Earlier text: THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOULWHAT I BELIEVE.
By A. E. Stutzman
- That we are near the end of probation.
- That the great and terrible day of God is at hand.
- That the time of trouble such as never was is right before us.
- That the seven last plagues are soon to be poured out.
- That the third message of Rev. 14 is now being given to cause us to flee from the wrath to come.
- That we are right in the midst of the perilous times of the last days.
- That the scoffers of the last days are now saying, Where is the promise of that great day.
- That Babylon has fallen, and that God’s people must come out and be separated.
- That while all the promises of God are sure, none are more sure or more prominently set forth than those referring to the second coming of our Lord.
- That Jesus is in the second apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, blotting out the sins of the righteous.
- And that when this work is done he will come again, as he declared to his disciples, and receive us unto himself, that where he is, there we may be also. Glorious promise! Who does not want a share in it?
To Hide a Sin Is to Nurse a Serpent
To hide a sin is to nurse a serpent. THERE’S a dream that I dream in my inmost soul,
When the mind’s at ease and the fancy free,
Of a river that branches from pole to pole,
And onward its silent waters roll
Down to a dark and tideless sea. This river, O mortal, is broad and deep;
On its bosom it bears neither sail nor boat,
But it bears all away in that last long sleep;
And we stand on the brink, and silently weep
As we see them away on its cold waters float. Into its waters, by night and day,
They are mournfully launched, the young and the
old;
We look at them pass in their ghastly array,
Slowly and solemnly floating away—
Floating away o’er the waters so cold. Then farther away into dreamland we fly,
Through the air o’er this river we seem to glide.
The light fadeth out, and darkness draws nigh;
To the darkness upturned is each death-staring eye
Of the millions who down in the cold waters ride. Far away in the darkness we seem to see
Where, with hollow plunge, these millions go
From the river above, below to the sea
That borders the land of futurity,
Where the current dies out in eddies low. Utter darkness here reigns; midst silence profound
The Death Angel sits on his ebony throne;
Here lieth the slave, awaiting his crown,
And the king from the height of his glory cast down;
All silent they lie till the last trump hath blown. Then changes the scene, and a beautiful land
Spreads out to the view, and the darkness hath
flown;
There’s a glittering beach of golden sand,
There’s an emerald plain, and a white-robed band,
And away, far beyond, there’s a Great White
Throne. There’s a light over all from invisible suns,
There are zephyrs o’erburdened with sweetest
perfumes,
There’s a cool, crystal river that joyfully runs,
There’s a sound of sweet music that fitfully comes
Through those evergreen trees with their flowery
plumes. There are shining paths through the meadows green,
That lead to the gates in the golden wall
Surrounding the throne my dream hath seen,
Where sitteth the King his hosts between,
And the joy of his presence is over all. And I long for the time when all earth shall meet,
And the waters give up their silent dead.
Loved ones of the past we again shall greet
With the host that shall stand at our Saviour’s feet,
And drink Life and Love at the fountain head. Lancaster, Wis. F. NORDYKE. THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE.
By Mrs. Wm. H. Brown
“On watch, and fight, and pray;
The battle ne’er give o’er;
Renew it boldly every day,
And help divine implore.” We are living in a time when these words are peculiarly fitting. May we each feel the full import of them, and heed the divine injunction, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.” We need to seek the Lord continually, that we may draw strength and nourishment from the true and living Vine; for it is our privilege to remain branches of that Vine. We may bear fruit to the honor and glory of God. He gave the life of his only begotten Son, that we might be redeemed from all sin, and thereby obtain an immortal inheritance. What condescension! what infinite love on the part of such a holy being. Can we not afford to comply with the conditions laid down in his word? Can we not, like the disciples of old, be devoted, self-denying Christians? No sacrifice was too great for them to make, no burden too heavy to be borne for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of suffering humanity. Although they did a noble work in their time, we have a more solemn work to perform in our day, and it is only through effectual, fervent prayer to God that we may obtain the strength requisite for the work. In Luke 21:36 we read: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” And again, in 1 Peter 4:7, “But the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” The Lord is coming. We believe his advent to be very near. Signs and wonders betoken it on every side. We must stand before the Judge of all the earth. And who shall be found at his right hand? May we each be faithful to duty, and thus exert a winning influence over others, and be instrumental in leading souls to Christ, that we may be considered worthy of eternal life when the ransomed shall be gathered to serve the Lord eternally. “The Lord is coming! watch and pray!
Watch ye, and haste unto the day;
So shalt thou then escape the snare,
And Christ’s eternal glory share.” MRS. WM. H. BROWN.
Adams Center, N. Y. Sennacherib described the hopeless perils of resistance, thus driving them—to surrender? Nay, to God! When mass meetings were held to enlist men for the war, the speakers did not picture the ease and pleasures of camp life: they spoke of battles, wounds, soldiers’ graves, the country saved. They put the question, Shall the nation die? or will you suffer and die for it? Crowds flocked to enlist. So the Lord Jesus, when great multitudes followed him, described not an easy Christian life, but said, “Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath cannot be my disciple. If any man will come after me, let him take up his cross, and deny himself daily, and follow me.” When scholars hesitate to receive Christ, because his service requires so much, do not deny it. Tell them, “This is Christ’s way for you. Now, will you take Christ, and the cross, and the crown? or the world, and self, and shame? Put the issue clearly. Do not fear the result. ’Tis Christ’s own call. Try it. Such a call calls faithful ones.—Sel. BREVITY is the soul of wit, and length costs strength. These familiar rules are generally applied to sentences and speeches, but they apply to words as well. An admirer of Mr. Bright writes to a Manchester paper that he has discovered the secret of the power this great speaker possesses of riveting the attention of his audience. This he believes to lie in the fact that he uses monosyllables very largely. The grand passage in Mr. Bright’s speech on the burials bill, describing a Quaker funeral, begins, “I will take the cause of my own sect,” and on counting the words of that remarkable oration, it will be found that out of 190 words, 149, more than 75 per cent, were monosyllables. On this it is urged that those in charge of an American Journal lately mentioned of a school for boys in the art of public speaking, that if they had learned nothing else, they had acquired the greatest contempt for devices of stump oratory. “A little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts and almonds.” Gen. 43:11. CONSTANT success shows us but one side of the world. NONE are so old as they that have outlived enthusiasm. Do not, as you hope for success, spend any time in idleness. Too much sensibility is the foppery of modern refinement. THE hardest thing in this busy world of ours is to do nothing. SHOW may be purchased, but happiness is a home-made article. OUR opinion of a man is likely to be determined by his opinion of us. A WISE man seeks to shine in himself; a fool, to outshine others. GOD is not in eternity, but eternity in God. WHOSOEVER hath Christ cannot be poor; whosoever wants him cannot be rich. RIGHTEOUSNESS and self-righteousness are as far apart as the east is from the west. NATURE is content with little, grace with less, but lust with nothing. GOD’S presence with a man in his house, though it be but a cottage, makes that house both a castle and a palace. WHEN we know how to appreciate merit, we have the germ of it within ourselves. RESPECT is the result of a lifetime, whereas a single silly act often wins one a reputation. THE glory of great men ought always to be rated according to the means used to acquire it. A MAN is called selfish, not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting that of his neighbor. MARRIAGE has been likened to a captivity of which the fetters are either golden silk or galling steel. THE highest obedience in the spiritual life is to be able always, and in all things, to say, “Thy will be done.” THE stairways of temptation are very numerous. Fashion carpets some of them gorgeously, and claims that they are safe. But pastors know how often young converts venture on the slippery places only to catch wounding falls. The moment that a Christian goes where he cannot take Christ with him, he is in danger. The Master will not keep his hand under our arms when we go on forbidden ground. Presumptuous Peter needed a sharp lesson, and he got it. The bitter cry at the foot of the stairs bespoke an awful fall. How many such are rising daily into Christ’s listening ears! NAMES OF THE DAYS OF THE WEEK.
We copy the following testimony verbatim from the American Encyclopedia, edition of 1872-3:— “SUNDAY (Sax. sunnan dæg), the first day of the week, identical with the Roman dies solis (day of the sun). Among Christian nations it is kept as a Sabbath, and in remembrance of the Saviour’s resurrection. In the early ages of our era, the day was devoted as far as practicable to religious worship, which began at day-break; and as early as the end of the second century abstinence from worldly business appears to have been customary. When the Christian religion came to be recognized by the State, laws were enacted for the observance of this day. Constantine ordered, in 321, the suspension of all business in the courts of law, except the manumission of slaves, and all other business except agricultural labor. Additions were made to this order under various emperors, and in 425, under Theodosius II., games and theatrical exhibitions were forbidden. In 538 the third council of Orleans forbade all labor on Sunday. Many theologians maintain that there is no divine authority for any distinction between Sunday and other days.” “MONDAY (Lat. Lunæ dies, Fr. lundi, Ger. Montag, the day of the moon), the second day of the week, which derives its designation from the Romans, who gave the names of the sun, moon, and 5 planets to the seven days in modern use.” “TUESDAY, the third day of the week. In the Roman calendar it was called dies Martis, from Mars, and its present name is derived from Tiw, the Anglo-Saxon god of war.” Under the name Tuisco, the Encyclopedia says “Tuisco (Anglo-Saxon Tiw);” that is, this is the German name of the god of war corresponding to the Anglo-Saxon. It continues:— “Both Tuisco and his son gave laws to their [the German] nation, and the name of the day on which the early Germans held judicial meetings, Tuesday, is derived from that of the former.” “WEDNESDAY (Anglo-Sax. Wodnesdæg; Swed. (Odensdag or Onsdag)), the fourth day of the week, named from Woden or Odin, the Scandinavian All-father, to whom it was sacred. It is the Mercurii dies [day of Mercury] of the Roman calendar.” “THURSDAY, the fifth day of the week, the dies Jovis [day of Jupiter] of the Roman calendar, and sacred in the northern mythology to the thunderer, Thor, for whom it was named. In German it is called Donnerstag (thunder day).” “FRIDAY, the sixth day of the week, called by the Saxons Frige dæg, or day of Frigga (the wife of Odin), whence our name, and by the Romans dies Veneris, or Venus’ day.” “SATURDAY (Saturn’s day), the 7th and last day of the week, and the Roman dies Saturni. It is the Jewish Sabbath, and in the Roman Catholic breviary is still called dies sabbati.” [Day of the Sabbath.] The reader will not fail to notice the peculiar statements made in the foregoing testimony relative to Sunday. 1. Only as “far as practicable” was it devoted to religious worship. 2. Not till the end of the second century had “abstinence from worldly business” become “customary.” 3. No laws were enacted for its observance till the Christian religion came to be recognized by the State. 4. The law of Constantine, A. D. 321, was the first one of the kind. 5. This law allowed court business sufficient for the manumission of slaves, and allowed also all kinds of agricultural labor. 6. All kinds of games and theatrical exhibitions went on upon that day, till 425. 7. Not till 538 was all labor forbidden. Thus in the very year in which the great apostasy reached its consummation, and the man of sin was enthroned in the church, the Sunday for the first time appeared as a Christian institution, guarded by law against the profanation of any kind of labor. 8. Under the name Saturday, the testimony shows that this is the 7th and last day of the week; that our week is identical with the New Testament week; and that this seventh day is the same as that which was observed as the Sabbath in the time of Christ and his apostles. The Encyclopedia is a little at fault in regard to the law of Constantine, if it supposes it to have been a law for Sunday as a Christian institution; for as the readers of the REVIEW well understand, Constantine was then a pagan, and made his law for Sunday, not as the Lord’s day, or Christian Sabbath, but as the “venerable day of the sun;” and well might he call it venerable, for its observance as a “wild solar holiday,” can be traced in history to the astonishing antiquity of over 2000 years before Christ; as far back, indeed, as reliable secular historical records extend. But this heathen law of Constantine’s was made the basis of the subsequent so-called Christian laws for Sunday; for, says the Encyclopedia, “additions were made to this order under various emperors,” etc. We have called these statements from the Encyclopedia peculiar; but they are not peculiar when compared with the uniform statements of those who desire to treat this question simply according to the facts in the case. They are peculiar only when compared with the declarations of those theologians who are determined to sustain the Sunday institution at all hazards; by good evidence, if it can be found, by spurious, unblushingly, if the first is not at hand. DEPARTURE FOR EUROPE.
By John Nevins Andrews
SINCE the close of the special session of the General Conference, I have been engaged as actively as my strength would admit, in making preparation for my departure for Europe, and in perfecting such arrangements as I could make for the advancement of our work there. These matters are now accomplished, so that I expect to embark at eleven o’clock to-day in the steamer Virginia, of the State Line Steamship Co. I have selected this line because it is cheaper than most other lines. I have secured first cabin passage to London for $55. My stay in this country has been protracted much beyond the time I anticipated when I left Europe; but the condition of my health, and other circumstances, have made it impossible for me to go at any earlier date. I have regretted this very much, as I have felt a deep anxiety to return and engage in the work there. The brethren are aware that after the death of my daughter I found myself suffering from extreme prostration, and that since then for much of the time I have been quite unfit for mental labor. And even now, when so nearly ready to leave, I am still in feeble health, and my strength is far from adequate to the great task I have before me. I greatly feel the need of the special blessing of God to fit me for this work. I believe that he is willing to help as he has done in times past. And I desire to request of our brethren and sisters everywhere that they will make my case a special subject of prayer; that the Lord will restore me to health and strength again, if it is according to his will. I also ask the prayers of the brethren for the success of the work in Europe. I am of good courage in the Lord, and feel to renew my consecration to him, and will try to devote my life unreservedly to him for the time to come. I shall also continue to pray for the prosperity of the work in America. J. N. ANDREWS. THE POCASSET OUTRAGE.
By W. H. Littlejohn
The readers of the REVIEW, in common with the reading public, have been shocked by the newspaper accounts of the cold-blooded murder, on the part of Charles Freeman, of his little five-year-old daughter. Had the deed been committed in a fit of passion, or had it been the result of unmistakable insanity, it would have occasioned the deepest sorrow; but as there is not the slightest evidence of malice on the part of the father, and as, if insane at all, his insanity is of a most unusual type, those who read the sickening details of the horrible tragedy are not only shocked but are also bewildered by the peculiar circumstances of the case. To all appearances the father and mother of the child had brought themselves to believe that in sacrificing their darling daughter they were performing an act of high religious duty. From the testimony already adduced, it has become manifest that Freeman, in a fit of hallucination, fancied that he had attained a high state of favor with God, and that the Almighty proposed through him to present to the world the most indubitable evidence that he would answer the prayer of faith, even in the resurrection of the dead child, before all men. It would seem that the father had been dwelling upon the experience of Abraham in the anticipated offering up of his son Isaac, until he was thoroughly imbued with a sense of the sublime lesson of confidence which was taught by the unhesitating compliance on the part of the patriarch with the command of the Most High, and that finally the idea seems to have taken possession of his mind that God had called him to a like sacrifice, and that his faith was equal to the emergency. The deed having been accomplished, however, and the third day having passed, on which it was expected that the little victim of the father's fanaticism would be restored to life, it became manifest to nearly all that a terrible blunder had been committed. Had the resurrection taken place, that would have added the seal of God to the deed, and Freeman would have occupied the highest rank in the number of those who had given unmistakable evidence of the most complete devotion to the will of God, and the most unbounded faith in him as the God of prayer. As it is, however, his name will be handed down to posterity as one who has been deluded into the commission of one of the most terrible murders which has ever been181 recorded; this being one of those cases where the complexion of the act may be determined by the results which follow. But it is not our purpose in this article to occupy space in discussing the matter of Freeman's responsibility for what he has done; suffice it to say, that while we do not believe him to be insane in the common acceptation of that term, we do believe that his judgment has been clouded and his intellect warped, either through excessive mental strain or through the direct influence and power of the devil. While we pity the man, therefore, and while we feel that his case, legally speaking, might warrant the exercise of more or less lenity, we are nevertheless confident that he should be held accountable for his deed upon the same principle that a drunken man is made responsible for his acts, i. e., that his accountability consists in the fact that he surrendered himself to influences which were wrong in their character, and which, in the outset, he might and should have resisted. The feature of the case which we wish just now to examine is that which relates to the fact that many have sought to take advantage of the incident in question to create prejudice against the people known as Second Adventists. The only justification which they can offer for this course is found in the claim that he belonged to that class of Christians, and that his deed was the legitimate fruit of their teachings. So far as his connection with Second Adventists is concerned, we remark that such a fact—if it be a fact—would furnish no conclusive evidence that they were in any way to blame for the course of one who happened to be united with them in church capacity, unless they approved that course. On this point proofs need not be multiplied. It is sufficient to say that a case almost identical with that of Freeman is found in the recently published account of an attempted murder by a Mr. Truman Phinney, residing in the State of Ohio. It appears that his illusion took the form of the conviction that he must slay one of his children in order to prevent the balance of his family from being lost. This man, however, instead of being an Adventist, was a Methodist. Now we submit that if Adventism is to be held responsible for the one, Methodism must be for the other crime. But will any sound-minded man insist that the Methodist church is responsible for the attempt of Mr. Phinney, simply because he was one of their members? Assuredly not. So, too, the thinking public will not shoulder the responsibility of Freeman's deed upon Second Adventists unless, as is claimed by some, it is the legitimate fruit of their teachings. We inquire, therefore, Is this the case? The answer, we think, must be emphatically in the negative. In the first place, all admit that there is no class of believers in the near coming of Christ who would for a moment justify infanticide; in the second place, the doctrine of the speedy advent of the Lord, which is a prominent feature in the faith of this sect, would naturally lead those accepting the same to the most rigid examination of every motive, and to the putting away of everything which bears even the semblance of sin. But, says one, I concede that the doctrine ought to influence men as you claim; in this case, however, as in others, it does not seem to have done so. To this we reply that by this concession you virtually admit, to say the least, that the cases of Freeman and others are not, after all, the legitimate fruit of the faith which they held. The fact is that while they professed one thing, they practiced another; the difficulty consisting in the failure on their part to manifest in their lives the proper fruits of what they believed. That this is so will become apparent when we acknowledge—what we believe will be generally admitted—that the lives of Adventists are fully up to the standard of morality attained by their brethren of other denominations. But, says another, if Adventism does not cause these things directly, it certainly does indirectly by teaching doctrines which lead to fanaticism. But we ask again, Is it true that fanaticism is a necessary concomitant of faith in the speedy coming of Christ? To say that it is would be to impeach the character of the last generation of Christians; since Paul clearly teaches that they will not be in the dark concerning the coming of Christ; or, in other words, that they will be believers in the nearness of that event. 1 Thess. 5:4. It is not enough that our opponents should be able to point to an occasional case of fanaticism on the part of those who hold the views of premillennialists, to show that the tendency of those views is to extravagance in speech and action on the part of those holding them. The editor of the New York Sun, with uncommon good sense takes the position that Adventism is no more responsible for the irregularities of Freeman than is Presbyterianism for the wild aberrations which from time to time have characterized isolated believers in Calvinism. To this might be added also the statement that it is no more responsible for them than are Baptists for the terrible enormities perpetrated formerly by Anabaptists, or Methodists for the wild fantasies which from time to time have filled the brains and fired the hearts of some of the weaker members of their denomination. The simple facts are these: There always have been, and always will be, extremists in the world. These men, though few in number, keep themselves continually in the foreground by their unbounded activity and their extravagant sayings and doings. This being the case, they occupy the eye and the ear of the world to the exclusion of the more sober and sedate membership which really constitute the body of any church. The amount of discipline necessary to the proper restraint of such parties is not understood by those who have had no experience in that line. Some one has said, and well said, that the lack in Pocasset was the strong hand and clear head of a faithful minister to counterpoise the extreme tendencies of minds such as that of Freeman. He laid hold of the second advent faith, and through it he manifested the native weakness of his own mind. Had he belonged to any other church, the results might have been the same; for, mark you, the newspaper accounts do not make it clear that his fanaticism was in any way connected with any view peculiar to Second Adventists as a body. From beginning to end, so far as we have observed, there is no evidence that he was particularly exercised in regard to the near advent of Christ. The themes which seem to have occupied his mind were those of faith, sanctification, the resurrection, and the immortality of the soul, which was to be proved by the resurrection of his child. Now, Adventists are no more strenuous on the doctrine of faith than are other denominations. So, too, as far as ultra sanctification is concerned, it is safe to say that as a body they have never given it the prominence which is given to it by the Methodist church, and more especially by the Free Methodist wing of that denomination. As regards the resurrection, they generally hold to it in common with other churches; but we think the majority of them are not believers in the natural immortality of man, holding that eternal life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Here, then, we see that the doctrines over which Freeman stumbled are such as are common to Christians generally, instead of being peculiar to premillennial Adventists. If, therefore, the fault was with the faith instead of the man, the whole system of our divine religion, instead of an individual sect, must be held accountable for the atrocities of one who stumbled because he did not rightly apprehend those principles which are acknowledged more or less fully by all bodies of believers. This being so, it is highly important that the case in hand should be settled upon right principles. If it be not so settled by the religious press of this country, they will yet learn that the enemy of all righteousness has in this Pocasset affair forged a bolt which they are enabling such men as Ingersoll to hurl with destructive force into the very stronghold of the Bible. The next effort will be to make it appear that Freeman is the unfortunate victim of a conscientious and—from his standpoint—a justifiable acceptance of what the Bible relates concerning God's requirement of Abraham to sacrifice his only son. When this is done, some of our doctors of divinity will find that it is well to discriminate between what is the legitimate fruit of faith in certain doctrines, and what is the abuse or perversion of that faith as manifested in particular cases. We come now to the last feature of the subject. The term “Adventist,” like that of “Methodist,” covers a number of distinct organizations of believers. Among them there are two general divisions. The first are known as first-day Adventists, or observers of the Sunday, and the second are Seventh-day Adventists, or observers of the Lord's Sabbath, or the seventh day of the week. It so happens that many are ignorant of these distinctions, and class them all under one head; whereas they are really more distinct than are Methodists and Baptists, or Presbyterians and Lutherans. So true is this that if Seventh-day Adventists have a class of opponents more bitter than any other, that class is found among what are styled first-day Adventists. They even affiliate more readily with any of the orthodox denominations than they do with those who differ with them as mentioned above. Now it so happens that Mr. Freeman was of the first-day Adventist school. It follows, therefore, that even should it be insisted that the church to which Freeman belonged is responsible for his course, nevertheless, Seventh-day Adventists should not be compelled to answer for the same; since they are entirely distinct. Not only so; we still further assume that the implication of Seventh-day Adventists in this affair is without even a shadow of reason. If there is a church in the world that can wash its hands of this whole transaction, the Seventh-day Adventist church is the one. That this is so, a moment's reflection will satisfy any candid mind. What was the offense of Freeman? You reply, He was guilty of murder. Why did he commit that murder? You answer, Because he thought it would glorify God. If inquired of in what manner, you would respond, Through the resurrection. It appears, then, he somehow obtained the opinion that the doctrine of the resurrection needed to be emphasized just now more than does the law of God, which says, “Thou shalt not kill.” His sin, therefore, consisted in undervaluing the sacred character of God's holy precept and overrating the importance of the resurrection. But had he been a genuine Seventh-day Adventist, he could not have fallen into this error; for if that denomination makes one doctrine more prominent than another, it is that God at the present time is particularly emphasizing, through the especial message which they are giving to the world, the duty of all men everywhere to sacredly observe all the ten commandments, among which is found the one which Freeman violated in the murder of his child. So ardent and energetic are this people in defending and enforcing the law of God which this unfortunate Pocasset fanatic so rudely violated, that their enemies not infrequently, though unjustly, charge them with exalting the law even above Christ himself. Here, then, we leave the matter, feeling more grateful than ever before for the faith which we hold, and more thoroughly impressed with the importance of adhering more closely to the law of God; nor do we insist that first-day Adventists, and no-law Christians generally, are answerable for the crime of the Pocasset fanatic. We inquire in conclusion, whether, after all, it does not appear in the light of this tragedy that the law of God is undeserving of the odium which they have sought to heap upon it. Do not men still need the thunder of Sinai as well as the blood of Calvary to keep them back from deeds which not only bring damnation to their own souls, but also reproach the cause of Christ? W. H. LITTLEJOHN. SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND.
By John Norton Loughborough
“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.” “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Such are the words of inspiration, and such is our experience here. That same Providence that prevented our taking passage on the ship Homer, which I now learn directly from the Warren Co. is lost, has opened the way in securing the most desirable site for our tent. Only those who have tried to procure a central position for a tent in such large cities as New York, Boston, Detroit, or Cincinnati can appreciate our difficulty in procuring a similar site in a city three hundred years old, where most of the vacant lots are beautiful public parks or gentlemen’s lawns, fenced with iron palings, “not to be let for any purpose, at any price.” Bar Gate, the northern entrance to Old Southampton, through the then “walled village,” is now about the center of the city. A lot one-half mile from Bar Gate was let two days last season for a circus tent, at an expense of $60. It is an elevated spot, and left a tent too much exposed to the wind for our purpose. We found another lot two and one-half miles north of Bar Gate, which we could obtain for $25 for two months; but it was too far from the borough. We prayed over the matter, confidently believing that the providence of God would indicate the proper spot as soon as we had favorable weather. Meanwhile we tried to obtain almost every vacant lot excepting one. New buildings are being erected all around that one, and on it stood a sign which read, “To be let for one thousand years.” I passed it many times, and said, “There is no use in asking for that.” The owner is an infidel, but is a special friend of the gentleman who constructed our tent. We decided we must get that lot or none in this vicinity. What was our astonishment, upon application, to find the gentleman more than willing to let it, even anxious that we should have it, only asking $1.25 per week for two months, or longer if we wished. We are told that it is the best location for such a meeting in the whole city, and in looking over the situation we believe it to be such. We place large bills in the hands of the two bill posters of the county, who for the sum of $2.50 each agree to keep fresh bills for one month on every advertising place in a circuit of about three miles from the tent. We also have a standing notice of our meeting, for one month, in the semi-weekly Hampshire Independent. The whole cost of rent of ground for two months and advertising for one month is less than $28.00. Truly the Lord has guided in this matter. To his name be all the glory. Our first service in the tent will be held to-morrow, Sunday, May 18, at 3:30 P. M. I have given appointments for five sermons a week—two on Sunday, and one each on the evenings of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. These, with Sabbath services and Sabbath-school, are probably all I should undertake alone. I consider that our public mission here is now just opening. We earnestly sought God to-day in our Sabbath meeting, and received the assurance that if we move out humbly relying on him, our labors will not be in vain. Since my last report I have received donations toward the purchase of the tent, from different parties in England, amounting to $40.00. We have received in all, up to present writing, $110.00, nearly one-fourth the cost of the tent. We desire the prayers of God’s people, that above all his hand may be seen in the work here. May 17. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH. THE violet grows low and covers itself with its own tears, and of all flowers yields the sweetest fragrance. Such is humility. A TOUCHING INCIDENT.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
“A few years ago a company of Indians were captured on the western frontier. Among them were a number of stolen children. They had been with the savages for years. Word was sent throughout the region inviting all who had lost children to come and see if among the little captives they could recognize their own. A long way off was a woman who had been robbed of her darlings, a boy and a girl. With mingled hope and fear she came; with throbbing heart she approached the group. They were strange to her. She came nearer, and with eyes filled with mother-love and earnestness, she peered into their faces, one after another; but there was nothing in any that she could claim. Nor was there anything in her to light up their cold faces. With the dull pain of despair at her heart she was turning away, when she paused, choked back the tears, and, in soft, clear notes, began a simple song she used to sing to her little ones, of Jesus and Heaven. Not a line was completed before a boy and a girl left the group and ran up to her exclaiming, ‘Mamma! Mamma!’ and she folded her lost ones to her bosom. So lives a mother’s early influence in the hearts of her children.” And here is another to the same effect:— “When I was a little child, said a good man, my mother used to bid me kneel beside her, and to place her hand upon my head, while she prayed. Before I was old enough to know her worth, she died, and I was left much to my own guidance. Like others, I was inclined to evil passions, but often felt myself checked, and as it were, drawn back by the soft hand of my mother upon my head. When I was a young man I traveled in foreign lands, and was exposed to many temptations; but when I would have yielded, the same hand seemed to be upon my head, and I was saved. I appeared to feel its pressure as in the days of my infancy, and sometimes there came a voice in my heart, a voice that must be obeyed, ‘Oh, do not this wickedness, my son, nor sin against God.’” Christian mother, toil on in your humble but Heaven-observed work. D. M. CANRIGHT. TO CHURCH CLERKS.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS: You have very fine books, nicely prepared, with full directions. There is no excuse if you do not keep them in excellent order. Post up as to your duties, and then be sure to perform them promptly. Your duties are important; no church can be prospered unless they are faithfully performed. See that every item of business done by the church is properly entered upon your book. Do not scratch up your book, nor blot or blur it. Put no pencil marks in it; and be careful to write in a neat, plain hand. Be on hand at the quarterly meeting, and attend to your duties as directed. If any clerks in the Conference fail to do their duty promptly, the president should request them to resign, and have those put in who will do it. Dear Brethren and Sisters: You have assigned to you one of the most important offices in connection with the church. The cause cannot run long without means, and we are wholly dependent for means upon the S. S. Very much depends upon the treasurer in collecting this. If he properly attends to his business, sees the brethren as often as he should, and calls their attention to it, he will get much more than if he does not. It is your duty to see personally all the Sabbath-keepers in your church, or write to them every quarter. Lay before them kindly and tenderly their duty to assist in the work of God, and then invite them to help. Go to every Sabbath keeper, whether in the church or out, and present the pledge which is now to be universally adopted on S. S., and invite them to sign it. Be very careful to keep your book neatly. Study it thoroughly. Learn how to keep it properly. At the quarterly meeting, make out a written statement of what each one has paid during the quarter, and read this before the church. Also at the quarterly meeting, send to the State treasurer all the money you have on hand, and at the same time write to the State secretary a statement of how much money you have sent to the State treasurer. If you have nothing to send, write to each of these officers just the same.