"Thy garden and thy pleasant walks,
My study long have been;
Such dazzling views by human sight
Have never yet been seen."
"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from123God, having the glory of God; and her light was like unto a stone, most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel; on the east, three gates; on the north, three gates; on the south, three gates; and on the west, three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me, had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth four square, and the length is as large as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length, and the breadth, and the hight of it are equal." Rev. 21:9-16.
We understand that this measure of the city is its entire circumference; for the announcement is made as soon as this measure is taken, that all sides are alike; length, breadth, and hight. The ancient custom of measuring cities was to begin at the corner and go entirely around, and not simply to measure one side. The measure of the city was twelve thousand furlongs. At eight furlongs to the mile, it would be fifteen hundred miles. This being the entire circumference of the city, one-fourth of it would give us the length of either side; three hundred and seventy-five miles. Truly, this is a great city. This is, indeed, the city that Abraham looked for, "which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Heb. 11. This is the Jerusalem which Paul says "is above," and "is free, which is the mother of us all." It is the Father’s house, in which Christ said "there are many mansions." It is the place he was going to prepare for his saints prior to his coming again to receive them to himself. John 14:1-3.
Verse 17. "And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits." This we suppose to refer to the hight of the wall, for he has already given us the length and the breadth. Eighteen inches to the cubit would give the hight of the wall at two hundred and sixteen feet.
Verse 18. "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass."
Verses 19, 20. "And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolýte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst." These twelve stones are the foundation of the wall, but the wall is of jasper, as we have already shown.
JASPER. "A precious stone of various colors, as purple, cerulean, green, &c."—Greenfield. "Mostly green."—Robinson. "Of a beautiful bright green color, sometimes clouded with white, and spotted with red or yellow.—Clarke.
SAPPHIRE. "A precious stone of a blue color, in various shades."—Greenfield, Robinson. "A bright gem, properly of pure blue."—Cobbin. "Perfectly transparent."—Clarke. "Of a beautiful azure, or sky-blue color, almost as transparent and glittering as a diamond."—Stuart.
CHALCEDONY. "The name of a gem generally of a whitish, bluish, or smoky-green color, susceptible of a high and beautiful polish."—Greenfield. Some Greek MSS. read carbuncle instead of chalcedony. Carbuncle "is a very elegant gem of a deep red color, with an admixture of scarlet. From its bright, lively color, it had the name carbunculus, which signifies a little coal; because when held before the sun it appears like a bright burning charcoal."—Clarke.
EMERALD "is one of the most beautiful of all the gems, and is a bright green color, without any other mixture."—Clarke.
SARDONYX. "A precious stone, exhibiting a milk-white variety of the chalcedony, intermingled with shades or stripes of sardian or cornelian" (flesh color).—Robinson.
SARDIUS. "A precious stone of blood-red, and sometimes flesh, color."—Greenfield.
"CHRYSOLYTE is of a beautiful yellow color, and is so called by the ancients from its looking like a golden stone."—Cobbin.
BERYL "is of a bluish green, and very brilliant."—Cobbin.
"TOPAZ of the present day seems to be reckoned as yellow, but that of the ancients appears to have been green."—Stuart.
CHRYSOPRASUS. "Its color is commonly apple-green, and often extremely beautiful."—Cleveland.
JACINTH. "A precious stone of deep red, with a mixture of yellow. It is the same as the hyacenet, or cinnamon stone."—Clarke.
AMETHYST "is a pure rock crystal, of a purplish-violet color, and of great brilliancy."—Chambers.
Stuart says of these precious stones: "There is classification, therefore, in the arrangement; a mixture not dissimilar to the rainbow, with the exception that it is more complex." This forms the foundation of the wall of the city. That wall itself is bright green, spotted with red and yellow. In addition to this, it is transparent, so that it will admit the rays of different colors to pass through it, which emanate from the stones that form its foundation (for many of these stones emit light of themselves). Here is a scene of beauty, indeed; but when we contemplate, in addition to this, that the glory of God, which far outshines the sun, will cause those precious stones to sparkle and glisten, we have a wall of such splendor as is far beyond the conception of mortals.
Verse 21. "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." Here is gold that is worth striving for. It is imperishable. One ounce of it would be worth more to you, dear reader, than all the gold of California. I would give more for enough of that gold to set my feet upon, than for all the treasures of earth. He that secures a standing-place on those streets will be safe.
Verse 23. "The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." The glory of God will so far outshine the sun that the latter will give no light in the city. This is not simply the sun as it now shines, but it is when, as the prophet says, "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold." Isa. 30:26. Again, speaking of this same time (chap. 24:23), he says, "then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously." This refulgent light, shining on those most precious stones, will cause them to sparkle and shine as by human sight hath never yet been seen.
Verse 24. "And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it." This, it seems, is to be the great metropolis, or capital, of the new-earth kingdom, into which all the nations of them that are saved shall come to offer their tribute of praise.
In chap. 22, we have a description of the river of life, "clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." Every month the tree will yield a fruit, and as God’s saints, "from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another," come to worship before the Lord, Isa. 66:23, they may obtain of the fruits of the tree of life. Those who obey God’s commandments, as we learn in Rev. 22:14, are to have a right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city, and participate in this glorious rest.
Thus we have briefly investigated some of the many testimonies which speak of the glorious inheritance of the saints. The meek shall inherit the earth, as Christ has promised; but not till sin and the curse are removed. But, says the objector, Christ said, "Great is your reward in Heaven." True, there is a rich reward reserved for us. We are to reign with Christ in Heaven 1,000 years, but that city, with all its dazzling glory, as we have just seen from Rev. 21, is to come down and be the capital of the earth restored. But it is still urged, that, "We have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens." True, the building is eternal; but he does not say it will eternally remain there. God’s word shows that it will come down and be the tabernacle of God, when he dwells with men.
Dear reader, is not the inheritance God has promised good enough? "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." But "when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality," then will God’s saints be qualified to possess an immortal inheritance. Man will stand forth perfected, beauteous in form, free from pain, the stain of sin all washed away from his heart, and and his lips shouting forth the praises of Him who has thus wrought for him. Methinks your batter feelings say, It is glorious. Yes, and the best of all is, that state will never end.
"When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise,
Than when we first begun."
Dear reader, do you not feel a longing desire to be a partaker of the saints’ inheritance? The Spirit calls you, there is yet room. The heavenly city, with all its charms, welcomes you to come. The way is easy, if you seek it through Christ.
First. "Break off from your sins by righteousness, and turn away from your transgressions by obedience to God." Have you no hope in Christ? Speedily obtain one. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. In the very day you seek him with all the heart he will be found of you.
Secondly. We must comply with the conditions on which the promise was made. Christ says, "Blessed are they that do his [the Father’s] commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22:14. Then leave the trifles of earth. Why will you linger and die? While mercy lingers, why will you dally with the vanities of earth, and neglect the preparation for that rich inheritance which you may obtain?
Are you a Christian, striving to obtain a reward with the faithful? Take courage, the kingdom will be cheap enough, though you may wade through seas of blood to obtain it. Contrast all your afflictions here with that "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" at the end of the race. Cease your murmurings; Heaven is cheap enough. Remember, your trials here are only workmen sent to polish you, and fit you for your heavenly inheritance.
"Why should I murmur or repine at hardship, grief, or loss?
They only will the gold refine, and purge away the dross."
God is displeased with murmuring Christians. Look how he recompensed those who murmured in the wilderness. "Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured." Be as consistent in the heavenly way as you are with temporal matters. Let the object of your pursuit spur you forward, and instead of murmuring at your lot, let your actions tell to all that you consider that object of greater value than worldly ease or pleasure. If some lord of earth should come to your town and advertise, saying, "Any man who will labor for me, carrying wheat, shall receive a bushel of gold for every two bushels of wheat he will carry a mile," what a crowd of people you would behold flocking to the scene of action, each anxious to get a burden to carry. Behold them loading themselves to the ground, almost, with their heavy burdens. Why, the more load I take, the more gold I shall get, and you know I can go but once. See them trying their loads, and concluding they can carry a little more. Down goes one. "Well, got too much load?" "Oh, no! I’ll get along." Not a word of complaining in that company! The gold spurs them forward. Have you ever murmured? Stop and think. An "eternal weight of glory" is to be worked out by this suffering. What? Why, your "light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working out for you an eternal weight of glory. The more afflictions, the heavier the glory. Well, I can carry a little more; for I only have to carry it a moment (compared with eternity), and Jesus says his grace is sufficient.
"The road may be rough, but it cannot be long,
I’ll smooth it with hope, and I’ll cheer it with song."
Are you a minister of Christ, striving to lead the flock in the way of God’s truth, and win souls to Christ? Toil on. "Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." He who has said, "Feed the flock of God," has also said, "When the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." Think often of the inheritance. No aching head, no hearts saddened there by opposition of men to God’s truth. No fevered lungs, worn with incessant labor: but there those who have turned many to righteousness "shall shine as the stars forever and ever." Toil on! and may we meet on Mount Zion with the Lamb. Amen!
J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
Morality of the Sabbath AND Its Importance.
XII. The Sabbath is the seal to God's moral law, without which that law would be of no authority.
Creative power is the distinguishing attribute of the living God, and to this the Lord always appeals as the evidence of his existence, his power, and his authority, and as that which distinguishes him from all false gods. Notice how prominent this fact is always made in the Bible. It is the very first thing mentioned in the word of God. Gen. 1 : 1. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” David says, “For all the gods of the people are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.” 1 Chron. 16 : 26. Nehemiah thus exalts him: “Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all.” Ch. 9 : 6. The Psalmist thus gives the reason why all should fear God. “Let all the earth [Gentiles as well as Jews] fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. [Why?] For he spake and it was done; he commanded and it stood fast.” Ps. 33 : 8, 9. “Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that made us, and not we ourselves.” Ps. 100 : 2, 3. When David would designate what God he relies upon he says, “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” Ps. 121 : 2. Again he says, “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is. Ps. 146 : 5, 6.
Here are set forth as the mark of the true God, the very facts named in the fourth commandment as the basis of the Sabbath. See Ex. 30 : 11. Hezekiah in the time of his great distress cried to God thus: “O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. . . . Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone.” 2 Kings 19 : 15-18. Thus Hezekiah distinguishes the true God from the false gods by the fact that he created heaven and earth. Jeremiah uses the same arguments against the heathen gods. “But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting King: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” Jer. 10 : 10-12.
The fact that God did make heaven and earth is that to which the Lord always appeals as the proof of his existence and authority. In the Bible great prominence is everywhere given to this fact. No wonder that God has set apart one day in the week to celebrate and commemorate this great event upon the proof of which his authority as lawgiver rests. Once the Lord commanded Jeremiah to send a message to the heathen kings of Moab, Edom, Zidon, &c. But they did not know the Lord. How should their servants describe the God who sends the message? The Lord tells them to introduce him thus: “Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power,” &c. Jer. 27 : 4, 5. When Jonah wished to tell the heathen what God he served he said, “I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.” Jonah 1 : 9.
Turning to the New Testament we find the Christian writers using the same facts in describing the living God. Thus at Lystra when the heathen were about to worship Paul and Barnabas, Paul cried out, “Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.” Acts 14 : 15. So again when Paul wished to introduce to the Athenians the true God he says, “As I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.” Acts 17 : 23, 24. See also Ps. 89 : 11, 12; 96 : 5; 100 : 2, 3; 124 : 8; 148 : 5, 6; Isa. 40 : 18-28; 42 : 5; 44 : 24; 45 : 12, 18; 51 : 13; Jer. 51 : 15; Rev. 4 : 11; 10 : 6; 14 : 7. Finally Paul says, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Rom. 1 : 20. Thus we always find all the inspired writers of both the Old and the New Testaments appealing to the facts of the creation in proof of the existence and authority of God; the proof and memory of which facts the Sabbath was given to perpetuate among men. The Lord expressly says that he gave his people his holy Sabbath that hereby they might know that they were worshiping the true God. Thus he says: “Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” Ex. 31 : 13. “And hallow my Sabbaths and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Eze. 20 : 20. For what did the Lord give them the Sabbath? As a sign by which they might know the Lord. So then there is that in the Sabbath commandment which does point out the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the author of the moral law.
This being true, the moral importance of the careful preservation of the Sabbath among men cannot be overestimated. Simply securing to man a day of rest and worship is but a small part of the object for which the Sabbath was instituted. No, the great design of the Sabbath is that it should be a memorial of creation, a sign of the true God, and a seal to his immutable law. In this light we can see why the all-wise God who never makes a mistake, placed the Sabbath in the moral law. It was because it serves the highest of all moral purposes, viz., to point out the true God, the author of the law. None can fail to see that if we remove the Sabbath precept from the ten commandments, there is nothing left in the law to tell who the lawgiver is, what his authority is, or how far it extends. It would leave the law incomplete and without any authority whatever. This shows that the Sabbath precept is a necessary part of, and a seal to, the moral law, and hence is in the highest sense a moral commandment.
XIII. The seventh-day Sabbath differed from all other holy days in many important points.
1. It has for its basis God's own act of creation. Gen. 2 : 1-3. God worked six days and rested the seventh. This, as we have shown, is the basis of the seventh-day Sabbath. This is not true of any other holy day ever given to man.
2. The seventh-day Sabbath is the rest day of God himself. Ex. 20 : 11. This is not true of any other holy day. Why do we keep the seventh day? Because the Creator himself rested upon it. Is this true of any other day? No, indeed. This fact alone puts an infinite difference between God's holy rest day and all other rest days.
3. The seventh-day Sabbath was commanded by God's own voice speaking from Heaven. Neh. 9 : 13, 14. Here is another fact which is not true of any other day.
4. It was twice written by the finger of the living God. Ex. 24 : 12; Deut. 10 : 1-5. No other day was ever thus given.
5. It was engraven on tables of stone. This probably was to indicate its enduring and unchangeable nature. The law relating to other holy days was written by men upon parchment, indicating that, like the material upon which they were written, they were soon to pass away. But not so of God's rest day.
6. The seventh-day Sabbath was placed in the moral law. Ex. 20 : 1-17. No others were. This is a stubborn fact which our opponents can never account for. If the Sabbath was a mere typical, shadowy, or ceremonial institution like the festival days of the Jews, why did God himself put it in the moral law and thus associate it with moral precepts? Why did he not place it with the other Jewish holy days, if it was like them? Did God make a mistake and place it where it did not belong? Our opponents with their view of the Sabbath, certainly never would have put it where God did, in the moral law. Here God has marked an important difference between the Sabbath and all other sacred days.
7. This law was placed in the ark, in the most holy place. Deut. 10 : 1-5; 1 Kings 8 : 9. The law regulating the festival days was not thus honored, but was written in a book and placed by the side of the ark. Deut. 31 : 24-26.
8. All other holy days grew out of man's actions as a sinner, and they would never have existed but for sin. Here we have a marked contrast which we wish the reader to distinctly notice. The Sabbath grew out of the action of a holy and infinite God, but all festival days originated in some action of man himself. See a complete list of these days in Lev. 23.
9. All other holy days originated this side of the fall, after types and shadows were introduced. This marks them as shadowy and typical. But the Sabbath, as we have shown, was given in Eden before types were instituted.
10. The Gentiles could keep the Sabbath without being circumcised. Ex. 20 : 10, 11; Rom. 2 : 24-27; but in order to keep the other festivals they must be circumcised. Ex. 12 : 48.
11. The people had to go up to Jerusalem to-keep the other holy days; Ex. 23 : 14-17; but they kept the Sabbath in all parts of the country wherever they were.
12. The seventh-day Sabbath was weekly, but all other holy days were yearly.
So many and so marked differences between God's holy Sabbath and all other holy days show that they are of a very different nature,—the first unchangeable, perpetual, and for all people; but the second only ceremonial, temporal, and for one nation.
Concealing One’s Learning
WEAR your learning like your watch, in a private pocket, and don't endeavor to show it unless you're asked what o'clock it is.
The Late Conference.
THIS meeting was not large, but important, and of deep interest. The churches were represented by earnest men, of moral value, who were ready to act promptly. When we state that every vote was unanimous, a just idea can be formed of the unity that prevailed.
We were reminded of a similar meeting held at Battle Creek, Mich., nineteen years since, not one-third as large as ours held at Oakland, Feb. 12, 1875. At that meeting it was decided to move the Review and Herald Office from Rochester, N. Y., to Battle Creek. Then there was not a tithe the financial strength in our entire young cause that exists at the present time on the Pacific Coast.
Since that time the growth of the cause, demanding an increase of denominational publishing, has made it necessary for our Publishing Association, located at Battle Creek, Mich., to put up three buildings which cost ten thousand dollars each, the first in 1861, the second in 1871, and the third in 1873.
The condition of the cause on this coast is everyway prosperous and cheering. There is work to be done; and there are willing hearts and ready hands to do it. There are trials to be borne; but experience and grace will better enable the trusting people of God to bear them. There are sacrifices to be made just now to build up the cause here; and there are those who delight to make them. The late meeting has given further evidence of the faithfulness and reliability of our people in California. The cause of God and the self-sacrificing servants of God, have no truer friends than these.
The usual services were held both in Oakland and San Francisco on Sabbath the 13th, and Sunday evening the 14th. Elder Waggoner spoke at San Francisco, and Mrs. W. and the writer at Oakland. Halls in both places were full. God gave freedom in the word, and social meetings were excellent.
Meetings at Santa Clara.
In company with Elder Canright and Mrs. W., we have made a short visit with the brethren and friends at Santa Clara, Cal. Our Sabbath meetings, the 20th, were those of comfort and encouragement. The brethren came in from San Jose, which made little Harmony Hall look quite assembly-like. Mrs. W. spoke in the evening following, with freedom. These dear friends have been left almost alone since they embraced the Bible Sabbath at the Tent, last summer. Elders Canright and Loughborough have each made them only a brief visit. They are scattered, few in numbers, reduced by removals, and yet, under the meanest persecutions, have all stood firm.
We may hope with confidence that those who, in their early experience of Sabbath-keeping can stand firm under such circumstances, will endure unto the end. When we labor with such, and become acquainted with their trials, and witness the influence which the word of God has upon them, when preached in the power of its simplicity, we become deeply interested in their welfare. Though trials may beset them at every step, there is no other way to secure the peace of God ruling in the heart here, and life eternal in the next world, than to go forward. Such should cast their lot fully in with our people in their efforts to build up the cause, and they should have preaching as often as the circumstances will possibly admit.
First-day afternoon, Mrs. W. spoke to three hundred in Widney Hall with feelings somewhat depressed from weariness and want of proper ventilation. The attention was candid and good. The manner in which her name had been handled in public called out the people and gave her intelligent sympathy. God often turns such efforts to first-class advertising, and uses them in the furtherance of the gospel.
In the evening we gave some of the reasons of our faith and hope to a less, but very attentive, audience. We were made to feel very much at home in the kind families of William Mendenhall and Isaac Thompson. God bless the brethren and kind friends at Santa Clara.
"Well Done."
By J. H. W.
WE often express our desire to have these words addressed to ourselves when our Lord shall come to gather his people. The text is very suggestive, and a little examination will show that much is expressed in it, and that it presents to us a very high standard of Christian life; an active, zealous, energetic, and continued effort to attain unto the greatest possible moral excellence. The words of the text are, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
1. The person so addressed has done something. He had not that kind of faith which repudiated works; which would cry, "Lord, Lord," to Jesus, and refuse to do the will of his Father in Heaven; which makes void the law of God. Keeping the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, well expresses the life of such a servant.
Very much of the religion of this age is merely emotional; it consists entirely of feeling. To feel well is the highest ambition of such professors; to do well is denounced as "legal bondage." Their cry is for "liberty"—not freedom from sin, or the transgression of the law, but freedom from the obligations of the law; freedom to gratify feelings and passions; freedom to mix with the world and seek its friendships and its pleasures.
All our feelings should be brought to the test of that day when "God will bring every work into judgment"; when Jesus shall reward "every man according as his work shall be." And in view of this day and of its events we are told to "Fear God, and keep his commandments." Says the apostle: "He that doeth righteousness is righteous." Now as "All unrighteousness is sin," and "Sin is the transgression of the law," 1 John 5:17; 3:4, of course righteousness is obedience to the law,—the opposite of transgression or sin.
The third angel's message of Rev. 14:9–12, is the last message given just before the Lord comes, and of course marks out the preparation for his coming. It contains the commandments of God. And thus to "do his commandments" will receive the approval of "well done" when Jesus comes. They who are found so doing will "have right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22:14.
2. They have not only done something, but they have done it well. Says the prophet, "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently." Jer. 48:10. The original has the idea of slackness, remissness, as well as deceitfulness. This is not spoken of him who refuses to do the work of the Lord, who rejects the call, saying, "I go not." He does the work of the Lord, but he does it in a slack, careless, or indifferent manner. He consults his own feelings; takes his own ease, while engaging in the work of the Lord. Such rest under the curse. They have done, but they have not done well. They were lukewarm, when zeal was required. Our times and our work demand energy. Like Lot, we must run for life, and stay not in all the plain.
3. They have not only done, and well done what they have done, but they have been faithful. A person may do and do well, and yet not be faithful. A faithful servant is watchful, vigilant, steadfast. He who works is not faithful if he does only half as much as he can do. If it be a fact that we are doing only a small part of what we might do, we are not faithful to the trust committed to us. The fields are ripe for the harvest. The way is opening before us in every direction, and among the people of all nations. "Come over and help us," is heard on every hand. And all may do something. They who preach can renew their diligence, and put on more strength by drawing nearer to God. There is "grace to help in time of need," if we seek for it. The Lord has promised that our strength shall be according to our day; he will give more grace as we need. By waiting on the Lord we may renew our strength. Our cause is onward and upward. The message must and will go with power, and God will clothe his servants with power to carry it.
They who cannot preach can work in some other department. They can circulate tracts; they can spread our periodicals. They can give of their means to extend the truth. All can work; each can do something.
If it be indeed so, that there will be no starless crowns, then some among us must arouse to duty or they will receive no crowns. Many who profess this faith have yet done nothing to lead their fellow mortals to walk in the way of life. If they are saved thus no one could ever point to them as the means of his salvation. Surely, they could not "enter into the joy of the Lord." They could not sympathize with him who laid down his life to save the lost. The pathway he trod was marked with tears and groans, with agony and blood. They do not follow him. Some weep on account of their trials and troubles, more than on account of their own sins, or the thought of sinners perishing all around them. They who are sealed and protected from the plagues are they "who sigh and cry for the abominations" prevailing. Eze. 9:1–6. They, as did their Lord, look upon a sinful world with pitying eye, and sacrifice their own enjoyment for the benefit of others.
It is a solemn thought that there will be no starless crowns worn by the overcomers. We must each be able to bring our sheaves with us, or be left out of the company of the harvesters. And who would wish to stand with that company and be empty-handed? Where are our sheaves in the harvest? Where are the stars in our crowns of rejoicing? We cannot afford to stand with the self-deceived in that day.
Fellow-workers in this cause, we have every thing to encourage us. The truth is plain, consistent, and harmonious. The Spirit of God is with it, not only to impress it on the hearts of the people, but, to lead and guide into all truth and duty. The providence of God is opening the way everywhere for the proclamation of the truth. And his word assures us that victory will soon crown our efforts.
While we long for the appearing of Jesus, our hearts yearn over the multitudes sitting in darkness. We pray, "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly," and yet our cry is, "Spare thy people; bring not thy heritage to reproach." Let us arouse to renewed diligence. God will give strength, and health, and grace, as we need, to fulfill his will. And just before us the "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" rises to our view. Courage in the Lord, and soon the everlasting "joy of our Lord" will be ours.
J. H. W.
The Present and Future.
We have come to this State by the request of the California Conference of S. D. Adventists to counsel with our leading men relative to the location of the SIGNS Office, the institution of a publishing association here, and the best method of conducting a publishing house. We design to write for the SIGNS, and speak to the people as the way may open.
But the time of our stay upon this coast at this time cannot be more than three months, provided we attend our Camp-meetings in the several States, closing up with California on our return to the State next fall. There is, therefore, no time to be lost. The site for the Office building will cost $5,000. It will be purchased expressly for this purpose, and no part of it will be put to any other purpose. Then it will cost $10,000, more or less, to put up a building for future use. Should it not all be needed at present, a part of the building can be rented until the destined increase of the business shall require the entire building. It would be a blind policy to put up a small building, only large enough for present use, which would be nearly worthless in a short time.
With this view of the matter, fifteen of the twenty thousand dollars pledged by our people in California should be paid during the next ten weeks, and not less than ten thousand dollars should be paid immediately. The lot must be paid for before the first day of March, and cash purchases of lumber must be immediately made if this work goes forward as it evidently should. Our eastern brethren have pledged sums sufficient to purchase presses and printing material complete. They have paid more than half of them, and will have the remainder ready before the building shall be finished. We would order presses, types, and engine at once if the building was ready. The presses will come by rail from New York, and will weigh fifteen thousand pounds. Our plan is to have them here at the time the building is finished, so as to move them to it immediately on their arrival. There must be promptness on the part of all concerned in order that this noble enterprise be carried forward to completion in the limited time suggested.
Brethren in California, shall the work go right forward? If it shall, then let your affirmative responses be in cash needed just now. You can pay all, or a part, of your pledges now. Do the best you can just now. Direct to J. N. Loughborough, Oakland, Cal. Please bear in mind that the management of this matter at present is in the hands of a committee of five, composed of the three members of the California Conference Committee, to which were added, Bro. Wesley Diggins of San Francisco, and Bro. John I. Tay of Oakland.
Spiritualism in the Church.
By John Norton Loughborough
The Evangel, the periodical of the Baptist denomination on this coast, in its issue of Jan. 9, 1873, gives the obituary notice of D. S. Watson, president of the California Baptist State Convention. After speaking of the services Eld. Watson had rendered to the Baptist cause, the writer of the obituary, C. B. P., says :—
"After all, our brother is not dead. He has simply 'gone before.' The house he lived in may, and will, decay, but the earnest soul will still serve the Lord. The loved and loving wife, who ministered so faithfully to the suffering body, may find her aching heart soothed by some gentle, silent influence, from the heavenly land ; and, if permitted to do so, that angel spirit will thus minister to her, and to his dear church, and to other loved friends toiling for Jesus."
Should the Elder's former society hear rapping, they may conclude it is from their former pastor. We prefer the sentiment of the wise man : "Neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun." And instead of looking for consolation in the doubtful masses of heathen mythology, we would take heed to that consolation Paul gave his mourning friends : "The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
J. N. L.
Wisdom is the olive which springs from the heart, blooms on the tongue, and bears fruit in the actions.