p. 25 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 2. (1/14/1886)

Earlier text: The Ostrogoths and the Visigoths

The Law and the Gospel Co-Extensive.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

IN Nehemiah 9:13 we find the following words in the Levites' confession to God: "Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai; and spakest with them from Heaven, and gavest them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments." Here we have reference made to true laws and good statutes. A good and true law would in every case condemn sin; therefore the law here referred to is of the same character as that which, being transgressed, makes it necessary for the gospel to be preached. This law was given upon Mount Sinai; so we examine the law there given, to see if it meets the requirements.

In the 19th of Exodus we have a description of the preparation of the people to hear the law from Sinai. We read:—

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day; for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai." Ex. 19:10, 11.

"And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether [lower] part of the mount. And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly." Ex. 19:16-18.

This was the condition of Mount Sinai when from it God spoke "true laws, good statutes and commandments." Chapter 20, verses 3 to 17, contains the words which God spoke at that time. We quote them in full:—

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
"Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
"Thou shalt not kill.
"Thou shalt not commit adultery.
"Thou shalt not steal.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's."

These are the words which the Lord spoke in the hearing of all the people, from the midst of the fire and smoke upon Mount Sinai. Soon afterward he spoke to Moses, as follows:—

"Come up to me into the mount, and be there; and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayst teach them." Ex. 24:12.

Accordingly we find by reading the remaining verses of the chapter, that Moses went up into the mount, and remained there with God forty days and forty nights. While he was there, the Lord gave him minute directions concerning the building of the sanctuary. Then we read:—

"And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." Ex. 31:18.

"And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables." Ex. 32:15, 16.

Then we are told how Moses, as he drew near the camp, saw the golden calf, and the people dancing around it, "and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath [at the foot of] the mount." But this was not the end of the matter; for very soon we read thus:—

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first; and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou breakest." Ex. 34:1.

We will now read the words of Moses, as he rehearses the whole matter to the Israelites, just before his death. We begin with the point last quoted:—

"At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou breakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark. And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand. And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them unto me. And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me." Deut. 10:1-5.

One more quotation on this point. In the course of Moses's final address to the people, in which he rehearsed all their history in the wilderness, he repeated the substance of the ten commandments, and at the close he said:—

"These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice; and he added no more; and he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me." Deut. 5:22.

The gist of these texts of Scripture may be expressed as follows: The good and true laws which were spoken upon Sinai (Neh. 9:13), were the ten commandments, found in Ex. 20:3-17; these ten commandments were written by God himself on two tables of stone; and there was nothing spoken to the people by the Lord, except that which was placed upon the tables of stone. Deut. 5:22. Therefore the words found in Ex. 20:3-17, and no others, form the ten commandments, the perfect law of God.

But what has this to do with the gospel? Just this: We found that the gospel is the remedy for sin, which is the transgression of the law; and that the law must be in force as long and as extensively as the gospel is preached. We were concerned to know what law it is, the transgression of which makes it necessary for the gospel to be preached, and we have now found it. One more step completes the identification. It is this:—

Paul says (Rom. 7:7): "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, 'Thou shalt not covet.'" The law here referred to must be the same law that is referred to in John 3:4, because it is one that points out sin; it does this because it is "holy, and just, and good." Therefore it is the law to which the gospel relates. And what law is it? It is the law which condemns unlawful desire, by saying, "Thou shalt not covet." But this is the last one of the ten commandments. Therefore we have proved to a demonstration that the ten commandments of Ex. 20:3-17,—those commandments which were spoken by Jehovah, in the mount, out of the midst of the fire, of the smoke, and of the thick darkness, and which were written on two tables of stone and deposited in the ark,—form the law which points out sin. They are the law which has been universally trodden under foot, making it necessary that the gospel should be preached in all the world, to every creature; and therefore it is as plain as the Scripture can make it, that they are still binding upon every creature in every part of the world. If it were otherwise, there would be no sin, and consequently no need of the gospel. Whoever, therefore, says that he is not under the jurisdiction of those ten commandments, virtually says that he has no sin; and whoever says that he has no sin, places himself outside of the gospel plan; for "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," and no others. His salvation has reference only to those who have transgressed the law of God, the ten commandments.

The above argument is, we think, so conclusive as to make it almost unnecessary to notice the assumption that the gospel of Christ is that which points out sin. If this were true, we should have Christ introducing the gospel into the world in order to save men from the rejection of it! That is, the remedy for the disease creates the disease, the remedy being introduced to cure that which without it would never have existed! Such an absurdity is too puerile to be entertained for a moment. The gospel must relate to something outside of and prior to itself. Since the gospel saves from sin, it is evident that sin existed before the gospel, and that it continues to exist so long as the gospel exists; and since sin is the transgression of the law, it is just as evident that the law existed before there was sin, and, consequently, before there was any gospel or any need of it, and that it exists as long, at least, as the gospel exists.

The testimony of men can never add force to that of the Bible; but to show that the view taken here is not a peculiar one among Christians, we quote from two men, both eminent for scholarship and piety:—

"The ordinary method of God is to convict sinners by the law, and that only. The gospel is not the means which God hath ordained, or which our Lord himself used, for this end. We have no authority in Scripture for applying it thus, nor any ground to think it will prove effectual. Nor have we any more ground to expect this from the nature of the thing. 'They that be whole,' as our Lord himself observes, 'need not a physician, but they that are sick.' It is absurd, therefore, to offer a physician to them that are whole, or that at least imagine themselves so to be. You are first to convince them that they are sick; otherwise they will not thank you for your labor. It is equally absurd to offer Christ to those whose heart is whole, having never yet been broken. It is, in the proper sense, casting pearls before swine. Doubtless they will trample them under foot; and it is no more than you have reason to expect, if they also turn again and rend you."—Wesley's Works, Vol. 1, Sermon 35.

"The law of God, in its great and solemn injunctions, should be distinctly set forth. Our congregations should be gathered as around the base of Mount Sinai, while from its summit is heard the voice of God in those commandments which are unalterable and eternal in their character. The effect of these utterances will be, that consciences will be awakened, and hearts will tremble. Some will say, with Moses, 'I do exceedingly fear and quake,' when they behold the majesty of the law, the purity of God, and their own impurity. Others may be repelled, and will say, 'Let not God speak to us any more.' Some will object to the sternness of the law, and will say, 'Prophesy smooth things;' but still that law must be preached. It brings the sinner to a recognition of his sins in having transgressed God's holy law, and shows him the fearfulness of the doom which is impending over him.

"The law must be followed by the gospel; the awakened sinner must be pointed to the Saviour, that he may see and feel that, deep as are the stains of his transgressions, the blood of Christ can wash them all away. There are many preachers who love to dwell on the gospel alone. They talk sweetly and beautifully of the fatherhood of God. This is well. It is more than well, it is essential. But sometimes they go beyond this, and declaim against the preaching of the law—intimate that it belongs to a past age, a less civilized society; that men can best be moved by love alone, and they rely wholly on its attractive power. Such a gospel may rear a beautiful structure, but its foundation is in the sand. No true edifice can be raised without its foundations being dug deep by repentance toward God, and then shall the rock be reached, and the building shall be strong through faith in Jesus Christ. The law without gospel is dark and hopeless; the gospel without law is inefficient and powerless. The one leads to servitude, the other to antinomianism. The two combined produce 'charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.'"—Bishop Simpson, in "Lectures on Preaching," pp. 128, 129.

The obligation which rests upon all mankind to keep the law of God, will be considered more at length in future articles. E. J. W.

Jesting upon Scripture.

THE evils arising from this practice are greater than appear at first. It leads, in general, to irreverence for Scripture. No man would jest with the dying words of his father or his mother; yet the words of God are quite as solemn. When we have heard a comic or vulgar tale connected with a text of Scripture, such is the power of association that we never hear the text afterward without thinking of the jest. The effect of this is obvious. He who is much engaged in this kind of false wit, will come at length to have a large portion of Holy Scripture spotted over by this unholy fancy.

Encyclical Letter of Pope Pius XIII.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

(Concluded.)

BUT as the pope proceeds, he grows more bold, and speaks out the popish views so plainly that it would seem that even the most blind Protestant might take the alarm. He says:—

"These, then, are the things taught by the Catholic Church concerning the constitution and government of the State. Concerning these sayings and decrees, if a man will only judge dispassionately, no form of government is, per se, condemned so long as it has nothing repugnant to Catholic doctrine, and is able, if wisely and justly managed, to preserve the State in the best condition. Nor is it, per se, to be condemned whether the people have a greater or less share in the government; for at certain times, and with the guarantee of certain laws, such participation may appertain, not only to the usefulness, but even to the duty of the citizens. Moreover, there is no just cause that any one should condemn the Church as being too restricted in gentleness, or inimical to that liberty which is natural and legitimate. In truth, the Church judges it not lawful that the various kinds of divine worship should have the same right as the true religion; still it does not condemn those governors of States, who, for the sake of acquiring some great good, or to prevent great ill, patently bear with manners and customs, so that each kind of religion has its place in the State."

Let no one think that "the Church" would lay out a cast-iron rule for the government of States. Let not patriotic Americans be alarmed. The pope does not condemn a Republican form of government, nor indeed any other form of government, per se, if it will only work for the interests of the papacy. The Catholic Church is just as well satisfied to control a senate or a legislature as it is to control a king. And let no one, says the crafty Leo, condemn the Church for its leniency in tolerating other forms of worship than the Catholic, because it does not now, any more than it ever did, judge it lawful that the various kinds of divine worship should have the same right as the Catholic religion; but, owing to its present "unfavorable position," it is not able to "interfere" as much as it would like to. And, moreover, the Roman Church, so great is its kindness, does not condemn those rulers who allow "each kind of religion" to have "its place in the State," since, on account of existing circumstances, they cannot help themselves. That is, the pope does not condemn rulers for not persecuting Protestants, when they have not the power to do so! What marvelous gentleness!

And then, as if to emphasize the fact that the Catholic Church still cherishes, as a precious legacy, the principles (or, rather, the lack of principles), which caused Huss and Jerome and thousands of others to be burned at the stake, the pope says:—

"Therefore at so critical a juncture of events, Catholic men, if, as it behooves them, they will listen to us, will easily see what are their own and each other's duties in matters of opinion as well as of action. And the formation of opinion, whatsoever things the Roman pontiffs have handed down, each and every one is it necessary to hold in firm judgment, well understood, and as often as occasion demands, openly to declare."

But how shall these wise and humane recommendations be carried into effect? The pope provides for this as follows:—

"But generally, as we have said, to wish to take no part in public affairs would be in that degree vicious, in which it brought to the common weal neither care nor work; and on this account the more so, because Catholic men are bound by the admonitions of the doctrine which they profess, to do what has to be done with integrity and with faith. If, on the contrary, they are idle, those whose opinions do not in truth give any great hope of safety, would easily get possession of the reins of government. This also would be attended with danger to the Christian name, because they would become most powerful who are badly disposed to the Church, and those least powerful who are well disposed. Wherefore it is evident that there is just cause for Catholics to undertake the conduct of public affairs; for they do not assume these responsibilities to approve of what is not lawful in the methods of government at this time; but in order that they may turn these very methods, as far as may be, to the unmixed and true public good, holding this purpose in their minds, to infuse into all the veins of the commonwealth the wisdom and virtue of the Catholic religion."

Is there any one who cannot see the meaning of this? Is it an innocent and harmless recommendation? Read it again carefully. Catholic men ought to take active part in public affairs. Well, is there any reason why they should not? No; a Catholic has as good a right to vote as anybody else has; but we would have professed Protestants alive to the object for which they vote, so that it may be defeated. Why should Catholic men not be idle in public affairs? Because if they are, those who are not favorable to popish assumptions will get the reins of government. This must not be allowed. No one need think that a Catholic, by becoming active in the politics of a Government that is non-Catholic, does so because he approves of that form of Government, but because he designs to turn "these very methods" to the support of the "public good." In other words, the pope is anxious to use even this Republican Government for the support of papal pretensions.

In connection with the last quotation, read the following:—

"The means to seek these ends can scarcely be laid down upon one uniform plan, since they must suit places and times different from each other. Nevertheless, in the first place, let concord of wills be preserved, and a likeness of things to be done be sought for. And each will be attained the best, if all shall consider the admonitions of the apostolic see a law of conduct, and shall obey the bishops."

What does this mean? It means that whatever methods varying circumstances demand should be employed. Only one object is in view, and that is to secure the advancement of the Roman Catholic religion, to the exclusion of all other forms of worship. It means that whether in Europe or in the United States, the Roman Catholic who engages in politics is to "consider the admonitions of the apostolic see a law of conduct," and to "obey the bishops." It means that a steady and untiring effort is being made to bring the United States, as well as

all other Governments, under the dictation of a foreign, ecclesiastical ruler, the representative of that "man of sin," "who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped." We claim that these conclusions are legitimately drawn from the letter of Pope Leo XIII., and not only so, but that these things are plainly stated in that letter. Every candid person must testify that we have not wrested the pope's meaning in the slightest degree. His words speak for themselves.

And now some one will ask: Do you really imagine that the pope will ever gain such control as he desires? Not in this country; but the danger is none the less, notwithstanding. When Protestants can see nothing but what is perfectly allowable in such a letter as that of the pope's, and can even commend it, it shows that the principles of what is nowadays termed Protestantism are not very different from those of Catholicism. The angel of Revelation, who announced the judgment of the great harlot, Babylon, declared that "all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Rev. 18:3. Fornication, when applied to a church, means connection with the world, which, on the part of the church, is always unlawful; and the position which the majority of professed Protestants take concerning the pope's views on "the Christian Constitution of States," shows that people are fast becoming intoxicated with the pleasing idea that the church, instead of depending alone on the pure words of the gospel, ought to unite with the world, that it may secure support from it. So intoxicated are they that their vision is affected, so that they cannot see anything wrong in the demands of the papacy. Surely it cannot be long before the likeness to the beast will be completed. And when this unholy union has been consummated, then we may be sure that all the wrath of offended supreme power will be visited upon those who will maintain their allegiance to God alone.

We are willing to be called alarmists, for we are commanded to "sound an alarm." Joel 2:1. God grant that many may heed the alarm, and in keeping "the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus," may find a safe refuge from the unmingled wrath of God, infinitely greater and more terrible than that of all the nations of earth, which is sure to be visited upon all who worship either the beast or his image. E. J. W.

The Missionary.

By E. G. White

A Warning.

"THE ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

The foolish rich man loved and served himself. If he had loved God supremely, he would not have accumulated so great treasures that there would be lack of room to bestow them. Had he used his goods to supply the necessities of the poor, there would have been no need of tearing down his barns, and building greater. By employing his wealth as a bounty lent him of God with which to do good, he would have become rich in good works, would have laid up treasure in Heaven. But he disregarded the principles of the divine law. He did not love God supremely, nor his neighbor as himself.

While enjoying the gifts of Heaven, he failed to acknowledge whence all his possessions came. These earthly benefits he allowed to take his mind and absorb his affections so that the Giver was forgotten. He claimed as his own that which God had lent him. No grateful thanks ascended to his gracious Benefactor. The Master who had intrusted to him earthly riches with which to bless his fellow-men and glorify his Master, was justly angry at his ingratitude.

This parable illustrates the sin and danger of a self-serving life. Poor are the devotees of mammon. They have embezzled the Lord's goods, placed their own name where God's name should be written, and robbed the soul of his love and favor. "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." There are a greater number following the example of the foolish rich man than we imagine. The worship due to God is given to money. That which can satisfy the earthly, sensual faculties is sought as the highest good. Many show that they will not trust God's promises, but are trusting to property for happiness. They may call themselves rich, but God calls them poor. Men who claim to acknowledge God, forget him and disown him. They turn from the heavenly treasure for worldly pleasures and enjoyments, until the patience of God is exhausted, and he says, "This night thy soul shall be required of thee." "Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches."

These warnings are for us, and it is for our interest to heed them. They should be repeated as earnestly, and set home as pointedly, as is the gospel of salvation through Christ. But though so plainly given by our Lord himself, but few dwell upon these lessons, because they would disturb the complacency of the rich man who lives for selfish enjoyment. Ministers have but little to do with these sharp warnings. God's professed people are not told of their danger. They follow the example of the foolish rich man, and flatter themselves they have all that the soul requires.

Listen to the words of your Redeemer: "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them." Riches are mine. I have placed them in your hands to be wisely employed in my service, to aid the suffering, to invest in opening the gospel to those who are in darkness. Riches must not be your trust, your god, or your saviour.

The channels for doing good are many, and they stand wide open. Your barns are large, too large already. If they overflow, instead of building larger, send your treasure before you into Heaven. There are widows to feed, orphans to be taken under the guardianship of your home, and share your ample stores; there are souls perishing for the bread of life; missions are to be supported, meeting-houses to be built. If God's cause demands a part, not only of your interest, but of your principal, you are to give back to him his own. He calls upon you to sow now, that you may reap your harvest with eternal joy.

God's gifts increase as they are imparted. We see this illustrated in the case of the poor widow whom the prophet Elisha, by a miracle, relieved from debt. She had only one jar of oil; but the prophet told her to borrow vessels of her neighbors, and the oil poured from that one jar continued to flow till all the vessels were filled. The supply ceased only when no more vessels were brought to receive it. So it will be now. So long as we let the gifts of God flow into channels of good, the Lord will supply the flow.

Christ says to his sons and daughters, "Ye are the light of the world." But who gave you light? You did not have it in you naturally. God is the source of light; the truth has shone into our hearts, to be reflected to others. True love to God will produce love to man. This is what we need,—love that is patient, self-sacrificing, persevering, intelligent, practical.

The Lord has given you means, that in putting it to a right use you may develop good and noble traits of character. When you follow the purpose of your own selfish hearts, you are not only keeping your means from the cause of God, but depriving yourselves of the opportunity to cultivate noble, unselfish principles; and thus your own character suffers loss.

The day of trial is before us; shall we stand acquitted or condemned? You who believe that the Lord is soon to come, will show your faith by your works. The Judgment is to sit, the books are to be opened, and every man will receive as his works have been. We are now trees in the Lord's garden, and he says, "By their fruits ye shall know them." If our faith has not led us to deny self, to make any and every sacrifice to save the souls of our fellow-men, it will not save us.

Every excuse which men offer for neglecting to obey God's requirements in regard to the use of their property, is an evidence of rebellion against him. The plea of the unprofitable servant is man's plea to-day, that the Lord has no right to require his servants to employ their time and ability in making money for him. But God requires of none of us that which it is not for our best interest to do. Many would be loth to put into words the reason they secretly cherish to vindicate themselves and silence their own conscience; but they are no less bringing upon themselves the denunciation pronounced upon the unprofitable servant. "Take the talent from him," will be heard by many unwilling ears.

What wrong have I done? may be asked. The answer comes, You tied up your Lord's money in large barns, in which to bestow your goods. You bound up his means in a fine house, in expensive carpets, furniture, and goodly things, while souls were left to perish in their sins. You buried your talents because you did not love God and his cause half so well as you loved yourself. God and man lost all the profits your means would have brought if rightly employed. To-day the Lord is disappointed in you. He looked for a precious offering of gratitude, but no returns are made for his wondrous love and his great sacrifice for you. Do you inquire, Of what have I to repent?—Of a godless, self-loving, self-pleasing life. You have not reflected the light of a godly example. You said plainly, I claim my portion as my own.

I hope to see our brethren and sisters improving the little remaining moment of probationary time. Brethren, be not deceived; God is not mocked. The excuses you have prepared for the Judgment will not stand the test. Let us see active, energetic workers, who are looking for their Lord's return, and who are ready to present the talents they have traded upon, saying, Here, Lord, thy five talents have gained other five talents; thy two talents have gained other two. Where are the God-fearing workers? Let them come to the front. The Lord is coming. You have no time to lose. You are not to do as did the inhabitants of the antediluvian world,—plant and build, eat and drink, marry and give in marriage, the same as the careless worldling. Let the books of Heaven present a different record from that which now appears. Make haste to redeem the time; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.

E. G. WHITE.

Patience With Others’ Defects

STUDY to be patient in bearing with the defects and infirmities of others, of what sort soever they be; for that thou thyself also hast many which must be suffered by others.—Sel.

Moral Courage

MORAL courage is more worth having than physical, not only because it is a higher virtue, but because the demand for it is more constant. Physical courage is a virtue which is almost always put away in the lumber-room. Moral courage is wanted day by day.—Sel.

The Mission at Melbourne.

By M. C. Israel

IT has now been about six months since we landed on the shores of Australia, and the readers of the SIGNS have been informed from time to time about the country, and the progress of the work, through articles from the pen of Elder Haskell. He has been absent from here about two months. We have had a tent made, forty by sixty-four feet, and set up in North Fitzroy, one of the suburbs of Melbourne, and forty-three meetings have been held in it. During the first twenty-three of these, the average attendance was about one hundred. Since that time the weather has been unfavorable, and the attendance not so large. The interest from the first has been good, and the same persons, to quite a large extent, have followed up the meetings. A gentleman who kindly furnished us an organ, and has played and led the singing part of the time, said, "Your congregation is composed of the earnest, thinking people of the neighborhood." The people of that locality have been stirred, as the evidences of the near coming of the Lord, and kindred events, have been presented to them from the Scriptures, and what they must do in order to be prepared for that time. The truth has caused anxious thought, and some sleepless nights, for those who are conscientious and want to obey God.

Twenty-three have already signed the covenant. This includes those who were interested before the meeting and were keeping the Sabbath. There are thirty adult Sabbath-keepers here besides those of us who came from America. Quite a number more are studying how they can arrange their business so that they can keep the Sabbath.

The sound has gone out about this "new religion," as it is called, and the locality of the tent is not the only place where the people are being moved by it. I will state one or two instances. About two months after we came here, a man from South Melbourne called in and got two copies of the SIGNS, and a tract, "The Second Advent," and became much interested; he attended several Sabbath meetings, and opened the way for us to hold Bible-readings with his friends. As the result thus far, six, all heads of families, are obeying the truth, and doing good missionary work in that place; so that quite a number of others are deeply interested and attend our meetings when they can. Another man from Footscray, hearing through them of us, came one evening to a Bible-reading. He went home and lay awake the rest of the night thinking about what he had read. He came again, bringing two of his brethren. They bought a set of Bible-readings and obtained other reading matter, which they took home and studied. The result is that six adults in that place have accepted the truth even to paying tithes. One of them has purchased a full set of the "Testimonies," and another has engaged them. They are also sending the silent messengers, and our "able minister" (the SIGNS) out in all directions to their friends, and so the truth is moving on.

About thirty-five thousand periodicals, mostly SIGNS, have been distributed. Twenty-seven public libraries have been supplied with bound books, SIGNS, Good Health, and Pacific Health Journal. Quite a number of ships and steamers have been supplied with reading; but lately we have not been able to attend to the shipping much, we are so short of help. We have quite a list of subscribers to our periodicals. The Pacific Health Journal is quite a favorite here, as well as the Good Health, among the temperance people, and we shall be glad to welcome it every month, instead of every two months, as at present. The book sales at the tent amount to $35; donations, about $65.

It has been decided to commence the publication of a sixteen-page monthly paper, to be called Bible Echo and Signs of the Times. The first volume will commence with the new year. This is very much needed, as the people will patronize a paper published here, that will be identified with the country, and discuss issues in its different departments that will properly come up, and should be noticed in such a paper. There are many reasons that make it necessary to have a paper published here as soon as possible. Our health and temperance periodicals and publications are highly appreciated by the health and temperance societies here that have received them. Letters have been received from them by us to this effect. The temperance organization have a large hall and temperance book depot in Melbourne, and are agents to take subscriptions or to sell any of our periodicals or publications.

The prospects here are encouraging; and we think that those who embrace the truth will do all they can to support and extend the work, but we need laborers and means to assist in getting it well started.

We are all well and of good courage, and we ask the continuance of the prayers of the people of God, that our work may be wrought in him, and that it may move forward rapidly. We thank our good brethren of California for their generous donation of dried fruit, and shall continue to feel thankful for months to come, as we partake of it. M. C. ISRAEL. Melbourne, Australia, Dec. 2, 1885.

Continue reading: The Commentary