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Signs of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 29.

General Articles
Earlier text: General Articles

Salvation Conditional.

By Editor

THOUGH a doctrine should be maintained or admitted on the strength or correctness of its principles, in the minds of some an objection is suffered to obscure a principle, however well it may be established. Many have been so thoroughly indoctrinated in the idea that the death of Christ is equivalent to the Atonement that it is really difficult for them to appreciate our argument on justification by faith, and to understand the relation of such justification to a future Judgment. And again, by assuming that the death of Christ and the Atonement are identical, they are involved in endless controversy in regard to the application of the benefits of the Atonement. It will not appear to be out of place to further notice these points.
We read that Christ died for all. Some who take the view that the death of Christ is the Atonement, readily conclude that the sins of all have been atoned for, and argue thence that no condemnation can remain to any. The argument is reasonable, but the premise is defective.
Others, assured from the Scriptures that all will not be saved, that some do now and will finally rest under condemnation, are shut up to the conclusion that the Atonement is not made for all. They also regard the death of Christ and the Atonement as the same thing, and therefore are necessarily precipitated to the opposite extreme, that Christ did not die for all, but only for a chosen part of mankind. Here again, the difficulties of ultra Calvinism lie in the assumption on which their argument is based. The distinction herein advocated and sustained by plain Scripture facts and declarations, removes the errors of "Universalists" and "Partialists," and, if recognized, would bring all together on the harmonious testimony of the word of God.
And we would urge upon the consideration of the reader that, assuming that the Atonement was made on Calvary, one of the above positions must necessarily be admitted. Either the death of Christ was for a limited number (as the Atonement is), or else the sins of all have been atoned for, and all must be saved. If the Atonement be already made, if the sanctuary be already cleansed, and sin blotted out by an act long passed, we are unable to see how the destiny of man is to be affected by the proclamation and belief of the truth. It will be said that our faith lays hold of that which has been done for us; and if the declaration referred merely to what the Scriptures say has been done, it would be correct. But if our sin was removed or blotted out long before we were born, it is hard to see how the fact could be more a fact, or made more certain by our belief of it; or if our sins were not so blotted out, our unbelief could not affect the omission. But "Christ died for all;" and yet the impenitent will be "punished with everlasting destruction." This is in harmony with what has been shown in commenting on Rom. 5:10, pages 193-195, namely, that the death of Christ does not of itself save any one, but it makes salvation possible to every one. It is a matter of wonder that Bible readers have ever for a moment recognized as true the idea that death makes an atonement, when the Atonement is always represented as the work of the priest, performed in the sanctuary, with the blood of the offering.
The position of an individual who is justified by faith may be illustrated thus: A owes B a sum which he is not able to pay, and C engages to take the responsibility of the debt on certain conditions; and in order to make it sure, C deposits with B an amount sufficient to cover the debt. Now it is stipulated that if A fulfills the conditions, B shall cancel the debt from the deposit made by C. And as long as A is faithfully fulfilling the conditions, so long is B satisfied in regard to the debt; and of course he will not trouble A for it, knowing it is secure. Thus A is accounted just, in the sight of B, though not really just in himself, because he fails to pay a just debt. He is considered as just, or justified through obedience to the conditions of C, who is his surety. But if A refuses or neglects to fulfill the conditions, the deposit of C no longer avails for him; he falls from the favor of B, which he had enjoyed through this arrangement, and the debt stands against him as fully as though C had never engaged to pay it on any condition.
That justification by faith, or the pardon we receive while on probation, is a conditional pardon, is proved by our Saviour's words in Matt. 18:23-35. Here is presented the case of a servant who owed his lord ten thousand talents; but having nothing to pay, and manifesting honesty of intention, "the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt." But this servant met his fellow-servant, who owed him the trifling sum of two hundred pence; and who plead for mercy in the same terms in which the first had so successfully plead before his lord. But this servant would not show mercy; he thrust his fellow-servant into prison till he should pay the debt. Hearing of this, his lord called him, and said unto him, "O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee?" And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. This we say is the Bible view of forgiveness in the gospel, or justification by faith, while we are waiting for the decisions of the Judgment. And on this plain case we are not left to merely draw a conclusion; the Saviour has made the application for us, and from this application there can be no appeal. He says: "So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
That this is a true representation of the position of the penitent, is evident from the declarations that "he that endureth unto the end"—he that is "faithful unto death"—shall be saved; while he that is justified by faith may, by disobedience, lose that justification, and his righteousness will not be remembered. The blood of Jesus is the bounteous supply—the rich deposit where all may find a covering for their sins; but whether their sins are actually atoned for and removed by that blood, depends upon their acceptance of it and their faithfulness to the conditions of acceptance. Without faith and obedience this deposit will never avail for any one.
Yet we hear many say, with the utmost assurance: "My debt is all paid; I cannot be lost, since Christ has died for me." But this is not the language of trust; it is rather that of presumption. Faith claims the promise of God on the fulfillment of its condition. We cannot consent to the idea of unconditional salvation. Whether they are aware of it or not, this is the position of all who expect to be saved because their debt is paid, or because Christ died for them. Every human being can say the same.
But we must notice the real point of this doctrine, namely, that God chose a certain part of mankind, and predetermined that they should be saved, passing by or reprobating the remainder. In 2 Cor. 5:14 we are told that "Christ died for all;" in Heb. 2:9, "that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man;" and in 1 John 2:2, that he is the propitiation "for the sins of the whole world." Did Christ shed his blood for these reprobate ones? Is he their mediator? And some of this faith will answer in the negative; they will say that he did not die for them, but only for the elect. But if he did not die for them, was anything done for them? And how can they be said to "neglect so great salvation" (Heb. 2:3), if no salvation was provided for them? or trample on divine grace, which was no grace to them?
On account of the inherent repulsiveness of the doctrine known as "Calvinism," we often find persons claiming to hold it in a modified form. But that is impossible; it cannot be modified. It is fixed and inflexibly rigid in every feature. It is a belief that God irrevocably decreed and determined all things; and the belief can no more be modified than a fixed decree of Deity can be modified. It may only be exchanged for something else; but in itself it admits of no degrees; for the moment that a condition is incorporated into it, it is something else. Calvinism teaches unconditional personal election; and unconditional personal reprobation is its converse and necessary attendant.
EDITOR. (To be concluded.)

The Texas Sunday Law.

By R. M. Kilgore

THE Sunday law of Texas is not oppressive, but very liberal and merciful in its provisions. For the benefit of those who believe the seventh day is the Sabbath, and are not keeping it because they fear the consequences of violating the law, we append below the State Sunday Law as found in chapter 2 of title 7 of the Penal Code:—
Art. 183. Any person who shall hereafter labor, or compel, force, or oblige his employees, workmen, or apprentices, to labor on Sunday, shall be fined not less than ten nor more than fifty dollars.
Art. 184. The preceding article shall not apply to household duties, works of necessity or charity, nor to necessary work on farms or plantations in order to prevent the loss of any crop, or the running of steamboats or other water craft, rail cars, wagon trains, common carriers, nor to the delivery of goods by them, or the receiving or stowing of said goods by the parties, or their agents to whom said goods are delivered, nor to stages carrying the United States mail, or passengers, nor to foundries, sugar mills, or herders who have a herd of stock actually gathered and under herd, or to persons traveling, nor to ferrymen, or keepers of toll-bridges, keepers of hotels, boarding-houses, and restaurants, and their servants, nor to keepers of livery stables and their servants, nor to any person who conscientiously believes that the seventh or any other day of the week ought to be reserved as the Sabbath, and who actually refrains from business on that day for religious reasons.
The Texas code protects those who keep the seventh day as well as those who observe Sunday.
R. M. KILGORE.

How to Become Interested.

By Lutheran Standard

As a rule, those who pay nothing towards church work have no interest in it. We do not mean merely that they pay nothing because they care nothing. The converse is true also. They care nothing because they pay nothing. One way to get people interested in the congregation's affairs is to get them to contribute. It secures their interest. What costs them something concerns them, if it were only because it costs them something. The same is true also of institutions, missions, etc. Those who contribute nothing are not likely to inquire about them, and read about them, and talk about them. The consciousness that these are our institutions, and that the work done is our work, is awakened adequately only when they have cost us something. And when we recognize them as ours, and learn to rejoice in the prosperity of our work, we give more freely, more liberally, and more cheerfully.—Lutheran Standard.

Choosing Good Things for This Life

HE that chooses his good things in this life makes no provision for the next.

The Waiting Church.

THE position of the Christian church since the departure of Christ from earth, like that of the Jewish church before his coming, has been one of waiting. Having finished his work here below, and opened a way of salvation, having become the one offering for sin, and having established a kingdom, a body, and made it ready for receiving as its soul the Holy Ghost, he, in accordance with the announcement made to his disciples, went away from them, ascended into Heaven, there to remain an intercessor at the right hand of the Father until his coming again to judge both the quick and the dead, and to receive his children unto himself.
For the first few centuries after his departure, and even down to the time of Constantine, his church was emphatically a waiting and a watching church. The thought of his return was the one hope that burned with increasing brightness in proportion as the darkness of persecution deepened. Watchmen stood upon the walls, anxious above all things to detect signs of the promised morning, to discern the first herald of his glorious coming. The apostolic faith in Christ was, among other things, a faith in him as about to return and gather his suffering followers into a kingdom blessed and illuminated by his divine, yet personal presence. He was regarded as an absent Lord, and therefore the nature of his presence on earth, in the sacraments, was not discussed. They regarded the whole existing economy, both civil and spiritual, as only temporary.
They accepted the parting benediction of their Master when he was lifted from among them out of sight, into Heaven, in its literal meaning; believed as they were told, that "this same Jesus" would come again in the very same manner in which they had seen him go, that is, visibly, personally, surrounded by clouds, not of mystery, but yet of glory.
That promise was thenceforth the central hope of his orphaned church. It breathed in every epistle, from the first; and the last prediction of the Apocalypse, "Behold I come quickly," was only a continued echo of what had been constantly heard since the hour of the Lord's ascension.
And the belief of Christians in that promise, was, more than physical signs and wonders, the secret of their marvelous power of patience. This attitude of waiting for a Judge and Saviour about to return; for a Christ, then localized as to his presence only in Heaven, yet soon to become localized on earth, separated the early church, by lines which no one could mistake, from the careless, self-seeking, and scoffing world. If men then speculated too much upon prophecies relating to Christ's second advent, they were thereby prevented from speculating upon other subjects which have since done so much towards making the unity of the church little more than a name.
But because the Christ of the apostles was a waiting Christ, and their church a waiting church, the faith was kept as delivered, and the kingdom remained unbroken all through that fearful night of persecution. And it was not till the church ceased to watch and to wait for the Bridegroom's return that it showed signs of unfaithfulness. But when it forgot its absent Lord, and looked no longer for his coming, heresies and corruption began to rend and stain its Heaven-wrought vesture.
This attitude of waiting, in which Christ left the church, should and must be preserved until the end. Every advent season through all the more than eighteen hundred that have come and gone, has brought nearer the consummation which seemed so near to those who first believed. Every moment of this waiting, every moment which lengthens the period of the Lord's delayed coming, hastens the hour of his return. Let us then trim anew the lights that have been growing dim, and gird up our loins as those whose work it is to watch, lest coming suddenly he find us sleeping. For while Christ waits, he pleads for the reconciliation of souls to God, through himself, by the Spirit, and for the building up of his saints unto such an image of his measure and stature as will make them meet for the promised inheritance.—the Churchman.

Who Are Israel?

By W. N. Glenn

THIS is an important question, for, according to the Scriptures, Israel is a very important people. The direct answer is: They are the seed of Abraham (Rom. 11: 1), "to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever." Rom. 9: 4, 5. But in the succeeding verses we have a qualification given which is very significant: "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel; neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children."
Now there are several prominent facts brought to view in the Scriptures: 1. All Israel is accounted as Abraham's seed. 2. All of Abraham's natural seed are not Israel. 3. There may be a seed unto Abraham not of natural descent. "God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Matt. 3: 9. 4. They that are Christ's are Abraham's seed, and "heirs according to the promise." Gal. 3: 29. There is no partition between the Israelites of all ages; they constitute one "household of God," a "building fitly framed together" (Eph. 2: 14-22), "where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all in all." Col. 3: 11. "So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Gal. 3: 9.
It is great gain to become an Israelite. Mark our condition before conversion as contrasted with our position afterward: "At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometime were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." Eph. 2: 12, 13. Thereby we are adopted into the family of God. Rom. 8: 14-17.
In Jer. 11: 16, Israel is called a green olive tree. Modern hostility to anything "Jewish" would convey the idea that all the branches were broken off, or rather that the entire tree was removed; but Paul gives us the idea that some of the branches were broken off, and the Gentiles by faith were grafted in among those that were left, being with them partakers of the "root and fatness of the olive tree," which remained unchanged. And thus they become Israelites indeed, and Jews inwardly, circumcised in heart and spirit. Rom. 2: 28, 29.
Having found who are Israel, and that they are one in all ages, we will notice briefly how they are to be recognized. If they are Abraham's children, they will do the works of Abraham (John 8: 39); for Abraham was chosen because the Lord knew that he would command his children after him. Gen. 18: 19. Abraham not only had faith, but his faith was accompanied by works; he obeyed God's voice, and kept his commandments. Gen. 26: 5. And this is the distinguishing mark of his children down to the very end. The good Shepherd is known of his sheep, and they hear his voice. John 10: 14, 16. It is the test of love to God and to the brethren. 1 John 5: 1-3. It is the objective point against which great persecution will be directed. Rev. 12: 17. And it will be said of those who pass unscathed through the indignation upon those who worship the beast and his image (Rev. 14), "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." W. N. GLENN.

Prophecy Fulfilled.

By Bible Lands

THE present condition of Egypt strikingly fulfills the prophecies concerning her, and, what is remarkable, the ruin of this nation was brought about, as foretold, by internal dissensions: "I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians; and they shall fight every one against his brother; . . . city against city, and kingdom against kingdom; . . . and I will . . . give [them] over into the hands of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord." "It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations; . . . and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt." Isa. 19:2; Eze. 29:15; 30:13. And more remarkable still is the fulfillment of the prophecy touching the reeds that once abounded along her watercourses, the papyrus being now unknown in Egypt: "The reeds and flags shall wither . . . the paper-reeds by the brooks . . . shall wither . . . and be no more." Isa. 19:6, 7.
Thus, in the literal fulfillment of these predictions, as well as in the harmony of biblical and Egyptian chronology and in the perfect agreement between the narratives of Scripture and the arts and productions, manners and social life, of this ancient people, we have beautifully set forth the truth of the inspired record, so that they who half a century ago sneered at the Bible as a budget of fables, errors, and contradictions, now regard it as the infallible word and wisdom of God.—Bible Lands.

Prayer Answers and Divine Wisdom

The Bible abounds in declarations that God answers prayer; as when the psalmist says: "O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come;" and when Jesus says, "Ask and it shall be given unto you." This is, of course, subject to the natural and obvious limitation, that God will use his superior wisdom in deciding what to give and what to refuse, and also when and how to bestow his favors. Prayer does not set aside God's sovereignty, which is simply his love directed by his wisdom. But then these general pledges are an assurance of real aid. They mean that in human experience prayer will be found to be an actual help; that it will not prove a mockery of human hope. Faith will accept these pledges at their full value, and will so rest upon them, as habitually to carry all wants to God in child-like petition, certain that he will do the very best for us that is possible, and taking the comfort of that fact. It will also have the spirit of expectation, and will watch for answers to its petitions, relying on the fatherly character of God and his invitations to his children to make known their desires with the utmost freedom.—Sel.

Humble Dependence.

By Dr. McLeod

GOD knows me better than I know myself. He knows my gifts and powers, my failings and weakness, what I can do and cannot do. So I desire to be led, to follow him. And I am quite sure that he has thus enabled me to do a great deal more in the ways which seem to me almost a waste in life in advancing his kingdom than I could have done in any other way. I am sure of that. Intellectually, I am weak; in scholarship, nothing; in a thousand things, a baby. He knows this, and so he led me, and greatly blessed me, who am nobody, to be of some use to my church and fellow-men. How kind, how good, how compassionate art thou, O God! O my Father, keep me humble! Help me to have respect toward my fellow-men, to recognize these several gifts as from thee. Deliver me from the sins of malice, envy, or jealousy, and give me hearty joy in my brother's good, in his gifts and talents; and may I be truly glad in his superiority to myself if God be glorified. Root up all weak vanity, all devilish pride, all that is abhorrent to the mind of Christ. God hear my prayer! Grant me the wondrous joy of humility, which is seeing thee as all in all.—Dr. McLeod.

The Sabbath-School.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

LESSON FOR THE PACIFIC COAST—AUG. 16.

  1. In our last lesson, what scripture was quoted concerning a time of tribulation?
  2. What was this time of trouble to follow?
  3. Show that the time of trouble referred to does not mean the destruction of Jerusalem.
  4. Prove that the predicted tribulation was to come upon the people of God alone.
  5. Repeat the words of prophecy that foretell such a period of tribulation. Dan. 7:25.
  6. What power is here referred to as "wearing out" the saints of God?
  7. How long were the saints and laws to be given into his hand?
  8. To how many days is this equal? Rev. 12:6, 14.
  9. In symbolic prophecy what does a day represent? Eze. 4:5, 6.
  10. Then how many years of papal supremacy and persecution were predicted?
  11. From what date are they to be reckoned?
  12. Then when would they end?
  13. How was the papal power broken in 1798?
  14. What did Christ say would be done to those days for the elect's sake? Matt. 24:22.
  15. What must be meant by this?
  16. What great movement produced a sentiment against persecution for conscience' sake?
  17. What did the Lord say would immediately follow the tribulation of those days? Matt. 24:29.
  18. How definitely is the beginning of these signs located? Mark 13:24.
  19. When did the darkening of the sun and moon take place?
  20. When was the prophecy concerning the falling of the stars fulfilled?
  21. Is the shaking of the powers of the heavens a sign of the coming of the Lord, or something that occurs in connection with it? 2 Pet. 3:10.
  22. Are there to be any signs besides those in the heavens? Luke 21:25.
  23. When these signs begin to come to pass, what is near? Luke 21:28.
  24. How can we tell when summer is approaching? Luke 21:29, 30.
  25. Do the signs here considered just as surely prove that Christ's coming is near? Verse 31; Matt. 24:32, 33.
  26. Are we to admit of any doubt concerning it?
  27. If the Lord commands us to know, is it not a sin to remain ignorant?
IN our last lesson we identified the time of tribulation, of Matt. 24:21, 22, with the period of wearing out the saints of the Most High, mentioned in Dan. 7:25. The power that was then to "wear out the saints," is admitted by all commentators to be the papacy. The period of time during which they were to be given into its hand is stated as "a time and times, and the dividing of time." Without entering into any discussion as to the length of a "time," we can very easily determine how long this period of Dan. 7:25 was. In Rev. 12:14 we find the same period given as the length of time during which the "woman" (the Christian church) was nourished in the wilderness. In the sixth verse of the same chapter the same event is brought to view, and the time is said to be "a thousand two hundred and three-score [1260] days." We may therefore read Dan. 7:25 thus: "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until [or during] twelve hundred and sixty days."
BUT twelve hundred and sixty days, only three years and a half, would be rather an insignificant persecution; the time would be entirely too short to accomplish the wearing out of the saints; and besides we know that the persecution of the church by the papacy lasted much longer than that. We remember, therefore, that the prophecy in which this prediction occurs, is symbolic, and that the time brought to view is figurative. If we turn to Eze. 4:4-6, we shall find that in prophetic symbols a day represents a year. Substituting this, we are warranted in reading Dan. 7:25 thus: And he shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand for twelve hundred and sixty years.
THIS period of papal rule began in 538 A. D., when, by the overthrow of the Ostrogoths, Justinian's decree that the bishop of Rome should be head of all the churches, went into effect. Twelve hundred and sixty years from that date would bring us to A. D. 1798, for the close of papal supremacy; and just at that time it was that Pope Pius VI. was taken prisoner by the French, and the temporal dominion of the papacy was destroyed, never again to be restored to its former glory. That the years intervening between these two dates were filled with persecutions which literally "wore out" the people of God, is fully attested by history. The "tribulation" may doubtless be considered as beginning before 538 A. D., for under pagan rule the Christians suffered terrible persecutions; but pagan persecutions did not begin to compare in fiendish malignity with those waged by the apostate Christian church against the true followers of Christ.
"BUT for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened." What days? Not the days of papal supremacy, for the time of its continuance had been definitely fixed years before. Our Lord must refer to the days of persecution by the papal power. Had that persecution been pushed to the close of the 1260 years with all the relentless rigor that characterized it in its height, none of the people of God (no flesh), as the Bible says, would have escaped. But in the providence of God the Reformation arose. God did not design that his truth and people should be utterly exterminated, so that he could have no witnesses upon earth. So he moved on the hearts of devout men like Luther, to preach the word, showing that men must be justified by faith, and not by penances, pilgrimages, or the payment of coin. Their preaching was accompanied with such power that thousands were constrained to believe the glad message of salvation through Christ alone; and when the rulers of various European States espoused the new light, and refused to yield abject obedience to the commands of the pope of Rome, the persecution was gradually diminished, until about the middle of the eighteenth century, it virtually ceased. So for the elect's sake the days were shortened.
"IMMEDIATELY after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened," &c. As recorded by Mark (chap. 13:24) our Saviour was still more explicit in his prediction. After speaking of the affliction above noted, he said: "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light." We must therefore look for the fulfillment of these signs somewhere between the middle of the eighteenth century and the year 1798. Do we find it? The dark day of May 19, 1780, is one of the notable events of history. A brief description may be found in "Webster's Unabridged Dictionary," the list of "Noted Names," etc. The darkness extended over the entire day, after ten o'clock in the morning, and through the greater part of the night following. Although the moon was then full, not a ray of light was to be seen. Even in the day-time the darkness was so great that no work could be done out of doors, and persons who were out were actually unable to find their way home. Fowls went to roost in the forenoon, as though it were night. History contains no parallel to this wonderful event.
MANY have sought to find an explanation for the darkness of May 19, 1780, thinking thereby to destroy its value as a sign of the Lord's coming. None of these efforts have been successful, and so good authority as that quoted above (Webster) says: "The true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is unknown." However, even if it were possible for any one to explain it on scientific grounds, that would not in the least invalidate the claim that it is a true sign of the Lord's coming. Mark the fact that Jesus did not say that a darkening of the sun should occur, which nobody could account for. What he did say was that at a certain time such an event should occur; its occurrence at the exact time specified establishes it beyond all controversy as a valid sign of the end.
"AND the stars shall fall from heaven." This was fulfilled in the memorable meteoric shower of Nov. 13, 1833. It accurately fulfilled Rev. 6:13, which likens the falling of the stars to the falling of unripe figs when the tree is shaken by a mighty wind. Prof. Olmstead, of Yale College, said:— "Those who were so fortunate as to witness the exhibition of shooting stars on the morning of Nov. 13, 1833, probably saw the greatest display of celestial fire-works that has ever been seen since the creation of the world, or, at least, within the annals covered by the pages of history."
"WHEN these things begin to come to pass then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21:28. That is, these signs show that the Lord's coming is near. Says one, "I don't believe in frightening people with talk about the Lord's coming." Well, the Lord didn't say anything about getting frightened. He was speaking to his disciples (not simply to the chosen twelve, but to all who should believe on him through their word); and he tells them to rejoice. Why should they not? Their best friend is coming to redeem them, and to take them to himself. Does the prisoner tremble at the coming of the one who he knows will open his prison doors and let him walk at liberty? Does the bondman, toiling in weariness and pain, writhing under the lash of the taskmaster, become frightened at the thought that the time of his cruel bondage is nearly over, and that one is coming who will make him a free man? Then certainly the Christian will only rejoice at the thought that his Saviour is coming to end all his trials and temptations, and to give him an everlasting home in the mansions of light. The Lord saves those who love his appearing, and those who love his appearing will not shrink from it with alarm.
HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN SUMMER IS APPROACHING? By certain infallible signs. We see the buds begin to swell, the leaves begin to appear, and the tiny blades of grass shoot forth from the ground. When these things begin to take place, we know that summer is not far distant. No one could make us believe differently. "So likewise ye," says the Saviour, "when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." Luke 21:31. This is a direct command. We are not to disbelieve, nor to be in doubt, nor to guess that he is near, but to know. To disregard this command is certainly a sin, as well as to disobey any other injunction. If we study his words carefully, how can we help knowing? How near is it? "Even at the doors." The day and hour are not given, nor is it necessary that they should be. When we are informed that a friend is at our door, we do not require a message telling us when to prepare to receive him. If we are not then ready, we know that we have no time to lose. No expression could more strongly convey the fact that Christ's coming is close upon us. AND HOW SHALL WE PREPARE FOR THAT MOMENTOUS EVENT? "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven." Matt. 7:21. If we would enter into Christ's kingdom, we must obey the laws of that kingdom. There will be none but loyal subjects there. Treason will not be found. Let us then, by the aid of Christ and his Holy Spirit, have the law of God so written in our hearts that we may be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. E. J. W.

NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSON.

AUGUST 17—2 SAM. 18:24-33.

“Is the young man Absalom safe?” Had David asked himself this question earlier, he might not have needed to ask it then of another. The young man Absalom had not been safe for years. He had not been safe when allowed to have his own way, and let his passions run riot in the pleasures of a court. He had not been safe when his royal father failed to give him a father’s care. He had not been safe when placed in the way of temptation, with no shielding influences. It was too late then to ask, Is the young man Absalom safe.—Lesson Commentary.
ABSALOM’S sin and shame had two sides. There was in it the curse that David’s sin brought on David’s house (2 Sam. 12:10), the misdeed of the father that is visited on the child (Ex. 20:5), and not less, Absalom’s own wickedness and recklessness, which made him the bearer of the family curse. David looks at Absalom’s deed not on the latter side, but on the former, for his own guilt seems to him so great that he looks little at Absalom’s; hence his deep, boundless compassion for his misguided son.—Kurtz.
DAVID had not mourned after the death of his infant child, but had said, “Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” Chap. 12:23. Why, then, this mourning for Absalom? Why so intense a sorrow for him? (See chap. 19:4.) It was because David believed in the resurrection and in the Judgment to come. It was because his son Absalom had been cut off in the act of sin, the wages of which are the second death; and because by Absalom’s death the door of repentance and pardon was shut upon him.—Wordsworth.
THE issue of the history, even as regards David, shows how sin brings suffering. Though his enemies are scattered and his throne restored, yet that deeply touching scene, where with keenest anxiety he waits for news of the battle, and with overwhelming grief laments his lost son, shows him still suffering the yet unfinished consequences of his great fall. How the bad example he had set his children, must have come home to him then. We sin, and our sin may be pardoned, but by sinning we have, perhaps, set in motion a chain of cause and effect which may work mischief years after. “Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us each day without sin.”—E. Stock.
DAVID is a very forcible example of the weaknesses that often accompany and thwart the purposes of a natural affection. Of David’s love we can have no doubt. The cry, “O, my son Absalom! my son, my son, Absalom! would God I had died for thee!” was a dirge that could only have been composed after the heart had broken. David did not maintain discipline in his family, and suffered sadly from the unchecked passion and ambition of his children. Justice is not fatal to love. The rod is sometimes as much an evidence of affection as a kiss. To hold a child by the firm grip of authority may be as profitable as to fold him to the breast. Obedience is the condition of soul that heeds instruction, and that love is inexcusable that worships what it should condemn.—Rev. C. R. Barnes.
THERE are many lessons to be learned from Absalom’s sad end. It shows, as in a picture, the final ruin which is sure to befall all whose plans are for self and self alone. It shows that a father’s anxiety over his son will not save him when he has neglected a father’s duty in the past. It shows that our acts have an influence affecting others beyond ourselves; David’s sorrow was so deep because he saw in Absalom’s death the result of his own sin. It shows that parental tenderness may make one blind even to kingly obligations. It shows that no gift or graces or endowments will supply the lack of character. Absalom’s beauty and popularity could not save his name from everlasting disgrace.—Lesson Commentary.
“He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.” The messenger, Ahimaaz, was the son of Zadok the priest; David no doubt knew his character, and knew that his goodness would deter him from bearing evil tidings. And this is shown to have been his disposition, inasmuch as he conveyed to the king only the good news of victory, and withheld the intelligence of Absalom’s death. But the language above quoted serves to express two prominent ideas of the Christian world to-day. 1. One believes that his father, or Rev. Mr. So-and-So, was a good man; he believed this or that doctrine, and therefore it must be correct. No further trouble is taken to investigate the matter; the teaching comes from a good man, and that is sufficient—if it is not according to Scripture, he would have known it. 2. We have the idea that one is a good man because he brings good tidings. He tells us the things we want to hear, therefore he is a good man. He “prophesies smooth things,” therefore the multitude is pleased with him. Should one point out our faults, or the errors in our creed, he is deemed dangerous, a dissensionist, one that “troubled Israel.” “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,” Ps. 37:23; and the good man proclaims the truth, and will not object to having his teaching tested by the word of the Lord. See Acts 12:11.

GIFTS FOR THE KING.

The wise may bring their learning, The rich may bring their wealth, And some may bring their greatness, And some bring strength and health. We too would bring our treasures To offer to the King; We have no wealth or learning; What shall we children bring?
We’ll bring him hearts that love him, We’ll bring him thankful praise, And young souls meekly striving To walk in holy ways; And these shall be the treasures We offer to the King; And these are gifts that even The poorest child may bring.
We’ll bring the little duties We have to do each day; We’ll try our best to please him At home, at school, at play; And better are these treasures To offer to our King, Than richest gifts without them; Yet these a child may bring. —Sel.
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