Earlier text: God’s Thoughts and WaysIN connection with the troubles of this life there are two very common errors against which believers should be guarded. One is that, by the exercise of a certain kind of faith, we may be entirely exempt from bodily afflictions at least. The other is that God does not afflict his children at all, but on the other hand we are to find the cause of our trials in the malice and power of the devil. Both of these errors are so plainly contradicted by the inspired Scriptures, it is surprising that any intelligent Christian holds them. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Ps. 24:19); “in the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33); “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22); “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him” (Rom. 8:17); “unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; . . . Epaphroditus was sick nigh unto death” (Phil. 1:29; 2:27); “Trophimus have I left sick at Miletus” (2 Tim. 4:20); “if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons” (Heb. 12: 8); “think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” 1 Pet. 4:12. Indeed suffering is always the badge of sonship, as shown by the experience of prophets, apostles, martyrs, and all Christians who have lived on the earth. In the second place, it is God who sends these afflictions. “My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons.” Heb. 12:5-7. “As many as I love I rebuke and chasten” (Rev. 3:19); “as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee” (Deut. 8:5); “who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?” (Ex. 4:11); “the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David” (2 Sam. 12:15); “Thou laidst affliction upon our loins” (Ps. 66:11); “Thou, which hast showed me great and sore troubles, shall quicken me again.” Ps. 71:20. Thus it is all the way through the Bible, and it is marvelous that any one can fail to recognize the hand of God in the afflictions that often rend the soul. If he does not send nor control them, why pray to him? In the third place, he sometimes sends trouble through the agency of Satan. When he tested Job he said unto Satan, “Behold all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.” Job 1:12. “And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel,” bringing upon the people a fearful pestilence. 1 Chron. 21:1. “Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years.” Luke 14:16. “Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.” 2 Cor. 12:7. But in all such cases God keeps his hand upon the devil, who can do nothing without the royal permission of his master. In the fourth place, afflictions are always sent for the good of God’s children. “Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept thy word . . . It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes . . . I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” Ps. 119:67, 71, 75. “I will correct thee in measure” (Jer. 30:11), or in moderation, and he is so careful in measuring out the medicine of affliction, that he will not add a dose or drop too much. Hence he says, “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord [do not fling it from you, as a bitter medicine, and yet expect a cure]; neither be weary of his correction, [the Hebrew word being derived from one which means a thorn]. For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” Prov. 3:11, 12. “I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” Isa. 48:10. “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer; behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; . . . be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Rev. 2:10. As a wise and loving Refiner he sits by the furnace; and soon a crown will rest on the aching brow.—The Truth. SUFFERING.
By Christian Advocate
THE price of perfection in this world is suffering. The forms of suffering that may be endured are infinite in number and diversity. Few, indeed, pass through life without at some time drinking its bitterest cup. For some it is filled again and again after once they have drained it. By unmerciful disaster followed fast, and followed faster, they are made to pass through the cycle of suffering, and sit with Job in ashes, comfortless, and cursing the day of their birth. Even these, holding fast and denying not their integrity, come forth at last refined from the fire. In our blindness we call pleasure good and pain evil, but when our vision has been purified by suffering, we learn that pain also is good and that pleasure is often evil. When we are wise enough we give God thanks for the lesson he has taught us through hardship and loss and bereavement and disappointment and pain and poverty, we find that our most trying and painful experiences are richest in the fruits of knowledge and power and joy. The finer the porcelain the higher the degree of heat required to burn it. The harder the stone the longer and more difficult the process of polishing it. The rough diamond is cemented to a handle called a "dop," leaving the part exposed which is to be removed to form one facet. The projecting portion is then removed by attrition against another diamond similarly set in a handle, or by means of diamond dust and oil upon a disk, wheel, or wire, according to circumstances. Many and many a man and woman finds himself and herself cemented by circumstances into a "dop," and held against the wheel while life is ground away. Then the position is changed, perhaps, and another facet polished. By and by it may be, he is properly mounted, or he is one of the ten thousand polished jewels that never receive any mounting, but a polished jewel, nevertheless, waiting its final glorious setting. There is positive gain in some kinds of loss. The solid block of fine marble loses certain portions of its mass, and a statue stands forth, multiplying the value of the original mass a thousand-fold. The jewel suffers loss in being engraved. Its very heart feels the steely point of the graver as the image or inscription that is to endure forever is made upon it by the removal of its integral substance. But its intrinsic value is immeasurably enhanced. What is needed most by those passing through the furnace, held to the polishing-wheel, under the chisel of the great Master, under the point of the graver, is steady clinging to the right, unbending tenacity of high purpose, and fidelity to trust, even unto death. Who Are Christians?
By John Wesley
MANY think themselves Christians who are not. For Christians are holy; these are unholy. Christians love God; these love the world. Christians are humble; these are proud. Christians are gentle; these are passionate. Consequently they are no more Christians than they are archangels.—John Wesley. THE DAY OF THE LORD—EVENTS IN ITS BEGINNING.
By M. C. W.
It has been shown in a former article that the "Day of the Lord," the day of Judgment, or the great day of God's wrath, as the period is variously called in the Scriptures, begins at the close of probation, or when the day of salvation ends and man's trial for life is forever closed by the irrevocable decree of the Judge: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; . . . and he that is holy, let him be holy still." Rev. 22:11. This decree forever closes all time of repentance and reformation. Our High Priest will then leave his mediatorial throne; the angel of mercy will fold her wings, while the black satyrs of evil will seem to triumph. But not for long. The next verse to the scripture above quoted, reads: "And, behold, I [Jesus] come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Here is a little period covered by the word, "quickly." What occurs during this period? How much time does it embrace? What great events intervene between the beginning of the day of the Lord and the coming of Christ, inclusive? We may certainly inquire concerning this period to the extent that God has revealed it to us. We do not propose to speculate over obscure passages, but to present those which are clear and unambiguous. As God's word is truth, the obscure will be in harmony with the plain, positive testimony. With these objects before us, let us notice some of these great events:— 1. The seven last plagues. As there is no mercy mixed with them, as in them "is filled up the wrath of God" (Rev. 14:11; 15:1), they very properly begin, or usher in, the day of the Lord. The prediction concerning them is found in the sixteenth chapter of the Revelation. That these plagues are literal, we need not argue. To suppose otherwise would make nonsense of the chapter. The plagues of Egypt were literal; these are the same. We have no more right to spiritualize the one than the other. True, symbols are introduced of institutions and powers, but it is done for the purpose of connecting them with previous prophecies from which these symbols may be understood. For instance, the beast represents Papal Rome, and its mark symbolizes one of its vital institutions. Rev. 13 and 14. The great river Euphrates is referred to in chapter 9:14, and refers to the great Mohammedan powers. These plagues, too, fall upon the same generation of men. Those upon whom the fifth plague falls are those suffering from the boils of the first plague. It is not our purpose to describe these plagues, or give an exposition of Rev. 16, interesting as the prophecy is; we merely locate them between the close of probation and the coming of Christ, which occurs immediately after, or in conjunction with, the last plague. For it is under the last plague that the shaking of the powers of heaven takes place, and "then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with power and great glory" Mark 13:26. Under this plague, the great hail, reserved to the day of trouble (Job 38:22, 23), falls upon men who are still blaspheming God; and the great battle is fought at Jerusalem, in the valley of Jehoshaphat. Zech. 14, and Joel 3. The time occupied in the pouring out of these plagues is evidently a year. In prophetic language, a day symbolizes a year (Eze. 4:4-6; Num. 14:34); and in the prophecy concerning Babylon (Rev. 18), it is stated (verse 8): "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death and mourning and famine." Of course, famine could not come in one literal day; we therefore conclude that the time is symbolic, signifying one year. This seems to be referred to by the prophet: "For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion." Isa. 34:8. It ushers in the great day of God, and in it is the most signal manifestation of his just wrath until after the thousand years, namely, the pouring out of the seven last plagues. 2. God's care for his people. From this time of trouble (Dan. 12:1), God's people are delivered. None of the judgments fall upon them. They have made their peace with God; their names are in the book of life; they are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Inspiration says of the righteous at that time:— "He [the Lord Jehovah] shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 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. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." Ps. 91:4-12. The reason of God's protection is given in the ninth verse. The faith of the child of God grasps these promises, and in the midst of boiling seas, falling rocks, and quaking mountains, he triumphantly sings:— "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear though the earth be removed [do change, R. V.], and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." Ps. 46:1-3. 3. The death of all the wicked. Many of them die in the battle of the great day which takes place under the seventh plague. "And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground." Jer. 25:33. Then the fowls of heaven are called to the feast: "Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great." Rev. 19:17, 18. The great apostate powers are cast alive into the lake of fire, into which a portion of the earth will be converted. Here they will be "utterly burned." Rev. 18:8. The "remnant," or the men who are left after the great battle, are slain by the sword of the Coming One, who then appears. As Paul expresses it: "Then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." 2 Thess. 2:9. See Dan. 7:10. 4. The righteous dead are raised at Christ's appearing. "For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel [see John 5:25], and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 1 Thess. 4:16. The resurrection of the righteous precedes that of the wicked. See John 5:29; Acts 24:15; Rev. 20:4-6. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Rev. 20:6. From this scripture we learn two important facts: (a) The first resurrection is that of the righteous dead; they are blessed and holy; (b) Those mentioned in the fourth verse are the same as those of the sixth; they both reign with Christ a thousand years; (c) the coming of Christ, the slaying of the wicked, the raising of the righteous dead, mark the beginning of the thousand years of the millennium of the Bible. The preceding verse shows that there is one thousand years between the resurrections of the two classes: "The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." This first resurrection of the faithful has been the hope of all past ages. Job, Isaiah, David, Hosea, Jeremiah, in fact, all classes—apostle, prophet, and saint—looked forward to the time when the coming of the Master of life would be the destruction of the grave (Hosea 13:14), and the saints would shout, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor. 15:55. This is the resurrection literally "out from among the dead," of which our Saviour speaks in Luke 20:35, and for which Paul earnestly longed. Phil. 3:11. Glorious day to the worn pilgrims, the faithful toilers, the blessed martyrs, who, all unappreciated by a wicked and tyrannical world, have laid down their lives for the sake of Christ. Great is their reward. Other important events in connection with the coming of Christ will be considered in our next. THERE is no subject which should engross the attention of all men more than that of conversion; for it is a change through which all who have arrived at the age of accountability must pass if they would ever enter the kingdom of Heaven. Primarily, conversion means "the act of converting or changing from one state or condition to another." Theologically, it is defined first as "a radical change of moral character; a change from the service of the world to the service of God; a change of the ruling disposition of the soul to the appropriate effect in transforming the outward life." In the Scriptures it is declared to be a "new birth." Said the Saviour to Nicodemus: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." But the learned Pharisee, though a master in Israel, did not comprehend this, and incredulously asked, "How can a man be born when he is old?" "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." But Nicodemus did marvel, and then the Saviour told him that this change was the work of the Spirit of God upon the heart. Said the Master, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the Spirit." But Nicodemus could not comprehend it, and neither can anyone who has not felt in his own heart the transforming influences of the Spirit of God. The apostle Paul illustrates this change by death, burial, and the resurrection. He says, "How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into455 death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin." Rom. 6:2-7. The change which is wrought in the individual by conversion is thus described elsewhere by the apostle: "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice." Eph. 4: 22-24, 30, 31. There must be an entire change; the old man must be put off and the new man put on, and this new man is created in righteousness and true holiness; or, as we read elsewhere, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." 2 Cor. 5:17, 18. If anything more is required to show the nature of this change, it is supplied by Rom. 8:1-17. The apostle there shows that the natural heart is opposed to the law of God (verse 7), but conversion brings the heart into harmony with the law of God, and instead of doing the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21), the converted individual brings forth the fruits of the Spirit, which are in harmony with the law. Compare Rom. 8:10-14 with Gal. 5:22, 23. It thus appears that, as stated, conversion is a radical change which is wrought in the human heart through the instrumentality of the word and Spirit of God; and this agrees with the Old Testament Scriptures. For instance, we read of David that after he was brought to repentance for his sins (2 Sam., chapters 11 and 12) he prayed: "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit." Ps. 51:11, 12. What the psalmist understood by conversion we may learn from verses 1, 2, 9-11 of the same psalm: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." "Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." "Ye must be born again," said the Saviour; "put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness;" and, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature," says the apostle, while the psalmist prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Who can doubt that all these expressions refer to the work of conversion? and who will say that that work is not wrought by the Spirit of God? Ezekiel, too, uses similar language. He says: "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, everyone according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed: and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" In the case of Saul (1 Sam. 10), we find another positive testimony that conversion is taught quite as plainly in the Old Testament as in the New, and this text fully justifies the Saviour's words to Nicodemus when he said, "Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?" If Nicodemus had been familiar with the Scriptures which he professed to teach, and which, as a ruler in Israel he ought to have known, he would have understood something about a change of heart. Said the prophet to Saul: "The Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man." 1 Sam. 10:6. And again: "And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day." Verse 9. This can mean nothing else than that Saul was converted; not a single element was lacking. The prophet had spoken to him the word of God, then Saul signified his willingness to obey, and God enabled him to obey by giving him another heart. Or, as Samuel said, "He was turned into another man." In short, to express it in the New Testament language, he was "born again." And thus it is clearly shown that the doctrine of conversion is common to both Testaments, and the agencies by which this work is accomplished have ever been the same, namely, the word and Spirit of God. The fact that Saul did not retain his integrity, but grieved away the Spirit of God, and finally died by his own hand, is supposed by some to disprove the genuineness of his conversion. But it does nothing of the kind. It simply disproves the delusive doctrine of "once in grace, always in grace," and gives force to the admonition of the apostle, "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Eph. 6:11-13. Paul even feared that after having preached to others, he might lose the prize. He said: "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." To assume that there is no danger, is to presume upon the mercy of God; it is to become an unfruitful branch, whose end is to be burned; for says the Saviour: "I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." John 15:5, 6. If we are to receive the testimony of the Scriptures, there is nothing so hazardous in the Christian life as the condition of being at ease. It is to the lukewarm that the Saviour says, "I will spew thee out of my mouth." Rev. 3:16. Then let any who feel that they are being separated from Christ, heed the words of the prophet: "Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. . . . And we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hosea 6:1-3. But if we do not follow on, the decree will go forth, Cut them down; why cumber they the ground? Luke 13:7. C. P. B. ORIGIN OF A CHURCH DOGMA.
We have seen how much stress was laid, in the quarrel between the empire and the Papacy, upon John's innovation on the accepted belief as to Christ's poverty, and the manner in which his resolute purpose had carried that dogma against all opposition. On this occasion he was the conservator of the previously received faith of the church, but the political conjuncture was against him. Not only was Louis of Bavaria consolidating the empire in resistance to the aggressiveness of the Papacy, but France, the main support of the Avignonese popes, was indisposed. Philippe de Valois had been offended by the rejection of his excessive demands in compensation of fulfilling his vows of a new crusade, and had been alienated by John's yielding to the schemes of John of Bohemia, who was endeavoring to secure the imperial territories in Italy. Both monarchs took active steps to turn to the fullest account the Papal heresy. It was a received principle that, as a dead man was no longer a man, so a pope detected in heresy was no longer a pope, seeing that he had ipso facto forfeited his office. Nothing better could serve the purpose of Louis of Bavaria and his junto of exiled Franciscans. Under the advice of Michele de Cesena he took steps to call a German national council, for which Bonagrazia drew up a summons based upon the Papal heresy, and the plan was approved by Cardinal Orsini and his dissatisfied brethren. This came to nought, however, through the still greater promptness of Philippe de Valois to avail himself of the situation. He made the celebrated William Durand, bishop of Mende, write a treatise in opposition to the Papal views, and protected him when John sought to punish him. He assembled the University of Paris, which, January 3, 1333, pronounced emphatically in favor of the beatific vision, and addressed to the Pope a letter asserting it without equivocation. Gerard Odo, the time-serving Franciscan general, was dispatched ostensibly to make peace between England and Scotland, but instructed to dally in Paris and endeavor to win over public opinion. He ventured to preach in favor of John's conservative views, but only succeeded in arousing a storm before which he was forced to bow, and humbly to declare that his argument was only controversial and not assertive. Philippe took the boldest and most aggressive position. He wrote to John that to deny the beatific vision was not only to destroy belief in the intercession of the Virgin and saints, but to invalidate all the pardons and indulgences granted by the church, and so firmly was he convinced of its truth that he would take steps to burn all who denied it, including the Pope himself. Even Robert of Naples joined in remonstrance. Haughty and obstinate as John had proved himself, he could not resist single-handed the indignation of all Europe, and he yielded. He purchased peace by political concessions, and wrote humbly to Philippe and Robert that he had never positively denied the beatific vision, but had treated it simply as an open question, subject to discussion. Even this was not enough. All his ambitious schemes had broken down. In Germany, Louis of Bavaria was posing as the defender of the faith. In France, even the weak Philippe de Valois had resumed his ascendancy over Avignon. In Italy, John's son, Cardinal Bertrand, had been forced to fly, and Lombardy had freed itself. For the wretched old man there was nothing left but to recant and die. He had convoked a consistory for December 2, 1334, to choose a successor to Louis of Bavaria, but before daybreak he was seized with a fatal flux which stretched him hopeless on his bed. Towards evening of the next day he assembled the cardinals and exhorted them to select a worthy successor to456 the chair of St. Peter, when his kindred urged him to save his soul and the reputation of the church, by withdrawing from his opinions as to the beatific vision. The secrets of that awful death-bed have never been revealed, but after he passed away, on the 5th, a bull was promulgated over his name in which he professed his belief as to the divine vision, and, if he had in that or anything else held opinions in conflict with those of the church, he revoked all that he might have said or done, and submitted himself to its judgment. Humiliating as was this, Michele de Cesena pronounced it insufficient, as he made no formal confession of error and recantation, whence it was to be inferred that he died a contumacious heretic. Even Paris was not satisfied, although conclusions were not expressed so openly. Benedict XII., who was elected December 20, was a zealous defender of the faith, who had manifested his determination to extirpate all forms of heresy when, as bishop of Pamiers, he had personally conducted for years a very active Episcopal Inquisition in co-operation with the labors of Jean de Beaune and Bernard Gui. Such a man was not likely to underrate the importance of his predecessor's error, and in fact he lost no time in correcting it. On the 22d a significant threat to General Odo to beware, for he would tolerate no heresy, was a notice to all who had yielded to John's imperiousness. On February 2, 1335, he preached a sermon on the text "Behold, the bridegroom cometh," in which he clearly enunciated the doctrine that the saints have a distinct vision of the divine essence. Two days later he summoned before the consistory all who had given in their adhesion to the opinion of John, and demanded a statement of their motives, by way, we may presume, of admitting them back into the fold as easily as possible. A twelve-month later, January 29, 1336, he held a public consistory in which he published decisively that the saints enjoy the beatific vision, and decreed that all holding the contrary opinion should be punished as heretics. Benedict had earned the reputation of a ruthless upholder of orthodoxy, and persecutor of dissent, and no victims were necessary to enforce the reception of the new article of faith. So thoroughly was it received that it passed into the formulas of the Inquisition as one of the points on which all suspected heretics were interrogated; and when, at the Council of Florence, in 1439, a nominal union was patched up with the Greek Church, one of the articles enunciated for the acceptance of the latter asserts that souls which after baptism incur no sin, or after sinning have been duly purged, are received at once into Heaven, and enjoy the sight of the triune God. Thus a new dogma was adopted by the church, in spite of the opposition of one of the most arbitrary and headstrong of the successors of St. Peter. "JESUS answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." MODERN CONSCIENTIOUSNESS.
By Editor
FROM a correspondent to the Allegan (Mich.) Journal, in its issue of July 12, it is stated that a school not being able to find the date and place of the poet, Will Carleton's, birth, detailed a committee to write him. Mr. Carleton replied, but the date of his letter belied him. The correspondent says:— "Mr. Carleton believes in the strict observance of the Sabbath [Sunday] and is always conscientious in regard to it. The postmark on the envelope shows that the letter was mailed on his way home from church, but the date on the inside is of the next day, Monday. He had to all appearances strictly kept Sunday, but the postal clerk gave him away with one wicked brand of the stamp on the outside. The letter and the envelope have both been framed and hung up in the school-room, a subject for a Sunday-school lesson. Mr. Carleton was born at Hudson, Mich., Oct. 21, 1845." The conscientiousness ascribed to Mr. Carleton is of the same character held by the great majority of Sunday-keepers, and professed Christians, so far as our observation goes and as described by common report in religious journals. It is a conscientiousness that no one shall know how much our acts belie our professions. The only rule of conscience is the word of God, and when men depart from that and follow tradition which makes void the commands of God, we can expect nothing else than a deterioration of conscience. May God give us a conscientiousness in harmony with his word, that pertains to motive as well as act.