Signs of the Times, Vol. 13, No. 26. (7/7/1887)

Signs of the Times

Jul 7, 1887

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 7, 1887

FRUITS MEET FOR REPENTANCE.

By Mrs. E. G. White

WHEN John was preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and the Pharisees and Sadducees came to his baptism, that fearless preacher of righteousness addressed them: “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.” In coming to John, these men were not actuated by right motives. They were corrupt in principles and practice; yet they had no sense of their true condition. Filled with pride and ambition, they would not hesitate at any means which would enable them to exalt self and strengthen their influence with the people. And baptism at the hands of this popular young teacher might, they thought, aid them in carrying out these designs more successfully.

Their motives were not hidden from John, and he met them with the searching inquiry, “Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Had they heard the voice of God speaking to their hearts, they would have given evidence of the fact by bringing forth fruits meet for repentance. No such fruit was seen. They had heard the warning as merely the voice of man. They were charmed with the power and boldness with which John spoke; but the Spirit of God did not send conviction to their hearts, and as a sure result the word spoken did not bring forth fruit unto life eternal.

None are farther from the kingdom of Heaven than self-righteous formalists, who are perhaps filled with pride at their own attainments, while they are wholly destitute of the Spirit of Christ, and are controlled by envy, jealousy, and love of praise and popularity. They belong to the class that John addressed as a generation of vipers, children of the wicked one. They serve the cause of Satan more effectively than the vilest profligate; for the latter does not disguise his true character; he appears what he really is.

Nothing short of an amended life,—fruits meet for repentance,—will meet the requirements of God. Without such fruit, our profession of faith is of no value. The Lord is able to raise up true believers among those who have never heard his name. “Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”

“And now the ax is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.” God is not dependent upon men who are unconverted in heart and life to carry on his work. He will never favor any who practice iniquity.

Those who love and flatter the minister who speaks to them the word of life, while they neglect the works of righteousness, give unmistakable evidence that they are not converted to God. Of such we would inquire, “Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Was it the voice of the Holy Spirit, or merely the voice of man, which you heard in the message sent from God? The fruit borne will testify to the character of the tree.

There is great responsibility resting upon those who are called to preach the word. “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord,” is the message to them. There is need of a converted ministry, as well as of a converted church; for the church will rarely take a higher stand than is taken by her ministers. Shepherds who watch for souls as they that must give account, will lead the flock on in ways of holiness. And their success in this work will be in proportion to their own growth in grace and knowledge of the truth. When the teachers are sanctified, soul, body, and spirit, they can impress upon their hearers the importance of a closer walk with God.

The minister of Christ should in an eminent degree possess true humility. Those who have the deepest experience in the things of God, are the farthest removed from pride or self-exaltation. While self is abased, they have the most exalted conceptions of the glory and excellence of Christ, and feel that the lowest place in his service is too honorable for them.

When Moses came down from the mountain, where he had spent forty days in communion with God, he did not know that his face shone with a brightness that was painful and terrifying to those who had not had this exalted privilege. Paul had a very humble opinion of his own advancement in the Christian life. He speaks of himself as the “chief of sinners.” And again he says, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.” Yet Paul had been highly honored of the Lord. In holy vision he had been shown revelations of divine glory which he could not be permitted to make known.

Our Saviour pronounced John the Baptist to be the greatest of prophets; yet what a contrast there is between the language of this man of God, and that of many who profess to be ministers of the cross. When asked if he was the Christ, John declared himself unworthy even to unloose his Master’s sandals. When his disciples came with the complaint that the attention of the people was turned to the new Teacher, John reminded them that he himself had claimed to be only the forerunner of the Promised One. To Christ, as the bridegroom, belongs the first place in the affections of his people. “The friend of the bridegroom, that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth because of the bridegroom’s voice; this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all.”

Workers with this spirit are needed to-day. The self-sufficient, the envious and jealous, the critical and fault-finding, can well be spared from the sacred work of God. Our Lord is not straitened for men or means. He calls for laborers in his cause who are true and faithful; for those who have felt their need of the atoning blood of Christ and have experienced in their own hearts the sanctifying grace of his Spirit.

There is no person, no matter what his life may have been, who can be saved in any way except that of God’s appointing. He must repent; he must feel his need of a physician, and of the one only remedy for sin, the blood of Christ. This work is yet to be begun by many who profess to be Christians. Like the Pharisees of old, they feel no need of a Saviour. They are self-sufficient, self-exalted. Such have no part in the blood of Christ. That cleansing stream avails only for those

who feel their need. Said Christ: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Many believe in the wrath of God, but put forth no earnest efforts to escape it. They believe in Heaven, but make no sacrifice to obtain it. They believe in the value of the soul, and that erelong its redemption ceaseth forever; yet they neglect precious opportunities to make their peace with God. They read the Bible; but its threatenings do not alarm nor its promises win them. They approve things that are excellent; yet they follow the way which God has forbidden them to take. They know a refuge, but do not avail themselves of it. They know a remedy for sin, but do not use it. They know the right, but have no relish for it. They have never tasted, and learned by experience, that the Lord is good; and all their knowledge will but increase their condemnation.

What we need is experimental religion. How shall we know for ourselves the goodness and love of God? The psalmist tells us, It is not to hear and know, to read and know, to believe and know, but, “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Instead of relying upon the word of another, taste for yourself.

All that we have is from the exceeding riches of divine grace. God spared not his own Son, but delivered him to death for our offenses, and raised him again for our justification. Through him we may present our petitions to the throne of grace. Through him we may obtain all spiritual blessings. Do we come to him that we may have life? Jesus, the meek and lowly One, asks admittance as our guest, shall we not open the door of our heart, and bid him enter?

In view of the grace of God granted to us, shall not the language of our hearts be, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.”

Basel, Switzerland.

The Coming Reward

"Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22:12.

LOVE.

By A. J. Morton

BY A. J. MORTON.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us." 1 John 3:1.

Did e'er a friend of worldly birth Perform such deed of love, Such action fraught with highest worth As did the Lord of Heaven and earth,— The Lord from Heaven above?

'Twas not for friends that Christ did die, But to regain his foes. Ah! there would we in trials fly To where our Lord, our life, did die, And learn to bear our woes.

And when we see him leave the grave, The dead alive again, Then let us trust that hand which gave And know that he hath power to save Our life from error's chain.

'Tis then, and not till then, that we, His feeble creatures here, The depths of love divine can see Which caused our Lord our life to be, Which saves us from all fear.

"CONDENSED" MORAL LAW.

By R. F. Cottrell

I ONCE heard a man complaining of some that say we must keep the commandments. Said he, Christ fulfilled those old commandments and we have nothing to do with them. I remarked that I understood that the ceremonial law of the former dispensation terminated at the death of Christ, but that the moral law remained in full force, and appealed to him if it were not so, specifying the code that says, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, and Thou shalt not steal. He replied that he believed that Christ did not abolish the moral law, but that he "condensed it down," so that if we do by others as we would that they should do by us, it is all that is required of us.

It would be really amusing were it not that men are trifling with the law of God and their own lives, to witness the many silly inventions and contemptuous quibblings by which they seek to evade the authority and force of the fourth commandment. They admit the force of the other nine precepts of the decalogue; hence all their efforts to modify this law have reference solely to the Sabbath. To get rid of this, one would have the law abolished, another relaxed, another amended, another expanded, and another condensed.

In Isa. 42:21 is a prophecy that is generally admitted to refer to Christ. It says, "He will magnify the law, and make it honorable." It would be difficult to understand how magnifying the law would make any less of it. Yet I have heard people say that Christ magnified the law, made it honorable, and abolished it. But it seems that all the change that has been made in the law, either by magnifying or condensing, affects only the fourth commandment, leaving the other nine precisely as they were before.

A certain minister who has formerly held that the Sabbath was abolished by Christ, has recently renounced that view, admitting that Christ confirmed or ratified every one of the ten commandments. And besides this he says that Christ magnified the law so that every day is the Sabbath. Thus he makes no difference between days and remains a no-Sabbath man still.

If men would be honest with themselves before God, they might easily see that the introduction of the new covenant affected the fourth commandment just as much as it did the other nine, and no more. But the ministers of these last days "have caused many to stumble at the law;" and God's word to them will soon be fulfilled, "Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law."

R. F. COTTRELL.

LYNCH LAW IN SOCIAL LIFE.

By Rusticus

IN civilized countries no man can be condemned and punished without a fair trial. There are courts and judges to see that justice is done. It is only in barbarous lands or in the outskirts of civilization that men are put to death at the will of a despot or of a mob. But while we prize the protection which the law gives to our property, our reputation, and our lives, we have a species of lynch law in our best society that is as cruel and reckless as any that ever prevailed in the South or West. It does not drive men from their homes by threats of violence. It does not burn their dwellings, or hang them on the limbs of trees. But it stabs their reputations, impugns their motives, covers them with clouds of distrust and suspicion, makes their lives bitter, and brands their children with infamy. Our Saviour said, "Judge not." But who of us heeds the prohibition? Who of us is not daily and hourly sitting in judgment upon somebody's life and character? Who of us is not wickedly assuming the prerogative of him who said, "Judgment is mine"? Who of us is not, in our own thoughts at least, passing sentence upon our fellow-men? If we kept our verdict in our own breast it would be bad enough. For we have no right to think evil of our neighbor until we are sure he deserves it. We have no right to condemn him in our hearts until we know all about his motives, until we have heard all that he has to say in his own defense. He has an interest in our good opinion. Our happiness depends largely upon the esteem of those around us. He who withholds from us his good-will when we are worthy of it, he who regards us as foolish or wicked when he does not know positively that we are—does it on mere suspicion, or a hasty view of our conduct—robs us of just so much of the social atmosphere which we have a right to breathe and enjoy.

But seldom is it that our condemnation of others, however hasty, is kept to ourselves. Listen to the conversation of those neighbors when they meet. A and B are discussing C's character. They are holding a lynch court upon reports, no doubt sadly garbled, of what he has said or done. They are trying him and condemning him without a hearing, as if they understood the whole case; as if their suspicions or impressions were credible evidence. When these self-constituted judges meet their victim, he sees in the averted eye that they have no faith in him and no charity for him. He feels that they ought to be his friends, that if they understood all his circumstances and motives they would give him sympathy instead of suspicion, and esteem instead of aversion. But he has no opportunity to explain. They have not sought his confidence. They have not permitted him to open his heart to them. They sat down together and put their own construction upon what they saw or heard of him, and settled the whole matter, so far as reference can go, against him. Now this is the height of injustice and the refinement of cruelty. What have we to do with our neighbor's faults and follies? We have enough of our own to attend to. And we are commanded to love him and not to judge him. "Charity thinketh no evil." It tries to put the best possible construction upon the conduct and motives of others. It hopes that the worst are not as bad as they seem. And when anyone begins to pass judgment upon his neighbor, it tries to defend the absent, to suggest that the reports about him may not be authentic, that he might be able to explain what seems obscure, and that even if he is as bad as he is represented, he is a fellow-sinner, no worse by nature than ourselves, and cannot be made better by treating him coldly. The more defective his character or wayward life, the greater is his need of our sympathy and aid. By kindness and charity we may win him from his evil ways. By coldness and scorn we only drive him to bitterness and despair.

As a rule, the most pure-minded are the most charitable. Those who are honest and true themselves are less disposed to suspect their neighbors of fraud and falsehood. The consciousness of evil in ourselves tempts us to impute evil to others, and we get a little comfort in the self-condemnation that we cannot avoid, by condemning somebody else. Hence the gossiping and criticising world is like a company of criminals denouncing all mankind as thieves and robbers in order to try to persuade themselves that they are not as bad as they are. When I hear a man or woman insinuating that Mr. X and Mrs. Y and Miss Z are no better than they should be, I am reminded of the Saviour's words to the accusing Pharisees, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone." Their hypocrisy was a worse crime than that of her they accused. And the consciousness of it, the moral degradation into which it had brought them, and not a love of purity, made them quick and relentless in punishing those who were guilty of any offense against the letter of the law. So now, we who are sinners ourselves have no right to be casting stones at others; and if there was a perfect saint on earth he would have the spirit of the Saviour and not of the Pharisee.

I cannot help thinking sometimes how the judgments which we are forming and uttering in regard to those around us will look when the great white throne is set, and the lives and hearts of all men are revealed. Many that we condemn will be nobly vindicated, and many that we thought pure and good will be unmasked. And we ourselves will find that among our greatest sins is that of usurping the highest of God's prerogatives, and sitting in judgment on our fellow-men. It would be well for us to think often of that day and to heed the admonition of him before whom we must then stand: "Judge not that ye be not judged."—Rusticus, in Occident.

Look for Goodness

By Alice Cary

Do not look for wrong or evil, You will find them if you do; As you measure to your neighbor, He will measure back to you. Look for goodness, look for gladness, You will meet them all the while, If you bring a smiling visage To the glass, you meet a smile. —Alice Cary.

A HIGHER STANDARD OF PIETY.

WHILE impurity is making a Sodom of a portion of our country, while oppression is preparing a larger portion for scenes more horrible than were enacted in France during the Reign of Terror, and while the rapid growth of our cities, and their still more rapid progress in extravagance, idleness, and dissipation are threatening ruin to our prospects as a Christian nation, it becomes every considerate Christian prayerfully to inquire, How can these evils be arrested? Do we not need a higher standard of holiness in our churches? We can readily see in nominally Christian countries how the glaringly inconsistent example of the church is rather deterring from, than inviting the infidel to, its fold.

Generation after generation of the deluded followers of Mohammed have gone down to a wretched eternity in the midst of churches who had ceased to be "the light of the world," for what would they have gained by exchanging their superstitions for those of the Nestorian and Armenian? Does not a warning voice come to us from these lands and lead us to ask to what extent the low standard of piety in our churches is repelling from our embraces the large masses in our community? We build costly houses of public worship, and spare no expense to secure for our pulpits the highest talents of our colleges and theological seminaries; and in our exclusive pews and fashionable assemblies forget that we are the disciples of that meek and lowly Saviour who said, "To the poor the gospel is preached" —when not even once a week do "the rich and the poor meet together" around one common mercy-seat, to feel that "the Lord is the maker of them all." Do we not virtually say "to the poor man in vile raiment, Stand thou there or sit here under my footstool"?—Independent.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPHECY.

By J. O. Corliss

(Concluded.)

WE have seen how Babylon was overthrown, and that an inferior kingdom did become the ruling power of the world, as was foretold by the prophet. And the very man, even, by which this was to be brought about, was mentioned by name by a prophet of God nearly two hundred years before: "Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut." Isa. 45:1.

Notice how completely this prediction was fulfilled. It has already been seen that on that fatal night in which Babylon fell, Belshazzar's loins were loosed. At the same hour Cyrus with his army stood before the two-leaved gates of the proud city, which had been carelessly left open while the inhabitants were celebrating with drunken revelry the impious feast of Tammuz. In a short time the soldiers of Cyrus swarmed through the streets of the capital, and around the courts, and the empire was given into the hands of the conquering king.

So far, Daniel's explanation of the image has proved correct. But where are we to look for the third kingdom, that was represented by the brass? In the eighth chapter of Daniel is recorded the vision of a ram having two horns, and a he-goat with a notable horn between his eyes. In the description of the scene, the goat is made to overthrow the ram, and stamp upon him. See verses 3-8. The explanation of the symbols as given by the angel is as follows: "The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia." Verses 20, 21.

"And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron." Chap. 2:40. The inquiry naturally arises, What kingdom succeeded Grecia in the empire of the world? Only one universal empire has been known since the days of Alexander the Great, and that was Rome. It conquered Grecia, and like iron it broke in pieces and bruised its enemies. The testimony of Gibbon with reference to this is pointed: "The empire of the Romans filled the world. And when that empire fell into the hands of a single person, the world became a safe and dreary prison for his enemies. To resist was fatal; and it was impossible to fly."

At the opening of the Christian era, Rome controlled the whole south of Europe, France, England, the greater part of the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the south of Germany, Hungary, Turkey, and Greece, besides its possessions in Asia and Africa. It made the lands of the East pay tribute. Luke makes this record of an event that occurred just prior to the birth of Christ: "There went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed." Chap. 2:1. It was this decree from a Roman emperor that caused Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem for enrollment, at which place they were indefinitely detained by the birth of the Saviour.

But even this mighty empire was in turn destined to decline. The element of weakness symbolized by the clay is first seen in the feet of the image. Having conquered the world, the nation yielded to luxury and vice, which weakened its iron power, and thus the way was prepared for its division as shown in Dan. 2:41.

The last universal dominion of earth passed away with the division of the Roman Empire. It was not in the power of man to reunite these elements; the prophetic fiat had gone forth: "And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." Dan. 2:43. For more than fourteen hundred years, this division has existed. In that time men have vainly tried in various ways to reunite them. Charlemagne tried it. Charles V. tried it. Louis XVI. tried it. Napoleon tried it. History records their several failures. The prophecy was stronger than their military tactics, and the kingdoms still continue "partly strong and partly broken." Another plan still has been tried, but with the same effect. Reigning kings have formed matrimonial alliances for their sons and daughters, by which they hoped to unite the interests of these divided States, and still the divisions exist. "They shall not cleave one to another," was a declaration that was to prove the best-laid plans abortive, when they are directed against the decrees of God.

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." Dan. 2:44, 45. This is the grand finishing stroke of the prophecy, and brings to view the close of human history. The kings mentioned in the text are most certainly the kings, or kingdoms, of the divided Roman Empire. The phrase, "in the days of these kings," does not refer to the days of the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome before it was divided; for these did not exist cotemporaneously. But the kingdoms of divided Rome are the subject of discourse by the prophet, when the toes of the image are reached.

It may be thought by some that the everlasting kingdom here spoken of refers to the gospel, or the kingdom of grace. Such would have the kingdom set up at the first advent of our Lord, and spread until it fills the earth. But mark, that the stone did not smite the image on the head, Babylon; nor on the breast, Medo-Persia; nor on the sides, Grecia; nor yet on the legs, Pagan Rome. It did, however, smite the image on its feet. It certainly could not do this before the feet were in existence; and according to the text, the

smiting was not done until after the division of Rome as represented by the toes of the image. This division did not take place till between the years A. D. 351 and 476, therefore the kingdom here spoken of could not appear until after the last of these dates.

Again it will be noticed that when this kingdom shall be set up, "it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms." It does not exist cotemporaneously with earthly Governments, but is to succeed them all. Just as Medo-Persia succeeded Babylon, and Grecia the second kingdom, and Rome the third, so the fifth in the series succeeds the fourth, and becomes an everlasting kingdom. But the gospel of Christ was never designed to overthrow the Governments of earth as long as men live here on probation; for it is certain that the Bible recognizes them as being conducive to man's good (Rom. 13:1, 2; Titus 3:1), and also that they will exist until Christ shall come the second time in person to the earth. Rev. 11:15.

We must therefore conclude that the kingdom of the prophecy under consideration, is a kingdom of the future, to all who enjoy the kingdom of grace in this probationary state. Thus James says to the church: "Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?" Jas. 2:5. Those addressed in this comforting manner are already rich in faith, and consequently enjoying the privileges of the kingdom of grace; yet they are still only heirs of the promised kingdom.

We are now living in the days of these kings, when the prophecy declares that the God of Heaven is to set up a kingdom in the place of earthly Governments. And so far as this prophecy is concerned, it is the next event in order. Numerous other prophecies and signs show that it is near at hand. Up to this point, the prophecy we have been considering has been fully verified; shall we not then look for the speedy fulfillment of the rest of it? Who is ready for the wonderful transition? He who enters this kingdom will never see it overthrown by a rival kingdom; for none such will then exist. This one will occupy all the territory ever possessed by earthly powers, and will fill the whole earth. Then the "kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Dan. 7:27. Happy is he who will at that time have it said to him, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Matt. 25:34.

LOVE NOT THE WORLD.

THE true Christian does not love the world. His mind is elevated above it. His affections center on higher, nobler objects than those so defaced by sin and its effects. Earth's cares and toil weary him, and he pants for a better country—the land long since promised to the faithful; and by faith he views it near. This world is not his home. He is but a stranger and sojourner here, as all his fathers were. Its pride and follies are nothing to him. He knows their falsity, and chooses a more enduring substance, even eternal joys. He shares in life's conflicts and sorrow for a season, but it is with his eye fixed upon the world to come, the heavenly mansions purchased so freely, yet so dearly, by his Saviour's blood.

Thus he is encouraged forward, pursuing the rough, thorny path, faint and worn, while thousands around him are gliding on and on in the broad way, seeking their treasure in a fallen world. Said the apostle, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." But the world is full of its votaries. Only a feeble, scattered few are struggling against its tide of sin. Yet they may be strong, strong in their Saviour who overcame. The things that are in the world may have their care, but should not possess their hearts. Our study should not be how to conform to the world, but how to show ourselves approved unto God.

"If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him." How plain is this declaration of the holy Scriptures! It is true that but little of the Spirit of that Being who is holy and just in all his ways, possesses the hearts of Adam's fallen race. It has been almost extinguished. Ambition and love of the world are taking its place. Yet God has a people on the earth who are seeking for his Spirit and the truth of his word. Their hearts are being stirred by its warming influence. The love of this world is waning from their hearts, and even now they lift their heads and look up to greet the approach of their coming King. The final conflict is hastening on, and they are fitting for it. Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, they have respect unto the recompense of the reward. And let us think of those mansions as real. Let us call to mind all that is beautiful and glorious, all that is refining and elevating, of which we know or can form an idea in our conceptions of those unfading promises. There is no danger of our overdrawing the picture. Then contrast it with the reward of those who are choosing the pleasures of sin, the lovers of this world, who have their portion here, and who will not, like one of old, choose the better part, a prospective but certain possession, unsullied by sin, and consequently void of sorrow, made up of perfect bliss?—Selected.

CALLING IT SO DON'T MAKE IT SO.

IN the popular discussion of the Sabbath question, no other position is more generally taken than that the command requires the observance of one of the seven days in each week, but that it is a matter of small consequence which day is observed. The facility with which men satisfy themselves of the soundness of this position is little short of the marvelous. For example, it is proposed, in apparent seriousness and candor, to admit that the commandment requires the observance of the "seventh day of the week." What then? Why, it is simple enough. Say these philosophers, "Just begin numbering the days on Monday, calling it the first, Tuesday the second, and so on, until you come to Sunday, when, lo, it is the seventh day of the week!" How easy! There is but one fallacy in the plan, and that is the fallacy of supposing that the calling of one thing something else, makes it something else. We may call Monday the first day of the week if we choose; it is still the second day for all that. A little boy was talking to his father in the garden, when he said, "Father, I wish you would give me this tree for my very own." "You may call it yours," the father said somewhat absent-mindedly. "But does calling it mine make it mine?" the child persisted. "Well, not exactly." "Then I won't call it mine, unless it is mine," said the boy with decision. There is a good lesson for our easy-going philosopher who proposes to make the law of God approve of his disobedience, by taking one thing and calling it something else, and then insisting that since he has called it something else, it is something else.—Sabbath Recorder.

CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD.

By Apelles

Has the character of "this present evil world" changed? or have the injunctions of the divine word become obsolete? I am led to make these inquiries by looking around and seeing to what an extent the church has become merged in all the different circles and phases of worldly society, and by the utter impossibility of distinguishing professing Christians from their associations and practice. There are some very plain passages in the word of God on this subject, and if they had not lost their binding force, they ought to have a great influence over the lives of all who call themselves Christians. The beloved disciple, writing by divine inspiration, says: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." Surely there is nothing doubtful in the meaning of these words. Another apostle writes: "Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." It would seem from this that Christians are bound to choose between God and the world, and that they cannot be friendly to both, any more than a man can serve two masters at the same time, or take the part of two persons who are directly at variance. The great apostle also has written: "Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Now what do all these plain teachings of the word of God mean? I do not think any two persons could read them and have essentially a different understanding of them. They certainly teach us that the world is a rival of God for the affections and the services of men, of those who are known as Christians as well as others, but that God will not tolerate any acquiescence in this rivalry on the part of those he calls his own. Everyone must choose for himself between the two. And his practice must be conformed to his choice. If he chooses God as his friend and portion, he must show it in his life. He must not court and flatter and dally with God's enemies and his own. He must not act so as to confound Christianity with worldliness. He must come out from the world, and not be governed by its spirit and maxims, and conformed to its ways.

There are many faint, half-way Christians (true, decided Christians have no such difficulties), who are all the time debating in their own minds, and perhaps asking others, how far it is right for them to go in adopting this custom, or indulging in that practice or amusement, without violating the Christian rule.

They do not wish to break either with God or mammon. They wish to enjoy just as much as possible of this world, while they are in it, and yet to make sure of the friendship of God for another world.

Ah! what a disappointment awaits those who are thus striving to make a compromise between two objects that are eternally opposite. I have no catalogue to propose of employments and places and amusements that are forbidden to the Christian; but over and underneath all the scenes of this world that draw the heart away from God, and tend to drown serious thought, or to unfit the soul for serious meditation and worship and self-denying Christian duty, or that fritter away precious time, I would simply write these words of the Holy Spirit:—

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

MOURNING AT THE JUDGMENT-SEAT.

DID you ever think what a fearful day of revealing that last solemn day will be for the hypocrite? There are some professed followers of Christ who have been living on for years outwardly in many respects religious men, who have been conscious all the time that the reputation which they gained from men was a falsehood. That their profession and outside religion were a mere cheat. Though they have succeeded in hoodwinking their fellow-men, they have never deceived God. They seemed all the time to be in the way to Heaven, but they knew all the time they were traveling the road to hell. And now they go up to the Judgment with a lie in their right hand, "Have we not eaten and drunk in thy presence?" But God will take the lie away from them, and announce in fearful tones, "I never knew you!"

Oh, impositions, deceits, lies, are fearful things to carry up to the Judgment-bar!

In view of that great day of revelation, what manner of persons ought we to be?

How carefully should we separate from our conduct all dishonesty, all double-dealing, that we may be here what we shall wish to appear there.

But perhaps the saddest among the sad scenes of that day, will be the separations which will take place between those who were united here in the tenderest bonds of affection, as each goes to his own place. Who can witness, unmoved, the eternal farewells between parents saved and children lost. What eye can look on, as inexorable justice tears away perhaps a father, a husband, a wife, a beloved child, from all the loving sympathies and tender offices of those most dear. Oh, will not this consideration quicken our zeal and earnestness to labor, that all our own beloved ones should be brought into the same safe fold with us, that we may rise from our graves and go up together an unbroken household, and together stand acquitted before that dread tribunal, together wend our way to the heavenly mansions?

"Oh, there'll be mourning, mourning, When you see those who have been associated with you all your life long, welcomed with songs of rejoicing into the kingdom of Christ, "and you yourselves shut out." Will you not seek the same Saviour while yet the lamp of life is burning?—Selected."

Tenderness Toward Others’ Faults

By Selected

NOTHING will make us so charitable and tender of the faults of others as thoroughly knowing our own.—Selected.

Continue reading: THE FIRST RESURRECTION