Signs of the Times, Vol. 13, No. 23. (6/16/1887)

Signs of the Times

Jun 16, 1887

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 16, 1887

General Articles.

By Mrs. E. G. White

JESUS REJECTED AT NAZARETH.

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.

"And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself; whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian."

THERE is a solemn warning to us in these words of Christ to the men of Nazareth. Upon visiting the little town where he had been brought up, the Saviour, according to his custom, went into the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed him, and he read the words: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." And then, as the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him, he said unto them: "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."

The scripture which he had read was understood by all to refer to the Messiah. And when Jesus explained the prophet's words, and pointed out the sacred office of the Messiah as a reliever of the oppressed, a liberator of the captive, a healer of the sick, and a revealer of truth to the world, "all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth." His impressive manner, the mighty import of his words, the divine light that shone from his countenance, thrilled that listening company; their hearts were filled with joy, and they responded to his words with hearty praises to God.

Not one who looked upon that scene could doubt that this was indeed the promised Deliverer, the hope of Israel. Now was the golden opportunity for the men of Nazareth to accept Christ, and receive the blessings that he came to bring. Angels of light were in that assembly, watching with intense interest the decision of the hour. Angels of Satan also were on the ground to suggest doubts and arouse prejudice. The people had long indulged pride and unbelief, and the current of their thoughts soon returned to the natural channel. They forgot the power of divine love which had stirred their souls, and turned to consider the lowly birth and humble life of Him who claimed to be their Messiah.

In their pride they had expected a king who should appear in earthly pomp and power; and as they recalled these hopes, they asked themselves, Is not this the son of Joseph and Mary, whose home has been so long among us? Can this be the promised deliverer of Israel? If this man is the Christ, why does he not give some mighty evidence of his power? And blind, unreasoning prejudice followed close on the steps of unbelief.

Jesus gave them a proof of his divine power by reading, as from an open book, the secrets of their hearts: "And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself; whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country."

Jesus continued: "But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian."

In the days of Elijah, Israel had departed from the living God. In vain the Lord by his prophets spoke to that backsliding and rebellious people. In vain he reproved their sins, and threatened them with his judgments. The message which might have been a savor of life unto life, proved to them a savor of death unto death. They would not heed the warning which called them to a life of humility and faith. Instead of leading them to repentance, the prophet's words offended their pride, and aroused their hatred against the messenger of God. Thus they multiplied their sins, and aggravated the guilt which had already brought the judgments of God upon the land. They sought to find and destroy Elijah, as though by silencing him, they would prevent the fulfillment of his words. But God found among the heathen a hiding-place for his servant.

By this relation of events in the life of a prophet of God, the Saviour met the secret doubts and questionings of those whom he was addressing. The apostasy of Israel in Elijah's day was a vivid picture of their own true condition. The unbelief and self-exaltation of the ancient Jewish nation made it necessary for the Lord to find an asylum for his servant among a heathen people; and, passing by the many widows in Israel, to intrust him to the kindness and liberality of a heathen woman; but the widow who was so highly favored had lived in accordance with all the light she possessed.

God also passed over the many lepers in Israel, because their unbelief closed the door of good to them. A heathen nobleman who had been true to his convictions of right, and who felt his need of help, was in the sight of God more worthy of his blessing than were the afflicted in Israel, who had slighted and despised their God-given privileges. God works for those who appreciate his favors, and respond to the light given them from Heaven.

Jesus stood before the men of Nazareth, calmly revealing their secret thoughts, and pressing home upon them the unpalatable truth of their unrighteousness. His words cut to their hearts, as their ingratitude, their selfishness, their strife for the supremacy, their pride and unbelief, their secret crimes, were all laid before them. They knew that they were in the presence of One who could read their souls. For one brief moment they had been inclined to accept him as the Christ; but they had given place to Satan, and now his power controlled them. And they scorned in their hearts the spirit of tenderness, faith, and reverence which had first inspired them.

From unbelief sprung malice. That a man who had sprung from poverty and a lowly birth should dare to reprove them, filled the hearts of the Nazarenes with hatred amounting to madness. The assembly broke up in confusion. The people laid hands on Jesus, thrusting him from the synagogue and out of

their city. They hurried him to the brow of a hill, intending to cast him down headlong, and shouts and maledictions filled the air. Suddenly he disappeared from among them. Angels from Heaven surrounded the world's Redeemer, and conducted him to a place of safety.

The history of Christ's rejection by the men of Nazareth contains an important and solemn lesson for our time. The spirit of enmity which in every age has been manifested against those who preach the simple, cutting truths of God's word, is seen in a greater degree as we near the close of time.

Our Saviour asks, "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" implying that true faith will then be almost extinct. The spirit of doubt and criticism is destroying confidence in the word and work of God. All who desire to doubt or cavil will find occasion; for it is impossible for the carnal mind to understand or appreciate the mind of the Almighty. Those who refuse to obey God till they can see all occasion of doubt removed, will be left in darkness; while those who, in humility of heart, walk in the light as it shines upon them, will receive clearer and clearer light. Their path will be that of the "just, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."

Basel, Switzerland.

TRUST AND DISTRUST.

By British Evangelist

DISTRUST thyself, but trust His grace! It is enough for thee! In every trial thou shalt trace Its all sufficiency.

Distrust thyself, but trust His strength; In Him thou shalt be strong; His weakest ones may learn at length A daily triumph-song.

Distrust thyself, but trust His love; Rest in its changeless glow; And life and death shall only prove Its everlasting flow.

Distrust thyself, but trust alone In HIM for all—forever! And joyously thy heart shall own That Jesus faileth never. —British Evangelist.

JUST ONCE.

By J.

THE temptation to step aside "just once" from the strait and narrow way comes not infrequently to the young Christian. If Satan can but gain our consent to one departure, he knows that succeeding steps in the wrong direction will easily follow. The following extract from the recently published life of Dr. Judson, by his son, may come as a timely word to some tempted and hesitating soul:—

"A native Christian woman told me that she was about to engage in something which Dr. Judson considered not conducive to her spiritual good. He sent for her and remonstrated; but she would not give up her darling project.

'Look here!' said he, eagerly, snatching a ruler from the table, and tracing not a very straight line upon the floor, 'here is where you have been walking. You have made a crooked track, to be sure: out of the path half the time; but then you have kept near it, and not taken to new roads, and you have—not so much as you might have done, mind, but still to a certain extent—grown in grace; and now, with all this growth upon your heart and head, in the maturity of your years, with ripened understanding, and an every day deepening sense of the goodness of God—here,' bringing down the ruler with emphasis to indicate a certain position, 'here you stand. You know where this path leads. You know what is before you. Some struggles, some honors, and finally eternal life and a crown of glory. But to the left branches off another very pleasant road, and along the air floats, rather temptingly, a pretty bubble. You do not mean to leave the path you have walked in fifteen years—fifteen long years—altogether; you only want to step aside and catch the bubble, and think you will come back again, but you never will. Woman, think! Dare you deliberately leave this strait and narrow path, drawn by the Saviour's finger, and go away for one moment into that of your enemy? Will you? Will you? WILL YOU?'

'I was sobbing so,' said the woman, 'that I could not speak a word; but he knew, as he always did, what I meant; for he knelt down and prayed that God would preserve me in my determination. I have made a great many crooked tracks since,' she added, tearfully, 'but whenever I am unusually tempted I see the teacher as he looked that day, bending over in his chair, the ruler placed upon the floor to represent me, his finger pointing along the path of eternal life, his eye looking so strangely over his shoulder, and that terrible, "Will you," coming from his lips as though it was the voice of God; and I pray just as Peter did, for I am frightened.'"—Christian at Work.

THE OVERCOMERS.

By John Nevins Andrews

"But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever." Dan. 7:18. "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." Matt. 11:12. "Then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey. And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick; the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity." Isa. 33:23, 24.

THESE expressions concerning the kingdom of God, which is to be established in our earth and to stand forever, would seem at first view to almost imply that the saints were to take the kingdom by actual conquest. That is, that they should by violence seize, not the kingdom now possessed by the men of the world, but the glorious kingdom of God itself. This of course cannot be literally true. When the saints do actually enter upon the possession of the kingdom of God, Jesus himself invites them to it, saying, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Matt. 25:34.

Yet the saints are spoken of as taking the kingdom as if by force, violence, and conquest, and as though it became a spoil to be divided to them. There is some truth to it after all. But they have no occasion to take the lives or to shed the blood of others. They have battles to fight, victories to gain, conquests to win. But their war is with sin, with Satan, and with self. If any blood is to be shed, it is their own. If any lives are to be sacrificed in the conflict, it is not others but themselves that die. They overcome not by killing others, but by dying themselves. They resist the devil, who attempts to prevent their progress heavenward. They make him flee before them as they meet him clothed with the strength and the armor of God which he cannot withstand. They overcome sin by repenting of it, confessing its wicked power and presence, and resisting its alluring and deceitful charms. They overcome self by dying to it daily. They snatch victory even from defeat by the help of the angels of God. They go from strength to strength, till at last they appear in Zion before God.

The conquest of the kingdom is the conquest of the evil powers that oppose our march to that country of eternal joy. The overcomers shall inherit it. And when as victors they shall receive the kingdom of God, they are represented as having a great spoil to divide. Every man shall have a mansion in the city. Every man shall have an inheritance in the fair plains of the new earth. Every one shall have a crown of heavenly glory, and a place with Christ upon his throne.

And who shall take this infinite spoil? Not the great and mighty and noble of earth. The world that now is has too many charms for them. But the poor, the humble, and the lowly, these are the lame that shall take the spoil; the very ones that would seem utterly incapable of winning the victory in this mighty conflict, shall, by the grace of God, obtain the prize, while the wise and great of earth shall be cast out into outer darkness.

—J. N. Andrews.

WHY THIS AGITATION?

By R. F. Cottrell

It is undoubtedly true that there has never been a time when the agitation on the Sabbath question at all compared with the present. But why is it so? Why should the public mind become unsettled on a subject which is supposed to have been settled by divine authority for more than eighteen hundred years? The answer is simply this: Since the beginning of the Christian age, there has been a great apostasy from the truth, and in consequence the mass of Christians have been in darkness on the subject of the Sabbath since the dawn of the Reformation; but the time has come when in the providence of God light is shining upon this important subject.

The hand of God is in this work. The Lord foresaw that the great apostasy would come; and it was plainly foretold by prophets and apostles. Dan. 7:25; Rev. 13:1-10; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Thess. 2:3-8. And the restoration of the truth to the people of God in the last days is also clearly predicted in the word of God. Isa. 8:16; 56:1, 2; 58:1; Rev. 14:9-12. The time has come when the promised messages of Rev. 14:6-12 are having their fulfillment. The work of the great Papal apostasy, the power that should "think to change" the times and laws of God, is being exposed; and the light on the "commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" is shining forth all over the world. The Spirit of God is applying his word to the hearts and consciences of believers; the last predicted warning is on its way; and the living are soon to be judged by the law of the Father and the testimony of the Son.

The hour of Judgment is come; the time message (Rev. 14:7; 10:6) has been announced; Babylon is fallen, and is fast becoming the habitation of devils, the hold of foul spirits, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird; and the prophesying again "before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings" is heard in many of the nations of the earth. The progress of the proclamation of this last message all over the earth constitutes one of the present signs of the nearness of the end of this age; for when the last message of probation has done its appointed work, the end will come.

It is meet that in this Judgment hour the living should be tested upon the law of God. Now, since God has given the open Bible to all the people, it is fitting that they should be admonished by the solemn and fearful warning of the last message to "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." And it is because the time is come for this message to be given, and it is being done, that the minds and consciences of the pious are everywhere being called to the investigation of the Sabbath question. "The Sabbath question"? The subject is so plain that there need be no question about it; and there is none to those who take only the testimony of the Bible and the facts of history as their guide.

This agitation will not cease until the work of God in behalf of fallen humanity is completed. The spirit of God and holy angels are urging it forward. The work cannot be arrested in its course till men have been enlightened, faithfully warned, and the truly pious have heeded the warning, have forsaken the traditions of men, which make void the commandments of God, and have turned their feet unto the testimonies of God. O Lord, speed on the work! R. F. COTTRELL.

Prayer Morning and Evening

In the morning, prayer is the key that opens to us the treasures of God's mercies and blessings; in the evening, it is the key that shuts us up under his protection and safeguard.

TWO CLASSES OF MEN.

By S. S. Times

THERE are difficulties in the way of doing anything one has to do in this world; and there is a possibility of compassing the difficulties in the way of anything one has to do in this world. One man, when he is asked to do anything he is set to do, looks first at the difficulties in the way of its doing, and speaks of those difficulties as if they were barriers to its accomplishment. Another man, when he is asked to do anything he is set to do, looks first at the possible way of doing that thing; and, if he says anything at all, he speaks of the way in which he intends to do that thing.

These two classes of men are found in every sphere of life. Men of the first sort are both discouraged and discouraging persons. Even if they finally do their work successfully, they have made themselves, and they have made those who are over them and those who are about them miserable while they were doing what they were set to do. Men of the other sort are cheery, and are cheering workers. If they succeed, they both please and are pleased; and even if they fail, they fail in such a good-natured way that they cause less discomfort than they would if they succeeded after the gloomy and depressing manner of the other sort of persons. Here is a distinction which you ought to have in mind in whatever undertaking you are called to. If you see difficulties ahead, don't say anything about them. Go ahead, and do the best you can. If you succeed, all right. If you fail, fail smilingly—and die striving to do.

THE JUDGMENT.

By J. O. Corliss

(Concluded.)

WHEN probation closes, the saints of God have all been sealed (see Rev. 7), and each case forever remains as it has been fixed. Rev. 22:11, 12. At this time our Lord, having received his kingdom, comes out from before the Judgment-seat and the presence of the Father; and then will be fulfilled the saying of Christ: "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." Matt. 24:40-42; Luke 17:34-36. The following prophecy will then also meet its fulfillment: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." Amos 8:11, 12.

As we have already seen, the pouring out of the plagues also follows the close of probation, but the plagues will not fall upon those who have been sealed prior to the time of trouble. Their safety and peace is thus described by the psalmist: "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right

hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." Ps. 91:5-10. They pass safely through this trying time, because their names have been retained in the book of life. These waiting, longing ones are those who, when the opening heavens reveal the form of their descending Lord attended by all the angelic host, will exclaim: "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us." Isa. 25:9. Seated in mid-heaven, he speaks the word that awakens the dead, and calls them from their dusty beds. At the sound of the trumpet voice, the angels go forth to every quarter and gather the saints to meet the Lord in the air. Matt. 24:31; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.

The redeemed will then be escorted by the Saviour into the presence of the Father, in Heaven, there to sit down to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Rev. 19:9; Matt. 26:29. Just before he left the earth, our Saviour told his disciples that he would go away to prepare a place for them, after which he would come again and receive them unto himself. John 14:2, 3. In conversation with the Jews (John 7:33, 34) Christ said: "Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, thither ye cannot come." Now as he was about to return to the Father, he said to his disciples: "And as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you." John 13:33. But in verse 36 he made the promise to Peter that he should follow him afterwards, and he then proceeded to comfort all the disciples by telling them, as already seen, that he would return for them after he had gone before and prepared a place for them.

Again we read: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." 1 Thess. 4:14. From this it is plain that if we believe that God brought Jesus from the dead, as the apostle affirms that he did (Heb. 13:20), "even so" that is, in the same manner, will he bring with Christ them that sleep in him. God is the one who "brings" the saints to himself with Christ. But we learn from Acts 3:20 that God sends Jesus Christ. He comes to execute the decision of the Judgment, which results in bringing back with him the sleeping saints. God brings them to himself by sending his Son to earth for them. He certainly does not bring them from heaven to earth; for they are not in heaven when Christ comes, but are asleep in the dust of the earth. Dan. 12:2. They are raised from the dead after the example of the resurrection of Christ, and brought into the presence of the Father, and there presented before him, unblamable in holiness. 1 Thess. 3:13.

It is then that judgment is given to the saints of the Most High (Dan. 7:22), and it was to scenes then to be enacted that John's attention was directed when he saw the glorified saints sitting upon thrones of judgment. Rev. 20:4, 5. These saints do not judge in the sense of ruling over men who are on probation, and guiding them in their affairs; but their judgment will be rendered in the cases of sinful men and fallen angels. This will be the fulfillment of 1 Cor. 6:1-3. The work of the saints in the Judgment is not to ascertain whether the others are guilty or not, for the fact of their having been denied a part in the first resurrection is evidence that they are known to be guilty. But the work of the saints is simply to determine the amount of that guilt, that each one may receive the degree of punishment that belongs to his case. Thus our Saviour says: "And that servant, which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." Luke 12:47, 48. See also Luke 20:47; Rom. 2:6, 8, 9.

We are told to "judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart." 1 Cor. 4:5. In forbidding the work of judgment "before the time," this text teaches that when the time does come, then that work will be done by those who are now forbidden to do it. It is only "till the Lord come," that the prohibition is in force. After that the people of God will not err in judgment, having been themselves judged and made immortal; besides the Lord will then bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart. This will doubtless be done by placing in their hands the books which contain a record of all the deeds of the wicked. The angels that sinned, whom God delivered into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6), will also be judged at the same time, in order to determine the measure of their guilt. In this work all the saints will engage. This is clearly set forth by the inspired writer:—

"For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people; he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgment written; this honor have all his saints." Ps. 149:4-9.

The meek are beautified with salvation when they are changed to immortality; and the change to immortality is at the sounding of the last trump, and the resurrection of the just. Those who were seen by the revelator, sitting on thrones of judgment, are those who will have come up in the first resurrection, and those who shall be translated. They are then sitting with Christ in his throne, as he had previously sat with his Father in his throne (Rev. 3:21) and he shares with them the execution of the Judgment committed to him by the Father. This is the work that all the redeemed saints have the honor to engage in, during the thousand years that intervene between the two resurrections.

At the close of the thousand years, the wicked live again. Rev. 20:5. Satan then takes his place at their head, and marshals them about the city of God, which has already descended to earth (verses 7-9), with the evident intent of capturing it. This is probably the time when the wicked see the righteous in the kingdom of God, and realize that they themselves are thrust out. Luke 13:28. Then, as for the first time, perhaps, they fully appreciate the infinite sacrifice made for them in the death of Christ, and the mercy of God they have slighted, their frames will be convulsed with anguish, and every knee will then bow in acknowledgment of God's justice in thus dealing with them. Rom. 14:10-12. Fire then comes down from God out of heaven and devours them, after the example of Sodom and Gomorrah. Rev. 20:9; 2 Pet. 2:6. In the great conflagration that follows, the earth is melted, and clean dissolved, and a new earth in which only righteousness shall dwell, will spring forth in its place. This is according to the words of Peter: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Pet. 3:10, 13. All things will then have been made new. Rev. 21:5. The New Jerusalem will be the metropolis of the renewed earth, and the glory of God will fill the earth as the waters fill the sea. Hab. 2:14.

J. O. Corliss.

LEARNING THE LORD'S PRAYER.

In the Middle Ages, when the great lords and knights were always at war with one another, one of them resolved to revenge himself upon a neighbor who had offended him. It chanced that, on the very evening when he had made this resolution, he heard that his enemy was to pass near his castle, in company with only a few men. It was a good opportunity to take his revenge, and he determined not to let it pass. He spoke of this plan in the presence of his chaplain, who tried in vain to persuade him to give it up.

At length, seeing that all his words had no effect, he said: "My lord, since I cannot persuade you to give up this plan of yours, will you at least consent to come with me to the chapel, that we may pray together before you go?"

The duke consented, and he and the chaplain knelt together in prayer. Then the mercy-loving Christian said to the revengeful warrior, "Will you repeat after me, sentence by sentence, the prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught his disciples?"

"I will do it," replied the duke.

The chaplain said a sentence, and the duke repeated it, till he came to the petition: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us." Then the duke was silent.

"My lord duke, you are silent," said the chaplain. "Will you continue to repeat the words after me, if you dare pray them, 'Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us'?"

"I cannot," replied the duke.

"Well," said the chaplain, "you must either give up your revenge or give up saying this prayer, for to ask God to pardon you as you pardon others is to ask him to take vengeance on you for all your sins. Go now, my lord, and meet your victim. God will meet you at the Judgment-day."

"No," said the duke, "I will finish my prayer. My God, Father, pardon me; forgive me as I desire to forgive him who has offended me; lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil."

"Amen," said the chaplain.

"Amen," repeated the duke, who had now thoroughly learned the Lord's prayer.—Sabbath Reading.

SO SPEAK, SO DO.

By E. R. Jones

THE apostle James (chap. 2:12) says: "So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." The Judgment is a certainty in every individual case; "for we must all appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body." It will be an investigation of all the words that have been spoken, and all the acts that have been done, comparing them with that great standard of righteousness called "the law of liberty;" this law is the one a part of which says, "Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery." See James 2:11; Ex. 20:13, 14. It is therefore the ten commandments.

All whose words and deeds have been in harmony with the requirements of the law of God, will be acquitted in the Judgment; and those who have disregarded its claims and refused obedience will be condemned. The first of these will be rewarded with everlasting life, while the latter will go away into everlasting punishment. Matt. 25:46. The obedient will have joy; the disobedient will have darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth.

The Judgment will be a solemn scene. It will forever fix the destinies of all. Reader, in that day you will sincerely wish that you had lived in perfect obedience to all God's holy precepts. It will then be too late to change. It is not too late now. Examine carefully every part of this law, and so speak and so do as they that shall be judged by it. "Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." James 1:25.

E. R. JONES.

Continue reading: THE LAW AND THE SABBATH BEFORE THE EXODE