After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, saying, Amen. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said to him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Rev. 7:9–14.
THE seventh chapter of Revelation relates to two classes of the redeemed. It first introduces the definite number of an hundred and forty and four thousand, and gives distinct specifications relative to them. The closing portion of the chapter then describes the great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, as clothed with white robes, and bearing palms of victory. One class is numbered; the other cannot be numbered. One is manifested and sealed at a definite period of time; while the other is redeemed, not only from all nations existing at any one time, but from all people who have lived upon the earth from the time of the offer of salvation to fallen man, to the close of human probation.
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” Verses 9, 10. The prophet had just before taken a definite view of the one hundred and forty-four thousand, which were to be manifested and sealed near the close of probation. He next beholds with astonishment the numberless hosts of the redeemed, which make up all the saved. And as his prophetic eye runs back over all time, he sees them gathered from all the nations, in all the different ages of the world. Hence the expression, “After this I looked, and, lo, a great multitude.”
These stood before the Lamb. They had been redeemed by the blood of Christ, and stood before him as the dear purchase of his blood. They were clothed with white robes. We should not understand by this that the saints in this world, or in that which is to come, are to wear literal garments of white linen to represent inward holiness. The white robe must be understood as a figure of purity of character. The redeemed of the Lord had obtained this purity during the period of their probation. They had availed themselves of the matchless cleansing power of the blood of Jesus Christ, while, at the same time, they had, in his strength, wrought righteousness. These, also, held palms in their hands. They were victors. They had conquered the world, the flesh, and the devil. They had overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.
And, let it be borne in mind, these were the saved “of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.” Abel and Enoch will be there; righteous Noah, faithful Abraham, and all the holy prophets of God, with robes washed in the blood of the Lamb, and bearing palms of victory, through his redeeming power, will stand before him, as well as the apostles and martyrs of Jesus, the reformers, and those saved in the nineteenth22century. It is said of the entire multitude of the redeemed, that they come out of great tribulation. Not one of them had lived in the period of the thousand years after the world should be converted and all men become holy.
In our remarks upon this subject in our last issue, we dwelt quite fully upon the first three divisions, the white robes, the washing of these robes, and the great tribulation. We now call attention to the fourth point.
4. The blood of the Lamb. A lamb is used as a symbol of meekness. Speaking of Him, the prophet says: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” Isa. 53:7. Christ is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13:8. He is represented by a lamb, because of his life of humility, and because an innocent lamb had been slain in past ages as a type of the great sacrifice for sins.
When Jesus was baptized of John in Jordan, the heavens opened, the Spirit like a dove descended upon him, and there came a voice from Heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Mark 1:10, 11. After that, “John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29.
The blood of Christ cleanses from sin, on conditions. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Verses 8, 9.
The blood of Christ purges from sin. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Heb. 9:22. “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Verses 13, 14.
The sinner who has sold himself for naught is redeemed from sin through the blood of Christ. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Pet. 1:18, 19. “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Col. 1:13, 14.
EXACTLY RIGHT.
By Calvin Monroe
BY CALVIN MONROE.
To be exactly right is to be like Christ, as we must be to be saved by him. Is he as fine gold? so must his followers be. He is our example. He was all devotion to the great work of salvation, for which he came to earth, suffered, and died. He lost no time, nor should we. “To win one soul from Satan to Christ,” said Matthew Henry, “would afford me greater joy than to possess a mountain of silver and gold.”
Christ was solemn. He was often bathed in tears of pity and compassion for poor, lost sinners, but we have no record that he ever smiled. He knew the guilt and danger of the people, and warned them faithfully. Do we thus warn them and watch for their souls as they that must give account? or, in default of this, do we turn away and weep before God for our negligence? Let us take as many as possible with us to Mount Zion. To be faithful to others, we must be faithful to God and our own souls.
When Prof. Stuart, of Andover Theological Seminary, was building a dwelling-house, he inquired of the “boss” workman if he had got the sills plumb, or exactly right. “About right,” was the reply. The professor was not a little offended, and betrayed the want of being exactly right himself, though a “master of Israel.” So he returned to his study. After a while he came out again, repeating his question, to which the boss replied, “Exactly right.” “That will do, that will do,” was the response.
Here again we have a lesson in point; and can we think the Great Architect will be less particular in building the house of his church, that is to stand for eternal ages? Nay, verily; the church must be like its Head. Such a people will be very unlike the nominal churches of these last days, loaded with about twenty faults as recorded by the apostle (2 Tim. 3:1–5), any one of which would shut the offender out of Heaven. Yet they claim to be safe, for they are up to the common standard,—“about right.” By this rule they are lulled to sleep, or rather kept asleep, having never been awakened to the evil of sin or the dangers of the soul. Are they not, many of them, if not all, eager for the world, its riches, honors, or territory? In the outset three feet of earth was enough, and at the close of life six or seven will do; but between the cradle and the grave all is not enough.
Our business here is to get well out of the world. We should have our citizenship, our conversation, in Heaven, while we are strangers here. We should thus feel more at home there than here, holiness being so much more congenial to us than sin or sinners.
How is it with us as a people,—with us who have the third angel’s message? I think of our condition with mingled emotions. While on the one hand we see much in which to rejoice and for which to praise God, on the other there is not a little to deplore. What says Elder Butler, who has ample means of knowing, in the REVIEW of Feb. 20, 1879, of our people as a body? Speaking of the cold and backslidden state of the churches, he says: “And alas that we are forced to say it! thousands of Seventh-day Adventists are in the same state.” This is humiliating and mournful, and seems like an illustration of the text, “Many are called, but few are chosen.”
But has not Satan a hand in all this? Yes; he has been at the bottom of the mischief and wickedness in the world all the way from Eden to this last awful, closing hour. He headed all the persecutions against Christians, in which, it is said, “the blood of the saints flowed like rivers of water”! He is also responsible for the blood shed in war, and this, it has been calculated by competent authorities, would, if collected into one vast reservoir, “float all the navies of the globe.”
As Satan’s doom approaches, his wrath increases. It is seen on all sides, in floods, fires, cyclones, tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes, wars, famines, plagues, and pestilence. These are as drops before that mighty storm that will wind up the tragedy of earth, and make a clean sweep of Satan and his kingdom. Rev. 20:9. Thus there is meaning to the words of God when he said: “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth he hath but a short time.” Is it not time to notice this battle that is so close upon us? If so, let the saints turn to Jer. 25 and read the whole story, in connection with Rev. 16. The saints we say, for others will not believe, preferring ignorance as a refuge. 2 Pet. 3:5.
Spiritualism, or diabolism, that is so rampant, will have much to do with the great battle, gathering the forces thereof.
If we wish to be exactly right, let us awake, spring to our feet, and run for life, eternal life. The King’s business requires haste. The time is short. We have none to lose. We go not this way again. No second probation; no second edition to the book of life here nor hereafter to any but those who do good, and go down in hope of the resurrection of the just. Such live on while God lives.
The Bible tells us, with all plainness, what we must do to be saved. It tells us to reform, and be like Jesus, holy, sinless, lovely. The reformation is no small one, and it can only be accomplished in the strength of the Lord, so that he may have all the praise. We are not simply to read the Bible, but to study it prayerfully. It thus pays well, and speeds our upward flight. Not so with other books and papers, except so far as their teachings are based on the Bible. We should like to see more of God and less of man in our reading matter. We should like to see the study of the Bible oftener and more warmly recommended. Has Satan so much to do with the affairs of the people, and nothing to do with their reading matter, even inside the doors of the church? If not, why does our Lord caution all to take heed what they read, or “hear”? And why does he command us to “search the Scriptures”? John 5:39.
Are we strangers and pilgrims here, in a dark, dismal world, far from our native regions? Let us feel and behave as such, unlike those who have here pitched their tents, that are the next hour to be swept away with their contents, and to be found no more. Benighted here as we are, God has given us a lamp to light us home. Let us take it, and make the best of our way in that direction. There being nothing to detain us here, we have virtually taken leave of earth. What remains to be done is to complete the lesson of becoming exactly right in the school of Christ. In no other school can we be trained for Heaven; from no other, graduate to life and immortality.
A rod is sometimes used in school. Jesus has one, and he knows how to use it to secure the benefit and love of his pupils. ’T is not of choice, but of necessity, that he makes use of it. The writer feels this rod daily, in various ways. To say nothing of others, Bro. White’s deep and heavy trials have, under God, made him the good and useful man that he is.
Once more, to be exactly right we must write “Holiness to the Lord,” on all we have, and throw all on the altar of God, ourselves not excepted, and never take off a thing; instead of this, let us daily search for more and better things to add to those already there, and invite others to do the same. This is to obey Jesus by laying up “treasure in Heaven.” The wicked, instead of this, throw themselves and all that they have upon the altar of Satan, and thus lose all.
Last, but not least, in order to be exactly right we must have “a broken and a contrite heart.” “I am not fit to address a sinner,” said Dr. Payson, “without a broken heart myself.” When, on his death-bed, prayers were proposed for the pious, amiable Dr. Woods, he replied, “There is no prayer that meets my case but that of the publican, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’” A broken heart is the basis of all true piety. The writer is more and more impressed with this, as he draws near the close. Who among his brethren and sisters does not sympathize with him in this grace? Would that all did, that all might be ripe, and ready, when our Lord calls, to leave this sin-cursed and fire-doomed world, and be at home,23where life is not a breath, our space a point, our joys sorrows,—where tears are not always flowing nor sin prevailing; but where all things are exactly right,—the place, the society, the harmony, the employment,—all, all, exactly right, forever and ever. Let us then stretch our glad wings, and be away,—away from all the restless, worthless, dying things of earth, and be at home,—to stray no longer, no more to be deceived or polluted by sin or Satan, but safe with all the just in the bosom of God’s eternal love.
Waldo, Me.
EVERY-DAY CHRISTIANITY
Real Christianity is earnest life-work. As electricity permeates steel, so it permeates every act and department of life. It gives a vigorous impulse to every noble quality. It makes every toil honest and cheerful. It gives courage and fortitude in the midst of sorrow and affliction.
Christianity is a sublime force. It makes a new man of the old. It throws meaning and grandeur into every small act of Christian duty and benevolence. It makes men honest. It makes them tender-hearted and kind. It makes the care-worn, and weary, and afflicted, patient. It makes home a holy of holies to social life. It makes the judge just, the merchant honest, the servant faithful, the student diligent, the wealthy generous, the poor industrious and cheerful, the strong watchful and helpful; it lights the heart of the dying saint with hopeful flashes of the life everlasting.
Autumn Damps and the Gentle Loosening of Life
By Landor
—The damps of autumn sink into the leaves and prepare them for the necessity of their fall; and thus insensibly are we, as years close around us, detached from our tenacity of life by the gentle pressure of recorded sorrow.—Landor.
INIQUITY ABOUNDING.
Christ in speaking of the last days, said, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matt. 24: 12. It would seem difficult to find a more striking fulfillment of this passage than in the following description of the moral condition of the city of Cincinnati, by a correspondent, J. M. Foster, of the Christian Statesman. It is by a resident, and proves that the city has well earned its unenviable distinction as “the Sodom of America.” Under date of Dec. 23, 1879, Mr. Foster says:—
“Our city is now designated by the press generally as ‘the Sodom of America.’ Mr. Fitzgerald, a member of the Board of Councilmen, said in their meeting last Friday: ‘The city of Cincinnati is to-day ahead of any other city in the Union in the line of unbridled license, in the line of all which is a disgrace to humanity.’ In Sabbath desecration, in female prostitution, and in wholesale drunkenness and gambling, this place surpasses every other in the land. And what is worse, these poisons in the moral atmosphere have the same benumbing and sickening effect upon the Christian people here that entering a malarious district has upon the strong and healthy. Why, the moment Christians from other places, who have been in good and regular standing in the church, come in contact with the miasmatic exhalations from this sour, festering marsh, their religion leaves them, and they have no further use for the church. And what is a still more suggestive fact, while only four of our ministers can attend a National Reform meeting, the purpose of which is to bring back King Jesus, the rightful Sovereign whom our nation has formally rejected, the great majority of them could attend a meeting to ‘welcome General Grant as the hero of the Mississippi valley who received the sword of Pemberton, and of Virginia who received the sword of Lee.’”
“Sabbath-desecration became so open, bold, and defiant that law-abiding citizens felt called upon to do something. Accordingly a Sabbath Committee was formed about a year ago. They set themselves to the task of arresting the current of this great evil. But now one of the members tells me that ‘they find it impossible to do anything. The laws are not worth the paper they are written on. They cannot fine any man more than one dollar for the most flagrant Sabbath desecration. There is no hope of doing anything until the laws are modified.’ Their work so far is abortive. The evil is unchecked. Variety shows and houses of ill-fame are becoming so numerous and vile that even the heathen editors of our daily papers blush as they speak of them. The worst feature of this evil is that the whole of the police force, from the Chief throughout, are in sympathy with these institutions and are more ready to help than to suppress them. Last summer the odor from these dens of vice became so oppressive that the Mayor ordered an investigation. To secure the defeat of the whole movement, the Chief of Police made a raid on a great number of these houses at once and filed a great company of these prostitutes into the court room. The only effect of this crusade was to advertise these dens of iniquity and increase their trade, which has been going on with increased momentum ever since.”
“About three weeks ago the Mayor ordered that all the variety shows running without license be suppressed. To make the order appear odious, the Chief of Police ordered a general raid upon all the theaters last Sabbath two weeks. The streets were filled with their contents, a wild surging drunken mass, from the lower strata of society, and a perfect furor of excitement ensued. This was all done in mock justice. The shows have been in full blast ever since. The Board of Councilmen, however, passed an ordinance last Friday, which, if enforced, will at least put a wholesome check upon them. Our city is, indeed, in a deplorable condition. May God speed the day when these glaring evils will be purged away. As Mr. Fitzgerald remarked in the Council: ‘Every father and mother, every decent man and woman in Cincinnati, joins in the cry for the suppression of these dens. That cry, long and loud, has finally come into this chamber, and in keeping with that unanimous demand of all who desire that this city shall be the equal of other cities in morality, who desire that their wives, their daughters, and their sisters shall be protected in the streets and in places of amusement,—in keeping with that unanimous demand, these ordinances are presented.’”
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON S. S. FINANCES.
By G. W. Colcord; W. E. Dawson; M. H. Brown
The Committee appointed by the General Conference, to which was referred the subject of the support of the Sabbath-schools, would submit the following report:—
1. Concerning the Sabbath offering we have no change to recommend. The plan seems to work admirably wherever it has had a fair trial. Different methods of receiving the donations have been practiced in different sections, and which way will prove the best, after thorough trial, time will develop.
Any plan of raising money for any cause which depends for its success upon the spirit of rivalry simply, whether individual or class, is certainly very objectionable. In the matter of giving, the principle to cultivate in our children, and the leading, paramount motive from which they should act, is that of disinterested benevolence. They should be taught to give because the means is to be used for a good and worthy object. With the matter placed before our children in a proper light, with the life of Christ held up before them to imitate, and our own lives in harmony with the principles we teach, we shall see excellent results, financially and morally.
The officers and teachers of our Sabbath-schools should consider it a part of their duty wisely and judiciously to educate the young in regard to this subject. We trust that all our Sabbath-school workers will remember that two important results are secured by the plan which has been recommended and generally adopted. (1.) A fund is raised to purchase record books, lessons for those unable to supply themselves, works of reference, maps, blackboards, etc., which no live school will long be without. (2.) The spirit of liberality and benevolence is cultivated, which is certainly a very desirable and important point to be gained.
2. We recommend that all Sabbath-school supplies that come from the REVIEW Office should be kept on hand by our State T. and M. societies, and ordered of them by our various Sabbath-schools, giving to the tract society the benefit of the discount at the office, in consideration of carrying such supplies. Schools should order of the tract society librarians where they are accessible, otherwise of the State Secretary of the T. and M. society.
Sabbath-school secretaries should report quarterly to the secretary of their State S. S. Association, as formerly, and inclose a tithe of their donations for the use of said Association. The State Association should in turn tithe its donations for the benefit of the General S. S. Association.
We believe that the above recommendations, if acted upon and carried out promptly, will, in a large degree, promote the interests and success of the Sabbath-school cause.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
G. W. COLCORD,
W. E. DAWSON,
M. H. BROWN, } Committee.
FRAUD! FRAUD!
By J. B. Goodrich
BY ELD. J. B. GOODRICH.
I CLIP the following from the Family Herald and Weekly Star, Montreal, Nov. 27, 1879:—
“Boston detectives are investigating the operations of a gang of persons who have organized a thorough system of swindling in various parts of New England, whereby several farmers and others have been victimized out of sums ranging from $100 to $500. The plan of operations is to secure notes in payment of articles promised to be delivered, and have such notes purchased thereafter by other persons at a considerable discount, though the goods are never delivered. One swindler is reported to have obtained $1,200 worth of negotiable paper at one place in Maine. The operations of the sharpers cover a period of several years. Their security has been that their victims have remedy only in a civil suit, and no one has had the courage to take the matter to the higher courts. Officers at Boston are informed that the operations of these gangs have been directed by a wealthy business man in Michigan. One or two arrests are reported.”
I have learned of one good brother in Maine who has fallen into the trap the past summer, and has had to pay $120. A man wished him to act as agent to deliver pruning shears, or knives, and persuaded him to sign papers. The shears never came to be delivered; but the note, after having passed into other hands, found its way back for him to pay. Those who held the note claimed to have bought it, and demanded the money.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
COURAGE, SUNDAY-SCHOOL WORKERS.
By A. O. Burrill
DURING my recent labors in Ohio, I visited one of our churches where there is a Sunday-school which was organized last June. Now, there are seventeen observing the Sabbath there, half of whom have begun its observance since the school was opened. At the other church there are two branch Sunday-schools, the first of which was organized the first of July, and the other later. I found the former had been doing good work: 1. It had held those who had received the Sabbath; and 2. It had kept the truth before those who were not observing the Sabbath, and I think it was the means of bringing one good family to its observance. At the third place there were not so marked results.
As I saw these things, I said, By God’s assistance I will do more for the Sunday-schools. Those who are anxious to work in the cause can obtain an excellent experience by organizing Sunday-schools, and introducing our helps. In fact, I know of no better way for those with a fair education to qualify themselves for the ministry than is here presented. There is work all around us. Who will engage in it for the Master? A. O. BURRILL.
THE PREPARATION OF A LESSON.
By Charles Mansford
The first step to be taken in the preparation of a lesson is to master your subject. Unfortunately, there seems to be a notion abroad that the preparation and giving of a lesson involves some professional secret, which, once learned, would enable a man to teach on any subject, whether he had mastered it or not; that, in short, a teacher who has been trained in the art could, if he would, write out a receipt for preparing and giving a lesson, just as a cook gives a receipt for mixing a pudding or for bottling gooseberries. This is a great and serious mistake. No one can give more than he has, and no one can teach what he does not know. If, therefore, you are to prepare a lesson which will be of any use at all, you must begin by wrestling with and mastering your subject. The subject must be thought of first, and then the lesson; first the substance, and afterward the form. Here a great many young teachers fall into error. They read up the outline of a lesson, or put a few striking and interesting facts or ideas together, collected from a commentary, and illustrated by a new anecdote. But a lesson thus prepared is like an artificial tree; it has no roots in the soil of their own mind, no living sap circulates in its branches; and if it have any leaves and fruit, they are only tied on, and have no organic connection with the parent stem.—Charles Mansford.
HOW TO REACH THE PARENTS.
By S. S. Worth
THE old maxim, “Catch the parent by first catching the child,” is freshly illustrated by an incident which a correspondent of The Sunday-school Times tells of our veteran worker Chidlaw. Leaving the railroad he walked five miles over the hills, crossing creeks on driftwood, to attend a Sunday-school Convention in Hancock county, during which he preached to a large assembly of youths, and three times the next Sunday. In the audience on Sunday was a gentleman of good repute, who had not been seen in a house of worship in twenty years. When he was asked why he attended twice that day—“did he know Mr. Chidlaw?” “No, sir,” he replied; “but my children heard the stranger the other day, and when they came home they talked of nothing else but his sermon, and I felt that I would like to hear the man that could get such a hold of my children.”—S. S. Worth.
MY LORD DELAYETH HIS COMING.
Some persons are so anxious to find fault with the position and work of S. D. Adventists that they affect great anxiety, lest they be found saying, “My Lord delayeth his coming,” and so suffer a terrible disappointment by not being ready to meet him when he comes. They charge S. D. Adventists with saying, “My Lord delayeth his coming,” because they are entering upon certain enterprises which they believe must be accomplished before the Lord comes, and because in their faith there are some final links of prophecy to be developed before the chain is complete. The persons who make this charge have themselves no particular enterprises on hand and no specific work to do, so far as their actions would indicate. With them, no more remains to be done (notwithstanding certain views about the return of the Jews and the age to come), and the position they intimate is the right one to occupy is to sit in expectant inactivity, ready for the Lord to come at any moment.
For the sake of those who may sincerely fear that S. D. Adventists are in danger in the direction above mentioned, we offer a thought concerning it. If, then, S. D. Adventists are saying, “My Lord delayeth his coming,” how are they saying it? They are, to be sure, maintaining some important enterprises, publishing extensively, organizing missionary work in home and foreign fields, conducting a Health Institute for the theoretical and practical promulgation of reformatory ideas on the subjects of health, temperance, and care for the sick, and maintaining a College for the education of men for future labor. And they are doing all this because they believe that a crisis between truth and error is soon coming, and that the world is to be warned and tested by the very message which they have to preach. And to carry these enterprises forward to a full degree of efficiency, must, of course, take some time. But are they, in these things, saying, “My Lord delayeth his coming,” and putting themselves in a position in which they would be unprepared to meet him should he come before the result to which they look is reached?
What, according to the prophecy, is the evil servant led to do by conceiving the idea that the Lord delays his coming? Does he say, “Now my Lord delays his coming, and I have more time than I expected, so I will go to work earnestly to bring my fellow-servants up to the Bible standard on the question of restraining perverted appetite, and will exhort them to sacrifice means and make personal effort in the cause of the Lord; and I will lay broader plans to be carried out as speedily as possible, to warn the people still more extensively in regard to the coming of my Master, so that they may be prepared to meet him?”
Does the evil servant talk and act in this manner? Not by any means. On the contrary, he loses sight of all these things, and begins to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken. Are S. D. Adventists doing this? Which looks the most like eating and drinking with the drunken? the radical temperance work of this people, or the course of some of those who make this charge against us, who, to gratify a depraved appetite, are still filling their systems with the scrofula of the swine, and their mouths with the stench of tobacco? Which looks most like smiting their fellow-servants? the course of those who try to tear down the work of those servants, and turn people away from whatever truth they may possess, well knowing that they will not receive it from any other quarter, as these very persons are doing toward S. D. Adventists, or simply striking at those evils by which the soul and body are defiled, and the church destroyed, as these latter aim to do? We leave the reader to judge.
But one thing, at least, it is safe to say; namely, that it is not by work and consecration, and large plans to prepare people for the second coming of Christ, though these plans may be larger than can be carried out before he comes, that any one says, “My Lord delayeth his coming.” It is not labor and work that says this. It is not activity, and zeal, and sacrifice to prepare people for the second coming of Christ, though there may not be time to carry out all the plans in view, that will unfit a person to meet the Lord when he does come. And between the two positions, that of sitting perched upon the stool of do-nothing, idly waiting with folded hands for the Lord to come, and that of special labor and activity with reference to that coming—give us the latter, a thousand to one; even though the Lord should come before the work intended is accomplished.
In any event, let us be found working; working in view of Christ’s coming; working to prepare as many as possible for that event. This we imagine is to be giving the household meat in due season. Idleness destroys spirituality as rust corrodes the polished metal. The reward is to be according to the work. And we do not conceive that the great danger of S. D. Adventists lies in the direction of their taking upon their hands too large a work, and then laboring with their might to do it. Are not these acts rather saying to all around, Do not draw back to perdition, but believe (with a live faith which shows itself in works) to the saving of the soul; “for yet a little while and He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry?”