1. For what does David pray in Psalms 25:11?
"For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great."
2. What is implied by the last words of this verse?—That David had a deep sense of his own sinfulness.
3. In what words does Job pray for the convicting power of the Spirit of God?
"How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin." Job 13:23.
4. As David saw himself a sinner, and entangled in the net of Satan, to whom did he look for deliverance?
"Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net." Ps. 25:15.
5. How does he describe his feelings?
"Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted." Verse 16.
6. Was he so cast down by outward troubles, or was it troubles of the heart?
"The troubles of my heart are enlarged; O bring thou me out of my distresses." Verse 17.
7. How did he expect to be delivered from this state of misery?
"Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins." Verse 18.
8. How far back do David's convictions take him?
"Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord." Verse 7.
9. Of what depths of sin did he confess himself guilty?
"Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness." Ps. 51:14.
10. In what words did he plead for the mercy of God?
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions." Ps. 50:1.
11. Unto what state did he hope to be brought?
"Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice." Verse 8.
12. How did he hope to be brought into this state of rejoicing?
"Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities." Verse 9.
13. How are the longings of the Christian heart set forth in Psalms 85:7?
"Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation."
14. In whose name did David pray for salvation?
"Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength." Ps. 54:1.
15. In whose name do we now plead for the same?
"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:10-12; John 14:6; 1 Tim 2:5.
16. What is the sentiment of every penitent heart?
"Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." Ps. 51:2.
17. If the petitioner would receive an answer to such prayer, how should he be prepared for making his petition?
"For I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me." Verse 3.
18. What state of purity should we pray for?
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Verse 7.
19. How did David pray for the regenerating power of God to be exercised upon him?
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Verse 10.
20. When God has forgiven our sins, what should be our prayer?
"Lead me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." Ps. 25:5.
21. With what determination should such a prayer be made?
"Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name." Ps. 86:11.
22. With what view should we pray for an understanding of God's word?
"Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart." Ps. 119:33, 34.
23. How does David show that he felt the need of God's help in understanding his commandments?
"Thy hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments." "I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies." Verses 73, 125.
24. What did David pray God to teach him by his good Spirit?
"Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God; thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness." Ps. 143:10.
25. How far did he expect to be led by that Spirit?—Into the land of uprightness. Last part of same verse.
26. What assurance have we that God will give true wisdom to those who ask for it in sincerity?
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5.
The Pleasures of Religion
MANY persons imagine that to become religious would be to give up all pleasure in life, and become a sad and dejected creature, without enjoyment. Nothing can be more untrue than this. The service of God is a pleasant and delightful service. Christ says, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." Everyone who has willingly borne his yoke will testify to the truth of this declaration. His ways, indeed, are pleasant ways, and all his paths are paths of peace. The pleasures of the world are not to be compared with the pleasures of religion. They are empty and fleeting, and leave a sting behind. But the peace of God that possesses the Christian's heart is unspeakable and full of glory. God requires nothing of us but what is calculated to promote our true happiness; and he prohibits nothing but what is calculated, in its own nature, to injure us, and to make us miserable. If you would be truly happy, give your heart to God and devote your life to his service.
"It is the lady that lives in the nice little cottage upon the hill, ma'am, the pretty lady. She wants to see Mr. Norton."
"You needn't speak to him, Betty," said the minister's wife, after a moment's deliberation. "I'll see if it is really necessary first."
And so saying she transferred the baby from her arms to the maid's, and hastened to the parlor where in the darkest corner the guest had ensconced herself.
"Mrs. Ostrander, I believe," said the minister's wife, extending her hand cordially. "You asked for my husband, I know, but, as he is unusually late in getting to work this morning, I thought I would see if I might not act as his substitute."
The tones were gentle and sweet, and the lady's manner had that subtle charm which true unselfish kindness alone can give.
"Mrs. Norton," said the visitor, stifling a sob, and making a brave effort to rally, "I came here to see your husband because I didn't know what else to do. I am a member of his church, and I felt that I ought to let him know that I had no business there. I have grown to be a very wicked woman, Mrs. Norton, and I don't believe in anything."
"You have been very ill, I believe, Mrs. Ostrander?" said her companion, to all appearance not much shocked by this terrible revelation.
"Yes, I've had malarial fever; but that has nothing whatever to do with the change I spoke of," was the desperate response.
"And you have not yet recovered your strength," the minister's wife resumed. "Now I want you to take off your hat and rest yourself awhile," she went on cheerily; and without waiting for an answer she untied her neighbor's veil, chatting pleasantly all the while, and then excusing herself for a moment returned with a small tray of refreshments.
"I had some cordial sent me awhile ago which did me a world of good, and here are some of Betty's special oatmeal cookies. She is delighted to think there is a probability of your trying them."
"O Mrs. Norton, you mean to be kind, I know," said the visitor in a tone of anguish. "But you are under the impression that I am imagining or exaggerating. But I assure you I am not. I tell you that I am so wicked that I loathe all my duties, that at times I almost hate my own children. I haven't the slightest faith in prayer, and there is nothing in the universe to me but cruelty, and all I want is annihilation."
A bright red spot burnt on the speaker's hitherto pallid cheeks, the large expressive black eyes grew preternaturally brilliant, and the poor little hands trembled so that her companion covered them with one of her own, and with the other placed the cordial to her lips.
"You shall talk it all out after you have taken a little refreshment," said Mrs. Norton, soothingly.
"I know your husband would disapprove of your treating me this way," said the visitor, with an impulsive pressure of the warm, firm hand that held hers so steadily.
"If my husband knew how you were suffering, Mrs. Ostrander, he would wish that the parsonage was a hospital where you could stay and be nursed back to health and peace," was the sweet answer. "And, moreover, my dear, my husband could never be induced to listen to your confessions of unbelief while you were in such a delicate state of health. He would say to you, 'If, when you are well, you still continue in this frame of mind, we will see what can be done.' You couldn't induce him to-day to hang you or shoot you, or even scold you," the speaker added playfully.
Mrs. Norton broke off a piece of the crisp cake, and handed her companion as one might wait upon a fretful child. She was not unacquainted with the main points of the history of her visitor. A brilliant graduate of one of our foremost colleges, she had married a refined, ambitious, and moderately wealthy young man, whom everybody respected and spoke well of. It was certainly a love match, and for a few years nothing occurred to mar the harmony of their relations. Then there were some imprudent investments on the part of Mr. Ostrander, and this trouble was followed by a long illness, and then there were other and more serious losses; and at last it came to pass that the cultured and delicate young wife was not only compelled to practice all sorts of small economies, but to take care of her three children and to do her own housework, including the washing and ironing. She had neither the training nor the strength necessary for the performance of such work, and the result was a complete nervous breakdown. The effect upon the husband had been quite as serious. This case seemed peculiarly out of the reach of human sympathy, or rather human aid. Financial alleviation seemed the only practical basis of help, and that was out of the question. Mr. Ostrander would not even accept a loan from his own brother, so morbidly sensitive was he in regard to the mistakes he had made in the disposition of his own snug little fortune.
Mrs. Ostrander nibbled the cake, and occasionally sipped tiny draughts of the cordial, in obedience to the command of her hostess. The tense, drawn look left the pretty, delicate face, and a little more normal and comfortable expression took its place.
"Mrs. Norton, what is religion good for, if it cannot sustain us in dark hours?" the visitor inquired, after a thoughtful pause of a moment or two.
"You might as well ask what health is good for, if it cannot keep us from being ill," her companion replied. "At present, Mrs. Ostrander, you are an invalid, and because your vitality is low, and your nervous system shattered and demoralized, your spiritual and intellectual forces are also impaired. You need a skillful physician, a kind nurse, and a good sensible friend. To blame yourself at such a crisis for a low religious state is just about as sensible as it would be to expect a man with inflammatory rheumatism to get up and walk off like other men. He has legs, and he ought to walk. You have what you call religion, and it ought to keep you firm, and unmoved in fire and flood, and answer in every emergency in place of health and strength. Now religion can't wash your dishes, or make your children's clothes, and if these exceedingly necessary tasks are not performed, the consequences are hard to bear, as I presume no housekeeper knows better than yourself. But," as her visitor was about to interrupt, "don't imagine that I underrate the power of a true religious life. The value of religion in your case, would consist in its power to ameliorate your condition by teaching you first, last, and always that God does not require impossibilities from his creatures. I know something of your history, Mrs. Ostrander, and I know that it is you and not God who have been a hard taskmaster."
"But, Mrs. Norton, as you said a moment ago, dishes must be washed and clothes made. Who would do these things in my house if I did not?" the guest inquired earnestly.
"What I was getting at is this," was the pleasant response: "Starting fair in adversity with true religious convictions, good common sense, and good health, one would immediately cast about to see how the work of an establishment like yours could be best adapted to the strength of the mistress. Now, my dear," and the minister's wife smiled archly, and gave her companion's hand a loving pressure, "my husband could not talk to you about tucks and frills and starched dresses, and sewing-machine labor, and heavy washes and agonizing ironings, and the mending and making of fine little garments that night after night keep you sewing and stitching when you should be in bed and asleep"—
"But how do you know?" the lady interrupted.
"Because I have seen and carefully observed your lovely little children, and I am perfectly aware that such care as is given to them is more than one delicate woman ought to give. Excuse me, but this department of labor should be reduced two-thirds. Plain dresses, frill-less skirts, and sensible gingham aprons for six days in the week are all that you ought to attempt. To put it all in a nutshell, your first duty is to get well, your next to cut down your work at least one-half. You cannot be a happy woman if you have no time to read. You cannot be a healthy woman if you do not have your full complement of sleep. And if you are not healthy and happy, you cannot be truly religious; and if you are not healthy and contented, you cannot be a good mother to your children, a good wife to your husband. You have been doing the work of three women in your family. In future it is your duty to do the work of one woman if you can, and let the rest go."
"I shouldn't know where to begin," was the perplexed response. "Why, I haven't left my house in six months," she added, "as long as this, and it would not be possible now, only my mother is with me for a while."
"Let us plan a little," said the minister's wife. "I am going to visit my mother in the country for a couple of weeks, and if you will accompany me I will promise to help you plan, and perhaps perform a little when we return. Take your youngest child, and leave the others with your mother. What do you say? I believe I can bring you home almost574well, and then if you desire to be excommunicated, perhaps my husband will oblige you."
Mrs. Ostrander smiled for the first time now. She felt differently already. This sweet human sympathy, this disinterested sisterly advice, had eased the strain upon her long rasped nerves, but she hardly dared confess how much better she felt.
When Mr. Ostrander met his wife, an hour later, there was so new and bright a light in her eyes that he took the wan face in his hands, and inquired what had happened.
'I went to the minister to confess,' she said, 'and his wife wouldn't let me see him. But she took me in hand herself, John,' she added, with a curious smile, 'and I feel tonight, dear, as if we might have some comfort, even if we are poor. I am not going to do half as much work, and no fretting at all, if I can help it, and I am going to find time to read'—
'And a little time to spend in making love to your husband,' Mr. Ostrander interrupted, with a laugh that was nearer a sob.—Eleanor Kirk, in Congregationalist.
The Home Circle.
By Dr. Bethune
HE DIED FOR ME.
WHEN time seems short, and death is near,
And I am pressed with doubt and fear,
And sins, an overflowing tide,
Assail my peace on every side,
This thought my refuge still shall be,
I know the Saviour died for me!
His name is Jesus, and he died—
For guilty sinners crucified;
Content to die that he might win
Their ransom from the death of sin;
No sinner worse than I, can be,
Therefore I know he died for me.
If grace were bought, I could not buy;
If grace were coined, no wealth have I;
By grace alone I draw my breath,
Held up from everlasting death.
Yet since I know his grace is free,
I know the Saviour died for me.
I read God's holy word, and find
Great truths which far transcend my mind;
And little do I know beside
Of thought so high, so deep, and wide.
This is my best theology,
I know the Saviour died for me.
My faith is weak, but 'tis thy gift,
My helpless soul by thee uplift;
And say, "Thy bonds of death are riven,
Thy sins, by me are all forgiven,
And thou shalt live, from guilt set free,
For I, thy Saviour, died for thee."
—Dr. Bethune.
SECULAR.
—Montreal is to build new fortifications to the amount of $1,000,000.
—The German Catholic Society had a large meeting at Chicago, September 4.
—The cholera is still at Malta. September 8, there were 10 new cases and 4 deaths.
—Prince Ferdinand has forbidden Bulgarian officers to act as newspaper correspondents.
—The skeleton of a mastodon was recently unearthed in a swamp in Shelby County, Ohio.
—It is said that 31,328 deaths occurred from cholera in Oude, India, during the month of May.
—A railroad collision occurred near Afton, Ia., September 7. One person was killed and many severely injured.
—Reports have been received from Chili to the effect that the cholera is rapidly spreading in that country.
—Many of the Socialistic societies are starting a new labor party in New York in opposition to Henry George.
—News comes from Hungary that the town of Veszprim has been burned. Over 200 houses have been reduced to ashes.
—The schooner Niagara foundered in a gale off Whitefish Point, Lake Superior, September 8. Her crew of twelve was lost.
—The ship Falls of Bruar, of Glasgow, foundered off Yarmouth, England, September 4, the cargo having shifted, five of the crew were rescued and twenty-four drowned.
—An extensive Anarchist plot has been discovered in Spain. Several of the plotters have been arrested in Madrid, Salamanca, and Cadiz.
—It is said that the coming session of the Reichstag will be made lively by a renewal of activity in favor of the extension of Catholic rights.
—While a big gun was being cast in Sheffield, England, September 6, it exploded, killing five men instantly, and fatally injuring three others.
—A band of Cuban filibusters routed a company of 300 Spanish soldiers at Matanzas, September 8. Three men were killed and several wounded.
—Great damage is being done in Egypt by the floods. The crops have been ruined by the rise of the Nile, and a famine is said to be imminent.
—A severe cyclone visited the New Jersey coast September 9. The waves rose to a great height, and many houses on the shore were washed away.
—A large tannery and five dwelling-houses were burned at Montreal September 10. Twenty-six families are said to be homeless. Loss estimated at $200,000.
—Very violent storms have visited New York State. At Saratoga hailstones fell measuring over an inch in diameter. Great damage has been done to crops.
—An explosion occurred at Boston, September 7, on board the schooner War Eagle, loaded with naphtha. Two men lost their lives and six were badly burned.
—A new torpedo boat has been built in England for the Spanish Government. It is the fastest boat of its kind afloat; on a trial trip it made 32½ statute miles per hour.
—The open air meeting at Michelstown, Ireland, ended in a fatal riot in which the police were defeated. The officers fired a volley into the crowd, killing two men and wounding two others.
—A revolutionary force, under Bahona, surprised and took Port La Union, San Salvador, September 6. The garrison was betrayed by two officers, and the fight was very severe. General commotion is feared.
—A desperate fight occurred at Hazelton, Pa., September 6, between some Irish and Italian laborers, in which the women of both nationalities joined freely. More than a dozen of the combatants were very severely wounded.
—There was a riot at Pittsburg, September 7, growing out of a strike in a tobacco factory. Three hundred female employees (strikers) expelled the police and fortified the building. Troops have been summoned to dislodge them.
—The storm at Newfoundland, August 26, resulted in several marine disasters. Several large vessels went ashore on Dog Island, near St. Pierre, and in many cases became total wrecks. Ten local schooners are also missing.
—An association in Paris of six married ladies, all well known and having titles, have discarded the conventional dress of their sex and donned male attire. They wear short hair and drive dog-carts (a vehicle used by sporting men in Europe) in the Bois.
—The World's Winnipeg special of September 7, says: "It has leaked out that Sir John A. Macdonald has written to prominent Conservatives in this province, threatening that if the province continues its opposition to the Federal Government he will certainly go to the extreme limit and send in troops to quell those whom he is pleased to call rebels."
—The prohibited Nationalist meeting was held at Bollycorce, County Clare, September 4. It was addressed by several members of Parliament who asserted the right of free speech. Everything passed off peaceably notwithstanding the strong force of police and large detachment of soldiers who ominously brought with them a supply of ambulance wagons and an hospital corps.
—The Theater Royal at Exeter, Eng. was burned September 5. As usual in such cases the audience rushed en masse for the doors, where many were wedged in an immovable mass, and the flames overtaking them, roasted them to death. One hundred and thirty bodies have been recovered. A number were also rescued more or less injured, more than twenty of whom died a short while after being taken to the hospital.
—The tornado which visited Toledo, September 6, did considerable damage before reaching that place. It first struck the village of Sylvania, leveling all the tall trees. One farmer had fifty acres of fine timber blown down. The brick school-house at Michie was destroyed. The track of the storm is from 100 to 200 yards wide; no fences or tall trees are standing in this track, and houses and barns are unroofed for miles. The smoke-stack of a locomotive was also twisted off.
Obituary.
By Philip Kent
CHRISTONSON.—Died of malaria fever, after an illness of about ten days, near Red Bluff, Cal., Aug. 31, 1887, Andrew Christonson, aged 45 years. Brother Christonson began to keep the Sabbath about twenty years ago, since which time he has been an earnest Christian. A wife and three daughters mourn their loss. The funeral services were conducted by the writer. PHILIP KENT.
News and Notes.
By Editor
RELIGIOUS.
—The Lutheran Presbyterian Church has 150,308 members, and 2,236 churches.
—In fourteen years 700 Protestant chapels have been built in Madagascar, making the number now 1,200.
—Portions of the Bible have already been printed for the blind in 249 languages, using Dr. Moon's invention.
—The Catholic Church Congress which met at Leige, September 10, concluded by affirming that the principle of the temporal power of the Pope was necessary to the welfare of society.
—The Methodists are running a mission tent in Ireland. It is well received, and its novelty has attracted many worshipers. May the time soon come when a tent carrying the Third Angel's Message will be seen in Ireland.
—Several Nonconformist laymen of London, Eng., have held a preliminary meeting to take steps against the intrusion of politics into the pulpit. It would be a good thing if several laymen would do the same in this country, and protest against the iniquity of National Reform.
—An important gathering of Catholic priests was held at Baltimore, September 7, to discuss the plans for the new Catholic University. Washington City was selected for the site. Rev. Dr. Kean, Bishop of Richmond, was elected first rector of the university. The building will require $8,000,000, of which $700,000 has already been secured. A long letter from the Pope was promulgated at the meeting.
—One hears a great deal about the wonderful conversions of Mr. Moody, but an event has occurred right in Mr. Moody's own church, Chicago, that gives an insight into the spirituality of some converts. It happened that Mr. Goss, the pastor, touched too close upon some of the sins of his congregation, for which offense he was given notice to quit. On this the Christian at Work says:
"Probably for the first time in the history of the city, a minister has been literally driven from his pulpit because he trod on the business errors of some of his influential church supporters. It is generally conceded, and it is admitted by Mr. Goss himself, that his recent sermon on 'Chicago's Toiling Girls,' in which he drew a vivid picture of the deplorable condition of working girls in that city, and the temptations to which they are exposed in their daily life of toil, went home too close to several of his communicants, who came to the conclusion that this was dangerous teaching, and that he would have to go."
Are not these the class of people of whom Paul says, 'For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears'?
Appointments.
By C. H. Jones
CALIFORNIA S. S. ASSOCIATION.
THE tenth annual session of the California State Sabbath-school Association for the election of officers, and the transaction of other business, will be held at Oakland, Cal., in connection with the camp-meeting, October 6-17.
We hope that every school in the State will be represented at this meeting, as matters of special importance will come up for consideration. Many new schools have been organized during the past year, and we urge all such to send delegates.
Special instruction will be given in the various branches of the Sabbath-school work.
The State Secretary will be present, and as far as possible, we would like to have the different schools bring their class record books and the secretary's record book for examination.
It will be remembered that every member of a Seventh-day Adventist Church in this Conference, in good standing is also a member of this Association, and entitled to participate in all its deliberations. No special election of delegates need be held.
Special lessons have been prepared for all except the senior division, which will be given out on the camp-ground. The senior division will recite the regular lessons in the Instructor for October 8 and 15.
We hope all will come to this meeting with an earnest desire to get all the good that they can, and to do all the good that they can, and thus be better able to assist those who may not have the privilege of attending. C. H. JONES, President.
CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE.
The sixteenth annual session of the California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, will be held in connection with the State camp-meeting, to be held in Oakland, October 6-17, 1887.
Delegates should be elected in good season, according to the following ratio. Every church is entitled to one delegate without regard to the number of members, and one additional delegate for every ten members. Ministers holding credentials are delegates at large without election, and are proper representatives of unorganized companies. Churches should elect as delegates good reliable persons, and as far as possible those who will be present during the entire meeting. All delegates will please report to the secretary, E. A. Chapman, immediately after their arrival upon the camp-ground.
Church clerks are especially requested to bring their church books with them.
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.
LOS ANGELES AND SANTA BARBARA CAMP-MEETINGS.
By California Conference Committee
THE California Conference Committee, with whom was left the arranging of the time and place for these meetings, appoint as follows: The meeting for Los Angeles County will be held (D. V.) at Los Angeles City, commencing Wednesday evening, October 26, and closing Monday morning, November 7. The meeting for Santa Barbara County will be held at Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, commencing Thursday evening, November 10, and closing Wednesday morning, November 16.
CAL. CONF. COMMITTEE.
GENERAL MEETING FOR COLORADO.
SEPTEMBER 22-27 has been designated as a time for a general meeting at Silver Cliff, Colorado, to accommodate those who cannot attend the camp-meeting proper.
Oakland
OAKLAND.—House of worship, southeast corner of Jefferson and Thirteenth Streets. Sabbath-school every Sabbath at 9:30 A. M. Preaching at 11. Prayer and missionary meeting every Tuesday evening at 7:15. Seats free.
Health and Temperance.
By W. E. Benham
TOBACCO-USING A SIN.
EVERYONE must admit that a traffic as immense, and a use as great as that of tobacco, must and does involve moral character, and hence that it is a good or an evil, a virtue or a vice. If a virtue, it should be advocated and encouraged. The children should be taught to use it. Parents, ministers of the gospel, day and Sabbath-school teachers should instruct all, both old and young, to smoke, chew, and snuff tobacco. If a vice, it should be shunned and condemned by all, everywhere.
No one can say that there is anything clean in the common use of tobacco, nor that there is in its use any element of excellence, nor any trait of Christian character, nor any fruit of the Holy Spirit, leading upward to holiness and fitness for the heavenly kingdom. But all must concede that at least it is a filthy, bad, degrading habit, a mark of uncleanness, a fit characteristic of a sinner, a hurtful lust of the flesh, dragging downward to slavery, shame, poverty, and death. Any person given to this disgusting practice becomes more or less callous to all the pure, finer sensibilities of his nature, and hence often violates wholesome rules of propriety, and thus becomes obnoxious, and a nuisance to persons of unperverted tastes. And, therefore, if the prevalent practice of smoking, chewing, and snuffing tobacco, thus polluting the mouth, the breath, the clothes, and the whole person so using it, and befouling the atmosphere surrounding him, whether in company, the car, the waiting-room, the parlor, or whatever building wherever he may be, with the sickening stench of the filthy weed, is not a sin, and a dirty sin, too, what is?
If prostituting the delicate, innocent faculties God has given man to the vitiated, unnatural craving for this poisonous, nauseating, narcotic stimulant, which is abhorrent to the whole animal creation except the tobacco worm and two or three other creatures, is not a perversion of our pure nature, and therefore a sin against our own highest personal happiness, as well as that of others, what is?
Nor can any kind or amount of apologies or excuses justify this loathsome and hurtful practice. No matter who or how many use it, whether the vilest and most degraded person, or professor of religion, minister of the gospel, prince, president, or king, the inevitable pernicious result is always the same in each and every case. And nothing can change it.
I wonder why and how any human being can consent to sell himself to indulge in, and be guilty of, so foul an act. It is as mysterious as sin. Is it not an inexcusable insult to breathe its offensive exhalations in the presence of ladies? I do not see how any minister of Christ, or professor of religion can smoke, chew, or snuff tobacco, without hindering his own piety and usefulness as a preacher and pattern of righteousness, purity, and correct morals. Think you Christ, Paul, Peter, or John were, or would be, tobacco-users? Or that there will be tobacco-smokers in the heavenly kingdom? I regard the common use of tobacco not simply a bad habit, but a sin, and one of the most odious. And not only a sin per se, but that its inherent poison excites nervous irritability, and unnatural craving, injures the health, stifles the physical and moral sensibilities, quenches the Spirit, prepares the way for, and leads to, numerous other kindred sinful indulgencies, cancerous diseases, imbecility, and general wreck of its victims. It is an associate and companion with rum and all other intoxicating drinks. Indeed its public use, fouling walks, steps, and floors with its loathsome spittle, and stenching rooms and dwellings with its sickening smoke, is in some respects a grosser evil than drunkenness. The drinking man addicted to its use finds it extremely difficult to abstain from his cup unless he quits his tobacco also, for the latter creates a thirst for the former. Indeed I know of sad instances of reformed, and even professedly converted, men who, unwilling to abandon their tobacco, have in consequence returned to their former sins and drunkenness. If all tobacco-users do not drink, all or nearly all drinkers use tobacco. And if all tobacco-dealers do not sell intoxicating drinks, all dealers in intoxicating drinks sell tobacco. And as liquor-dealers are held criminally responsible for the curse and sin of drunkenness, so cigar and tobacco-dealers are for the nuisance, curse, and sin of tobacco-using.
Again, it not only pollutes and degenerates its victims, leaving its sickening stain wherever practiced, but it is a profligate waste of money. From carefully prepared statistics, we believe nearly or quite as much money is spent for tobacco as for bread; and can any one say that all this needless waste is no crime? . . . In the United States, in 1885, there were 3,132,000,000 cigars smoked—58 for each person; also 972,000,000 cigarettes smoked, mainly by boys; and including that smoked in pipes, chewed, and snuffed, 502,611,158 pounds of tobacco were consumed, an increase of 5,000,000 pounds over 1884, at an estimated annual cost to consumers of over $600,000,000. (Intoxicating drinks, $900,000,000. Bread, $505,000,000.) Three times as much money spent for tobacco and intoxicating drinks as for bread. What a frightful waste of money, health, and character. Read Isaiah 55:1-7.
I regard the prevalent use of cigarettes, so artfully spiced with cubebs, sweet ferns, and other aromatics to tickle the taste of unsuspecting youth, as one of the alarming and seductive devices of the enemy to ensnare and hurry them into the sinful use of tobacco, intoxicating drinks, and general dissipation.
Hence, I am persuaded that the common use of tobacco, besides being a filthy habit, is a sin against God—a violation of His holy law, even the first command in the decalogue, for it makes a god of a vitiated, craving appetite, and worships it, rather than the living Lord Jehovah. It defiles "the Temple of God" (If not what does?), and of such an one it is written, "Him shall God destroy." "Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." "He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption." So I believe that those addicted to this destructive and unholy practice are "carnal, sold unto sin," miserable slaves to their tyrannical lusts, and not the pure, joyful, free men of the Lord.
In conclusion, I would most kindly and earnestly advise and entreat everyone, old and young, in bondage to this vile passion, in the name and grace of Jesus Christ, the Merciful Deliverer, crucify the old man with all his deeds, break every yoke and chain of slavery to sin and Satan, and thus coming into the full liberty of the glorious gospel, enjoy a clean conscience in a clean body, and so secure a sure title to an inheritance among the sanctified in the everlasting kingdom of God.—W. E. Benham, Meriden, Conn.
A GOOD JOKE.
Boys are often fond of playing practical jokes. Such may sometimes be done, but never to anyone's inconvenience. In one of our colleges a professor, who made himself very friendly with the students, was walking out with an intelligent scholar, when they saw an old man hoeing in a corn-field. He was advancing slowly with his work toward the road, by the side of which lay his shoes. As it was near sunset, the student proposed to play the old man a joke. "I will hide his shoes; we will conceal ourselves behind the bushes, and see what he will do."
"No," said the professor, "it would not be right. You have money enough; just put a dollar in the man's shoes; then we will hide behind the bushes, and see what he will do."
The student agreed to the proposal, and they concealed themselves accordingly.
When the laborer had finished his row of corn, he came out of the field to go home. He put on one shoe, felt something hard, took it off and found the dollar. He looked around him, but saw no one, and looked up gratefully toward heaven. He then put on the other shoe, and found another dollar. He looked at it, and looked all around him, but saw no one. He then knelt upon the ground and returned thanks to God for the blessings that had been conferred upon him. The listeners learned from the prayer that the old man's wife and one of his children were sick, and that they were very poor; so that the two dollars were a great relief sent to them from Heaven.
"There," said the professor, "how much better this is than to have hidden the old man's shoes."—Christian Advocate.
Anarchism and the Hatred of Labor
The vindictive spirit of anarchism toward capitalists is in this country mere hatred of labor and self-denial. There are a few capitalists who have more property than they honestly earned; but all but a very small fraction of the wealth of the country is in the hands of men who exchanged labor and self-privation for it. It is wealth that they have made, and which, if they had not made it, would have no existence. Beer-guzzlers and loafers and dreaming doctrinaires are not actuated by a hatred of capital, but by a hatred of the labor and self-denial which are required in the acquisition of capital. The short of it is that they hate to work, and are only imagining how they may obtain the proceeds of working people's work for nothing.—Selected.
Practice Makes Christians
By Francis Bacon
It is not what men eat, but what they digest, that makes them strong; . . . not what men read, but what they remember, that makes them learned; and not what we profess, but what we practice, that makes us Christians.—Bacon.