IS THERE any positive evidence in the Bible that it is duty to ordain deacons? G. F. S.
There is the same evidence that there is for ordaining elders. Ordination was and is performed by prayer and the laying on of hands; and this was done at the appointment of the deacons. Acts 6:1-6. The same word which is rendered ordain in Titus 1:5—"ordain elders"—and elsewhere, is rendered appoint in Acts 6:3, literally, "whom we may ordain over this business."
Where is found the evidence of the resurrection of Moses, and that he was actually present at the transfiguration? W. T.
1. The gospels say that Moses and Elijah were there, "There appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him." Matt. 17:3. "There talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias," Luke 9:30. This is not a parable, but is the history of a fact of occurrence. See 2 Peter 1:16-18.
2. There is neither reason nor chance to doubt that Elijah was there. He never died; he was still alive, and appeared in his own person.
3. We read that there was a contention between the archangel and Satan over the body of Moses. Michael,331the archangel, is Christ. Compare 1 Thess. 4:16, with John 5:27-29, and Dan. 12:1. To "stand up," in this last text, signifies to reign. We conclude, from the fact that Elias was living and was there, and Moses was said to be there also, that the archangel, whose voice will raise the dead, exercised his prerogative, and raised Moses. Satan, who "had the power of death," Heb. 2:14, contended with him, evidently claiming that the dead were his lawful prey. To us this is conclusive. Thus were presented the kingdom and majesty of Christ: himself glorified; the resurrected represented by Moses; the translated, by Elijah. It was a strong confirmation to the witnesses of the "sure word of prophecy," concerning "the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:16-19.
THE IMMORTAL SOUL LOCATED.
By Uriah Smith
It has been no small puzzle to the believers in the popular view to determine in what part of the human system that invisible and unimaginable entity called the immortal soul, has its special abode. Most persons, we presume, if requested to designate, as nearly as possible its invisible dwelling place, would lay their hand upon their breast. But it has been decided that it has fixed its residence "higher up," namely, in the head, or rather that it is confined there; for the soul itself seems not to be a free agent in this matter. We will listen to Dr. Fitch on the subject. He says:—
"The first chamber I will notice, is the skull. This is a dark chamber, remarkable for being the room in which the brain is located; and it is also remarkable for the place where mind and matter meet. In the brain resides that inscrutable and awful being, the human soul. The eye does not see, the ear does not hear, all the senses are only means and instruments that convey knowledge to the soul. The soul is imprisoned in this dark chamber. Its food is knowledge. No man can explain, no man can comprehend it. It is an emanation from the Most High; and in control, holds the same relation to man's body that the Almighty does to it. Imprisoned now, it will one day leave its prison-house, and wing its way to immortality."
—Fitch's Lectures, pp. 22, 23.
"The eye does not see, the ear does not hear," says our worthy Dr. Then it is the immortal soul that does all these things; and as a corollary we may add, that wherever there is seeing, hearing, etc., somewhere behind those operations lies an immortal soul. But animals have eyes and ears; they see, hear, feel, etc., therefore we are borne by this theory to the conclusion that every individual brute, peregrinating on four legs, more or less, bears about an immortal soul shut up in its head! Will immortal-soulists feel flattered by the introduction of this new class of associates? Will they any more accuse us of degrading man to a level with the brute, when their own theory brings them to the same level? All we contend for is that Solomon was correct when he declared that in respect to death and its concomitants, man hath no pre-eminence above a beast; and their own theory, prop it up as they will, when legitimately carried out, leads to the same results, and they cannot avoid it; for beasts are endowed more or less with all those attributes, upon which they rely to prove immortality in man.
But we are told that this immortal soul is "imprisoned in this dark chamber," the skull. The question at once arises, What keeps it in this prison? If the soul is of itself an entity distinct from the body, and only clogged and hindered by the body, and vastly freer in its operations without than with it, why does it not leave? Any man who was imprisoned, imprisoned not from any fault of his, and under no obligations which would make it criminal for him to leave, would be considered very foolish, if he did not leave. Are the immortal souls of popular theology the imbecile or stupid things that they cannot act as wisely? Or is the body superior to the soul, so that it can hold it in its prison at pleasure; and so that the soul must needs wait till the body is relaxed in death, before, like a trembling fugitive, it can slip out?
But we are digressing. These are independent questions having a field of their own, and inviting separate investigation. We only took our pen to congratulate our friends of the popular view, on having settled this much of their theory, that the mysterious inhabitant of their bodies is imprisoned in the skull. Let them take heed, lest at some unlucky moment their prisoner should "break jail," and leave them in the lurch. U. S.
NORTH PACIFIC CONFERENCE.
By I. D. Van Horn
THE camp-meeting held in this Conference in June last, though small, was nevertheless a good one for the cause. The meetings and business of this annual gathering have been fully reported by others and published in the SIGNS.
Having at this meeting resigned my official position, and decided to move from the Conference, I esteem it a privilege to say that my connection with the work in this field, though attended with some difficulties and discouragements, has not been an entire failure. Many have been permanently grounded in the truth and have become firm pillars in the cause. Many others have received light they cannot easily shake off, and may yet be led to follow it unto the salvation of their souls. We have many friends who have become dear to us, and we shall ever remember their kindness.
Financially the Conference is recovering from the heavy discouragement it has been wading through the past two years, and the outlook for the future is cheering.
Since the camp-meeting we attended the quarterly meeting with the Beaverton church. The calling of the roll showed the membership in good condition, and they all stand in harmony with every branch of the work. Sister Miller, formerly a member of the Tenhassen church, Minnesota, presented her letter and was received into this church. A few others are expected to join soon.
The second Sabbath and Sunday in July we were in Salem. Since passing through a severe trial, this church is growing. At the quarterly meeting last April, four joined the church, and two more were baptized, and united with the church at this meeting. There is union and strength in this church now, and there is every reason to believe that the cause will prosper here.
Sabbath, July 16, our last day in Oregon, we met with the little company of Sabbath-keepers in East Portland. We found a larger number present than we anticipated. Regular Sabbath meetings and a Sabbath-school are now kept up in this place, and quite a determined feeling exists to maintain them, and as soon as possible form a church. There is good prospect of this at present.
Evening after the Sabbath we went aboard the fine steamer State of California, and at 3 o'clock next morning were on our way down the river. We had a safe passage over the Columbia river bar, and down the coast, reaching San Francisco Tuesday at 7:30 A. M., making the trip, including six hours stop at Astoria, in fifty-three hours. We shall remain a few weeks in the beautiful city of Oakland for Mrs. Van Horn's benefit before journeying East. I. D. VAN HORN.
WAS THE BIBLE INSPIRED?
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
BY DR. E. J. WAGGONER.
A FEW years ago, any one who manifested any doubt as to the inspiration of the whole of the Bible, would have been set down at once as an infidel. Now, however, professed Christians and ministers in good standing and high repute, not only express doubts, but openly avow their disbelief in the inspiration of different portions of the Bible. This, although as deserving of the name "infidelity" as ever, is termed "liberality," and is extolled as a product of the advanced thought of the nineteenth century.
The following, from the Christian Union, in answer to the question, "Do you believe the account of the creation and the fall of man, as given in the Bible?" is a very fair specimen of what may be termed "religious infidelity":—
"There is no claim made by Moses, and none made for him by any other writer in the Bible, that the account of the creation and the fall of man, as given in the first chapters of Genesis, was a revelation from God to Moses. In the absence of any such claim, we see no reason why the church or the theologian should make it for him. The presumption is that he obtained his facts as other historians obtain theirs; that is, that his history of the events prior to his own time was compiled from an acquaintance with the traditions of his age, and this presumption is confirmed by parallel and analogous traditions recently discovered in other very ancient Assyrian writers. The essential truths in the first chapters of Genesis are the religious truths, and these are unaffected by the question whether the story is to be regarded as purely historical or partially allegorical and parabolic."
To prove that it is no injustice to call such teaching as this infidelity, it will be necessary to show that it really strikes at the whole Bible. This is the case, as can easily be shown.
There are only two ways in which Moses could have received the account of the creation and the fall of man, as recorded in Genesis, chapters 1–3. One is by revelation from God, the other is the way suggested above, namely, by tradition. Now if the latter is the case, the credibility of all of Moses' writings is destroyed, for no one will place any confidence in an author's narrative, if he himself should give evidence of his credulity on the very start, by telling as a fact what is manifestly absurd. There is nothing in the narrative to lead one to suppose that Moses had any doubts as to its authenticity. The account of the exodus of the children of Israel, which occurred under Moses' direct supervision, is in no more positive terms than is the history of the creation. If this be not true, then the whole of Genesis is discredited, for Moses knew nothing of the events, personally.
Supposing then, with the Christian Union, that Moses was deceived, and that what he wrote as facts never occurred, what effect does it have on the rest of the Bible?
The ten commandments are universally recognized by Christians as embodying all the principles of right, as the foundation of all law, and as emanating from God himself. The Bible teaches this. Now the fourth commandment depends entirely upon the narrative of creation as recorded in Genesis. It is just as reliable as the first chapter of Genesis, and no more so. The author of the one must be the author of the other. The only reason given for its observance is that "in332six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is."
If God is the author of the fourth commandment, then the reliability of the Mosaic account of creation is attested; and, on the contrary, if the first and second chapters of Genesis are not true, then the fourth commandment, and all the other commandments are a forgery, for they purport to come from God himself. Thus we see that not only the reliability of Moses' writings, but also the whole system of morality and religion, depends on the correctness of the Scripture record of creation.
Of course, then, none of Moses' writings can be accepted, for whether we say that Moses was himself deceived, or willfully deceived others, he would manifestly be an unsafe guide.
But let us go still farther. Throughout the Bible we have continual reference to the books of Moses either as a whole or in part. We will notice only a few, for they are almost innumerable. In 2 Chronicles, in Nehemiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, especially, we have it stated that God brought calamities upon the Jews for their violation of the Sabbath. Nehemiah states expressly that God spoke through Moses. Neh. 9:13, 14. In the Psalms, the references to the law are in nearly every chapter, the 19th and 119th being especially prominent instances. The 8th, 33rd, and 136th Psalms make special mention of the creation as given in Genesis. In short, it is an undisputed fact that all the Old Testament writers placed implicit confidence in the writings of Moses. But if Moses, through lack of inspiration, fell into error, and recorded absurdities, none of the writers who quote him, or base arguments on his statements, can have been inspired. Had God prompted them in their utterances, he would not have allowed them to follow one who willfully deceived, or wrote from mere hearsay. Therefore we must place a large portion if not the whole of the Old Testament in the same category with the writings of Moses.
But this is not the only result of discrediting Moses' writings. The New Testament writers make frequent references to Moses, and all quote him as authority. Paul quotes him more than any other, and in his second epistle to Timothy he commended him for his knowledge of the Scriptures, said they were able to make him wise unto salvation, and actually claimed that they were given by inspiration of God. The Old- Testament Scriptures are here referred to, for none of the New had been written when Timothy was a child. Paul also makes special mention of the fall of man, showing that he believed it implicitly. Of course, then, Paul derived his knowledge from the same sources that other historians did theirs, namely, tradition. But above all, Jesus Christ himself testified as to the validity of Moses' writings, for in Luke 16 he says that "Moses and the prophets" are sufficient, if heeded, to keep one from eternal destruction. And in John 5:45–47 he makes the faith of the Jews in Moses, a test of their belief in him. Certainly the testimony of Christ should at once dispel every doubt from the heart or head of a professed Christian.
Those, therefore, who disbelieve the Mosaic account of the creation, must necessarily take one of two positions, as follows: 1. Moses was an honest but extremely credulous man, who accepted all tradition as truth, without raising a question in regard to it, and the other writers of the Bible, equally simple-minded, followed him blindly; or, 2. Moses was an impostor like Mahomet, who willfully deceived the people for his own selfish purposes, and all the other Bible writers, and Christ himself, leagued together to perpetrate the imposition. The first is highly improbable, the second absolutely impossible, and both are blasphemous.
One important step in our investigation is now reached, and that is, that the whole Bible is so closely linked together that if a part of it is false, the whole is unreliable, and if a part is given by inspiration of God, the whole is likewise a revelation from the same source.
It must not be supposed that those, at least many of them, who thus lightly esteem the writings of Moses, realize what important consequences their position involves. It would be well for them to consider whether or not they are willing to throw away the whole Bible.
"Every word of God is pure; he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him." Prov. 30:5.
"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Deut. 4:2.
BEFORE HONORIS HUMILITY.
By John Nevins Andrews
IF we read the Bible with prayerful attention, we shall find that its biographies are wonderfully instructive. It never sanctions wrong, and never either excuses or hides it. Often, however, it tells the story of men's good deeds, without one word of praise, and of their evil deeds without any censure. But it is to be understood that this book contains the moral law, which every one can use in squaring the actions of men; and it is to be particularly observed that men's actions are given in such a manner that the consequences of good and evil at last appear with wonderful distinctness.
The wisdom of God in training men for honor by leading them through poverty and humiliation is very manifest from the records of their lives.
Saul is an instance of one, who, in private life, was a good man, and yet, when elevated to the throne, became wicked, overbearing, and cruel. He could not bear his high honors. Had he been trained for many years in deep humiliation he would have been a very different king. Solomon is another instance of the inability of man to bear honor without previous training in poverty and sorrow. He came to the throne like the sun showing itself at its meridian height when it first comes in view. That sun was overshadowed in disastrous eclipse, and perhaps set in eclipse also. Let no man ask for honor till humility has prepared him for it.
David is an illustrious instance of training in the school of poverty, humiliation, and sorrow. God suffered him to receive injustice at the hand of Saul that he might learn to hate such wickedness and never act in that way when himself made king. Surely he had a schooling of inestimable value to prepare him for the throne. Yet with all this he had nearly made a fatal plunge when prosperity became his portion. David's case stands as a light-house built near most dangerous rocks. With all his previous training he was well-nigh ruined by what prosperity flowed in upon him. A lowly station in life is far preferable to one of an exalted character, and it is infinitely safer.
Joseph in the providence of God was made lord of Egypt. But he had first to be thrown into the dungeon. He was sold for a servant. His "feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in iron; UNTIL the time that his word came; the word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and loosed him, even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance; to bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom." Ps. 105:17-22.
The wisdom of God is seen in the history of Joseph. He could never have done the work for which he was exalted to that high station, had he not first been made a slave, and then a prisoner in iron in a dungeon.
Before honor is humility. Those who seek honor at the hands of God will spend their lives in the deepest self-abasement before him. Those that humble themselves, God will exalt. Those who exalt themselves he will certainly abase. Those who are exalted by him shall sit down with Christ upon his throne; and those who are abased by him shall suffer shame and everlasting contempt.
J. N. A.
The Missionary.
By M. L. Huntley
LETTER WRITING.
LETTER writing is a very important part of the missionary work and is becoming more and more prominent. There are lonely individuals who are receiving light on present truth in every direction, and there are many among us who, if they were consecrated to the work of God, might speak words of encouragement and instruction to such, and thus exert an influence for good over many minds. From the various reports of labor which appear from time to time, it is evident that writing letters is quite a large part of missionary work. It is a field of labor in which much has been accomplished. A few thoughts in regard to writing may not be out of place. In all branches of this work it is of the utmost importance that the true object should always be kept before the mind, and especially is this the case with writing letters. It is not sufficient to write that which will merely please or gratify the receiver, and thus merely form pleasant associations, if we would be the means of doing good in this direction. But the object of the writer should be to communicate that which will be most beneficial to the person addressed.
The circumstances of different individuals vary widely, so much so that no definite rule or directions can be made to apply in every case; but under all circumstances, whether it is desired to comfort the afflicted, encourage the desponding, strengthen the wavering, or warn the erring, or to impress the one to whom we write with the importance of some truth, a definite object should be kept in view. Write for a purpose. A careful and prayerful selection of words and ideas is also indispensable. It is impossible to address individuals without making some impression upon their minds, and therefore every effort thus put forth results either favorably or unfavorably. Impressions are made which are not easily effaced. In worldly enterprises all the faculties of the mind are called into use, and men study to know the most successful way of accomplishing their object. Should not the same ambitious determination to excel and succeed be shown in what we attempt to do in the work of God? If there is any cause that is worthy of the highest and noblest powers, it is that of saving souls. Is it not showing disrespect to God, his work, and the great sacrifice that has been made for man, to employ to the utmost for our personal interest the powers he has given us, and to bestow but little care or thought on what we do in his service? We should not be novices in anything connected with the cause of God. "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully" (negligently, margin). Letters may be faultless in sentiment, in construction, etc., all of which is desirable and important, and still be powerless for good. Love to God and to our fellow-men, such as was manifested in the life of the Son of God, and without which far greater efforts are fruitless, must be the actuating principle. If this is in the heart, a winning influence can be exerted through the medium of the pen, on those we love, who have no interest in present truth.
There is perhaps no one who has not near and dear friends, who, unless they turn from their course, will be lost in a little from this. We see their danger, and their blood will surely be required at our hands unless we do all in our power to save them. Parents, children, brothers, and sisters, are in the road to death, and are we unconcerned in the matter? When too late they will rise up, and in words burning with anguish and reproach, condemn us for not having warned them of their danger. Will they have occasion to say that we seemed to care but little for these things? and that we valued earthly interests more than their salvation? Now is the time for us to do all in our power to save those around us, that our garments may be freed from their blood. Our life is a failure unless we are instrumental in the hands of God to lead some precious soul to the Lamb of God, and thus be able at last to enter into the joy of our Lord, in seeing the results of our labor in the kingdom of God. All have an interest in these things inasmuch as all must give an account for the use of the talents committed to their care. The greatest of results depends upon our being good and faithful servants, which all may be by the grace of God.
M. L. HUNTLEY.
COLUMBUS, PLATTE CO., NEB.
By A. J. Cudney, Daniel Nettleton
Eight adults have embraced the truth at this place. Meetings still continue with very good interest. A Sabbath-school was organized last Sabbath, consisting of thirty-five members.
A. J. CUDNEY,
DANIEL NETTLETON.
July 18, 1881.
AN HOUR IN THE VINEYARD.
By A. M. Lindsley
KIND reader, have you tried it? Have you felt the satisfaction of knowing that you have the approval of the Master on labor bestowed for Jesus' sake, aside from any selfish motive? If you have not, then know that though it is the eleventh hour, yet one hour still remains in which to earn the penny and his approbation. Some excuse themselves because they have no talent in the direction of spreading the truth or soul-saving, consequently there is nothing required of them. Be not so sure of that; for it is seldom we find any that have not the one talent given them to occupy till the Master shall come, and his work shall be finished; so it is not so clear that such are excused from service. In one sense it is well to feel our weakness and incapacity; for we shall not be so likely to labor in our own strength. We shall feel the necessity of aid from a higher power, and seek to be endued with the help that comes from God. Judicious labor must certainly be that which springs from a heart deeply imbued with the love of God, and a thorough appreciation of truth. If wisdom is needed, He who has promised to supply us liberally, and upbraid not, is pledged to richly supply all our need. How then can we be excused?
If we lack a spirit of labor for others, it is an index of our own barren standing, bringing forth no fruit to perfection. If we love God we shall likewise love our neighbor; for the principles of love to God are all-permeating and wide-spreading in their influence. His truth will be like fire shut up in our bones, and we cannot rest without communicating it, and the joy its possession brings to our own souls will lend a radiance to its presentation. It is Heaven-born, and must be divine in its effects. In watering others, we shall be watered ourselves.
The hour in which we can work does not look to an indefinite period reaching perhaps many years into the future, but time is narrowed down till we have but a small space left us. Our diligence should be doubled, yes, multiplied twenty-fold. We are convinced of this; then what remains but to seek the aid of the Holy Spirit to give us vitality and energy to labor in love and fear, lest a promise being left us of overcoming, any of us should seem to come short of it. Ours is necessarily a work of great responsibility and sacrifice, and when the Master of the vineyard comes, it will appear whether we receive the applaudit, “Well done.” A. M. LINDSLEY.
The Blessings of Missionary Society Meetings
"ONE of the greatest pleasures I have enjoyed outside of home has been our missionary society, and I am sure all who have attended regularly would say the same. Our members are nearly all too far away to walk to the meetings, and cannot always be accommodated with a horse, so it has happened two or three times that only five were present; but it was very good to those five. At first, the idea prevailed that no one could be called on to pray except the minister's wife; indeed, I believe she was the only one who had ever attempted such a thing. There has been growth in this line of Christian experience, for now the president would not hesitate to call on any of the regular attendants. Once a lady did excuse herself but repented, and after another had prayed she followed in an earnest prayer that touched all our hearts. Our meetings have seemed to draw us nearer than we have ever been before, and some friendships that had been broken for years have been renewed since we have met in this way. I wish we could be inspired to study missions more; but we poor farmer's wives do lead such a busy life. Every day seems too short for the work it brings, and when one is too tired to work there is not much strength left for study; yet when one's heart is set on anything the way seems to open in spite of obstacles."—From a letter in Woman's Work.
Loving God Beyond Self-Indulgence
How MUCH can a man be said to love God or his church, who spends his entire income upon his stomach and back, and brings nothing to the Lord's treasury?—Golden Rule.
ABSTINENCE AND PROSPERITY.
The following words we extract from a speech by Rev. J. W. Monk, at Faversham, England, published in the Dietetic Reformer, for April, 1881, London:—
“Lord Derby says that each time a man drains off a pot of beer he swallows a yard of land, and that if the working men of England would only reduce their potations by one-half, they may at no distant day become possessed of half the soil of England. Well, now if to their abstinence from liquor they add abstinence from animal food, the advent of that happy time when every man may sit under his vine and under his own fig-tree will be wonderfully accelerated. Meantime every day will bring a fresh accession of health, wealth, and wisdom. I appeal to those who are abstainers and vegetarians to say whether your abstinence has not materially contributed to your comfort and enjoyment. I am not ashamed to make such an avowal myself. Nearly five years ago I renounced, at once and forever, alcohol and tobacco in every form, and soon found myself better in every way for my abstention. I next gave up tea and coffee; then fish, flesh, and fowl, and now I am able to say with the late Mr. Brotherton, M. P., ‘I count not my wealth by the number of my possessions, but by the fewness of my wants.’ I invite you to try the experiment of living more simple lives, to break off the luxurious habits—the luxe effrene, as one of our novelists has it—the note of our time, a contagious disease spreading downwards from the palace to the cottage, bringing nothing but evil in its train. I ask you in the words of Dean Stanley, spoken in Westminster Abbey, to resist, above all things, the temptation to do things because everybody does them. Take for your motto the words, a translation of which the Dietetic Reformer has placed upon its title-page, ‘Fix upon that course of life that is best; custom will render it most delightful.’ For as Shakespeare says:—
“‘That monster, custom, who all sense doth eat—
Of habits’ devil,—is angel yet in this,—
That to the use of actions fair and good
He likewise gives a smock or livery
That aptly is put on: Refrain to-night;
And that shall lend a kind of easiness
To the next abstinence: the next more easy;
For use almost can change the stamp of nature,
And either curb the devil, or throw him out
With wondrous potency.’”
BEER AND LEGISLATION.
The following pointed paragraphs are from a lecture by Miss Frances E. Willard, the well-known temperance reformer:—
Does license "regulate?" Let Chicago answer, with her three thousand licensed and three hundred unlicensed dram-shops open on the Sabbath day; with her drunken boys and abandoned girls thronging these haunts of infamy; with her drunkards freely obtaining liquor enough to keep flourishing the crop of arrests for criminal assault; with her jails crowded by murderers, her vile "concert" saloons in violation of an ordinance which declares a penalty for every exhibition of the kind; with her horrid scenes at the police courts, where drunken men and women are sent to the bridewell and jail, but no indictment found against the saloon-keepers, who in open violation of law, sold them the liquor that sent them there, and who will do so again as soon as they can get them back into their clutches. Chicago, with her municipal authorities and executive officers solemnly sworn to enforce the license law, is a suggestive commentary on the comparative excellences of license and prohibitory laws!
"But let us discriminate between the sale of whisky and of beer," is the specific offered by some well-meaning people. The duke of Wellington was of this number, and thought he had won a greater victory than Waterloo when he secured the passage of the "beer act" in the British Parliament. For thirty-nine years this remained in full force, and meanwhile England sank deeper and deeper in drunkenness. The Convocation of Canterbury, a department of the English church which has ecclesiastical supervision over fourteen millions of persons, then instituted a careful inquiry into the results of this same beer act. Let me give you the summing up of the testimony taken from the lips of thousands of witnesses, not themselves temperance people either, but for the most part public officers of the law:—
"This ale and beer act, though introduced for the avowed purpose of repressing intemperance by counteracting the temptation to excessive drinking of ardent spirits, has been abundantly proved not only to have failed of its benevolent purpose, but to have served, throughout the country, to multiply and intensify the very evils it was intended to remove."
If ever history learned a costly lesson that she might teach it to posterity, it was this one, which America ignores to-day. But the evils of beer legislation must not, in this connection, be overlooked. We live in a republic where each man counts one in every decision by which public opinion crystalizes into law. The brewers are fast becoming dictators to those in power. I quote Mr. Schade, the editor of their organ at Washington.
"No, gentlemen, first personal and then political liberty. First beer, then politics. If we want to succeed, we must do it at the ballot-box."
I quote Mr. Clausen, president of the tenth brewers' congress:—
"Unity is necessary, and we must form an organization which not only controls a capital of $200,000,000, but which also commands thousands of votes. By our efforts the former minority in the assembly of New York State was changed to a majority of twenty votes in our favor." It is as dangerous to the Republic to be governed by an oligarchy of beer-brewing and beer-drinking citizens as by a single wicked tyrant. Yet our cities are rapidly being thus governed, and no one can read the Congressional Record and see the steady concessions to the brewing interest without being aware that beer is already the determining factor in our politics. Before this blear-eyed, foamy-mouthed monster, legislatures bow the knee, municipal authorities grovel in the dust, crying, "Great is Gambrinus of the Teutonians." When a million blurred and muddled ballots are cast into the box on election day, the Goddess of Liberty may well veil her face in shame.
AT THE FOUNTAIN.
THERE is still living a man who will recognize himself as in a glass, if his eyes should fall on these lines. He was a prominent member of an evangelical church, and he was rarely absent from any of its services. He was a good man, studious and intelligent. But with a wife and sons and daughters at home, he always came to church alone; there was not one of them in the Sabbath-school. He never told his pastor where he lived, nor invited him to call. The pastor supposed he was not welcome, but at last he went. The house told its own story. Every table and shelf had a burden on it of trashy literature. There was a fashion journal, police gazette, and large quantities of cheap and flashy novels. There was abundance of all that was worthless, and nothing good. Here was the secret of the whole matter. The bitter fountain sent forth bitter waters. When or how began this corrupting work there was no means of knowing. The results were well defined. No one could expect anything else. The center table was a poisoned fountain, and its streams reached every room in the house. The girls had no companions among the best of their age, and the swearing, Sabbath-breaking boys, began their downward career early. The person in that house who could control its reading, was responsible for the perversion of the family. The good and pure and elevating would have cost no more. It is not enough to remove the evil; the poisonous mental food must give place to good and nourishing reading.—Golden Censer.
Temperance.
By John Donaldson
NORTH PACIFIC HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE SOCIETY.
The second annual session of this society was held in connection with the camp-meeting at Cornelius, Oregon, June 22–28, 1881.
FIRST MEETING, THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 6 P. M.
The President, O. Dickinson, in the chair. The secretary being absent, R. D. Benham was chosen Secretary pro. tem. After a few stirring remarks by the President the following committees were appointed: On nominations, E. Squires, A. W. Benson, Jno. Donaldson. On resolutions, Eld. J. H. Waggoner, R. D. Benham, T. H. Starbuck.
Remarks were then made by Eld. I. D. Van Horn, in explanation of the seeming apathy of the Society during the past year. Adjourned to the call of the President.
SECOND MEETING, JUNE 27.
Minutes of the previous meeting read and approved. The following officers were then elected for the coming year: President, John Donaldson, Secretary, Miss Emma Hardy. Extended remarks were made by Elds. Van Horn, Waggoner, and others.
THIRD MEETING, JUNE 28, 7 A. M.
The President, John Donaldson in the chair. The following resolutions were presented and adopted:—
Resolved, 1. That we recognize Christian Temperance as an important grace, underlying that of patience, and therefore necessary to our living that message in which is the patience of the saints.
2. That we confess with regret that we have not given this subject that attention which it should receive among us, professing, as we do, to be the remnant people of God; and that we now promise before God and each other to correct our lives in this respect.
3. That we request the officers of our Society to procure the necessary instruction papers, and take steps to have Health and Temperance Clubs organized in every church and among every company of Seventh-day Adventists in the North Pacific Conference.
4. That we will second their efforts by circulating our temperance literature, and endeavoring in every proper manner to enlighten the people of our respective neighborhoods on the subject of temperance as we view it from a Christian stand-point
JOHN DONALDSON, Pres.
MISS EMMA HARDY, Sec.
WHERE THE DRUNKARD'S MONEY GOES.
EVERY rag stuck into a window to keep out the cold from the drunkard's home denotes a contribution towards buying new suits for the rum seller and his family. The more elegance and ease in the rum seller's family, the more poverty, degradation and despair in the families of those who patronize him.
The corner grog shop, with large plate-glass windows and marble floors, is paid for by the tenants of other landlords for such purposes. The more plate-glass and marble slabs there are in the rum shop, the more old hats and soiled garments must be stuck in the windows of their patrons to keep out the cold air. The more silk flounces upon the dress of the rum seller's wife, the cheaper the calico upon the wife and children of his patrons.
The more spacious the parlor and brighter the fire of the rum seller, the more scantily furnished and cold are the abodes of those who patronize him. While the rum seller drives his $1,000 span, his customers cannot afford a five cent horse-car. From the bung-hole of every barrel of liquid damnation that is sold by the dram seller, there flows a constant stream of drunkards, criminals, lunatics, and imbeciles to fill poor-houses, houses of correction, jails and prisons; while blasted hopes, ruined homes, and paupers' graves are the relics of the trade. Every dollar that the owner of the rum shop and the rum selling tenant put into their pockets comes out of the pockets of the poor men, and is a dead loss as far as the public good is concerned. Worse than that, the more rum sold the more burdens there are imposed upon the honest citizens and tax-payers. The richer the landlord and his rum-selling tenants grow, the poorer becomes the landlord who lets his buildings for tenements and legitimate business. It is an undisputed fact that the laboring man who has a family cannot indulge in liquor drinking and pay his landlord and the grocer.—National Temperance Advocate.