THERE are some so-called Protestants to-day who are so broadly liberal that they profess to have great charity for the Church of Rome and her work of persecution in past ages. The argument of this class, whose following is unfortunately increasing, by the way, is to the effect that Romanists to-day are not what they were two and three centuries ago; that the ignorance of those times was largely responsible for the tyranny of the Romish Church, but that this church now sees how cruel such work was in the past, and, with broader and more charitable views, she is ready to forget these things and unite with other churches, as one of the great factors in the work of “establishing the kingdom of the Redeemer upon earth,” and so on, ad nauseam.
It makes one tired to hear and read so much of this sniveling, hypocritical cant upon this question. If the Romanists of to-day are not the same as they were a few centuries since, it is simply because the circumstances have changed, not the church. That this is the case is abundantly proved by the stand taken time and again upon this question by Rome herself. It is the boast of all Catholicism that the church never has erred, and never varies either in spirit or in practice. How often will it be necessary for Protestants to hear the assertion, “The Church of Rome never changes,” made by those high in authority in this self-same church, before they will believe this? All this profession, accompanied, too, by the “thunders of the Vatican,” to the same effect, is to pass for nothing is it? and we are to conclude that the whole thing is simply a by-play, a farce being enacted for the benefit of the weak-kneed Protestant world, are we? A farce it may be in the eyes of some, but if so, the fires of burning victims light up all the trappings of the stage, already crimson with the “blood of the saints,” until it becomes the ghastliest farce ever enacted on the foot-boards of this world. No; the persecution of heretics in the past would be repeated to-day by the Church of Rome did she only possess the power. This is evident to any unprejudiced and enlightened mind, and the following dispatch from Rome, under date of May 28, will only confirm the fact:—
“The Pope has ordered that on the day of the unveiling of the monument to Giordano Bruno, who was put to death as a heretic in 1600, all the Papal guards and gendarmes shall keep within the grounds of the Vatican. Those on furlough have been ordered to return immediately.”
This ought to be enough to open the eyes of every Protestant in the land to the truth of the situation, which is simply this: that the Church of Rome has been tolerant for a few years past, only because it was out of her power to do otherwise; but with the recognition, in a measure, of her former position by some of the leading rulers of the earth, and with the prospects that by diplomacy she may possibly yet regain a share of her former prestige, the old spirit of the hierarchy is at once manifested in such orders as the Papal injunction just referred to. And if we read the signs of the times aright, such events as this, together with the apparent indifference of apostate Protestantism, are simply the prelude to the triumphal restoration to power of this antichrist, in the hour so soon to come, when all the world shall wonder after the beast whose deadly wound was healed.
J. W. SCOLES.
CHEAP IDEAS OF SACRIFICING.
By William Nelson Glenn
A RELIGIOUS journal refers its readers to the contrast between France and the United States in the year 1789. In that year France declared that God did not exist, and the worship of Reason was to be substituted instead of the worship of God; while in this country, on the 30th day of April, after the inauguration of Washington, “the new President and those around him repaired to the house of God to offer the sacrifices of prayer and praise.”
There was nothing inappropriate in offering prayer and praise on that occasion, but the idea of referring to prayer as “sacrifice” is rather anomalous. To give one credit for making a sacrifice when he asks for something, appears very much like sacrificing at somebody else’s cost; but it is in keeping with the spirit of the age, when a large amount of credit is expected for a very small amount of religion. David refused to take credit for sacrificing if the offering cost him nothing; how much less sacrificial credit would have been due for craving a favor?
There is so much inclination in these days to appreciate cheap glory that many people deem it a sacrifice to accept eternal life; and many would fain count it a sacrifice to enjoy the pleasures and benefits of gospel instruction without any return whatever. To part with that which is not only injurious in this life but certain to entail future loss, in exchange for something that is both comforting here and of inestimable gain hereafter, is not sacrifice. That, even from a worldly standpoint, is a wise exchange, a profitable investment.
When the King of glory comes to collect his jewels, he will reckon as such those who have made a covenant with him by sacrifice on the principle of his sacrifice. He gave all, not for any377benefit to himself, but solely for the good of others. Let us be careful lest we assume credit for sacrificing when our own benefit is the real object in view; lest by habitually relying upon cheap sacrifice, we find it in the end too flimsy to stand the crucial test.
W. N. GLENN.
A STRANGE VIEW OF INSPIRATION.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
IN a recent book notice, the Christian Union, commenting upon Farrar's "Lives of the Fathers," says:—
"We confess at the outset that we entertain no ecclesiastical reverence for the Fathers of the Christian church. One of the strongest arguments for the divine inspiration of the New Testament is the radical difference in spirit, method, style, thought, life, between the least instructive of the writings of that collection and the most instructive of the writings of their immediate followers. We neither pay to the works of the Fathers the reverence which we gladly accord to the apostolic writings as interpreters of a divine Spirit, nor that lesser regard which we equally gladly accord to writings which we accept as interpreters of the highest human genius. The line which divides genius from inspiration is indefinable. It is impossible, at least for us, to draw sharply the distinction between Plato and Paul, between Shakespeare and Job, between Milton and David. But, for the most part, the writings of the Fathers belong in neither category. The distinction between the human and the divine in literature is in no way more clearly marked than in the epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, say, A. D. 64, and the epistle of St. Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians about forty years later. The one is the writing of a seer, the other the writing of a scribe."
As a mixture of good and bad, truth and error, this surpasses anything which we have seen for a long time. With this estimate of the Fathers, we have no fault to find. Certain it is that the line of demarkation between their productions and the writings of the apostles is exceedingly plain. What we do not understand is the idea that it is impossible to see a clear distinction between Plato and Paul, and Shakespeare and Job. There is absolutely no similarity whatever between the writings of Plato and Paul; and why anyone should associate Shakespeare and Job is more than we can conceive. Are we to understand that the editor of the Christian Union believes that Plato and Paul were equally inspired? or that the writings of Shakespeare are as truly inspired as the book of Job? Did the apostle include the writings of Plato when he said, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God"? It is certainly a misfortune that editors of religious papers will give currency to such ideas. How can anyone who is acquainted with the absurdities of Plato, or with the obscenity of Shakespeare, continue to have any respect for the Scriptures, other than as literary productions, if he believes all those writings to be equally inspired?
CHRIST is rightfully our Master and our Lord, and as such has the first claim to our service. The language used in the great commission is not only that of authority, but there is something so irresistible about it, that it can be seen at once that this is no commonplace errand which Christ is laying upon his disciples.
THE plan of salvation cost the best gift of Heaven in the first place, the Son of God himself, and not only did it cost this much to Heaven, but all the trials and temptations of Christ, all his toil and grief, all his agony, and, at last, the death of shame upon the cross, all this was patiently endured by our suffering Saviour to purchase pardon and peace for sinful men. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8.
AND such a salvation as this, though requiring the costliest offering within the gift of God, is offered free, absolutely free, to the world. Is it any wonder that the commission is, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature"? How could it be otherwise?
EVERY cry for help from those in darkness should be considered as coming to us individually. Just so surely as God calls us by his love to accept the sacrifice he has provided, that our transgressions may be covered, just so surely should the love of Christ constrain us to carry the bread of life to other famishing souls.
THIS is true, also, in regard to any light that God gives us in his word. Every ray of spiritual light that falls upon our pathway from the open Bible imposes an additional responsibility upon us. Let your light shine for others. It is not given for you to selfishly hide it, or walk in it alone.
CHRIST has claims upon every one of us. And we may rest assured of the fact that our work is, or should be, in some way connected with God's work. If the Lord does not impress upon us the call to labor in word and doctrine, then it becomes our duty to assist with our means and influence those who do thus labor. We are simply stewards here, and are to use our time, our talents, and our means in such a way that when the Master comes to reckon with us, and requires at our hands that which we have for a few years been permitted to use, we may give such an account of our stewardship as will show that these things have been used in the service of the Lord. "For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch." Mark 13:34.
"THESE signs shall follow them that believe," etc. In view of such a statement as this, which certainly relates to the fruits promised by the commission of which it is a part, we almost wonder at the weakness of the church to-day. Why should not the promises of God be claimed upon our part to-day as much as they were by our fathers? Is the Lord's hand shortened that he cannot save? or his ear heavy that it cannot hear? With such a work as is given the church of God to do, why should she be satisfied with her present poor attainments? Is it possible that our iniquities have separated us from the Lord until we cannot exercise that faith in his promises which will enable us to claim his blessings? It certainly is time for us to begin to awake, and put on the whole armor of God. "The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." Rom. 13:12. J. W. SCOLES.
Tithes and Offerings.
TO WHOM DO MAN AND ALL HIS POSSESSIONS BELONG?
(Lesson 1, July 6, 1889)
1. WHAT was man's nature before he sinned?
"Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions." Eccl. 7:29.
2. What relation did he sustain to the creation?
"Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet; all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." Ps. 8:6-8.
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Gen. 1:26.
3. How did he lose this dominion?
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." "Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken." Gen. 3:6, 17-19, 23.
4. How many were affected by his fall?
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom. 5:12.
5. Who is the author of sin?
"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8.
"And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Gen. 3:13.
6. In what manner did man come under the control of Satan?
"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." 2 Pet. 2:19.
7. What relation does he now naturally sustain to sin?
"For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin." Rom. 7:14.378
8. How much was lost by the fall of man?
—Holiness, dominion, and life.
9. Who came into possession of the earth through the fall of man?
"The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?" Job 9:24.
11. How does the apostle describe the world in its present state?
"And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." 1 John 5:19.
12. Who is the acknowledged ruler of this world?
"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." Eph. 2:2.
13. What titles does he bear?
"Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out." John 12:31.
"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 2 Cor. 4:4.
14. For what purpose did Christ come into the world?
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10.
"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8, last part.
15. In what way did he redeem man from death?
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Heb. 2:9, 14.
16. What assurance have we that the lost possession will be redeemed?
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Eph. 1:13, 14.
17. How much will then be redeemed?
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write; for these words are true and faithful." Rev. 21:4, 5.
"Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled; thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of the Lord shall endure forever; the Lord shall rejoice in his works." Ps. 104:29-31.
18. What relation will man then sustain to the creation?
"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." Rev. 21:7.
19. Through whom is this dominion to be restored.
"And thou, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." Micah 4:8.
"That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him; in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." Eph. 1:10, 11.
20. What relation does man sustain to the purchased possession in this life?
"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." Rom. 8:17.
21. What was the price for man's redemption?
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 1 Peter 1:18, 19.
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." 1 John 3:16.
22. Then to whom does man and all he possesses belong?
"What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? for ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Cor. 6:19, 20.
23. From whom does man derive power to get wealth?
"And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day." Deut. 8:17, 18.
24. Can man therefore glory in what he possesses?
"Therefore let no man glory in men; for all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." 1 Cor. 3:21-23.
"Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." Jer. 9:23, 24.
NOTES.
IT is stated in answer to question 8 that man lost by the fall holiness, dominion, and life. This will be evident to all who will briefly consider the matter. 1. God created man upright and pronounced him good. Eccl. 7:29; Gen. 1:31. Man was therefore holy, not righteous; for righteousness implies a character formed in harmony with a rule of right, but holy in the sense that he belonged to God, and was wholly free from sin. He transgressed the command of God and became a sinner, or lost his holiness. 2. God gave him dominion over the earth. Gen. 1:28; Ps. 115:16. But when man transgressed he became a child of Satan, a slave of sin (Rom. 7:14); and therefore his dominion passed to Satan, to whom he had yielded. 3. If man had continued to obey God, he would never have died. Righteousness tendeth to life (Prov. 10:16, 17; 11:30); but man sinned, and the wages of sin is death. Rom. 6:23. Therefore man lost by the fall holiness, dominion, and life.
"THE earth is given into the hand of the wicked." Job 9:24. The wicked of course includes wicked men, but it does not refer to them primarily. Satan is the root of wickedness—wicked men are the branches. Said Jesus to the Jews, "Ye are of your father the devil." John 8:44. That is, as regards character, wicked men are the offspring of Satan. When man was created, God gave him dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:26); but when man turned from God and yielded to Satan, he became subject to Satan, and the world passed under Satan's control. Hence Satan is called in the Scriptures "the prince of this world" (John 12:31), and "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4); or, according to another scripture, "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil [wicked] one." 1 John 5:19. Revised Version. Therefore when Job says, "The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covereth the faces of the judges thereof," it means that Satan and his servants so rule that the faces of the righteous judges are covered for shame and grief. See 2 Sam. 19:4, and Jer. 14:4.
BAPTIZED BY FIRE.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
How often do we hear people ask the Lord to baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with fire! But they do not know for what they are asking. They connect in a vague sort of way Matt. 3:11 and Acts 2:3, and suppose the latter to be the fulfillment of the former. But even though the cloven tongues were as of fire, and although they were upon all, the disciples were not in any sense baptized with the tongues or the fire. Baptize means to immerse, not to sit upon. They were on the day of Pentecost baptized with the Holy Spirit. The room in which they were was filled with the divine, life-giving influence, and they were literally immersed in the Holy Spirit, and the tongues were but another manifestation of the same Spirit.
There are two classes spoken of by John in Matt. 3:11. One class—the faithful—will be baptized with the Holy Spirit; the other—the wicked—will be baptized by fire; immersed in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15), and utterly burned up. Rev. 20:9. This application of Matt. 3:11 is shown to be correct, by the next verse: "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire; whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
Let no one pray, therefore, to be baptized with fire, unless he wishes the Lord to burn him with fire. E. J. W.
The Missionary.
By J. W. Scoles
THE LAND OF THE CZARS. NO. 6.
As has been previously shown in these articles, the power of the Government in Russia is absolute, and when the privilege of using a certain portion of that power is bestowed without limit upon any single individual, as is the case in the Ministry of the Interior, it necessarily follows that arbitrary and unjust enactments are apt to be enforced upon the people, who in a case like this are incapable of making resistance unless they do so through revolution.
The career of Count Demetrius Tolstoi, who died in Russia a few weeks since, and who had been Minister of the Interior since 1882, is a fair illustration of this. His career was marked by the most cruel injustice imaginable. Several of the leading papers in the empire were time and again suppressed for periods varying from two weeks to several months, and in some instances the publishers were forbidden to ever engage in the business of publishing again. All independent political thought was entirely crushed as far as possible, and it was owing to Tolstoi's efforts that the movement for legal self-government ended as it did in complete failure. He was the opponent of every reform, and was particularly active in exiling "suspected" persons to Siberia; so much so that probably no man in Russia was more cordially hated at the time of his death. This, however, not only shows the desire which existed upon his part to use the power commissioned to him, but also shows the abuses which are possible under such a system of government as Russia possesses.
The "administrative process" previously spoken of, obtains its effectiveness from this source, and the almost utter inability to obtain justice is readily comprehended when it is remembered that the charges against many of the so-called criminals are never examined by the Minister of the Interior at all, but are delegated to inferior officers, who are often actuated by personal feelings of avarice, pride, or revenge to bring in accusations against those who are entirely innocent. Here, again, we see an opportunity for the abuse of power, and, according to all authentic sources, this opportunity is frequently made use of to an unjust and shameful extent.
Probably in no other civilized country in all the world are such travesties on justice perpetrated. The most puerile and absurd excuses are given for the detention of individuals who are suspected of criminality. Persons who had no thought of disloyalty to the Government have been compelled to submit to the searching of their houses and premises by officers of the law, and upon several occasions the mere possession of such works as "Mill's Political Economy," and "Spencer's Moral Essays," has been sufficient cause for the unlucky possessor to be banished to Siberia.
A total indifference to the rights of those who are accused appears to pervade the entire department of justice, and is, apparently, so natural that it seems but just to conclude that it is the legitimate outgrowth of such a system as is in force in that country. This379was noticeable in the case of our own Brother Conradi, during the many weary days he laid in the prison of Perekop, in the Crimea, waiting for justice to be done him; and his was only one out of thousands of similar cases. In the article to which reference was made last week, Mr. Kennan continues:—
"In 1874 a young student named Egor Lazaref was arrested in one of the southeastern provinces of European Russia upon the charge of carrying on a secret revolutionary propaganda. He was taken to St. Petersburg and kept in solitary confinement in the house of Preliminary Detention and the fortress for about four years. He was then tried with 'the 193' and acquitted. One would suppose that to be arrested without cause, to be held four years in solitary confinement, to be finally declared innocent, and then to have no means whatever of redress, would make a revolutionist, if not a terrorist, out of the most peaceable citizen; but Mr. Lazaref, as soon as he had been released, quietly completed his education in the university, studied law, and began the practice of his profession in the city of Saratof on the Volga. He had no more trouble with the Government until the summer of 1884, when a police officer suddenly appeared to him one morning and said that the governor of the province would like to see him. Mr. Lazaref, who was on pleasant personal terms with the governor, went at once to the latter's konsilaria, or office, where he was coolly informed that he was to be exiled by administrative process to Eastern Siberia for three years. Mr. Lazaref stood aghast.
"May I ask your high excellency for what reason?' he finally inquired.
'I do not know,' replied the governor. 'I have received orders to that effect from the Minister of the Interior, and that is all I know about it.'
"Through the influence of friends in St. Petersburg, Mr. Lazaref obtained a respite of two weeks in which to settle up his affairs, and he was then sent as a prisoner to Moscow. He reached that city after the last party of political exiles had been dispatched for the season, and had to live in the Moscow forwarding prison until the next spring. While there he wrote a respectful letter to the Department of Imperial Police, asking, as a favor, that he might be informed for what reason he was to be exiled to Eastern Siberia. The reply that he received was comprised in two lines, and was as follows: 'You are to be put under police surveillance in Eastern Siberia because you have not abandoned your previous criminal activity.' In other words, he was to be banished to the Trans-Baikal because he had not 'abandoned' the 'previous criminal activity' of which a court of justice had found him not guilty."
"Theoretically, the Minister of the Interior, aided by a council composed of three of his own subordinates and two officers from the Ministry of Justice, reviews and re-examines the cases of all political offenders who are dealt with by administrative process; but practically he does nothing of the kind, and it is impossible that he should do anything of the kind, for the very simple reason that he has not the time. According to the Russian newspaper Strana, in the year 1881 there came before the Department of Imperial Police 1,500 political cases. A very large proportion of these cases were dealt with by administrative process, and if the Minister of the Interior had given to each one of them a half, or one-quarter, of the study which was absolutely essential to a clear comprehension of it, he would have had no time to attend to anything else. As a matter of fact, he did not give the cases such study, but, as a rule, simply signed the papers that came up to him from below. . . . He accepted the statements passed up to him by a long line of subordinate officials, and signed his name merely as a formality, and as a matter of course. How easy it is in Russia to get a high official's signature to any sort of a document may be illustrated by an anecdote that I have every reason to believe is absolutely true. A stola-nachalnik, or head of a bureau, in the provincial administration of Tobolsk, while boasting one day about his power to shape and direct governmental action, made a wager with another chinovnik that he could get the governor of the province—the late Governor Lissogorski—to sign a manuscript copy of the Lord's prayer. He wrote the prayer out in the form of an official document on a sheet of stamped paper, numbered it, attached the proper seal to it, and handed it to the governor with a pile of other papers which required signature. He won his wager. The governor duly signed the Lord's prayer, and it was probably as harmless an official document as ever came out of his office."
"Another exile of my acquaintance, Mr. Y., was banished merely because he was a friend of Mr. Z., who was awaiting trial on the charge of political conspiracy. When Mr. Z.'s case came to a judicial investigation he was found to be innocent and was acquitted; but in the meantime, Mr. Y., merely for being a friend of this innocent man, had gone to Siberia by administrative process.
"In another case a young student, called Vladimir Sidorski (I use a fictitious name), was arrested by mistake instead of another and a different Sidorski named Victor, whose presence in Moscow was regarded by somebody as 'prejudicial to social order.' Vladimir protested that he was not Victor, that he did not know Victor, and that his arrest in the place of Victor was the result of a stupid blunder; but his protestations were of no avail. The police were too much occupied in unearthing 'conspiracies' and looking after 'untrustworthy' people to devote any time to troublesome verification of an insignificant student's identity. There must have been something wrong about him, they argued, or he would not have been arrested, and the safest thing to do with him was to send him to Siberia, whoever he might be—and to Siberia he was sent. When the convoy officer called the roll of the outgoing exile party, Vladimir Sidorski failed to answer to Victor Sidorski's name, and the officer, with a curse, cried, 'Victor Sidorski, why don't you answer to your name?'
'It is not my name,' replied Vladimir, 'and I won't answer to it; it's another Sidorski who ought to be going to Siberia.'
'What is your name, then?'
"Vladimir told him. The officer coolly erased the name 'Victor' in the roll of the party, inserted the name 'Vladimir,' and remarked cynically, 'It doesn't make a bit of difference.'"
It is estimated that 95 per cent. of the political and religious exiles are absolutely innocent, and nine-tenths of them are among the most noble and cultured people of the empire; and when we stop to consider that more than 50 per cent. die in filthy prisons, or from exposure in making the trip, it seems almost sufficient to call down the wrath of Heaven upon those who perpetrate such outrages in the name of justice.
Yet the message of present truth must go to this part of the world also; yes, even to Siberia; for there are doubtless hundreds and thousands of these same exiles who would appreciate the knowledge of this precious truth which we possess. Dear brethren, let us be faithful in sowing the seed, leaving the rest unto Him who will both water it with the dews of divine grace, and give us sheaves for the heavenly garner in the glad reaping day a little way in the future.
J. W. SCOLES.
NEVADA CAMP-MEETING.
By N. C. McClure
THIS meeting was held at Reno, May 22 to 29, near the grounds that were used for the same purpose the two preceding years. The attendance from abroad was not large, the brethren of some of the churches being detained by their farming, and others by the scarcity of means.
The meeting was not advertised to begin until the 22d, but was commenced in the meeting-house on the evening of the 19th, and continued every afternoon and evening until the camp-meeting began. From the first the ministers began to labor for the spiritual interests of the churches represented, and as the work came closer to each heart there was a breaking up of the fallow ground, that the seed sown might bring forth good fruit, and before the meeting closed nearly every one of the brethren and sisters in attendance gave evidence of their consecration and acceptance.
Every day the time was fully occupied either in preaching, or in social meetings or meetings for instruction in the various lines of work. A children's meeting was conducted every afternoon. A class in hygienic cookery by the sisters was a feature that attracted a considerable number of our outside friends, who provided themselves with the Conference series of printed lessons, that they may practice it at home.
An interesting case of the conversion of a young man to present truth is worthy of mention. He had been furnished with our reading matter by a brother, and hearing of the camp-meeting, came some distance, leaving a lucrative position, to attend the camp-meeting. Before the meeting closed he fully accepted the truth and hurried back to resign a position of fifty dollars a month among unbelievers, to accept one at less wages among our own people until the beginning of the next College term, when he will attend the school, fit himself for the work, and go to his native land (Scotland) to carry the truth to his people.
On Sabbath-day the Sabbath-school was convened in the large tent, superintended by the writer. It consisted of seven classes; total attendance, fifty-six; contributions to Russian Mission, $25.75.
The attendance on Sunday and each evening during the meeting was very good. Good attention was given to the preaching and other exercises. Elders J. H. Cook, Wm. Ings, Geo. H. Derrick, and the writer, were the ministers present. The cooking-class was conducted by Sisters McClure and Derrick.
This good meeting, though small, closed with the blessing of God resting on those of the churches represented, and as it was voted to ask the Conference to give them another meeting in 1890, the brethren liberally pledged their support for the one just passed.
There will be one tent in the field in Nevada this year, conducted by Brother Geo. H. Derrick and others, which will probably be pitched in Carson City, the capital of the State.