Earlier text: Ministration of AngelsOR THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST IN THE PROPHETS.
THE Spirit of Christ inspired the prophets of the former dispensations. It testified through them of his sufferings at his first advent, and of the glory that should follow at his second advent. The apostle, speaking of the great salvation through Jesus Christ, says that the prophets had “inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you ; searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified before-hand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” 1 Pet. 1 : 10, 11. In this is seen the harmony of both Testaments, that the Spirit of Jesus inspired the writers of both. And while the blind Jew shut himself up to the Old, and the equally blind Christian virtually shuts himself up to the New Testament, we thank God for a whole Bible. In the writings of both Testaments we see the entire plan of salvation in all stages of its development, in the several dispensations, and the Spirit of Christ inspiring the divine whole. The Spirit of Christ was in Enoch, the seventh from Adam, testifying through him : “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Jude 14, 15. Moses was a prophet. The Spirit of Christ was in this leader of the tribes of Israel, and testified, as quoted by Peter, “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me.” Acts 3 : 22 ; Deut. 18 : 18. The Spirit of Christ testified in Moses that Christ, as a prophet, or teacher, was to be like himself. Hence the men of our times who labor to show a wide contrast between the teachings of Moses and those of the Son of God have not in this the mind of Christ. All things pertaining to the grand scheme of redemption, whether in the types or figures of the former dispensations, or in the facts of the present, were revealed to the fallen race by our adorable Redeemer. He is, therefore, no more the author of the Christian, than of the Jewish, system. And those who contrast Moses with Christ, and the Jewish with the Christian system, are virtually arraying Christ against Christ. Moses was a prophet of God. Christ was with him and the children of Israel in the wilderness. Paul even states that they “all ate the same spiritual meat ; and did all drink the same spiritual drink ; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them ; and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Cor. 10 : 3, 4. The angel that went before them, Ex. 23 : 20, 21, 23 ; 14 : 19 ; 32 : 34 ; 33 : 2, 14 ; Num. 20 : 16 ; Josh. 5 : 13, 14 ; Acts 7 : 37, 38, was the Lord Jesus Christ. The record states, chap. 5 : 13, 14, that Joshua was by Jericho, and that “he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with a drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries ? And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I come.” We must not understand by this declaration of the angel that he had come to supersede Joshua in the command of the armies of Israel. No, Joshua was still commander, as is seen by chap. 6 : 2 : “And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor.” But the angel had come to Joshua’s aid, as captain of the heavenly host of loyal angels. The captain of the host of the Lord is the head over angels, or the archangel of Jude 9, and the Lord himself of 1 Thess. 4 : 16. And while it was appointed to Joshua to lead the armies of Israel around Jericho, a portion of the priests bearing the ark of God containing the ten commandments, and seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of God, the Son of God was to lead on the invisible armies. As archbishop is the head over bishops, so archangel means the head over angels. Christ stands at the head of all the holy angels, and thus he is the captain of the host of the Lord. The Revelation, referring to the time when sin was first introduced, says, “And there was war in Heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon.” Chap. 12 : 7. And as captain of the Lord’s host, the Son of God is represented in chap. 19 : 11–16, as riding forth from the opening heavens on a white horse, and the armies of Heaven following him. Joshua had no battering rams with which to break down the walls of Jericho. At his command, the armed men passed on before the priests that blew the trumpets, and those that carried the ark of God. And the rereward came after the ark. In this simple display there was no manifestation of physical force. The work of casting down the massive walls of Jericho was left to the invisible hands of the heavenly host, led on by the Son of God. The day was gained. “So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets. And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.” Josh. 6 : 20. And it is an exceedingly interesting fact that prominent among the united agencies employed to achieve that grand victory away back in the days of Joshua were the ten commandments in the ark, and the leadership of Christ. And it is not a common angel that is spoken of in Ex. 23 : 20, 21. “Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into a place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not ; for he will not pardon your transgressions ; for my name is in him.” Such language can be applied to no other than the Son of God. Christ is the angel that was with Moses in the Mount Sinai. In that last address of the holy martyr, Stephen, he bears this important testimony. The words in brackets express our convictions relative to the persons meant. “This [Moses] is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel [Christ] which spake to him [Moses] in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the lively oracles to give unto us.” Acts 7 : 38. The work of emancipating, instructing, and leading, the Hebrews was given to One who is called an angel. Ex. 13 : 21 ; 14 : 19, 24 ; 23 : 20–23 ; 32 : 34 ; Num. 20 : 16 ; Isa. 63 : 9. And this angel Paul calls “that spiritual Rock that followed them,” and affirms that “that Rock was Christ.” 1 Cor. 10 : 4. The eternal Father is never called an angel in the Scriptures ; while what angels have done is frequently ascribed to the Lord, as they are his messengers and agents to accomplish his work. It is said of Him who went before the Hebrews to deliver them, “My name is in him.” In all the stupendous events of that deliverance, the mind of Jehovah was represented in Jesus. The typical system was given to Moses by the Son of God in the Mount Sinai. Jesus Christ, the minister of the “true tabernacle,” showed Moses patterns of it, and of the vessels of the heavenly sanctuary, that he might know how to form the typical. And as Moses is instructed relative to the several parts of the golden candle stick, Ex. 25 : 31–40, the boards and bars of the tabernacle, chap. 26 : 15–30, and the altar with its staves, pans, shovels, and other particulars, chap. 27 : 1–8, he is charged, as quoted by Paul, Heb. 8 : 5, “See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.” The plan of salvation, by which man is reconciled to God, and God to man, was devised by both the Father and the Son. And in carrying it out, the counsel of peace is between them both. Zech. 6 : 13. But it was given to the Son to reveal this plan in the several stages of its development to the fallen race in the patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian, ages. The Spirit of Christ was in Abel, testifying of the sufferings of Christ through the blood of the firstling of his flock. The Spirit of Christ was in Moses, testifying of the sufferings of Christ through the blood of those beasts which was typical of the blood of the Son of God. The Spirit of Christ was in Daniel, testifying in his prophecy of the sufferings of Christ in the midst of the seventieth prophetic week. “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off.” “And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” Chap. 9 : 26, 27. The Spirit of Christ in the prophet also testified of the glory that should follow in these words : “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom.” Chap. 7 : 13, 14. The blessed Christ of the New Testament had the supervision of giving this important prophecy. In proof of this proposition we first cite the statement of the angel that appeared to Daniel in his vision of the tenth chapter, that “there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.” Chap. 10 : 21. There were only three persons connected with the giving of the prophecy ; Daniel, Michael, and another, which chap. 8 : 16, shows to be Gabriel. “And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” This command to Gabriel to further instruct the prophet Daniel came from Michael, as no other held with him in the things of the prophecy. Hence Michael, or the Son of God, having received the great things of the prophecy from the Father, shows them to the angel Gabriel, with the order for him to reveal them to the prophet Daniel. There is a striking similarity in the manner in which the prophecy of this book was given, in the Jewish dispensation, and the manner in which the last book of the New Testament was given, in the Christian dispensation. The book of Revelation opens thus : “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass ; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” Chap. 1 : 1. They came from the Father to the Son, and both were shown to angels by the Son, to be revealed by them to Daniel and to John, for the benefit of the servants of God. The object of one was to show what shall be in the latter days,” Dan. 2 : 28, and the object of the other is to show the “things which must shortly come to pass.” Rev. 1 : 1. The Spirit of Christ was in Isaiah, testifying of his sufferings in these impressive words : “He is despised and rejected of men ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed.” Chap. 53 : 3, 5. The Spirit of Christ in Isaiah also testifies of his glory. “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever.” Chap. 9 : 7. We might continue these quotations from the prophets to almost any length. The whole ground is briefly covered by these remarkable words of the Saviour : “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me.” Luke 24 : 44. There is a painful blindness and an astonishing narrowness of views with many of the religious teachers of our time relative to the unit plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. In their efforts to get away from the moral law, as far as possible, in order to excuse themselves in the violation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, they will labor to show as wide a contrast as possible between what they call the law, and the gospel, and in treating the subject they often give the impression that the moral law was confined to the Jewish age, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ is confined to the Christian age. These are simply blind leaders of the blind. Some go even so far as to discard the Old Testament altogether, as entirely superseded by the New. We were credibly informed at Tipton, Ind., that a certain camp-meeting was held in that State where the preachers and people had so far rejected the Scripture of the Old Testament that, during the several days of their meeting, not a single copy of our old-fashioned, blessed Bible complete could be found upon the ground, the officiating ministers using only copies of the New Testament. Those who cherish the growing prejudice of our time against the Hebrews, the institutions they revered, and the prophets of the Old Testament, should feel rebuked by the wonderful words of Paul to the Gentile believers of the church at Ephesus. Chap. 2 : 11–19. The words in brackets are our brief comment on the apostle’s scathing rebuke of that narrow-souled bigotry in Gentile believers that leads them to shut themselves up to the New Testament and the apostles, and despise the “commonwealth of Israel,” the “covenants of promise,” and the holy prophets of God. The apostle would not have the Gentile believers forget that, as Gentiles, they were far inferior to the Jews, and that in believing in Christ they had became partakers of benefits which had been enjoyed alone by the seed of Abraham. Hence his especial appeal to them commences with— “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands ; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus ye [Gentiles] who sometimes were far off [from the commonwealth of the Israel of God, and the covenants of promise] are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both [Gentile and Jew] one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us [so that the Gentiles may come nigh, and receive the blessings promised to the seed of Abraham through Christ], having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law, of commandments contained in [typical] ordinances ; for to make in himself [Christ] of twain [Gentiles and Jews] one new man [or united body], so making peace. And that he [Christ] might reconcile both [Gentiles and Jews] unto God in one [Christian] body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby ; and came and preached peace to you [Gentiles] which were afar off, and to them [the Jews] that were nigh. For through him [Christ] we both [Gentiles and Jews] have access by one Spirit unto the Father. “Now therefore ye [believing Gentiles] are no more strangers and foreigners [from the commonwealth of Israel and the covenants of promise], but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the [entire] household of God [saved from all the ages of human probation]. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles [of the New Testament] and the prophets [of the Old Testament], Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone.” Glory to God and the Lamb for this broad foundation, resting upon the “Rock of Ages,” Jesus Christ, upon which the true church may stand, honoring the whole Bible, and keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. As we contemplate the breadth and the glory of the inspiring theme of salvation through Jesus Christ, our heart beats quicker, and our lips almost shout, in harmony with the voices of the angels round about the throne of Heaven. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.” 53hungering for the words of eternal life. Those who spoke felt the importance of their message ; and God helped them. The only disappointment we have to record, is the happy one that the meeting in its unabating interest from day to day, and in its results, far exceeded the expectations of the most ardent and hopeful. We had been looking forward to this meeting as the time when the cloud might be lifted from the minds of some of the pioneers in the cause, so that there might be more harmonious and salutary action with all those who should be strong in the present interesting and important stage in the work. And in this the special hand of the Lord was seen in accomplishing more than we had ever hoped to see. God is evidently fitting his servants for the work before them. Bro. Smith of the Review and Herald has given quite full reports of the Battle Creek camp meeting, from which we clip the following :— “Statistically the sum of the matter can soon be told. There were ninety-one tents on the ground, which, one brother had the curiosity to ascertain, contained over 24,500 square feet of canvas. The number of Sabbath-keepers permanently encamped was between twelve and thirteen hundred with many more in daily attendance who lodged away from the ground. “During the eleven days of the meeting twenty-five discourses were given, six by Bro. White, five each by Brn. Butler and Andrews, and sister White, three by Bro. Haskell, and one by Bro. L. C. Rogers, delegate from the S. D. Baptists. The word was spoken with great power and clearness. “The Lord signally helped his servants. Oh ! the burning words, the stirring appeals, the thrilling truths ! If all could live out what was taught, and which from its self-evident truthfulness wrought convictions in the heart, they would not be far from the kingdom of Heaven, and following on in the well-directed way, would be sure of eternal life at the journey’s end. “The social meetings were generally precious seasons. There was some backwardness at first in taking hold earnestly of the work, but the brethren soon began to feel more fully the importance of the occasion, and take a more lively interest in it. The Spirit of the Lord often rested down to that degree that many of the congregation were melted into tenderness and tears. “Three times a call was made for those who desired to start anew in the service of God to come forward. The first time about two hundred and fifty came, the second and third times, between three and four hundred, there being many forward in the last who were not in the others, so that probably more than four hundred persons thus manifested their purpose to start anew in the Christian life. With many of these, this was their first public movement in the service of God. “The extension of time to eleven days was timely. It would have been impossible to hold all the business sessions without it. The Michigan Conference, Health Institute, General Conference, Publishing Association, and Michigan Tract Society, held the several sessions necessary to transact their business. All passed off harmoniously and with a good degree of interest. “The parting meeting Monday morning was a season of interest. At its conclusion, E. H. Root, E. R. Jones, and U. Smith, were ordained to the work of the ministry. After this we repaired a short distance to a pleasant spot on the banks of the Kalamazoo River, and sixty-two believers went forward in the ordinance of baptism, Brn. White and Andrews being the administrators. It was a solemn and impressive scene. “We have now reached a point from which we can look back over the meeting as a thing of the past ; and we put the question to our own heart, For how much would you be willing that the work of this meeting should be undone ? And no figures can express a sufficient sum. A glorious work has been wrought, the value of which is beyond estimation. We believe all present felt that it well repaid them for the time they spent, and the trouble and expense they incurred in attending the meeting ; or, rather, that the time could not be better employed, and that the efforts were no trouble, and the means used could hardly be called expense, when it made such magnificent returns. There was nothing boisterous or fanatical about the meeting, but a strong conviction of truth, and a sweet influence tending to unite and cement together all hearts. We expect its results will be glorious, as its memories will be ever pleasant.” One week later Bro. Smith says :— “Of the late camp meeting in this place, we cannot cease thinking. As we now look back upon it, its many encouraging incidents and results are clothed with new interest. It was a better meeting than can be described. No sight could be more pleasant and soul-inspiring than the immense congregation, seated in the shade of the lofty trees of the beautiful grove, intently listening to the words of solemn truth that were uttered in their ears. “But it was not the congregation, in itself considered, that made the scene impressive ; for they may be seen almost anywhere ; but that which lifted the occasion above all those of common interest was the thought of what had called the people together, and the purpose for which they had come. They were not there for pleasure or frivolity, but to consider the weightiest matters that can engage the attention of man ; and that which had called them together was a movement which claims to be the final warning to the world of the close of the dispensation, and which to the many evidences already given, then, in the large assembly of believers, added another, that the hand of the Lord is in the work. “We can look back to no time when this message was able to present so much strength as it presents to-day ; and it seemed that at the camp meeting the Lord gave his ambassadors unwonted power, and they touched a higher key of force and clearness than ever before in their expositions of these great truths. And their words were not without effect upon those who heard it. “Some very cheering and promising conversions occurred on this occasion, from which, unless our hopes are greatly misplaced, we may expect the most encouraging results. “This meeting has deepened the conviction that the great question of this time is the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and the great issue is to be between his requirements and the institutions of men. All other questions pertaining to the present and the near future are side issues. This may sound like the rankest egotism and conceit ; but God’s word will be fulfilled ; and just such a movement as that in which we are engaged, and just such a warning as that which we are enlisted to give, lie right amid the events which, according to his word, must in these last days be accomplished. And He who could and would have put a tongue into the dumb stones by the wayside, to proclaim his first advent, had his disciples faltered, will find agents to do his parallel work to-day. This message must everywhere come to the surface, and in every direction it must come to the front. Forward, ye commandment-keeping hosts, on your grand and glorious mission !” The present is a most remarkable camp meeting season for our people. The early meetings held in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, were the best ever held by us in these States. As the reports of these meetings came in, each better than the previous one, we were looking for an unfavorable change, as is almost always the case in any series of religious meetings. But no change came. The expectations of our people, and the most ardent hopes of our ministers, were more than met at each of our early camp meetings. And when the time came for the great Michigan camp meeting we feared that the time had also come for a change. The responsibilities of that mammoth meeting were great. It was doubtless the largest assemblage of Christians who revered the ancient Sabbath of Jehovah ever held in America. Our people in the States had been almost destitute of ministerial labor. Their efficient ministers had been laboring in other States and Territories, and their young men were constantly in new fields. Would there be a general rally of our people at Battle Creek? would they come in the right spirit, trusting in God for his blessing and help? and would the Lord graciously meet them with his presence? were mental inquiries which grew more anxious as the time of this great central gathering drew on. The weather was very fine with the exception of heat and dust. The grounds, shade, and water were ample, and our people turned out not less than fifteen hundred different persons during the twelve days the meeting held. Many of the friends returning home after the first Sabbath that other members of the same families might attend over the second. And the attendance from the outside was very large. There were some very remarkable features of this meeting, which are generally true of all our camp meetings, of which we are happy to give particular notice. The people, with very few exceptions, gave as good attention to the word spoken, and were as orderly, as congregations in houses of worship. And from the first day of the meeting, August 6th, to the last day, the 17th, there was most perfect harmony in the religious services, public and social, and in the business sessions. We here state the fact that not one jarring note was heard from first to last. Our people came upon that consecrated ground J. H. WHITMORE, in the Bible Banner for June, in commenting upon the recent trial of Professor Swing before the Chicago Presbytery, says : "The phrase first became proverbial as descriptive of the fierce, vindictive, and unappeasable hatred for which many of the Middle age theologians were chiefly known. 'From Julian, who observed that no wild beasts were so ferocious as angry theologians, to Montesquieu, who discussed as a psychological phenomenon the inhumanity of monks, the fact has been constantly recognized,' that to oppose a theologian was to make him your unrelenting enemy. "But not to the Middle Ages alone does the term apply. When the crucifix stood side by side with the rack in the torture chambers of Europe, when priests were ignorant and credulous and cruel, when theology principally occupied the time and attention of all the leaders of opinion, and dogmatism was supreme, when a belief in the eternity of hell torments generally prevailed, it is but little to be wondered at that theologians were proverbially cruel and hateful. A hateful belief, when sincerely and honestly entertained, makes men act hateful. "But in the nineteenth century the theologian's surroundings are vastly different from what they were five or six centuries ago. The rack and the stake, the gibbet and the wheel, are no longer employed as priestly persuasives. Heresy is no longer punished as a capital crime. The doctrine of endless misery, though still professed by many, is really believed by but few. Why should theologians be harsh, unjust, and cruel? Obviously they are without the excuses of their brethren of the Middle Ages. They live in an age of refinement and learning. "Must theology always be the most illiberal learned professions? Must the odium theologicum always be dreaded? "The recent trial of Professor Swing for heresy, by the Chicago Presbytery, affords the latest proof of the survival of the proverbial hatred of theologians. Dr. Patton, the chief persecutor in this latest case of ecclesiastical intolerance, would have been a bright and shining light had he lived in the days of Torquemada. What a sharp inquisitor he would have made! His scent for heresy is so keen, and his love for Presbyterianism is so strong, that he seems to forget that this is not the 16th century, that Chicago is not Geneva, and that he is not John Calvin. "But heresy-hunting is not as profitable now as formerly. The spirit of the age condemns it. Protestantism is opposed to it, though a few Protestants still follow the occupation." The Temptation of Christ.
By Mrs. E. G. White
PROFESSED Christians engage in feastings and in scenes of amusement which degrade the religion of Jesus Christ. It is impossible for those who find pleasure in church socials, festivals and numerous gatherings for pleasure, to have ardent love and sacred reverence for Jesus. His words of warning and instruction have not weight upon their minds. Should Christ come among the assembly who were absorbed in their plays and frivolous amusements, would the solemn melody of his voice be heard in benediction saying, "Peace be to this house"? How would the Saviour of the world enjoy these scenes of gaiety and folly? Christians and the world unite, one in heart, one in spirit, in these festal occasions. The man of sorrows, who was acquainted with grief, would find no welcome in these places of amusement. The lovers of pleasure and luxury—the thoughtful and the gay are collected in these rooms, and the glitter and tinsel of fashion are seen every where. The ornament of crosses of gold and pearl, which represent a Redeemer crucified, adorn their persons. But the One whom these highly prized jewels represent finds no welcome—no room. His presence would be a restraint upon their mirth, their gaiety, and their sensual amusements, and would remind them of neglected duty, and bring to their remembrance hidden sins which caused that sorrowful countenance, and made those eyes so sad and tearful. The presence of Christ would be positively painful in these gatherings for pleasure. Surely none could invite him there, for his countenance is marred with sorrows more than the sons of men, because of these very amusements which put God out of mind, and make the broad road attractive to the sinner. The enchantment of these exciting scenes perverts reason, and destroys reverence for sacred things. Ministers, who profess to be Christ's representatives, frequently take the lead in these frivolous amusements. "Ye are," says Christ, "the light of the world." "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." In what manner is the light of truth shining from that thoughtful, pleasure-seeking company? Professed followers of Jesus Christ who indulge in gaiety and feasting cannot be partakers with Christ of his sufferings. They have no sense of his sufferings. They do not care to meditate upon self denial and sacrifice. They find but little interest in studying the marked points in the history of the life of Christ upon which the plan of salvation rests, but imitate ancient Israel who ate and drank and rose up to play. In order to copy a pattern correctly we must carefully study its design. If we are indeed to overcome as Christ overcame, that we may mingle with the blood washed, glorified company before the throne of God, it is of the highest importance that we become acquainted with the life of our Redeemer and deny self as did Christ. We must meet temptations and overcome obstacles, and through toil and suffering in the name of Jesus overcome as he overcame. The great trial of Christ in the wilderness on the point of appetite, was to leave man an example of self denial. This long fast was to convict men of the sinfulness of the things in which professed Christians indulge. The victory which Christ gained in the wilderness was to show man the sinfulness of the very things in which he takes such pleasure. The salvation of man was in the balance, and to be decided by the trial of Christ in the wilderness. If Christ was a victor on the point of appetite, then there was a chance for man to overcome. If Satan gained the victory through his subtlety, man was bound by the power of appetite in chains of indulgence which he could not have moral power to break. Christ's humanity alone could never have endured this test, but his divine power combined with humanity gained in behalf of man an infinite victory. Our Representative in this victory, raised humanity in the scale of moral value with God. Christians, who understand the mystery of godliness, who have a high and sacred sense of the atonement, who realize in the sufferings of Christ in the wilderness a victory gained for them, would see such marked contrast between these things and the church gatherings for pleasure and the indulgence of appetite, as would turn them in disgust from these scenes of revelry. Christians would be greatly strengthened by earnestly and frequently comparing their lives with the true standard, the life of Christ. The numerous socials, festivals, and pic-nics to tempt the appetite to overindulgence, and the amusements which lead to levity and forgetfulness of God, can find no sanction in the example of Christ, the world's Redeemer, the only safe pattern for man to copy if he would overcome as Christ overcame. Although Christ gained a priceless victory in behalf of man in overcoming the temptations of Satan in the wilderness, this victory will not benefit man unless he also gains the victory on his own account. Man now has the advantage over Adam in his warfare with Satan; for he has Adam's experience in disobedience and his consequent fall to warn him to shun his example. Man also has Christ's example in overcoming appetite, and the manifold temptations of Satan, and in vanquishing the mighty foe upon every point, and coming off victor in every contest. If man stumbles and falls under the temptations of Satan, he is without excuse; for he has the disobedience of Adam as a warning, and the life of the world's Redeemer as an example of obedience and self-denial, and the promise of Christ that "to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. In professedly Christian gatherings, Satan throws a religious garment over delusive pleasures and unholy revelings to give them the appearance of sanctity, and the consciences of many are quieted because means are raised to defray church expenses. Men refuse to give for the love of God; but for the love of pleasure, and the indulgence of appetite for selfish considerations, they will part with their money. Is it because there is not power in the lessons of Christ upon benevolence, and in his example, and the grace of God upon the heart to lead men to glorify God with their substance, that such a course must be resorted to in order to sustain the church? The injury sustained to the physical, mental, and moral health in these scenes of amusement and gluttony is not small. And the day of final reckoning will show souls lost through the influence of these scenes of gaiety and folly. It is a deplorable fact that sacred and eternal considerations do not have that power to open the hearts of the professed followers of Christ to make free-will offerings to sustain the gospel, as the tempting bribes of feasting and general merriment. It is a sad reality that these inducements will prevail when sacred and eternal things will have no force to influence the heart to engage in works of benevolence. The plan of Moses in the wilderness to raise means was highly successful. There was no compulsion necessary. Moses made no grand feast. He did not invite the people to scenes of gaiety, dancing, and general amusement. Neither did he institute lotteries or anything of this profane order to obtain means to erect the tabernacle of God in the wilderness. God commanded Moses to invite the children of Israel to bring the offerings. Moses was to accept gifts of every man that gave willingly from his heart. These free-will offerings came in so great abundance that Moses proclaimed it was enough. They must cease their presents; for they had given abundantly, more than they could use. Satan's temptations succeed with the professed followers of Christ on the point of indulgence of pleasure and appetite. Clothed as an angel of light he will quote Scripture to justify the temptations he places before men to indulge the appetite, and in worldly pleasures which suit the carnal heart. The professed followers of Christ are weak in moral power, and are fascinated with the bribe which Satan has presented before them, and he gains the victory. How does God look upon churches that are sustained by such means? Christ cannot accept these offerings, because they were not given through their love and devotion to him, but through their idolatry of self. But what many would not do for the love of Christ, they will do for the love of delicate luxuries to gratify the appetite, and for love of worldly amusements to please the carnal heart.