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Review and Herald, Vol. 26, No. 12.

Judgment and Mercy
Earlier text: Judgment and Mercy

Paragraphs Worth Pondering.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

THE DANGER OF TRIFLING WITH THE AUTHORITY OF GOD'S WORD.

SAUL's sin in sacrificing at Gilgal, was the first step to his apostasy and self-murder; and from this we learn, that when once we begin to trifle with the authority of God's law, we know not where to stop.—The Mine Explored.

EVIDENCE OF SAVING FAITH.

Others again, (called Nicolaitanes, and who are expressly mentioned in the Revelation of St. John) asserted that whoever possessed the knowledge of God and of Christ, were sure of salvation, whatever his character might be. They affirmed that Christ had purchased for his people an absolute freedom from the law, even as a rule of life, so that they were incapable of sinning, and therefore not subject to punishment. See Rev. ii, 6, 15; 1 John i, 8, 10; ii, 1, 3; iii, 4. They were ever ready to comply with heathenism, rather than suffer persecution. The profligacy of their character, and that of most of the other heretics, suggests how intimately principles are connected with practice, and errors in doctrine with immorality of life. And, as the wreck becomes a sea-mark to the mariner, so may these heretics, thus traced to their principles, warn us of our danger; especially teaching us that the system of Christianity needs no human additions to make it more perfect; that to be content to remain ignorant of what God has not thought proper to reveal, forms no inconsiderable part of Christian learning; and that the proper evidence of saving faith, is subjection to the law as a rule of life. 1 Cor. ix, 21; Jude 3. Id.
[The above is copied for the benefit of our no-law friends. D. M. Canright.]

Nehemiah's Zeal for the Sabbath.

By D. T. Bourdeau

AMONG the righteous acts that Nehemiah did, to which he could look back with humble and holy satisfaction, and for which he could pray God to remember him, and spare him according to the greatness of his mercy, was that of enforcing the observance of the Sabbath, at a time when the Jews, who had brought God's signal frown upon them by violating his law, but were being restored to his favor and enjoying his blessings, were adding to their guilt by profaning the holy Sabbath.
An account of Nehemiah's commendable zeal for the Sabbath is found in Neh. xiii. At the 19th verse of this chapter we see how particular Nehemiah was on the time for commencing the Sabbath. In this verse he says: "And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark, before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath." The gates of Jerusalem beginning to be dark, was doubtless caused by the sun's leaving them. This is made very clear by the French translation, which reads: "Therefore as soon as the sun had withdrawn itself from the gates of Jerusalem, before the Sabbath, the gates were shut by my commandment."
This passage is particularly interesting in that it shows, 1. That Nehemiah looked to the sun to regulate the time for the commencement of the Sabbath. 2. If it is borne in mind that Jerusalem was surrounded by mountains, and that the gates were placed under wide and high walls, the fact that Nehemiah caused the gates to be shut as soon as the sun left them, shows that he thought it necessary for the people to leave their secular employment some time before the Sabbath commenced. And since the Sabbath rests on the same foundation and authority that it did in Nehemiah's time, and is as obligatory now as it was then, Nehemiah's example is indeed worthy of imitation. May we be imbued with the zeal, and manifest the strictness, that this ancient servant of God evinced, that, like him, we may have the blessed assurance that we have done the will of God, and that we may be encouraged to implore his rich and great mercy to those who keep his commandments.
D. T. Bourdeau.

WM. C. GAGE

By Wm. C. Gage

Popular Errors and Their Fruits. No. 2.

NEXT in order comes the doctrine of natural or inherent immortality. The first preaching of this error was to our first parents in Eden, by the arch-deceiver, when he told them they should not surely die, even if they disobeyed God. The fruit of that preaching was the fall of man, and the threatened destruction of the entire race.
Not satisfied with the mischief already wrought, Satan has re-iterated this falsehood from that time to the present, with the intention of keeping man in his fallen condition. Having caused a paradise lost, he would by the same means prevent a paradise restored.
Without this error the doctrine of endless misery would fail to the ground; for it would thus have lost its chief pillar, and support. Persuade men that they are mortal, and that unless something is done for them, they have no future life beyond the execution of God's judgments upon the wicked, and they are then prepared to understand why they should seek for immortality. They have no need of the doctrine of endless torment, which they can never realize, to induce them to love God; for the gift of eternal life through his Son looks attractive to them, when they are made to feel the necessity of it.
The belief in universal salvation is also founded on the idea of natural immortality. Both reason and revelation teach that if all men are immortal, then all will be finally happy; for, while the former will not permit us to believe that God will allow Satan to defeat his plans and triumph over him, by permitting sin to exist forever, the latter explicitly declares (Rev. v, 13) that a time is coming when all creatures everywhere will be heard praising God; and if the wicked are to live forever, they will of course join in this song of praise. Thus "orthodoxy," is to a certain degree responsible for Universalism.
Closely allied to, and growing out of this error, we have another, equally unscriptural, that is, the conscious state of the dead. Springing from this we have all manner of papal errors, such as invocation of saints, prayers for the dead, purgatory, &c., to say nothing of the Protestant purgatory, or half-way place, which certain D. D.'s have fixed up for dead people, rather than to believe the Bible declaration that "the dead know not anything." This belief also gets people judged at death, and robs the resurrection of its glory by making it entirely unnecessary.
But all these are minor errors, compared with Satan's great master-piece of delusion, modern Spiritualism, which is sweeping over the land, burning and scarring all within its track, yet making its millions of converts, and spreading licentiousness and misery on every hand. The wide-spread error of conscious immortality, furnishes the foundation of this frightful evil, or in the words of another, "modern orthodoxy has laid the track for the car of spiritualism to run upon." When we assail this hydra-headed error, it is therefore important that we make it clearly manifest that the "dead know not anything," notwithstanding popular opinion, or the desire of the masses that such "important" matters be let alone.

WM. C. GAGE

More Witnesses on the Stand.

Bro. White: I send for the Review the following extracts:
"We have eloquent preachers, popular men; our churches are thronged with intelligent worshipers; the membership is increasing from year to year; and yet we assert that the ministry is not what it should be, and we believe the pulpit is losing its power. The interest and earnestness of prayer are abating to a large degree. The form remains but the life is departed. Christianity is indulging in fashion, and giving away to the spirit of the world. Dress, amusements, entertainments, fritter away its time, secularize its spirit, and eat out its very soul! At watering places, in the theatre, and among the mazes of the dance, you may find Christians (!!) even among the foremost, and the most frivolous! and can their profession be any thing more than a name! Spiritual-mindedness is almost unknown. Listen where a company of professed Christians are assembled: What engrosses their conversation? If you hear one word of practical heartfelt piety, it will be a matter of devout congratulation, for it is not common."—Unity Magazine for Dec., 1853.
The reader can, by turning to 2 Tim. iii, 1-8, recognize in the above extract, a perfect correspondence in sentiment, applicable to the time in which we live.

THE LAW OF GOD.

"The moral law is just as unchangeable as God himself. This law is a universal one, that is to say, it is intended to govern all intellectual beings, in the universe of God."—Unity Magazine, May, 1854.
When we think of the opposition manifested toward the law of God, by both preachers and people connected with the church which publishes and supports the above-mentioned magazine (United Brethren), we cannot but advise them to read the following extract from the writings of Archbishop Leighton. "There are but ten precepts of the law of God, and two of them, so far as concerns the outward organs, (the tongue) and vent of the sins there forbidden, are bestowed on the tongue as though it were ready to fly out against both God and man, if not thus bridled."
But the time for abounding iniquity, and extraordinary suffering has overtaken us. Let us therefore be patient brethren, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. The Lord will carry on his work gloriously. Let us be diligent through grace in carrying on ours; there are some indications of the fall of the latter rain; God's broken law is being sealed, and the testimony is soon to be bound up. The work here will soon be finished, and the 144,000 will soon be gathered home.
The following pictures of the times are from an eastern paper.

"BLOOD-THIRSTY PREACHING."

"Since blood-thirsty preaching, by a portion of the clergy, has become the order of the day, the increase of crime in our country has assumed the most alarming proportions. Although these exceptional preachers are few in numbers—the exceptions, and not the rule of the sacred profession—yet their zeal and great activity often throw in the shade the better example and truly Christian lives of the larger number of their professional brethren. No civilized country ever presented such a frightful catalogue of crimes, especially crimes against human life, as the police records and the newspapers of our country are now constantly spreading before the public gaze."
"Seymour, Conn., July 13, 1865.
"Messrs. Editors:—The town of Seymour is alive this summer. Picnics, fairs, festivals and the like, are the order. The last was an ice-cream festival, given for the benefit of the Congregational Society, Rev. Mr. Quick, pastor, in the basement of their church. There were present, lots of 'fair women and brave men,' and as at all festivals, cream disappeared, and fun and frolic prevailed. The church made money."
This effort to mix up the religion of the gospel, with the world, the flesh and the Devil, is only one among many such instances at the present day, when men are to be 'lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.'

Locust Plague.

By M. E. Cornell

ONE of the destructive elements sent in the last days, according to Joel, is the Locusts. They are personified as a "nation," "strong and without number." The palmer-worm, locusts, canker-worm, and caterpillar, are called the Lord's "great army." The "Locust division," may be considered one of the most powerful branches of this army service. It seems that those who have witnessed the army of locusts in the east, have recognized it as a fulfillment of Joel's prophecy.
The following extract from a letter, dated at Jaffa (Palestine), June 20, 1865, I clip from the Boston Journal of Aug. 3:
"In the month of April last we observed twice, large dark clouds, resembling smoke, moving to and fro as if swayed by the wind. One morning these clouds came down and proved to be locusts, so great in number that the whole land was covered with them. The grain at that time was full in ear and nearly ripe, but the locust did not touch it or any other vegetation. Soon after, however, it was observed that they buried themselves in the soil and there deposited their innumerable eggs. The Arabs and peasants saw the approaching mischief, and went through the land in thousands digging for these eggs; they succeeded to a certain degree, and destroyed incredible numbers with water and fire, but all their efforts had very little effect.
"About the middle of May small black creatures, at a distance resembling large ants, were observed accumulating in large heaps throughout the country, and a few days after they had been thus seen they began to leap, and manifested the coming calamity and invasion of the fearful army, as described so emphatically in Joel ii. The people now began to sweep them together and bury or burn them in ditches dug for the purpose. But all to little or no effect, and as they grew a little larger the extent of their multitude began to be seen, and the coming catastrophe could not be mistaken. The roads were covered with them, all marching in regular lines, like armies of soldiers, with their leaders in front, and all the opposition of man to arrest their progress was in vain.
"They first consumed the plantations around Ramlah, Lydda, and all the smaller villages near them, and then entering the towns and villages consumed the victuals &c., in the market and streets, by degrees forcing themselves into the houses and covering the walls outside as well as inside. It seems that everything which is moistened by their saliva is poisoned, for the cattle that feed on the remnants which are left all die. I myself saw fifty oxen dead in the village of Delta, Daggon and Zaffarish, that had fed on the remnants of durrah (Indian corn) left by the locusts, and the night before last, twenty more died from the same cause.
"About two weeks ago they were seen to a fearful extent all round Jaffa, but still without wings. The town for several days appeared forsaken, all shops were shut, all business suspended. Almost all the inhabitants had gone out to destroy and drive away the invading army; they made tremendous ditches, and buried and burned countless myriads, but as before, all in vain, for the more they destroyed the more seemed to arise from hiding places, and as they grew in size so they seemed to grow in multitude, and toward the east from here they covered the ground for miles and miles to a height of several inches. As their wings are still too small to enable them to fly and to visit the several hundred gardens within the cultivated part of the district of Jaffa, they have hitherto confined their destructions to the outer gardens, of which about fifty have been completely laid waste, every green leaf, vegetable, tree, and even the bark of young trees devoured, and these beautiful gardens look like a birch tree forest in winter.
"Our garden was one of the first attacked. For several days we saw the destructive host advancing; all our farm servants, as well as several hired laborers, were employed to keep them off, to drive them away, or bury them, but we found them as Joel describes them, chap. ii, ver. 7, 'They shall not break their ranks.' Who can doubt the word of God when we have these evidences before our eyes? True, our men broke their ranks for a moment, but no sooner had they passed the men than they closed again, and marched forward through hedges and ditches, as if united by some mysterious power, causing them to open before man, and to close again as soon as they had passed him. On the 14th instant they forced their way into the garden, defying all human efforts to prevent them, and in less than a day the whole garden, to the extent of eight acres, was covered with them, and the trees, to the number of three thousand, as well as every other green leaf, with the exception of the palm trees, and the prickly-pear hedges, were stripped.
"Whether eating or drinking, reading or writing, or lying awake in bed (for it is impossible to sleep), one hears their noise from without, like the noise of armed hosts, or of the running of many waters, and within they keep dropping on and about you. At meals I am kept busy driving them away; while I drive half a dozen away from the bread, as many will jump into the sugar basin, or even into my cup of tea, &c., and when undressing they leap out of our very clothes, without our having known that they were there.
"News has just reached us from Nablous; the olive trees in those mountains have all been stripped, and near the river Oudge the soil is so thickly covered with these creatures, that many of the animals led there to drink refuse to pass on.
"Another letter of a later date says that
"They are in no wise decreasing, rather the opposite. Every native inhabitant has been ordered by government to bring fifteen pounds weight of locusts daily, and those who do not are fined £1 sterling each time.

LOCUSTS IN SYRIA.

"The following letter gives an account of the plague of locusts in Syria :
"Maalaka, May 18. I think you will be interested to hear about the swarms of locusts which have visited the whole of Palestine and the Lebanon, and which, I fear, will leave little food for man or beast. Early in last month the locusts first appeared, and in such myriads, that on looking through the telescope, they seemed like a dense fall of snow, in huge yellow flakes, as far as the eye could reach, and continued for weeks to cover the whole land, with the exception of a small portion. We are very thankful that in our two little villages, and for a few miles round, no locusts alighted. Every evening the town crier used to go round and cry out: 'Men, women and children of Maalaka, you are to leave your work and go to drive away the locusts, and he who disobeys shall eat one hundred rods, sit twenty-four hours in prison and pay a fine.' By shouting and drumming, the people frightened away some of the swarms to hinder them from depositing eggs. Then, a fortnight later, a proclamation was issued that every individual must bring a measure of locusts' eggs to the Seraligo to be burnt, and those who could not gather must buy their share. So locusts' eggs were sold at a high price, and finally burnt. The last thing ordered was the formation of little canals, into which the young larvae (now hatched and eating voraciously) might be chased and destroyed en masse. With all their efforts and orders from the Sultan, very few, comparatively, can be killed, and I fear the land will suffer grievously. The locusts have not come here for twenty years back, and their visit now is supposed to be owing to the very mild winter we had."
We read the first nine verses of the second chapter of Joel, with the above account, and we are nearly ready to say, "This is that spoken by the prophet Joel."
The caterpillar and army worm in this country are depositing their untold millions of eggs. More than twenty thousand have been found upon one small apple-tree. There is a prospect that another year's increase of destructive insects, will cause men to mourn and lament, for the cutting off of fruits and grains, in some places.
Who can fail to see that troubles are nigh at hand? It is well to discern the signs and be ready.
M. E. CORNELL.

Abolished.

By H. C. Miller

"I HAVE every reason to believe the law to have been abolished by Christ at the cross. (See Col. ii, 14.) I think your Sabbath doctrine makes you of that class spoken of by my Saviour, thus: 'Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith.'"
Such was the reply of a lady, to me, when I urged upon her the importance of keeping the whole law. And it is asserting much against those who hold the position that the whole law is binding. When she used the "sword of the Spirit," she little thought it sometimes cuts the user. Now let us examine the charge, and see if we are hypocrites.
We profess to love God. So do those who hold the above-named views. Christ says, He that is of God, heareth God's words. Do they hear the fourth command? Do they keep it? The law is abolished they say. They love the Saviour they say. He says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Do they do it? No. They profess to know Him. "He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." They break the least, as they are pleased to esteem the fourth command, and teach men so. Therefore in professing to know him, they also break that which forbids lying. Then they do not live up to their profession.
"He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." Christ kept the seventh day as the Sabbath. Do they abide in him?
Who are hypocrites? "Those who put on an appearance of sanctity or virtue which they do not possess."
Sabbath-keeping—keeping the seventh day—is tithing mint, &c., hence ought not to be done, say these professors. Now what says the Saviour, "These things,"—tithing mint, &c.,—"ye ought to have done, and not left the others (the weightier matters) undone." Then we are right in observing the seventh day as the Sabbath, and teaching men so, are we not, even on the view of our friend?
Is the law done away? Says Paul, "Sin is not imputed where there is no law." Rom. v, 13. Now these professors believe in a judgment to come, when all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ to be judged by law for their sins—"transgression of the law." Well, let us see how this no-law doctrine will work in the day of judgment. We will suppose ourselves at the judgment, and the case of Cain comes up. Charge: Murder. "Are you guilty, or not guilty." "Not guilty," is the response. Why how is that? Did you not kill Abel? Yes; but then the sixth commandment is abolished; and he continues, with a feeling of relief, "where there is no law, there is no sin imputed." But does any one suppose that would clear him? It would, if the law was abolished. Oh, but the sixth is re-enacted, is the reply. Well, that would not help the case; for Cain has not transgressed it since its re-enactment. But we will take another case. There was a man anciently that broke the Sabbath. It was sin then. His case is called. "Are you guilty, or not guilty?" "Not guilty," is the response. "How is that?" "Did you not break the Sabbath?" "I did, but the law has been abolished since then; and sin is not imputed where there is no law." Are the law-abolishers prepared to go this far and abide this consequence of their theory? I venture they are not.
But some will say the law has not been abolished, but the day of the Sabbath has been changed. Suppose we admit this for argument's sake. Does that obviate the difficulty? Can not the Sabbath-breaker still plead that it was the seventh day he broke, and not the one in the law, as it reads in its said-to-be-altered condition? "But wisdom is justified of her children," and they are blessed who keep God's law.
H. C. MILLER.

Where Is the Consistency ?

By M. W. Howard

"THERE is a dear sacred spot in Cypress Hills Cemetery, where rests the precious form of the first one gone from a happy household band. A balm is left, a most comforting assurance that he had done what he could for Christ, and is now roaming the fair fields of Eden. Our family circle is not broken, only a link in Heaven."
The paragraph given above, was the beginning of a little sketch, on which my eyes rested an hour ago as I took up a paper just brought from the post-office. The second sentence quoted, ended that sketch. Since we have been invited to have our "pens in working order," I will jot down the thoughts suggested, and the more so as they were turned backwards, to an expression heard the evening before, in a minister's lecture. It was this: "None of us expect to attain perfection, till we are clothed upon with bodies that are sinless." How correct and proper; yet it fell from lips which are often heard to say in speaking of departed Christians, "To-day, they are no doubt, partaking of the marriage supper of the lamb." Now, without being fanatical or visionary, nor yet irreverent, I would ask, Is not Jesus represented as "at the right hand of God to make intercession for those who shall be heirs of salvation?"—a business perfectly compatible with his office as High Priest without falsifying his own words, "Henceforth I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, till I drink it new with you in the kingdom of Heaven." Do we like to associate our Saviour with the idea of continually eating and drinking?—and yet this must be, if at death each Christian partakes with Christ. But then it must be marriage suppers (plural); or is it one continual feast? When a subject has reached a point to challenge the attention of the thinking, there is hope, only that the sad fact comes in, that most persons do not think! but are content to be led in matters of faith.
In reverie, I often review the process by which I was led to break away from the thralldom of this inconsistency in belief, of which I am writing. An aged minister, in addressing a church gathered at the table of our Lord, said in my hearing: "My friends, if we are what we profess to be, we belong to a royal family; part of which are in Heaven, and a part on earth; and thus it will ever be, till the archangel's trump shall call the dead from their graves to appear before the throne of God."
What! thought I, is not here a grave inconsistency? to say the dead are in Heaven, and in the same sentence and in the same breath to say also, that the archangel's trump is to summon them from their graves to appear before the throne of God. In my school-days, my "Natural Philosophy" had taught me this fundamental axiom, if common observation had not, that "two bodies could not occupy the same space at the same time;" and was not the opposite equally true, that one body could not occupy two places at the same time?
Certainly my reason taught me that this was good philosophy, and my maturer reason now teaches me that it is good theology as well, since it is just what the revelation of God teaches. And when I meet those who in seeming pride of opinion, assert an assured belief to the contrary, I have only to reply, I suppose it matters but very little what you or I may believe upon this point, since our believing alters not the facts in the case; for we have this assurance upon Divine authority, "nevertheless the word of God standeth sure." But meanwhile I ponder in my heart, oh that mankind would acquire the habit of receiving the word of God according to its true import, then would they perceive how consistent and harmonious a chain it is, and then truly learn "to trust in the Lord always," and lean not to their own understanding.
M. W. HOWARD.
Malone, N. Y.

Counterfeit Virtues.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

"Every virtue has its counterfeit. It is desirable to be wise, but not as Eve sought wisdom. Gen. iii, 5, 6. Husbands should love their wives, but not as Adam did, in hearkening to Eve when she urged him to sin. Gen. iii, 6. We ought to worship God, but not as Cain did, disregarding God's appointed way. Gen. iv, 3, 4. Wives should obey their husbands, but not as Sarah did Abraham, in consenting to tell a lie. Gen. xii, 11. Servants should take care of their master's property, but not as Abraham's and Lot's herdsmen, to quarrel about it. Gen. xiii, 6, 7. Children should obey their parents, but not as Jacob obeyed Rebekah. Gen. xxviii, 13, 14. We should desire to forward the accomplishments of God's declared will, but not as Rebekah did, by doing evil that good might come. Gen. xxvii, 6.
Other parts of scripture abound with illustrations of counterfeit virtues. Such was Ahab's compassion in sparing Benhadad, and his hospitality in entertaining Jehoshaphat; such was the delight of the Jews in God's service, alluded to in Isa. lvii, 2; such was the zeal of Paul before his conversion, and that of the unbelieving Jews. It has been very justly said, that it is not enough that we act from a sense of duty—that we feel a powerful obligation to pursue a particular course of conduct, and to avoid whatever is inconsistent with it; we must inquire on what grounds our sense of duty is founded.
It is possible to have a high sense of duty, and even to act consistently with it, without a deep reverence for God, without a love to Christ, or those affections which Christianity requires. Our aim must be to do what is right in the sight of God, and our rule must be the word of God. "We never do evil so thoroughly and cordially as when we are led to it by a false principle of conscience;" and the conduct of Paul, as described in Acts xxvi, 9–11, is an instance of this. Conscience can only be a safe guide when enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and directed by the Holy Scriptures." Isa. viii, 20.—The Mine Explored.
That the above is true, is seen in the fact, that the heathens are conscience-smitten, if they neglect to worship their dumb idols; the Catholics are conscience-smitten if they neglect to say their mass; and the Protestants are conscience-smitten if they neglect to keep the Sunday; none of which are required by the word of God.
D. M. CANRIGHT.

Disguise

DISGUISE.—Were we to take as much pains to be what we ought to be, as we do to disguise what we really are, we might appear like ourselves, without being at the trouble of any disguise at all.

Not Now.

Not now, my child—a little more rough tossing, A little longer on the billows' foam, A few more journeys in the desert dreary, And then the sunshine of my Father's home.
Not now—for there are weary wanderers lonely; And thou must call them in with patient love: Not now—for I have sheep upon the mountains, And thou must follow them where'er they rove.
Not now—for I have loved ones sad and weary; Wilt thou not cheer them with a kindly smile? Sick ones, who need thee in their silent sorrow; Wilt thou not tend them yet a little while?
Not now—for wounded hearts are sorely bleeding; And thou must teach the widow's heart to sing; Not now—for orphan tears are thickly falling, They must be gathered 'neath some sheltering wing.
Not now—for many a hungry one is pining; Thy willing hand must be outstretched and free; Thy Father hears their doleful cry of anguish, And sends his answer unto them by thee.
Not now—for dungeon walls look stern and gloomy, And sighs sound sadly on the prison breeze— Man's captives, but thy Saviour's noble freemen; Hast thou no ministry of love for these?
Not now,—for yet the awful gulf is yawning, And souls are perishing in hopeless sin; Jerusalem's bright gates are standing open: Go to the banished ones, and fetch them in!
Go with the name of Jesus to the dying, And speak that name in all its living power; Why should thy warm heart e'er grow cold and weary? Canst thou not watch with me one little hour?
One little hour! and then the glorious crowning, The golden harp-string, and the victor's palm— One little hour! and then the hallelujah! Eternity's long, deep, thanksgiving psalm!

The Great Confederation.

By E. G. Rust

“BEHOLD they shall surely gather together, but not by me.” Isa. liv, 15.
We hear the report from all quarters from the popular churches, that they are fast becoming more liberal, and that soon the churches are to unite for some great object. We see every effort being put forth to unite all Sunday-observing religionists. Religious journals teem with the glowing prospects of a speedy union. Ministers proclaim it from the pulpit. “We are willing to lay aside our minor points of difference, (doctrine, I suppose), for the sake of uniting to evangelize the world, and thus bring in the millennium.” This seems to be their manner of reasoning. This is very delusive and is likely to mislead many honest souls who are not established in the truth. But it seems to me to be one of the enemy’s masterpieces, and should go hand in hand with his peace and safety cry; for both seem calculated to quiet people’s fears about the approaching wrath of God. But is not this a direct fulfillment of prophecy?
The way seems to be fast preparing among the fallen churches, for the image of the beast to be formed, and the decree to be passed. Those fallen and corrupt bodies, “whose sins have reached unto Heaven,” must first unite, before either the image can be formed or the decree passed. Who can doubt, in the light of present developments, the correctness of our position upon the mark of the beast? Rev. xiv, 6–12. Truly, “if any man will do his will he shall know the doctrine.”
The warning in the third angel’s message, is the most fearful in the whole word of God, and it is placed there for you and me, dear reader; and God intended it should be understood; and it ill becomes us as consistent Christians to close our eyes to the warning, which God in his mercy has given us.
There are many who are thoroughly sick of the pride and vanity which meet their eyes in the popular churches, who have not as yet felt the impelling influence of the call to “Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Rev. xviii, 4; Isa. lii, 11. To such we would say, that the wicked are ripening for the great harvest, much faster than you and I for the heavenly garner, and every effort will be put forth by our common enemy to lead us into delusion and blind us as to our true condition. He would even deceive the very elect were it possible. Our only safety is to be very humble, earnestly desiring the sincere milk of the word; and with an unprejudiced mind, to carefully examine the evidences of the truth, and without desiring to excuse ourselves, obey. We are preparing now for eternity. This is the last message with mercy (Rev. xiv, 9–14), as one like unto the Son of man is seen coming upon a white cloud immediately after its proclamation. Oh, I beseech you by the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to heed the warning voice; for God’s Spirit will not always strive with man. May God save the sincere, and help them, amidst the perils of the last days, to walk in the light, and realize that God has a present truth.
The effect of our turning away from the truth, and trying to excuse ourselves from obedience, will be terrible. By rejecting the truth, we cause God to withdraw his Holy Spirit from us and leave us to the fearful delusions of the enemy; and we are led to think we are safe because we are in the channel in which the great mass of mankind are drifting, and because the wise and the mighty and the noble are with us. But the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. The apostle sums up the result of not receiving the truth in the last days on this wise: “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who believed not the truth.” 2 Thess. ii, 11, 12. And this “because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.” What fearful responsibilities hang upon our decision upon the truth of God’s word.
What greater delusion can there be among the perils of the last days, than the peace and safety cry which is now sounding from east to west—“a good time coming.” All that profess to follow the blessed Jesus are to be united in the bonds of brotherly love. But the wise shall understand, praise the Lord!
Does not God speak to us of this condition of things through his prophet Isaiah. “Associate yourselves together, O, ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries; gird yourselves and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word and it shall not stand; for God is with us.” Isa. viii, 9, 10. And when the time shall come for them to associate themselves together, he thus instructs his true disciples: “For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say ye not, A confederacy to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy, neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.” Isa. viii, 11, 12.
This is at a time when all the commandments of God shall be kept, and the seal, or Sabbath, restored to God’s broken law, as he says in verse 16. “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.” At this time also, he gives us a text by which we may try all classes in verse 20. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
May the Lord give us wisdom and strength in these perilous times, and help us to humbly walk before him, and work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
E. G. RUST.
Chicago, Ill.

Letters.

"Then they that feared the Lord, spake often one to another."
This department of the paper is designed for the brethren and sisters to freely and fully communicate with each other respecting their hopes and determinations, conflicts and victories, attainments and desires, in the heavenly journey. Seek first a living experience and then record it, carefully and prayerfully, for the comfort and encouragement of the other members of the household of faith.

From Bro. Merry.

BRO. WHITE: After a tour of several days, attending Bro. Sanborn's timely discourses on the things pertaining to the life to come, and our duty as becoming our high profession in Christ, I can truly say that the Lord blessed me and opened my eyes to see things as I never saw them before. Although he bore a heavy burden, yet he cleared his skirts from the blood of all men. He did his duty well as a faithful shepherd of the household of God. I hope the Lord will reward him for the good he has done us in Minnesota. I think that the Brn. and sisters in Minn. can now see clearly how they stand, and are determined
to heed his counsel for the future. It is a new era for us.
As for me I am resolved, God being my helper, to mend my ways and seek earnestly those truths pertaining to my salvation, that I may be found in that day, hid in his chambers until the indignation be overpast. I feel thankful to God, and to the Gen. Conf. Committee for sending help to us in time to save us from ruin. May we, as a people, take heed to our ways and sin not, is my prayer. WM. MERRY.

The Value of Companionship

THERE is no relish in the possession of anything without a partner.
Continue reading: Reports from Wisconsin Churches