"IMMEDIATELY after Julian had received the purple at Milan, he was sent into Gaul [A. D. 356] with a feeble retinue of three hundred and sixty soldiers. At Vienna, where he passed a painful and anxious winter, in the hands of those ministers to whom Constantius had intrusted the direction of his conduct, the Cæsar was informed of the siege and deliverance of Autun. That large and ancient city, protected only by a ruined wall and pusillanimous garrison, was saved by the generous resolution of a few veterans, who resumed their arms for the defense of their country. In his march from Autun, through the heart of the Gallic provinces, Julian embraced with ardor the earliest opportunity of signalizing his courage. At the head of a small body of archers and heavy cavalry, he preferred the shorter but the more dangerous of two roads; and sometimes eluding and sometimes resisting the attacks of the barbarians, who were masters of the field, he arrived with honor and safety at the camp near Rheims, where the Roman troops had been ordered to assemble. The aspect of their young prince revived the drooping spirit of the soldiers, and they marched from Rheims in search of the enemy, with a confidence which had almost proved fatal to them.
"The Alemanni, familiarized to the knowledge of the country, secretly collected their scattered forces, and seizing the opportunity of a dark and rainy day, poured with unexpected fury on the rear-guard of the Romans. Before the inevitable disorder could be remedied, two legions were destroyed; and Julian was taught by experience, that caution and vigilance are the most important lessons of the art of war. In a second and more successful action, he recovered and established his military fame; but as the agility of the barbarians saved them from the pursuit, his victory was neither bloody nor decisive. He advanced, however, to the banks of the Rhine, surveyed the ruins of Cologne, convinced himself of the difficulties of the war, and retreated on the approach of winter, discontented with the court, with his army, and with his own success. The power of the enemy was yet unbroken; and the Cæsar had no sooner separated his troops, and fixed his own quarters at Sens, in the center of Gaul, than he was surrounded and besieged by a numerous host of Germans. Reduced, in this extremity, to the resources of his own mind, he displayed a prudent intrepidity, which compensated for all the deficiencies of the place and garrison; and the barbarians, at the end of thirty days, were obliged to retire with disappointed rage.
"The conscious pride of Julian, who was indebted only to his sword for this signal deliverance [A. D. 357], was imbittered by the reflection that he was abandoned, betrayed, and perhaps devoted to destruction, by those who were bound to assist him by every tie of honor and fidelity. A very judicious plan of operations was adopted for the approaching campaign. Julian himself, at the head of the remains of the veteran bands, and of some new levies which he had been permitted to form, boldly penetrated into the center of the German cantonments, and carefully re-established the fortifications of Saverne, in an advantageous post, which would either check the incursions, or intercept the retreat of the enemy. At the same time, Barbatio, general of the infantry, advanced from Milan with an army of thirty thousand men, and passing the mountains, prepared to throw a bridge over the Rhine, in the neighborhood of Basil."
"It was reasonable to expect that the Alemanni, pressed on either side by the Roman arms, would soon be forced to evacuate the provinces of Gaul, and to hasten to the defense of their native country. But the hopes of the campaign were defeated by the incapacity, or the envy, or the secret instructions, of Barbatio, who acted as if he had been the enemy of the Cæsar, and the secret ally of the barbarians. The negligence with which he permitted a troop of pillagers freely to pass and to return, almost before the gates of his camp, may be imputed to his want of abilities; but the treasonable act of burning a number of boats, and a superfluous stock of provisions, which would have been of the most essential service to the army of Gaul, was an evidence of his hostile and criminal intentions. The Germans despised an enemy who appeared destitute either of power or of inclination to offend them; and the ignominious retreat of Barbatio deprived Julian of the expected support; and left him to extricate himself from a hazardous situation, where he could neither remain with safety, nor retire with honor.
"As soon as they were delivered from the fears of invasion, the Alemanni prepared to chastise the Roman youth, who presumed to dispute the possession of that country, which they claimed as their own by the right of conquest and treaties. They employed three days, and as many nights [A. D. 357, Aug.], in transporting over the Rhine their military powers. The fierce Chnodomar, shaking the ponderous javelin which he had victoriously wielded against the brother of Magnentius, led the van of the barbarians, and moderated by his experience the martial ardor which his example inspired. He was followed by six other kings, by ten princes of regal extraction, by a long train of high-spirited nobles, and by thirty-five thousand of the bravest warriors of the tribes of Germany. The confidence derived from the view of their own strength was increased by the intelligence which they received from a deserter, that the Cæsar, with a feeble army of thirteen thousand men, occupied a post about one-and-twenty miles from their camp of Strasburgh. With this inadequate force, Julian resolved to seek and to encounter the barbarian host; and the chance of a general action was preferred to the tedious and uncertain operation of separately engaging the dispersed parties of the Alemanni.
"The Romans marched in close order, and in two columns; the cavalry on the right, the infantry on the left; and the day was so far spent when they appeared in sight of the enemy, that Julian was desirous of deferring the battle till the next morning, and of allowing his troops to recruit their exhausted strength by the necessary refreshments of sleep and food. Yielding, however, with some reluctance, to the clamors of the soldiers, and even to the opinion of his council, he exhorted them to justify by their valor the eager impatience which, in case of a defeat, would be universally branded with the epithets of rashness and presumption. The trumpets sounded, the military shout was heard through the field, and the two armies rushed with equal fury to the charge. The Cæsar, who conducted in person his right wing, depended on the dexterity of his archers, and the weight of his cuirassiers. But his ranks were instantly broken by an irregular mixture of light horse and of light infantry, and he had the mortification of beholding the flight of six hundred of his most renowned cuirassiers. The fugitives were stopped and rallied by the presence and authority of Julian, who, careless of his own safety, threw himself before them, and, urging every motive of shame and honor, led them back against the victorious enemy. The conflict between the two lines of infantry was obstinate and bloody. The Germans possessed the superiority of strength and stature, the Romans that of discipline and temper; and as the barbarians who served under the standard of the empire united the respective advantages of both parties, their strenuous efforts, guided by a skillful leader, at length determined the event of the day."
"The Romans lost four tribunes, and 243 soldiers, in this memorable battle of Strasburgh, so glorious to the Cæsar and so salutary to the afflicted provinces of Gaul. Six thousand of the Alemanni were slain in the field, without including those who were drowned in the Rhine, or transfixed with darts whilst they attempted to swim across the river. Chnodomar himself was surrounded and taken prisoner, with three of his brave companions, who had devoted themselves to follow in life or death the fate of their chieftain. Julian received him with military pomp in the council of his officers; and expressing a generous pity for the fallen state, dissembled his inward contempt for the abject humiliation of his captive. Instead of exhibiting the vanquished king of the Alemanni, as a grateful spectacle to the cities of Gaul, he respectfully laid at the feet of the Emperor [Constantius] this splendid trophy of his victory. Chnodomar experienced an honorable treatment, but the impatient barbarian could not long survive his defeat, his confinement, and his exile."
The deliverance of Gaul, by the defeat of the Alemanni and the Franks, established the military fame of Julian; but—
"Unless he had been able to revive the martial spirit of the Romans, or to introduce the arts of industry and refinement among their savage enemies, he could not entertain any rational hopes of securing the public tranquillity, either by the peace or conquest of Germany. Yet the victories of Julian suspended, for a short time, the inroads of the barbarians, and delayed the ruin of the Western Empire."
J.
(To be Continued.)
Jesus's Pleadings.
By Eliza J. Burnham
AFTER the resurrection, when Jesus was about to leave his disciples and to return to his Father, he gave them this precious promise: "Lo, I am with you alway." But in his messages to the seven churches, in which he gives to each reproof, counsel, instruction, and promises suited to their respective needs, these words are addressed to the Laodiceans: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." He thus expresses his great love for his remnant people—those who are waiting for the Son of man to be revealed, when he shall come to crown his people with everlasting life in his kingdom which shall not be destroyed. Knowing the perils that surround them, he renews the promise of his presence, offering to take them into a relationship with himself especially near.
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock." Jesus does not wait till his people feel their need of him. He seeks them. He does not leave if he is repulsed. He stands at the door. It is closed, and he is left long to knock and wait. He represents himself as chilled and damp while he waits for the bolts to be withdrawn from the heart that is locked against him. His head is "filled with the dew," and his "locks with the drops of the night." Shall his patient love go unrewarded?
Some will not heed the Saviour. Some will not admit this royal guest; for he says, "If any man hear my voice, and open the door." His offers of mercy are disregarded, yet he not only knocks, but he pleads also. He pleads for admittance to the cold heart—cold and dark now, but warm and bright when cheered by his sweet presence. His voice is heard. It is the voice of him who was wounded for our transgressions. He would say to the sin-sick soul as to the disciples of old, in the beautiful language of Oriental salutation, "My peace I give unto you."
"I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." This is but the renewal of a previous promise. Jesus was about to leave his disciples in a world full of peril, and in which the enemies of God and of righteousness are many and powerful. Long and bitter persecutions were before his followers. But he left this promise to all who should love him and keep his commandments: "I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." The disciples doubtingly queried how he would manifest himself unto them, and not to the world; but he reaffirmed his promise, making it more emphatic. "My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Who will refuse to admit such guests? Who will refuse to partake of the "bread of life" offered to all who will accept?
How must the heart of Jesus yearn toward his erring creatures that he will thus perseveringly plead for permission to become their guest, their companion, their intimate friend. He promises the peace and joy that are to be found only in his presence. He enters into our plans. Our hopes and fears, trials and successes, interest him; for he is our friend.
Jesus pleads for sinners now. He waits to be gracious. The language of inspiration is: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord of hosts; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." The stains of sin are deep, but the blood of Jesus can wash them all away.
But soon Jesus will cease to knock at the door of the sinner's heart. The voice of mercy will be heard no longer. Jesus will cease to act as our Advocate. There will be a famine in the land—not for bread or for water, but for hearing the word of the Lord. Then to the plea for mercy the response will be,
"Nay, alas, thou guilty creature,
Hast thou then forgot
How I waited long to know thee:
Now I know thee not."
Seek Jesus while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. They that put their trust in him are safe. In the days of his flesh, when the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew, his word stilled the tempest, and brought deliverance to his followers. Another storm is arising, which will sweep over the whole earth; and in that day only those who have made Jesus their refuge will escape the vengeance of an offended and just God.
The Marvelous Jesus.
By Samuel T. Spear, D. D.
JESUS descending from Heaven and coming to earth, as the incarnate Son of God; Jesus here doing, saying and suffering all that was assigned to his earthly mission; Jesus hanging upon the cross and dying for our sins, that God might be just and the justifier of those who believe in him; Jesus rising from the dead as "the first fruits" of those who sleep; Jesus then personally leaving the earth, and, in "his glorious body," ascending into Heaven, carrying with him to that world his record in this; Jesus officiating there as the "High Priest of our profession," and able "to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him"; Jesus again descending from Heaven in his regal glory and coming to this world; Jesus raising the dead and transforming the living, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump"; Jesus on the judgment throne; Jesus, receiving and crowning all sinners redeemed by his atoning blood; Jesus having completed his mediatorial work, alike on earth and in Heaven, at last retiring from his office, and surrendering "up the Kingdom to God, even the Father," that thereafter God, as such, "may be all in all"; Jesus forever existent in Heaven; Jesus eternally the object of saintly admiration and love—these are the visions of this marvelous Jesus, some of them already matters of history, and others waiting to become such—which the New Testament sets before our minds.
Where shall we look for a parallel? What uninspired thought would or could have thought out such a personality? What genius could have invented the materials which the Bible blends in Jesus? No wonder that the angels, as Peter tells us, desired to look into these things. All other histories are utterly insignificant in contrast with that of Jesus. Jesus is a reality, was on earth, is now in Heaven, will be so when he comes to raise the dead and judge the world, and such he will be forever. Nothing in the universe is more real than Jesus, in himself and in all that the Bible says about him.
He is not an imaginary person, but a real one. Whoever identifies himself with Jesus is safe beyond all contingency. The great globe itself may be in a blaze, and all the works therein destroyed by the fires of the last day, and yet that man recognized, protected, guarded, guaranteed by Jesus, will have no occasion for alarm. "The day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men" will put him in no peril. The good offices of Jesus will take care of him, in life and in death, on earth and in Heaven. Having Jesus for his friend, he will have the friendship of the Godhead. That friendship, once established under the covenants of gospel grace will last forever. Oh! what a blessed immortality is that secured by the soul's alliance with Jesus! No language of earth can tell the full story of its greatness and glory.—Samuel T. Spear, D. D., in Independent.
Substitution.
JESUS suffered the penalty of our sins, and not his own, for, "in him there was no sin." The design and the effect of the sufferings of Christ could not be more clearly stated than they are in Isa. 53: 5, 6: "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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
The strokes of justice which he receives upon his own person are averted from us, and by his atonement we obtain reconciliation with God, the healing and restorative grace of the Holy Ghost, and all the blessings of redemption. If further proof of substitution is required it is supplied by the following texts: God "made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin." 2 Cor. 5: 21. "He was made a curse for us." Gal. 3: 13. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." 1 Pet. 3: 18. "His own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree." 1 Pet. 2: 24.—Sel.
Charity.
LOVE is the fundamental principle upon which everything else connected with the Christian religion rests. Upon love to God and man hang the whole law and the prophets. All one owes to God, to self, and one's fellow-man, is embodied in the law of love. Love is the fulfilling of the law. Love is absolutely essential to the Christian life. Take away love and you take away the essence of the Christian religion. One destitute of love is nothing. One may understand all the languages and be able to speak with the tongues of men and angels; may have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge; have all faith, so as to remove mountains; and bestow all of his goods to feed the poor, and even give his body to be burned; but if destitute of love, he is as sounding brass, as clanging cymbal—nothing. There can be no religion without love.—Sel.
Happiness and Self-Government
If it were happiness alone, for which we came to be in this world, what signal failures, then, are our lives.—Sel.
The best government is that which teaches us to govern ourselves.—Sel.
Gems.
LIFE being hung on little things, its preservation is a daily miracle; and that any of us should arrive at mature age, is owing to the fact that there is an eye upon us which never sleeps, the eye of a heavenly Father, whose loving kindness is over all his works; whose "mercies are new every morning and fresh every evening."—Sel.
The Second Commandment.
By Editor
"I WISH to know how you understand the second commandment. Does not 'graven image' include statues and busts? and are not all pictures, photographs, or paintings, 'likenesses'? and does not the commandment say in plain words, 'Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing'? If you believe in taking the fourth commandment as it reads, why not the second?"
We understand the second commandment just "as it reads." In this respect we make no difference between it and the fourth. But our correspondent has not quoted it just as it reads. He has omitted an essential part of the commandment. The prohibitory part of the commandment reads thus:—
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them." Ex. 20:4, 5.
If the commandment said, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing," and said no more, it would certainly prohibit paintings, photographs, etc. Not only so, but would prohibit also the hewing of timbers for houses or ships, the cutting of garments, the coining of money, the drawing of plans by architects, or the printing of books and papers from types. In fact it would prohibit nearly everything that is done for the support of civilized life. But the commandment does not prohibit these things. On the contrary, immediately after the commandment was given, God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle according to a pattern, and on the walls and curtains of the tabernacle were made, by God's order, figures of cherubim, and two images of cherubim were placed upon the ark. If the second commandment had been designed to prohibit the making of any image or likeness, God would not have immediately charged the people to do that very thing.
The commandment concerning images is not complete without these words: "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them." This shows under what circumstances it is wrong to make images and likenesses. It is wrong to make them for the purpose of offering them even the slightest measure of worship or reverence. It is wrong to show reverence to images that others have made. It is wrong to bow down to any image, even though the worship of the heart is directed to the true God. This the commandment plainly teaches; and no one has a right to make it teach something different, by quoting only a portion of it.
"O GOD, thou art my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee; my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." Verses 1, 2. David had correct ideas of his relation to God. He says: "Thou art my God." Too many imagine that God is far off from them, and that they have to make some great exertions to arouse his interest in them. They forget that God is "not far from every one of us; for in him we live, and move, and have our being." They forget that God has sought us, and is anxiously waiting for us to seek him. They imagine that God is like a man,—holding off those who have done him a wrong, and refusing to be reconciled. They forget that "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8), and that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself," and that to his ministers he has committed the word of reconciliation, who in Christ's stead beg of sinners, "be ye reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 5:19, 20.
Many people remain at a distance from God, because they forget, or have never heard, that he has proclaimed himself "the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin." Ex. 34:6, 7. "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." Ps. 103:8. He is "long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9. So willing is he to forgive, that when men seek him, turning from their wicked thoughts and actions, "he will multiply to pardon." Isa. 55:7, margin. And so abundant and efficient is his mercy toward them that fear him, that though their sins be as scarlet, "they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isa. 1:18. Why will not men let the goodness of God lead them to repentance. What more could he have done than he has done?
"Early will I seek thee." David knew that that was the time to seek the Lord. "Those that seek me early shall find me." Is not this an indication that, if seeking the Lord is put off, he may not be found? Isaiah says: "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found." Then there will be a time when he may not be found. "Now is the accepted time." True, this refers to the gospel age, but it is literally true. We have known men, in this age when the gospel is preached, who could not find the Lord. They had once felt the strivings of the Spirit, but now they could feel no interest in divine things. They would acknowledge the truth of God's word, but they were indifferent to it. Now is the time when the Lord may be found,—just now while you feel that the husks of sin, "the beggarly elements of the world," are unsatisfying food. Do not stifle the slightest conviction; "Quench not the Spirit." Says Jesus: "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37.
But it is not sufficient to simply seek early; some start to seek the Lord, but have not a desire sufficiently strong to make them persevere. Said David: "My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee." He felt that he must have God. He could not be satisfied without God. When a man feels that way, he gets what he wants. Says Christ: "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled." Matt. 5:6. The trouble too often is, that instead of having an intense desire and longing for righteousness, we are simply passively willing to have righteousness. We ask the Lord to help us overcome some sin, with a mental reservation that we may indulge in it once in a while. We don't like to say, "I hate the sins that made thee mourn." "Hate" seems too strong a word; we still cherish a secret love for the sin. We want (so we think) to be righteous, and yet we feel loath to part with that darling sin. That is very far from hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Such half-way desire will never result in anything except final defeat. But when the mind is fixed upon Christ; when he is to the soul "the chiefest among ten thousand," the one "altogether lovely;" when to be like him is the one absorbing desire,—then will he be found. To such the promise is, "They shall be filled." Think of that. How much righteousness does that imply? Here is the definition of "fill." "To make full; to supply with as much as can be held or contained; to put or pour into till no more can be received; to occupy to the whole capacity of." Now that doesn't leave any room for anything else. When a man is "filled with the fruits of righteousness," there isn't going to be any wickedness cropping out. Such a one "keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."391
But is such a condition possible? Let us see. Paul told the Ephesians that he prayed to God, "that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." Eph. 3:16-19.
Do you know any one who has realized the answer to that prayer? Such a thing must be possible, for Paul prayed for it, and he says that God is "able to do exceeding abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." Ah, that's the secret. There is some power working in us that is stronger than we. "That Christ may dwell in your hearts." Well, Christ was unsullied by the strongest of Satan's temptations, and if he dwells in our hearts, why may not we likewise repel all of Satan's advances?
Says Paul: "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Gal. 2:20. No man has strength to resist the devil, but with Christ to strengthen him he can do all things. "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4. Not the victory that makes a feeble effort to overcome, and fails; but the victory that does overcome.
What has been done may be done. Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth "were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." Luke 1:6. Enoch "walked with God;" and two cannot walk together except they be agreed. Moreover we have the Lord's own testimony concerning Job that he was "a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil." It is true that there was "none like him in the earth;" but the fact that there was one such man shows that there might have been more; and if there might have been more there ought to have been more.
Let it be remembered, however, that this is not a gift suddenly bestowed, but is a constant work. Says David: "My soul followeth hard after thee." Ps. 63:8. It is not enough simply to seek the Lord early, or even to hunger and thirst after him, unless it is kept up. "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed God might be careful to maintain good works." Titus 3:8. Such a state of righteousness is progressive. "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be blameless and without offense till the day of Christ." Phil. 1:9, 10. "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Prov. 4:18. The Christian can never arrive at a place beyond which there is nothing. Stereotyping is a thing that is not done in Christian experience.
As a matter of course, walking with God produces humility. "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him!" Hab. 2:4. When a man becomes satisfied with his condition, he ceases to hunger and thirst after righteousness; he ceases to follow hard after God, and consequently he becomes empty. Notwithstanding Job's perfectness, when God revealed himself to him in an especial manner, he said: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself." Job 42:5, 6. The nearer one gets to God, the greater will seem the contrast between God and himself. If it were not so, there would come a time when he would cease to say, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain," and would ascribe worthiness to himself. That time can never come.
"To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." That is what David longed for. He had been at times wonderfully impressed, during the service in the sanctuary, with the power of the love of God. He had been greatly blessed. Now he wants to see the Lord just as he had seen him in the sanctuary. He believed that a person might enjoy just as much of the blessing of God while about his daily business as when in church. How was it with Daniel? He was prime minister of the kingdom of Babylon, with all the burden of the business of that mighty empire upon him, yet while he was in the palace, doing "the king's business," he received a vision from God. See Dan. 8:1, 2, 27. He did not allow business cares to separate him from God. "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning: that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope. Rom. 15:4. For what purpose was it told what Daniel was doing when he had that vision, except that we might learn that it is possible to "walk with God," and to have close communion with him, even when burdened with business cares. Daniel had learned to cast his care on the Lord. When a man has learned that, he can say,
"Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee." He can't help praising the Lord. "Thus will I bless thee while I live; I will lift up my hands in thy name." Yes; "they will be still praising thee."
"My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. Verses 5-7.
Continual remembrance of God must result in praise and thanksgiving; and praise to God is a powerful help in overcoming. Says David: "So will I sing praise unto thy name forever, that I may daily perform my vows." Ps. 61:8. Meditation upon God reveals his goodness, and this calls for praise; praise is but an expression of confidence in God, "and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
When Is It Sunset?
By Editor
A COLORADO correspondent sends us the following statement of fact and question:—
"I live a mile from the base of a mountain which is from three to five thousand feet higher than where I live. As the mountain is west of us it hides the sun from our view and casts a shadow over us long before it is sunset east of us. Is it sunset when the shadow comes on us while the sun is shining east of us?"
No; it is not sunset until the sun has gone down. When we say that the sun has gone down, we do not mean that it has gone behind a cloud, or that some intervening obstruction keeps its rays from coming direct to our eyes; but we mean that the sun is below the horizon and no longer sheds light upon the part of the earth where we live. If a man should spend the entire day on the east side of a barn, he would not think of calling it sunset at two o'clock in the afternoon, just because he could not see the body of the sun, but he would have as good reason to do so as he would under the circumstances indicated by our correspondent.
If we were to go on the principle that the sun has set when we no longer receive its direct rays, a man living in a deep cañon would have a very short day. As a matter of fact, the sun sets to such a man at exactly the same time that it does to his neighbor who lives on the plain. He can tell when the sun sets, just the same as the man on the plain can when the day is so cloudy that he cannot see the sun at all. The sun sets when it sinks below the horizon, and not when it passes behind a barn or a mountain.