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Signs of the Times, Vol. 13, No. 27.

General Articles

Signs of the Times

Jul 14, 1887

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 14, 1887

General Articles.

By Mrs. E. G. White

BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM.

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
“He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as He walked.” “And if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
We are each of us building for ourselves a structure which will one day be scrutinized by the Judge of the whole earth. This structure is our individual character; and every act of our lives, every thought and word, is a stone in the building. The words of inspiration warn us, “Take heed how ye build.” See to it that the foundation is sure. If we build on the Rock Christ Jesus, the structure will grow into symmetrical proportions, and will be a fair and holy temple for God.
Our minds are given us; but our characters we make; they are the result of the lives we lead, the thoughts and principles that we cherish. When we see persons firm in principle, faithful in the performance of duty, zealous in the cause of God, yet humble, gentle, and patient toward all, ready to forgive, manifesting love for souls for whom Christ died, we do not need to ask, Are they Christians? They give unmistakable evidence that they are learners in the school of Christ. But when they show the opposite traits of character; when they are proud, vain, frivolous, worldly-minded, avaricious, unkind, censorious, we need not be told whence the spirit comes that they are cherishing. They may not believe in witchcraft; but they are holding communion with an evil spirit, and its influence is poisoning heart and life.
Trifles reveal character. One who is selfish, self-sufficient, and self-caring will be exceedingly unhappy. It is not unreasonable to be suspicious of persons who are always complaining that they are not treated well. It will generally be found that they have exalted ideas of their own merits, and think everybody else should respect them accordingly.
There are some who are ever looking out for slights. In the family, some unfortunate word is said, and they take offense, feeling sure it was designed to hurt and disparage them. They meet a friend who is so occupied with business or other cares that he does not greet them as ardently as they desire, nor have so much time to visit, and they feel that they are personally insulted. The offender, wholly innocent of any design or thought of hurting them, is astonished to find himself treated with suspicion and coldness, and soon the charge reaches him that his poor, unhappy neighbor feels that he has been neglected and abused. But the unhappiness was in him, waiting for some excuse to show itself.
Life is what we make it. While we are in the world, we shall meet with all kinds of persons; but our life takes its bias and coloring from our own traits of character. It is our privilege to learn daily in the school of Christ meekness and lowliness of heart; and when a selfish, haughty spirit is overcome, and we are willing to be as was our Master, we will make our surroundings pleasant. We will pass over many slights and not see or feel them, because we have the love of Jesus in our hearts, and are trying so hard to be like him that these little matters do not affect us.
Strife and contention cannot exist among those who are controlled by the Spirit of God. A truly Christ-like character cannot be subverted. Envy, jealousy, malice, and persecution may be hurled against those who bear the divine impress; but it only serves to strengthen that which it cannot overthrow.
That which commands respect and wins appreciation is true goodness. Real merit must be won by patient industry and energy, by untiring application and effort. Thousands fail of securing the love and respect that they covet because they desire what they do not merit. They would rather be weak than to put forth the exertion necessary to subdue their wrong traits, and gain strength of character.
Christ is our refuge; and it is only through faith in him that we can form characters that God can accept. We may add knowledge to knowledge, strength to strength, and virtue to virtue, and yet fail in the soul-testing conflict just before us, because we do not make Christ our strength and righteousness. No outward forms can make us clean; they cannot take the place of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. All who have not experienced the regenerating power of the Spirit of God are chaff among the wheat. Our Lord has his fan in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor. In the coming day he will discern “between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.”
The Spirit of Christ will be revealed in all who are born of God. The Lord has not closed Heaven against his people; but their own course of continual backsliding, of bickering, envying, and strife, has separated them from him. Pride and love of the world live in the heart; and few are alarmed or astonished at their want of spiritual power.
The warnings of God’s word, and the influence of his Spirit, have alike been neglected. The sins that destroyed the antediluvians and the cities of the plain exist to-day—not merely in heathen lands or among avowed unbelievers, but among professors of Christianity. The result is apparent in the deplorable condition of the church. Impurity is widespread, even among those who profess to be the followers of Christ. Many are eagerly participating in worldly, demoralizing amusements which God’s word forbids. Thus they sever their connection with God, and rank themselves with the pleasure-lovers of the world. If God should present their sins before them as they appear in his sight, they would be filled with shame and terror.
And what has caused this alarming condition? Many have accepted the theory of religious truth, who have not been converted to its principles. There are few indeed who feel true sorrow for sin; who have deep, pungent convictions of the depravity of the unregenerate nature, and are trying to walk even as Christ walked. The heart of stone is not exchanged for a heart of flesh. Few are willing to fall upon the Rock, and be broken.
What surpassing love and condescension, that when we had no claim on divine mercy, Christ was willing to undertake our redemption! But our great Physician requires of every soul unquestioning obedience. We are never to prescribe for our own case. Christ must have the entire control of our will and action, or he will not undertake in our behalf. Many are not sensible of their condition and their danger; and there is much in the nature of the Christian religion that is averse to every worldly feeling and principle, and opposed to the pride of the human heart. We may flatter ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our lives and our moral character have been correct, and think that we need not humble our heart before God, like the common sinner; but we must be content to enter into life in the very same way as the chief of sinners. Self must die. We must not trust to our own righteousness, but depend on the righteousness of Christ. He is our strength and our hope.
Genuine faith is followed by love,—love that is manifested in the home, in society, and in all the relations of life,—love which smooths away difficulties, and lifts us above the disagreeable trifles that Satan places in our way to annoy us. And love will be followed by obedience. All the powers and the passions of the converted man are brought under the control of Christ. His spirit is a renewing power, transforming to the divine image all who will receive it.
To become a disciple of Christ is to deny self, and follow Jesus through evil as well as through good report. It is to close the door to pride, envy, doubt, and other sins, and thus shut out strife, hatred, and every evil work. It is to welcome into our hearts Jesus, the meek and lowly one, who is seeking admittance as our guest.
“He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked.” Jesus is a pattern for humanity, complete, perfect. He proposes to make us like himself,—true in every purpose, feeling, and thought,—true in heart, soul, and life. The man who cherishes the most of the love of Christ in the soul, who reflects the image of Christ most perfectly, is, in the sight of God, the truest, most noble, and most honorable man. But he that has not the Spirit of Christ is “none of his.”
Basel, Switzerland.

THE

Signs of the Times

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

SUBMISSION.

By Inquirer

I WOULD not ask my path to be Forever through the sunny glade; Only bright flowers to bloom for me, And only brilliant lights to see Wherever falls a gloomy shade.
I would not ask for pleasure bright To always wait beside me here, And guide me through the spirit's night With her false, flickering, meteor light, That ever flits as clouds come near.
I would not ask for joy to fill My cup with happiness untold; Or wish for every pain be still, If chastening is my Father's will, To bring me to his guarded fold.
But I would ask for strength to bear Whene'er my burdens press me down; For patience, when most tried by care; For faith, when dark the shadows are, While o'er my path the thorns are strewn.
For love to God, whate'er betide; Through every path he thinks the best, That he will all my footsteps guide, And lead me gently to his side At last, within his smile to rest.
—Inquirer.

“WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.”

By J. Clarke

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose ye this day whom ye will serve; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.
JOSHUA had formed a character remarkable for intrepidity and firmness, independence and truth. He had breasted the fury of popular tumult, had stood almost alone when threatened with death, was firm in his fidelity to God when the multitude was about to stone him and his companion, Caleb, with stones, because they persisted in giving a truthful report of the land. Num. 14:10. Joshua and Caleb alone of that generation lived to enter Canaan. All the congregation from twenty years old and upwards, fell in the wilderness (Num. 14:26-39), while those two faithful ones still survived, because they were firm in the cause of truth, when all the people were opposed. When truth was unpopular, Joshua dared to be singular, dared to be odd. Fearless of man he stood forth, the champion of downtrodden truth, the advocate of right.
But had Joshua waited for others to serve the Lord, even though disposed to do his will, how different would have been his destiny; had he waited for the church to rise, had he said to himself, We can do nothing alone, only Caleb and myself, what can we do against three million of people? I will wait and see how Moses comes out, and if he wins I shall stand by him, or if he falls I will keep on the popular side with the winning party.
Or he might have minced the matter a little, and might have taken a middle course, or by his silence have avoided the execrations of the multitude, and thus have drawn down the curse of God. But no! The occasion called for decisive testimony, and he gave it. The people needed a rebuke, and he administered it. The truth was trodden under foot, he rescued it. He stood the advocate of God, whose goodness and liberality were undervalued, whose grace was abused, whose love was slighted.
But the trait most prominent in the character of Joshua, was his adherence to truth in times when he stood almost alone; when all combined to draw him away from God; when his friends and associates were opposed.
Now if anyone in this day of darkness is disposed to wait for the church to rise; if any have the idea that all must rise or no one can; if any are waiting for a tide to bear them up, to waft them onward; if any are laboring under the impression that by and by all will rise, and I will wait my time, let such an one contemplate the history and character of Joshua, reflect upon the manner in which his character was developed, and the means by which his eminence was reached, until he can say, Let others do as they may, I will serve the Lord. J. CLARKE.

PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD.

By Selected

“Who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?” Mal. 3:2. It is indeed true, that when Christ comes again it will be to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man; to gather up the wheat into the garner, but to burn the chaff with fire unquenchable; to send forth that tremendous edict, “Those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.” Would it not then be wise to consider in time whether you are able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against you with twenty thousand, or else to desire conditions of peace? These conditions he not only freely offers you, but has sent his servants to beseech you in his stead to “be reconciled to God.” For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Let no feeling of past sin, however aggravated, deter you from coming, since it is written, that “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. Be no more a stranger and foreigner, but, accepting his offer, become a fellow-citizen with the saints, a member of the household of God; be content, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the saints of God, to confess yourself a stranger, and a pilgrim on the earth, and with them to look “for a city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
Perhaps, though not altogether regardless of divine things, you have been going about to establish your own righteousness, and have not submitted to the righteousness of God. Perhaps you have been saying in your heart, “God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are,” or, “I am rich, and have need of nothing,” and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. No wonder under such circumstances that you do not desire to hear of the Lord’s coming. If you think you can do well enough without him; if your salvation depends not on your union with him that is to come; if you feel not your present wretchedness, you cannot desire to exchange your mourning for joy, or your spirit of heaviness for a garment of praise. If such you are, I beseech you to consider in time the sentence passed upon the guest whom the king perceived to be without a wedding garment. However you may be self-satisfied now, before Him that is coming you will be speechless, and the most appalling sound that ever vibrated in your ear, will be the words, “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away.” Realize to yourself the idea of his speedy approach. His faithful messengers are saying, “Come, for all things are now ready.” He has provided for you the garment in which he expects you to appear, “even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe;” unto all as a gift, and upon all as a covering.—Selected.

WILL JESUS COME AGAIN?

WILL my dear Redeemer again visit this inhospitable world where he once suffered so much; where he lived a brief life of poverty and sorrow; where he was continually reproached, derided, and traduced; where his holy labors were ascribed to a wicked principle; where his godly sympathy met with so many gross repulses; where he was cruelly insulted, mocked, scourged, and murdered? Without the stain of crime, or guilt of sin, all this he endured or suffered by wicked hands! A few loved him, and mourned his death as the end of their hopes: "We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel." Luke 24:21. But over him death loses its power. All the power of malice cannot hold him in the grave. The death struggle is over, the life-blood turning to water has flowed from his heart, through his spear-pierced side. But over all this, and over all human power, triumphs the life-giving Spirit, by the power of God. He lives again, and lives forevermore. Angels proclaimed to the world his birth; angels proclaimed his resurrection, and angels at his ascension proclaimed, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11.
Jesus will come again; he has promised it himself: "I will come again." John 14:3. "A little while, and ye shall not see me; and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father." Chap. 16:16. "I will see you again." Verse 22. "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels." Matt. 16:27. "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Chap. 24:27. "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels." Chap. 25:31. "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Chap. 26:64. "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38. "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory." Chap. 13:26. The same also, Luke 21:27. "And he [God] shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you." Acts 3:20. "Waiting for [expecting] the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 1:7. "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come." Chap. 4:5. "Afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." Chap. 15:23. "At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." 1 Thess. 3:13. "We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord." "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout." Chap. 4:15, 16. "Be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Chap. 5:23. "Rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels." 2 Thess. 1:7. "When he shall come to be glorified in his saints." Verse 10. "Might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 1 Pet. 1:7. "Be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Verse 13. "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints." Jude 14. "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him." Rev. 1:7. "But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come." Chap. 2:25. "I come quickly." Chap. 3:11. The same, in chapter 22:7, 12. "Behold, I come as a thief." Chap. 16:15. "Surely I come quickly." Chap. 22:20. Who responds, "So be it, come Lord Jesus"? Is it I? Reader, is it you? These testimonies are only a part of the many that assure us of the great and glorious event; great and glorious "to all those who love his appearing" (2 Tim. 4:8), whose "citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." Phil. 3:20.
Well, there are many things that make me earnestly desire to see my Saviour. First of all, I love him more than all else beside, and my sweet meditation would attain the full fruition of happiness and joy in his presence; and this will be consummated when he comes, and says, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you." Matt. 25:34. Oh! it does seem as if my joy would know no bounds; there with all the redeemed, with the holy angels, with the glorious Redeemer and King of kings, and with the Father too. Oh! words are too feeble to utter the feelings of my soul. Then this glory and happiness are eternal, they will never end, never cloy, never lessen, and there will never be anything to mar these, or to exclude me from this state of perfect bliss. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Cor. 2:9. And again, pain, sickness, sin, and death will be no more, no more want, no more graves, no more mourning, but life, life, eternal life, joy, and peace. "Oh! I long to be there."
And now, dear reader, I beg of you be not of those who say, "Where is the promise of his coming?" 2 Pet. 3:4. Read the promise from his own lips, believe it, be ready for it, watch for it, keep oil in your vessel with your lamp, and keep your loins girt about and your lamp burning, waiting with longing expectation for his coming. Attend to the injunction, "Occupy till I come." Secure the approval, "well done, good and faithful servant;" do not expect the blessing without the qualification for it; let not the lot of the evil servant, saying "my Lord delayeth his coming," be yours. "That servant, which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." Luke 12:47. Let not seeming delay make you unmindful of watching. "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh, shall find watching." Verse 37. True, many have been mistaken in anticipating too soon the coming and kingdom of the Lord and Saviour; better a thousand such mistakes than too late in being ready. If I am at the railroad station an hour or two too soon, and anxiously waiting to take my place in the car, it is better than to be a moment too late. Blessed Lord, give me grace, so that, being ready, I may keep in readiness to meet thee at thy coming.—J. C., in Sabbath Recorder, 1859.

THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST.

By Methodist Recorder

“Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of,” was the rebuke which Christ gave to two of his disciples, when, on a certain occasion, they desired to call down fire from heaven and consume the inhabitants of a certain village who had refused to receive their Master. They were zealous for his honor, but they did not possess his spirit. We fear there are too many like them in the church to-day, who manifest great zeal for the cause of Christ, but who do not labor to promote it in the true spirit of the gospel.
If men would extend the cause of Christ, they must possess his spirit, and exemplify in their lives his meekness and gentleness, his humility and forbearance, his tenderness and love. This will commend his religion to others, and make converts to the faith. But if, instead of this, they manifest a spirit of self-seeking, a desire for pre-eminence, a harsh and unforgiving disposition, and an inclination, like the disciples, to take vengeance on others, how can they expect to win souls to Christ and extend his cause in the world? The cause of Christ can be extended only in the spirit of Christ. His love must constrain our hearts, and his glory in the salvation of souls must be the great object constantly kept in view.—Methodist Recorder.

RELATION OF THE WILL TO BELIEF.

The following, from the "Evidences of Christianity," by Dr. Mark Hopkins, is a most clear and forcible statement of truths that are too little appreciated even by Christians themselves. The article will be read with peculiar interest, now that the death of the author, at the age of eighty-five, has directed special attention to his life and work; but it is worthy of a careful perusal on its own merits:—
I am met by the objection that the belief of a man is not within his own power, but that he is compelled to believe according to certain laws of evidence. This objection I do not apprehend to be of very wide influence; but I have met with a few men of intelligence who have held to it, and it has been sustained by some names of high authority. I am therefore bound to notice it.
In this case, as in most others of a similar kind, the objection involves a partial truth, from which its plausibility is derived. It is true, within certain limitations, and under certain conditions, and with respect to certain kinds of truth, that we are not voluntary in our belief; but then these conditions and limitations are such as entirely to sever from this truth any consequence that we are not perfectly ready to admit.
We admit that belief is in no case directly dependent on the will; that in some cases it is entirely independent of it; but he must be exceedingly bigoted, or unobservant of what passes around him, who should affirm that the will has no influence. The influence of the will here is analogous to its influence in many other cases. It is as great as it is over the objects which we see. It does not depend upon the will of any man, if he turns his eyes in a particular direction, whether he shall see a tree there. If the tree be there, he must see it, and is compelled to believe in its existence; but it was entirely within his power not to turn his eyes in that direction, and thus to remain unconvinced, on the highest of all evidence, of the existence of the tree, and unimpressed by its beauty and proportion. It is not by his will directly that man has any control over his thoughts. It is not by willing a thought into the mind that he can call it there; and yet we all know that through attention and habits of association the subjects of our thoughts are, to a great extent, directed by the will.
It is precisely so in respect to belief; and he who denies this, denies the value of candor, and the influence of party spirit, and prejudice, and interest, on the mind. So great is this influence, however, that a keen observer of human nature, and one who will not be suspected of leaning unduly to the doctrine I now advocate, has supposed it to extend even to our belief of mathematical truth. "Men," says Hobbes, "appeal from custom to reason, and from reason to custom, as it serves their turn, receding from custom when their interest requires it, and setting themselves against reason as oft as reason is against them; which is the cause that the doctrine of right and wrong is perpetually disputed both by the pen and the sword; whereas the doctrine of lines and figures is not so, because men care not, in that subject, what is truth, as it is a thing that crosses no man's ambition, or profit, or lust. For, I doubt not, if it had been a thing contrary to any man's right of dominion, or to the interest of men that have dominion, that the three angles of a triangle should be equal to two angles of a square, that doctrine should have been, if not disputed, yet by the burning of all books of geometry, suppressed, as far as he whom it concerned was able." "This," says Hallam, from whose work I make the quotation, "does not exaggerate the pertinacity of mankind in resisting the evidence of truth when it thwarts the interests or passions of any particular sect or community." Let a man who hears the forty-seventh proposition of Euclid announced for the first time, trace the steps of the demonstration, and he must believe it to be true; but let him know that, as soon as he does perceive the evidence of that proposition so as to believe it on that ground, he shall lose his right eye, and he will never trace the evidence, or come to that belief which results from the force of the only proper evidence. You may tell him it is true, but he will reply that he does not know, he does not see it to be so.
So far, then, from finding in this law of belief—the law by which it is necessitated on condition of a certain amount of evidence perceived by the mind—an excuse for any who do not receive the evidence of the Christian religion, it is in this very law that I find the ground of their condemnation. Certainly, if God has provided evidence as convincing as that for the forty-seventh of Euclid, so that all men have to do is to examine it with candor, then they must be without excuse if they do not believe. This, I suppose, God has done. He asks no one to believe except on the ground of evidence, and such evidence as ought to command assent. Let a man examine this evidence with entire candor, laying aside all regard for consequences or results, simply according to the laws of evidence, and then, if he is not convinced, I believe God will, so far forth, acquit him in the great day of account. But if God has given men such evidence that a fair, and full, and perfectly candid examination is all that is needed to necessitate belief, then, if men do not believe, it will be in this very law that we shall find the ground of their condemnation. The difficulty will not lie in their mental constitution as related to evidence, nor in the want of evidence, but in that moral condition, that state of the heart, or the will, which prevented a proper examination. "There seems," says Butler, "no possible reason to be given why we may not be in a state of moral probation with regard to the exercise of our understanding upon the subject of religion, as we are with regard to our behavior in common affairs. The former is a thing as much within our power and choice as the latter." And here, I remark incidentally, we see what it is for truth to have a fair chance. There are many who think it has this when it is left free to combat error without the intervention of external force; and they seem to suppose it will, of necessity, prevail. But the fact is, that the truth almost never has a fair chance with such a being as man, when the reception of it involves self-denial, or the recognition of duties to which he is indisposed. Let "the mists that steam up before the intellect from a corrupt heart be dispersed," and truths, before obscure, shine out as the noonday. Before the mind of one with the intellect of a man, but with the purity and unselfishness of an angel, the evidence of such a system as the gospel would have a fair chance.
What, then, is the kind of evidence by which Christianity is supported? And here I am ready to say, it is moral evidence, as opposed to mathematical, and what is called probable evidence, as opposed to demonstrative. Is, then, mathematical evidence a better ground of certainty than moral evidence? On this point, and also respecting the subjects to which mathematical evidence can properly be applied, there is a wrong impression extensively prevalent, not only in the community at large, but among educated men. Figures, it is said, cannot lie, and there seems to be an impression that where they are used, the result must be certain. But when a surveyor measures the sides and angles of a field, and ascertains the contents by calculation, is he certain he has the exact contents of that field? He may be so if no mistake has been made in measuring the sides and angles. But of that he never can be certain; or, if he is, it cannot be by mathematical evidence. His accuracy will depend upon the perfection of his instruments, of which he never can be certain. So it will be found in all cases of what are called mixed mathematics. There are elements entering into the result that do not depend on mathematical evidence, and therefore the evidence for that result is not demonstrative. Even in those results in which the greatest confidence is felt, and in which there seems to be, and perhaps is, an entire coincidence with fact, the certainty that is felt does not result from mathematical evidence. No man who understands the nature of the evidence on which he proceeds, would say he had demonstrated that there would be an eclipse next year. His expectation of it would depend, not on mathematical evidence, but upon his belief in the stability of the laws of nature. And even in accordance with those laws, it is not impossible that some new comet may come in athwart the orbit of the earth or the moon, and disturb their relative position.
But, says the objector, I speak of pure mathematics, and of the certainty of their evidence. I say, then, with regard to pure mathematics, that it has no application to facts. No fact can be demonstrated. Nothing whatever, no assertion about anything that ever did exist, or ever can exist, can be demonstrated, that is, proved, by evidence purely mathematical. This will be assented to by all who understand the nature of mathematical evidence, and it can be easily shown. It can be demonstrated that the two acute angles in every right-angled triangle are equal to the right angle; but can this be demonstrated of any actually existing triangle? Draw what you call a right-angled triangle, and can you demonstrate it about that? No; you cannot demonstrate that your given triangle is right-angled. Whether it is or not will depend upon the perfection of your instruments and the perfection of the senses. Accordingly, demonstration never asserts, and never can assert, of any triangle that it is right-angled; but its language is, Let it be a right-angled triangle, suppose it to be, and then the two acute angles will be equal to that right angle. It asserts nothing whatever about anything that actually exists, but only the connection between a certain supposition and a certain conclusion. Whatever certainty we have, therefore, about anything that actually exists, or has existed, or can exist, is derived, not from mathematical, but from what is called moral or probable evidence.
What, then, shall we say of the reasonableness, or rather of the folly, of those who ask for mathematical evidence to prove the truth of the Christian religion, when that evidence cannot be applied to prove any one fact whatever? And what shall we say of the boasted superiority of mathematical evidence, when the certainty which any man feels even for such a hypothetical conclusion as can be demonstrated is, after all, dependent upon evidence that is not mathematical?
I would by no means disparage mathematics. I acknowledge their extensive utility and application. I am surprised at that skill in the construction of instruments by which truths demonstrated concerning supposed lines and figures can be so correctly and generally applied to the purposes of practical life. I look with wonder upon that structure of the universe, by which truths demonstrated concerning these same abstract propositions are found to apply with so much exactness to its forms, and forces, and movements; but still, I would have this science keep within its own sphere, and not arrogate to itself a certainty which does not belong to it in virtue of its own authority, and which operates practically to throw distrust upon our conclusions in other departments.
Either, then, there is certainty on other ground than mathematical evidence, or there is no certainty concerning any fact or existing thing whatever, and there will be no stopping short of that fundamental skepticism which denies the authority of the human faculties, and doubts of everything, and finally doubts whether it doubts.

THE BEST REMEDY.

By O. H. H.

At the dinner table the other day, among a company of believers, the conversation turned upon the comparative merits of works of fiction. The point was, whether such works usually constitute a part of a minister's library. The discussion soon narrowed from a general to a specific character, and instead of urging the comparative merits of such volumes, it was argued that in times of mental depression this style of reading possesses a positively intrinsic quality. Two cases were then cited to prove the assertion. One, that of a minister who has the reputation of having been one of the most devoted and devotional of his time, the other a professor in one of our theological seminaries, equally noted for his lofty attainments in the divine life. Respecting the former it was asserted that he was addicted to seasons of spiritual despondency, and when thus afflicted would invariably resort to a fictitious style of literature. Of course it was insisted that in this way he found an adequate if not instantaneous relief! Regarding the other, the spiritually-minded professor, it was affirmed that he adopted the same method to relieve the mind and cheer the spirits of his invalid wife, who was also subject to periods of mental gloom. The plan in this case also was said to be effectual.
Now, if these were cases of actual occurrence—they are simply founded on rumor—it is in order to ask, What becomes of the Bible method? Is there not a direct and sharp antagonism between the two methods of dissipating mental clouds? The psalmist surely knew as much about this matter as anyone, either before or after him, but we fail to discover any trace of the panacea of modern invention. When de profundis he sends up the wailing cry, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" he does not say, "Read some frivolous volume and thereby secure the boon of mental refreshment." Oh, no! His panacea was, "Hope thou in God"! Yes, in the midst of shattered nerves, and impending clouds, and dejected spirits, and brooding and awful desolation; aye, when not a flickering star appears to cheer the rayless night—"hope thou in God"! He is yet over all, and in all, and through all in spite of the encircling gloom. Ay, and that gloom, however dismal now, shall at length—perhaps very shortly—be not only pierced but deluged by sunshine in God's own time, and God's own way.
When, during the darkest period of the Reformation, Melancthon became despondent, the more hopeful Luther would say, "Come, Philip, cheer up! Let us sing the forty-sixth psalm," and the method acted like a charm.—O. H. H., in N. Y. Observer.

ENGLISH PARISHES.

The Congregationalist quotes the following from Adam Badeau's "Aristocracy in England," as showing how it is that some of the parish churches where the attendance is exceedingly small, perhaps not a dozen, nevertheless go straight on, year after year, because there is "money in it:"—
England is divided into 12,000 parishes, in every one of which there is a resident clergyman who receives one-tenth of the income of the land. The ancient tithe in kind is commuted, but the clergy still obtain their tenth in residence, glebe, and commuted tithe. This is in addition to the revenues of the bishops and to the expenditure for the care of the church edifices. These 12,000 clergymen constitute one-fourth of the resident land owners of the kingdom. Their incomes average more than $1,500 a year. They are land owners as absolutely as the peers; for they also are tenants for life, and cannot be dispossessed short of a revolution—unless in case of crime or gross immorality. They cannot, it is true, dispose of their estates by will; but neither can one in ten of the larger land holders. For the Archbishop of Canterbury, with his $75,000 a year, down to the humblest incumbent of a parish, they are emphatically part of the landed interest.

HAVE YOU A LEGAL MIND?

By Dr. S. M. Buckley

"I HAVE a legal mind," said a young man to his mother, who had earned the money to educate him, "and therefore cannot believe in Christianity." So? Sir Matthew Hale, and Lord Bacon, and Sir William Blackstone found no difficulty. Several of the greatest lawyers in this and neighboring States are the most devout believers. Hon. Luther Day, LL.D., ex-Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, died at his residence at Ravenna, Ohio. His last words were: "I am not afraid to die; yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." This was the passage in which Daniel Webster sought for comfort when the splendor of his career passed under the shadow of the grave. Young man, have you a legal mind? If you have, and cannot believe the gospel, the trouble is not with your mind, but with your heart.—Dr. S. M. Buckley, in Christian Thought.

The Heights of Faith and Love

HE who in the strength of God climbs the heights of faith and hope and love, finds joy and peace and sunshine.
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