be in summer or winter, warm or cold; whether in the falling leaf, or the budding tree; whether it be in the driven snow, or the more quiet rain-drops of mid-summer; we can see cheerfulness, something that will do our hearts good to look at. But man, made in the image of his Maker, will go from morning to night, day in and day out, scolding, fretting, and storming about, as though this was the thing for which he was made.

But some who think it a sin to scold and fret will wear a sober face, yea, more, a scowl, a frown; a cloud will be visible from morn till night, as though a storm was gathering, but never bursting. For my part, I had rather see the deep black clouds, the heavy thunder, and the big drops descending in torrents, and then the bright sunshine, than to see dull, heavy clouds, the continual mist, but no storm. If it is impossible for individuals to wear a cheerful countenance at all times, let the clouds gather and burst; but be sure and get off alone somewhere first, so as not to darken another's pathway. A better way would be, when we feel the clouds gathering, to go away in secret, and pray to our Father who seeth in secret, that we may be rewarded openly, with a cheerful, healthful countenance, ready to distribute a few rays of light to all we meet. I am persuaded that despondency arises more from imaginary evils, than from real ones. I often think in the language of another, “This world is not so bad as some would like to make it.” Although this earth bears the marks of sin, and the curse, and is not a desirable place to live in, in comparison with the better world, yet if people would resolve to come down, as it were, and live for the present, with a determination to make our present trials as light as possible, never borrowing trouble for the future, but, being contented, cheerful, and happy, all would go off much better.

What did Paul mean when he said that we should be “sociable”? If he did not have his eye upon some of his brethren, say down here in these last days, who were liable to go to an extreme in obeying the injunctions “to be sober,” and to “be diligent in business,” I do not know whom he did mean. They are so “sober” that they never smile in their families, so “diligent in business” that they never find time to do anything to make home agreeable.

But, as I write this, I become more and more convinced that the chips fly in my own face. That the proverb, “Physician, heal thyself,” will apply at home so well that I am determined to make an effort to reform. I know that often when I see myself in the glass, I wonder if that is the countenance I have been wearing all the morning, and do not wonder that the birds did n't sing as sweetly as usual, and that somehow or other things went wrong. But I am thankful that I have at times had grace to turn away with a brighter face, and go to the table with a resolution to try to “be sociable.”

“Oh, let the ungentle spirit learn from hence, A small unkindness is a great offence, and so live that others may admire in us a “happy human face.”

HENRY F. PHELPS.

Like Past, Like Present.

By S. A. DOUD.

In Paul's first epistle to the Corinthian church, we find the following: “I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it.” 1 Cor. ii, 18. While reading this, I was struck with its similarity to the present time, and my sympathies went out to the messengers of present truth.

We read that Paul labored a year and six months at Corinth; that God was with him: Acts xviii, 11; that he had gathered a flourishing church in the name of the Lord Jesus; that all things were in order when he left them for another field of labor, as he had much to do for the cause of Christ. Yet he was ever mindful of those he had left, and letter followed letter to encourage, strengthen, or reprove, as they stood in need. The converts, like those of the present time, had much to contend with and often failed. Party strifes entered the church. Some did not believe in the simplicity of the apostle's teachings. They wished to move along in a little gayer style, and thought it all foolishness to be so particular. Certain ones desired to manage affairs to suit themselves. The report goes to Paul. Hear his reply: “I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it.” He is loth to believe it. The thought is too painful. He had done his very best to serve them. It all comes fresh to his mind, and he tells them that “he was servant to all; that he labored with his hands, that he might be chargeable to none, while he taught them the way, the truth, and the life.” Many believed the truth, forsook their traditions, threw away their idols, and began to walk in newness of life. Oh! how he loved them, and how they loved each other. But now he hears of divisions. He knows they have ceased to love; for where love is, there is unity, peace, and good-will. How his heart aches as he tells them what he has done to win them to Christ; tells them of his own warfare, and how much he needs their prayers. He entreats, exhorts, and finally commends them to God.

Now for the comparison. The messengers go out with the third angel's message, and kindred truths. Many are constrained to believe, and forsake the traditions of men, cleave unto the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, throw away their idols, crucify the lusts of the flesh, and commence the work of fitting themselves to meet their Redeemer. Oh, how they love their God and fellow-men.

“Now each can feel his brother's sigh, And with him bear a part; When sorrow flows from eye to eye, And joy from heart to heart.”

The servants feel that through their Master's strength they have done a good work. They commend the church to God, and go again among strangers to serve their Lord, desiring an interest in the prayers of those who love and obey the truth. For a time, all goes well with the church. Cheering are the reports. Oh, how they encourage the poor care-worn servants, and lighten their burdens. The dear brethren and sisters are faithful. Often in their dreams they meet and hold sweet communion. They seem to see the tear of sympathy flow, while they speak of their trials without, and temptations within. They feel strong to work; for their hands are upheld.

But there comes a change. What is the matter now? Like Paul, they, too, hear of divisions in the church. The enemy has been at work and found the weak points, and has created an enmity between its members. They see each other's faults. This matter is wrong, and that is wrong, till all is wrong. Then we hear them say, I will leave the church if A or B does not! Oh, where is the love that so lately bound them? Is it all gone? Where are the spiritual ones to restore such as are overtaken in a fault? Where is the forgiving spirit that forgives until seventy times seven? Do they think for a moment of the anguish they are causing those who have labored for, and taught them better things? Do they think how discouraging such reports are, when, like Paul, the absent ones are forced to believe it?

Dear brother, sister, in Christ, be warned and counseled by these words of our Saviour, “It is impossible but that offences will come; but woe unto him through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him, and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him.” Luke xvii, 1–5,

Do these things that thou mayest live in unity, and may the God of peace bless and keep you steadfast, unmoveable, and always abounding in good works. S. A. DOUD.

The Peace of God.

By Bonar

The world is not at rest, is not at peace. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked,” and this world, lying as it does in the wicked one, has no peace. It craves for peace, but the peace comes not. It multiplies its appliances to produce the peace, but it comes not. It multiplies its lusts, but peace comes not. It multiplies its manifold amusements—balls, theatres, operas, and the like—but the peace comes not. And in the hearts of the millions there is this craving for a peace which has never yet been known by them—a peace for which they were made (were we not made for peace!). Yet these hearts are filled with everything except peace. There is no peace for the world, and the wars and rumors of war which we hear on every side tell us that just as the world is without pardon, so it is without peace.

And yet there is such a thing as pardon, and there is such a thing as peace, and there is such a thing as being peaceful in a stormy world, peaceful in the midst of a warring world. There is such a thing as peace, and it is this peace which we, as followers of the Prince of Peace, profess to have received. We have received peace; the world has not. We have received peace in receiving the foundation on which the peace is built.

The first announcement of this peace in Scripture seems to us a strange one. It seems not like peace, but war. It is, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman,” etc. That is the first announcement of this peace. It is the announcement of the foundation of it, and it seems strange to us. For it is the announcement of peace, and yet it speaks of war. It is the announcement of war, of war between God and man’s enemy, and that is peace. It is the announcement of war between man and man’s enemy; and that is peace, for it is peace upon the foundation of Him who is the woman’s seed, the Man with the bruised heel; and this is peace. So while this first announcement seems like a proclamation of war, it is in reality the foundation of peace—peace to us, and peace ultimately to the world, when he who is the Prince of Peace shall come to establish his reign of peace.

But in this twofold proclamation of war and peace we have three things. There is enmity, there is conflict, and there is victory. There is enmity between Christ and the serpent, or the serpent’s seed; conflict between Him and the serpent and the serpent’s seed; victory—his victory—a partial victory at first, apparently a being overcome by the bruising of his heel, but a final victory, a victory of which we have the commencement at his first coming, of which the consummation shall be at his second coming, and of which we have an earnest now, in that prophecy of the Apostle, “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.” The message which came from heaven when the Seed of the woman was announced on earth, was, “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace;” and you remember how the multitude which formed that wonderful retinue of Jesus on his entrance into Jerusalem, gave utterance to the shout, “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” The first announcement is heaven speaking to earth: the second is earth speaking up to heaven, as if the whole circle of the universe were taken in; as if the fountain opened in Paradise, and more fully opened at Bethlehem, was pouring out its full waters on heaven and earth; as if it were not earth only which was to drink in the peace and be reconciled, but as though heaven itself was to drink in a new joy from Him who is the Prince of Peace.

We find some remarkable expressions concerning this peace in the New as well as in the Old Testament. We have God’s character as the God of peace. Is that the God we worship, or is it an unknown God in whom we have no peace at all? He is called “the very God of peace.” If we have approached Him at all, we must have found something of this peace, for by coming in contact with this God of peace, through the reconciliation of Calvary, we have peace with God. This is what we come preaching—“preaching peace by Jesus Christ.” Peace, “peace to him that is afar off, and

to them that are nigh.” If there is one far-off sinner here, one unreconciled man or woman here, we preach peace to you now, that you may enter into it, and that it may enter into you.

But there is something more about this peace. It is not merely peace from God, but the peace of God. Not the peace of the world, nor the peace of the flesh, nor the peace of man, but the “peace of God.” And lest any should suppose it is but in a small measure, it is added, “which passeth all understanding.” To this full peace we are called, on this full peace we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. It is as gathering around this standard of peace we meet today. It is around this footstool of peace we have already knelt; around this peace we rejoice as common partakers of the grace and of the peace of our God and Father. Brethren, that peace which was first announced to our first parents in Paradise, the peace which was accomplished on Golgotha, that peace is a divine peace, an eternal peace, a holy peace, too holy to be tampered with, or turned to unholy uses. So, he who says, “I have peace,” and lives a worldly life, is a liar. There is no peace in him. He who says, “I have peace,” and yet conforms to the world, is a liar, for he knows not the foundations of peace which lie far back in what I have already mentioned—the enmity, the conflict, and the victory; and, if he knows not these, he should give up the name altogether. This peace separates us entirely from the world. It not only gives us no relish for the things of the world, but an abhorrence of them; nay, it brings in enmity between us, and daily conflict, though, in the end, daily victory. And it is this victory which is described in that promise to the church at Ephesus, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” That promise carries us back to Eden, and to the tree of life in the midst of the garden. Take all the seven promises to the churches, but take them in connection with the enmity, and the conflict, and the victory. Remember, whilst there is the glory unspeakable; the kingdom which cannot be moved, the inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and which fadeth not away—whilst there is the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God—whilst there is the Morning Star—the seat on the Father’s throne—yet there is the enmity, the conflict, and the victory; and the promise is “to him that overcometh.”—Bonar.

The Folly of Self-Praise

The man who trumpets his own fame will soon have no fame to trumpet.

The General Apprehension.

CARDINAL CULLEN of Dublin, Ireland, has issued a pastoral bewailing the condition and prospects of the Pope, as apparently about to be driven from the Holy City, and ordering a day of fasting and prayer that these evils may be averted. The cardinal says that when the French troops leave Rome “then will the agents of the excommunicated king of Sardinia and of the secret societies re-establish their reign of terror in Rome, and drive the weak and corrupt Romans to vote the deposition of the Pope and the annexation of the Papal states to the kingdom of Italy; then will be completed the spoliation of the vicar of Christ, not less by the cowardice and treachery of his friends than by the injustice and impiety of his foes; then will all the powers of hell be exerted anew to crush his spiritual supremacy. He will not have left whereon to lay his head. Like his Divine master, he will be loaded with insults and charged with crimes; he will be deprived of liberty—it may be of life. Such are the events which, in the ordinary course of human affairs, we may expect very soon to witness.”—Springfield Republican.

A curious and not very satisfactory reason is given for the contentment of the English churchmen with existing evils. “A general expectation prevails among the clergy of the established church that the personal advent of the Lord Jesus is near at hand, and that all things must grow worse and worse till he comes; and, therefore, they acquiesce in “things as they are,” almost without a murmur.”—Ibid.

Lady preachers are becoming popular. Two young ladies preached last Sunday at Washbourne Hall, Bayswater, on the coming of Christ. The dates fixed for the second advent are between 1870 and 1875.—London Correspondent of the N. Y. “Round Table.”

France just now offers a promising field to the Second Adventists. The end of the world is a very popular topic. Even the skeptics are beginning to talk in a religious strain of “signs and tokens;” but their newly-found religion takes a very gloomy color. The continual rain, the extraordinary character of the late events in Germany, the disturbed condition of the continent, apparently pointing to further convulsions, the cholera, and the precarious state of the Emperor’s health, all contribute to the general depression, and induce some people to suppose that the end of things is approaching.—Ibid.

Rev. Dr. C. B. Smyth of New York, preached a sermon on Fenianism, last Sunday, in which he said the Fenians were not organized to deliver Ireland, but for the great battle of Armageddon and the last struggle of Popery.—Ibid.

The Septuagint Translation, and the 2300 days.

MR. CUNNINGHAM, on page 287, of his work on the Revelation, published in 1813, says: “I have shown in a paper, in the Christian Observer, for May 1811, that every edition of the Septuagint in existence, and also the Vatican, MS. agree with the Hebrew text, in rendering two thousand three hundred days, with the sole exception of the Vatican edition, which is the most modern of all the original editions of the Septuagint.” The foregoing shows clearly that there is no confidence whatever to be placed in the Septuagint rendering —“2400 days,” since this rendering is not to be found in any of the older editions, where it should be if this reading is correct. But since all the older editions of the Septuagint agree with the Hebrew, there can be no question but that “two thousand and three hundred days,” is correct.—Herald of Bridegroom.

Steam Around the World

STEAM AROUND THE WORLD.— A Philadelphia paper calls attention to the fact that the beginning of the new year will witness the inauguration of unbroken steam communication around the globe, to be thenceforth prosecuted as regularly as the arrival and departure of European steamships at our wharves. The steamship Henry Chauncey will sail on the 11th of December for the Isthmus; will connect there with the Golden City for San Francisco; and from San Francisco, on the first day of January, the steamship Colorado will sail for Yokohama, in Japan, and Hong Kong, in China. If, arrived at the latter port, the passenger wishes to still journey westward, he can proceed by the boats of the Peninsular and Oriental Company to Bombay, and onward through the Red Sea to the Isthmus of Suez, which, crossed by rail, conducts to the British line of Mediterranean steamers, touching at Malta and Gibraltar, and arrive in England, where a few hours of railway will enable him to take passage in one of a dozen lines of steamships for this country—the supposed point of departure.

The Pope May Leave Rome

The Pope is in trouble. His stay in Rome may terminate abruptly almost any day. A recent letter from Milan, Italy, says:

“There is a great deal of nervousness at Rome. The volunteer legion is rather an expensive luxury—neither useful nor ornamental. It has shown such a mutinous spirit that it begins to be doubted whether another regiment will not be needed to enforce discipline in its pious ranks. It is intimated that if it would frighten Italy—if the Italians would be duly horrified at the spectacle—the Pope would leave Rome for a season. Now nothing would so delight the nation as the departure of the Holy Father from Rome. The day has passed when Popes can be begged to return, as the plebs used to do when they emigrated to a more salubrious climate. The Roman Court is so governed by traditions that it is hoped that Pio Nono may cut the knot of Roman difficulty by taking himself away. He may return again, but when he comes he will find a cleaner, better governed and a happier Rome than he will leave behind him. The Papal authorities do not yet comprehend the situation. They have barely heard of Sadowa, and until yesterday did not believe Italy would obtain Venetia.

“When they come to see that Italy has won, that Austria will not interfere to save Rome, that the French troops will surely go away, they will then probably do the worst thing under the circumstances—and the voluntary exile of Pio Nono is likely enough to be that thing.”

California Christian Sabbath Association

CALIFORNIA is to be enlightened on the subject of Sabbath-keeping, so called. Citizens of San Francisco have organized a “California Christian Sabbath Association,” with H. P. Coon, Mayor, for President. They have issued an appeal, and sent a traveling agent through the State, who is to organize an efficient Committee in every county, to carry out the objects of the Association. They have also sent for a large supply of the documents of the New York Sabbath Committee.—Sabbath Recorder.

THE DROUGHT IN CHINA.—A letter, dated Pekin, the 1st of August, says:

For the last eleven months there has not been, one may say, a drop of rain at Pekin nor in the surrounding country. The crops have been withered up while standing, and the cultivators are reduced to extreme distress. The absence of rain in summer, and of snow in winter, forms a real public calamity, which occupies the most earnest attention of the Chinese Government. In these cases, it is the custom of the Celestial Empire to ordain fasts, general prayer, and expiatory ceremonies.

Confidence in Divine Protection.

MAN may trouble and distress me, 'Twill but drive me to thy breast; Life with trials hard may press me, Heaven will bring me sweeter rest. Oh! 'tis not in grief to harm me, While thy love is left to me; Oh! 'twere not in joy to charm me, Were that joy unmixed with thee.

RUSSIAN AMERICAN ALLIANCE.—

The Russian papers are discussing the subject of an American alliance apparently with great favor—one prominent journal holding that no other alliance is possible; and another, referring to our procurement of a naval station in the Mediterranean, says:

“The nearer the time approaches for the dissolution of the Turkish Empire, the more do our interests demand that part of that Empire should revert to the United States. When the latter possess a naval station in the Mediterranean, the American flag will be able to prevent the fleets of Western Europe making a forcible entry into the Black Sea, while our Baltic fleet will protect American interest in the North of Europe.”

Fire Losses in the United States

DURING the year 1865, the losses by fire in the United States exceeded forty-three millions of dollars, while the average for the preceding eleven years was just about half that amount. The losses during 1866 will probably double those of 1865, inasmuch as they were calculated in the beginning of July, after the great fire in Portland, at $44,286,000.

Spiritualist’s Suicide

Richard Ayers, a noted Spiritualist, hung himself at Pittsburg, Pa., last Saturday. He had for a long time been laboring under a kind of mania that his body was bewitched by some adverse spirits.

Pill-Box Factory

A PILL-BOX factory in Bristol, Vermont, uses up 300 cords of birch wood per annum.

Pills and Coffins

cords of birch wood per annum. And the pills create a demand for as many more cords for coffins.

While We Live, Let Us Live

“Dum vivimus vivamus”—“While we live, let us live.” “Live while you live,” the epicure would say, “And seize the pleasures of the present day.” “Live while you live,” the sacred preacher cries, “And give to God each moment as it flies. Lord! in my views, let both united be; I live in pleasure, when I live to thee!

Honor Better Than Despicable Fame

Better be honorable and be despised than to be despicable and be honored.

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