Review and Herald, Vol. 80, No. 43.
—1 Corinthians 13, American Standard Revised VersionPage 1
Earlier text: —1 Corinthians 13, American Standard Revised VersionWesley's Deliverance From Mobs
By W. A. S.
THERE was a time when Methodism was so unpopular as to draw upon itself the bitterest opposition of the mob. John Wesley had many experiences of deliverance by the manifest interposition of God in turning aside blows aimed at him with murderous intent, or in turning the hearts of violent men in his favor. At Wednesbury, in England, Wesley was attacked by a mob that gathered outside the house, shouting, “Bring out the minister!” The leader was invited in, and after a few words became as mild as a lamb. He went out and brought in two others, who were mad with rage, but in two minutes they were as mild as he. Then Wesley addressed the mob, and they cried out, “We will spill our blood in his defense.” In the hands of a Walsall mob he was pulled and dragged about for hours. Amid the tumult he prayed aloud. The leader of the mob turned and said, “Sir, I will spend my life for you. Follow me, and not one soul here shall touch a hair of your head.” A heavy man repeatedly struck at his head with a large oak stick. Every time the blow was turned aside. One man raised his arm to strike, says the biographer, but suddenly dropped it, and stroked Wesley’s head, saying, “What soft hair he has.” That wild night the greatest profligate in the country carried Wesley through a river on his shoulders to escape the mob, the man later becoming a zealous Methodist. Experiences while preaching from the pedestal of a monumental village cross at Bolton are thus related:— One man was bawling at Wesley’s ear, when a stone struck him on his cheek, and he was still. Another was forcing his way down to push the preacher off, when a missile struck him on the forehead, and his course was stayed. A third man got close to Wesley and stretched out his hand, when a sharp stone hit him smartly on the joints of his fingers, disabling him. But with stones flying thus all about him, Wesley preached on unscathed. In Ireland a mayor sent agents to disturb, and create riot. The rabble threw whatever came to hand, but nothing hit the preacher. He walked forward quietly, looked every man in the face, the rioters opening right and left as he passed along. When he reached his friend’s house, a papist stood in the door to prevent his entrance. Just then one of the mob aimed a blow at Wesley, which knocked the papist down flat. He had nothing to do but step in. One rioter, who was converted by what he saw of Wesley’s bearing before the mob, was afterward asked what he thought of the preacher. “Think of him?” he replied; “that he is a man of God; and that God was on his side, when so many of us could not kill one man.” Not too often can we take to our hearts the lesson that God actually does things for those who depend upon his power in a time of crisis. He can paralyze the arm that is raised to strike. Greatest of all the deliverances, however, was that wrought by the grace that delivered Wesley’s heart from fear and his spirit from resentment in those turbulent times. We need this lesson to-day. W. A. S. The Gambling Mania
By L. A. S.
In answer to the question, “Is gambling on the increase among young business men?” the Chicago Tribune of October 14 says:— While London is concerned over the growth of the gambling mania among women, and New York is compelled now and then to admit that its four hundred is spending too much time at the green baize tables, Chicago is lifting the voice of anxiety over the wayward tendencies of its clerks, bookkeepers, and salesmen. Additional interest has been lent to the discussion this week by the action of Franklin MacVeagh & Co. in posting an anti-gambling order for the guidance of their employees. When the clerks and salesmen of the grocery house went to work Monday morning, they found the store placarded with this notice:— “Respectable and moral associations outside of business hours are expected of every employee. The visiting of gambling houses, whether through curiosity or the intention of playing, must be avoided. Any employee who frequents any such places, or indulges in betting on horse races, ball games, or anything of this sort, is subject to immediate dismissal.” In explanation of the action, Rollin A. Keyes, a member of the firm, said:— “We do not wish this action to be taken as indicating that we have suffered from peculations of employees through their addiction to gambling. We have not posted this warning merely to protect ourselves, but for the good of the men whom we employ. As we would not engage or keep in our employ a person who was not respectable and moral, we would not have our employees cultivate evil associates to their own detriment.” “The gambling fever is so prevalent that numbers of young men are succumbing to it and becoming addicted to a habit that will sooner or later ruin the victim. The only safe course is to steer clear of the temptation by keeping good company and staying away from such places.” Of such moment is the spread of the betting evil considered in the business world that several trade journals have opened their columns to a discussion of ways and means for counteracting it. The current issue of the Retailers’ Journal contains an editorial setting forth the situation and suggesting remedies. Rules similar to the one posted at Franklin MacVeagh’s have been in force for years in Marshall Field’s, Mandel Brothers’, Schlesinger & Mayer’s, Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co.’s, Siegel, Cooper & Co.’s, and other State Street houses employing large numbers of young men. In the big wholesale houses, such as Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., W. M. Hoyt Company, Sprague, Warner & Co., and Morrisson, Plummer & Co., the same strict attitude in the matter of the private conduct of employees has long been observed. It is a curious fact that the establishment of restaurants in the big stores and wholesale houses, where employees may take their noonday luncheons without leaving the building, has operated to diminish betting on races. When the employees go out for their meals, they are only too likely, it is said, to drop into a saloon or cigar store, and place a dollar or two on a horse. In this connection the remarks of a bartender in whose place a hand book is made are to the point. “Why, it’s only too true the young clerks and bookkeepers from the banks and the ribbon counter are our best customers. Some of ’em has quite an eye for the ponies, too. They generally come stringing in here about 1 P. M., generally in so much of a rush they haven’t time for a friendly glass of beer. They have only got half an hour for lunch, and they have to hustle to get their bets up and get back to work.” The rule against gambling on the part of employees of a business firm is considered necessary because employees addicted to gambling are almost certain to steal money or goods from the firm to make up their losses. There can be no doubt that the chief causes of gambling—the fast life of the present day, with its numerous opportunities for betting, and the desire to get rich quick—are becoming more potent year by year. Note and Comment
By L. A. S.
THE Illinois State Federation of Labor, in session at Chicago, passed by an overwhelming majority a resolution indorsing the policy of closed shops in all industries with which the federation is concerned; in other words, a resolution declaring that in such industries only the union members shall be permitted the right to work. A RECENT newspaper report states that the general staff of the United States army are convinced that a war for the maintenance of the Monroe doctrine is not far off, and that Germany is the nation which is most likely to attempt to set that doctrine aside. It is expected that the conflict, should it come, will be fought out in some country of South America, and topographical notes of those countries, especially of Venezuela, are being collected by army officers. ON September 5, the “Eldorado,” a steamship of 850 tons’ burden, carrying an exploration and trading expedition, struck an unchartered rock at the entrance of Hudson Bay, near Fort George, and sank. Every member of the crew, numbering forty-eight, succeeded in getting ashore, but nothing was saved from the wreck, and the men began their long march southward, lacking almost everything needful to sustain life. They trudged through the wilderness for forty-two days, covering nearly 600 miles. Their suffering was intense, but not a single man succumbed. A SENSATION was created at the meeting of the Christian Women’s Board of Missions in Detroit, October 17, by the following statements concerning the lives led by society women of the present day, made by Mrs. Jessie Brown Pounds, of Ohio. Her audience of two thousand women applauded her utterances:— Modern life is getting to be more and more a vulgar display. The expenses are so rapidly exceeding incomes that there is no longer any home life. All the adults of families are forced to go out and work to meet the heavy expenses that modern conditions impose. We would much better keep our daughters at home, and let them make a home, than to send them out to work in order to increase the family income. Let us lead simpler lives, and develop more homemakers. The women of the middle classes in this country are dying at present from too much housekeeping, and the women of the upper classes are dying, too, but from a different cause. Too many courses at dinners and too much bric-a-brac to worry over are killing them. American parents are proud if their daughters marry European noblemen, but heartbroken if one marries a missionary. IN support of what this paper has said of late regarding the attitude of the labor unions toward the “open shop” as constituting the chief issue in national affairs at this time, we quote the following from the Chicago Chronicle of October 14. Speaking of the coming session of the National Civic Federation in that city, under the heading “The Real Question,” the Chronicle says:— Every spokesman for organized labor who will appear at these debates, will say, if closely pressed for a specific declaration, that Americans not as yet received into the charmed circle of trades unionism are without rights either as working men or as citizens. The highest officials and the wisest leaders of organized labor are on record in this respect. For themselves and their followers they demand privileges, which neither law nor custom justifies, and for the Americans who exercise their undoubted right to remain outside of the unions they advocate a denial of employment, a withdrawal of the protection of the law, and a social and industrial ostracism, which, once recognized, would make this land, where labor once was free, the most odious tyranny on the face of the earth. Even if there were disputes as to hours and wages, this issue, involving as it does personal liberty and the administration of justice, would be of so much more importance that it would not be worth while to waste time on wage scales and conditions of labor when the very rudiments of industrial freedom are so sharply assailed. Without being able to guarantee employment to any man, the labor trust assumes the right to forbid employment to whomsoever it pleases, and in many places controls the situation absolutely in this respect. A trades union member can not be sure of retaining his job, but he can be surely shut out of employment by the labor union’s opposition. The question of the survival of the honest, independent working man between the upper and the nether millstones of the money trusts and the labor trust, is indeed “the real question” of the hour. In the Master's Service
By Ellen G. White
Let men who are truly converted offer themselves to the service of the Lord; for verily, he has need of them. Emptied of selfishness, they will be vessels unto honor. Partakers of the divine nature, they will be light-bearers in a world of darkness. Their influence will be a savor of life unto life. God has appointed us to be laborers together with him, and we are to work zealously for the Redeemer's glory by bringing sheaves to the Master. Every soul saved will swell the triumphant anthem of praise that the redeemed will sing. Christ came to the world to “bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” The world is full of men and women who carry a heavy burden of sorrow and suffering and sin. God sends his children to reveal to them him who will take away the burden, and give them rest. It is the mission of Christ's servants to help, to bless, to heal. My brethren and sisters, do we realize the importance of this subject? Why are we so listless and indifferent? Why are we satisfied to remain so poorly fitted to work for the uplifting of humanity? The heavenly universe looks with amazement upon our Christless work. Neglect is seen in our borders. Slipshod work is tolerated and passed by. How long shall this continue? Shall we not arouse, and with determined effort redeem our neglect? Much is expected of us. What are our young men doing? God calls for you, young men. He calls for armies of young men who are large-hearted and large-minded, and who have a deep love for Christ, and for those for whom he died. If you will place yourselves under the influence of the truth, if you will receive the truth into the heart, you will have confidence and power to present it to others. Christ will be made unto you wisdom and righteousness and sanctification. You will be laborers together with God, following Christ's guidance. Such laborers are as sharp sickles in the harvest field. They do not use their God-given powers in arguing and debating. Pointing to Calvary, they cry, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Like Moses, they endure the seeing of him who is invisible. Through their efforts, souls are won to Christ; for God is with them. Young men, Jesus is saying to you, “Follow me.” Bear burdens in the Master's service. Our older ministering brethren must drop many of their burdens, or they will be crushed beneath them. The aged standard-bearers may act as counselors, but their younger, stronger brethren should bear the heavy burdens. John says, “I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, . . . and ye have overcome the wicked one.” You whose eyes are not dimmed, who are not worn by long and constant taxation, should plan and execute, treating the aged workers with tenderness, and looking up to them as counselors. I call upon the young men who are entering the ministry to search the Scriptures for themselves. Know for yourselves what is truth. Do not accept any man's theories as authority. This has been done by ministers to the injury of their experience, and it has left them ignorant and strengthless, when they should be wise in the Scriptures and strong in the strength of God. Take your Bibles, and weep and pray and fast before the Lord. Do not fix your attention on some favorite minister, speaking his words and imitating his gestures, in short, becoming his shadow. Allow no man to put his mold upon you. Let the hand of God mold and fashion you after the divine similitude. Do not seek wisdom from men. Those to whom you go may be bewildered by the temptations of Satan, and may plant in your minds the seeds of doubt. Go to Jesus, who “giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not.” He is unchangeable, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and he can not err. Has not his invitation reached your ears, and touched your heart? He says, “Come unto me, . . . and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Go to the Lord with the simplicity and confidence of a little child. Tell him your needs and your troubles, withholding nothing. Ask him to teach you how to use your entrusted talents for him. I beg of you not to think that the preaching of long sermons is an unmistakable evidence of ministerial ability. Let your discourses be short. Long sermons will wear out both you and those who hear. Often if sermons were only half as long, it would be well. And remember that to be a true minister for God means much more than merely to preach. A minister is one who ministers. Put forth personal effort for the people. Visit them in their homes, pray with them, search the Scriptures with them, and you will bring them the blessing of heaven. As you go forth to labor for Christ, keep strict watch over yourselves. Be careful of your words. Do not waste precious moments in foolish conversation. Live so near to Christ that you will always be ready to speak a word in season to him that is weary. Put away all pride, all selfishness, all lightness and trifling. Jesting and joking are an offense to God, and a denial of your faith. They unfit the mind for solid thought and earnest labor, making men superficial and inefficient. Be circumspect, and at the same time cheerful and happy, showing forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. In order to be successful in your work, you must feel the need of learning every day in the school of Christ. Learn of the great Teacher, and then go forth in the strength of him who has said, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Put your whole soul into your efforts, and never leave a work half done. Bind off your work thoroughly. Leave no dropped stitches for some one else to pick up. Do not disappoint Christ. Resolve that you will succeed. Ask for divine grace and efficiency. You will not be left to labor alone. Christ will be with you, and you will receive precious souls for your hire. Christ died that we might enter into possession of the eternal riches. With hearts filled with gratitude, let us improve the opportunities for service placed within our reach, that we may be prepared for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for those who love him. Heaven is a holy place; into it there can enter nothing that defiles. But those who have washed their robes of character, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, will receive an abundant entrance into the heavenly courts. At the last great day, Christ will say to those who have been true and faithful, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” They will understand the meaning of his words; for they will have done the work that Christ gave them to do. They have co-operated with him in the saving of those for whom he died, and they are prepared to share in his joy. O, Live to God!
By John Hugh Morgan
In the bright morn of life,
When free from toil and strife,
When light beams all around,
When gladsome songs abound,
When dew lies on the ground.
O, live to God! Give him the fire of youth,
The eager love of truth,
The zeal that burns and glows,
The daring faith that knows
No shrinking fear of foes:
O, live to God! Serve him in manhood’s prime,
With talent, toil, and time,
Give him thy manhood’s crown,
Put rebel passions down,
Extol his just renown:
O, live to God! When evening shadows spread,
When droops thy weary head,
When pleasures lose their zest,
When sorrows banish rest,
Still bow to his behest:
O, live to God! Prophecy Being Fulfilled
By Wm. Penniman
“And all the world wondered after the beast.” Rev. 13:3. “Keep your eyes on Rome.” We have used these two quotations as they are so closely connected, and it is necessary to look out for a power which all the world admires, or “wonders after.” We have been much interested in watching the fulfilment of this prophecy which relates to the world-wide admiration of the papacy, and more especially in the case of Leo XIII. Both before and since his death there has been much catering among Protestants to Rome. For years in the Protestant churches there has been a trend Romeward. This trend is constantly increasing all over the world; for the prophecy says “all the world,” and the United States is not behind any other nation in its homage and admiration for the papacy. The literal meaning of the Greek which is translated “wondered” is “to admire.” A correspondent of the Christian Evangelist of July 30 says: “Passing along the street (Kensington, Ind.) on my way to the Sunday evening service, my attention was attracted by a brilliantly lighted window in which was a large picture of the great Roman pontiff, Leo XIII, and underneath it the words, ‘The eyes of the whole world are turned toward Rome.’” What a plain fulfilment of the prophecy is this, and who can not see it? Not a part of the world, but the whole world is wondering. Some years ago President Harrison, although a good man, honored the papacy, or “scarlet-colored beast,” by sitting at the right hand of Cardinal Gibbons at the dedication of the great Catholic university at Washington, D. C. What means the recent visit of Emperor William (before Leo’s death) to the Vatican? What motive prompted King Edward VII, if not admiration of the beast? What means the friendly correspondence and interchange of gifts between President Roosevelt and the late pope? Nearly all of the leading papers of the world, both religious and secular, are loud in their praise of the great pontiff, yet several eminent bishops of the M. E. Church have recently passed away, and but little mention is made of them. Since the beginning of the papacy there have been 258 popes in all, according to Bauer’s list of popes, and no doubt Leo XIII has been one of the wisest, if not the wisest and the best, of those who have ever sat upon the papal throne; and he is called a good man by many able Protestant writers. As it is to the point, we will quote briefly from an able editorial in The Word and Way of August 6, under the heading, “Was Leo XIII Good?” “When the Roman Catholic Church had the power to enforce its claim, it would have been at the peril of one’s liberty and life to raise such a question. There is an abundance of bloody history to attest the truth of this. It is impossible to cleanse the history of popedom from the smell of dungeons, guillotines, and martyrs’ fires. . . . People worship power, even though they may at heart execrate the person or institution in whom the power is vested. This is why the press of the world is serving up fulsome praise, ad nauseam, to the alleged high qualities of the dead pope. . . . It is a notorious fact that the secular and political press of our country is largely under Romish influence. . . . Protestants are not found wanting who, to show how gloriously liberal they are, are exploiting the ability and rare goodness of the deceased pope. Shut up to the daily press of the country we would get the idea that Leo XIII is, par excellence, the world’s greatest saint.” We would like to quote more from the editorial, but will not, for fear of making this article too lengthy, but as to the idea of the pope’s goodness, will only ask, How can one be good who assumes to be vicar of Christ and to be infallible? Mr. Urbain Gohier, a clever Frenchman, gives the Americans the admonition, “Keep your eyes on Rome.” But he does not mean it in the sense of admiration, but to look out for its rising power. Why should Protestants of America and of the world look out for Rome? One great reason is that Protestantism is divided into hundreds of sects, and Rome is a unit. The Christian Evangelist of July 30 says: “The power of Catholicism is plain to discerning minds in every part of America. The public press shapes its policy and tempers its utterances to suit its Catholic constituency. The outcome of the Philippine issue is that the pope (now Sarto) has the official nomination of one hundred prelacies within American territory. In the recent coal strike, when the operators asked that a clergyman be included in the arbitration committee, the president of the United States chose a Catholic bishop. Why this favor to Rome?—Because Rome, though a minority, is a minority that is homogeneous, organized, and disciplined. They form a solid block in the midst of a heap of crumbling Protestant fragments.” Mr. Urbain Gohier, in The Independent of May 14, in an article on “The Religious Situation in America,” says: “The Catholic question in the United States is one of extreme interest. Within a few years it will be the Catholic peril. When one expresses this opinion to an American Protestant, he laughs loudly, shrugs his shoulders, and poo-poohs with hearty contempt. He answers that the Catholics of this country are animated by a genuinely republican spirit, that they have no religious fanaticism, that they are a petty minority, with neither the purpose nor the power to trouble American society. Very well. The following statements will be judged idle by the American public, but they will interest the French public, which has been instructed by experience. The Roman Church, which in the United States numbered 44,500 communicants in 1790, to-day numbers 12,000,000 or more. The total population of the country is twenty times more numerous than at that epoch; the Catholic population three hundred times more numerous! To this we must add 6,500,000 Catholics in the Philippines, and 1,000,000 in Porto Rico. When there shall be an army of fifteen or twenty millions of Catholics firmly united by a tyrannical faith, trained under the regime of the confessional, blindly committed to the will of their priests, and directed by the brains of a few high Jesuits, we shall see how much of a showing there will be for American liberty.” Mr. Gohier’s words are truthful, forcible, and prophetic, and in a few years the people will see the “Catholic peril” more clearly than they do now, when there will be 200,000,000 Catholics in the world, and many of them “high Jesuits” arrayed against Protestants. We do not believe in opposing Catholics, but their doctrines. There are many good Christian people among them; and if Protestants (all of them, many have, praise the Lord) had the missionary zeal of the Jesuits, the whole world would ere this time have been evangelized. As may be seen in recent demonstrations, Protestantism has reached across the gulf and shaken hands with Romanism. By an act of Congress, Feb. 29, 1892, this nation was declared to be a Christian nation, and the Catholic religion the established religion. Therefore, is not the “image to the beast” virtually made? When this image has the beast power, religious liberty in our land, if not in the world, is gone forever. . . . Let us pray and work for the everlasting liberty and freedom from sin we shall enjoy in the everlasting kingdom. ELEVEN days after leaving Mount Horeb, the Hebrew host encamped at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Paran, which was not far from the borders of the promised land. Here it was proposed by the people that spies be sent up to survey the country. The matter was presented before the Lord by Moses, and permission was granted, with the direction that one of the rulers of each tribe should be selected for this purpose. The men were chosen as had been directed, and Moses bade them go and see the country, what it was, its situation and natural advantages; and the people that dwelt therein, whether they were strong or weak, few or many; also to observe the nature of the soil and its productiveness, and to bring of the fruit of the land. They went, and surveyed the whole land, entering at the southern border, and proceeding to the northern extremity. They returned after an absence of forty days. The people of Israel were cherishing high hopes, and were waiting in eager expectancy. The news of the spies’ return was carried from tribe to tribe, and was hailed with rejoicing. The people rushed out to meet the messengers, who had safely escaped the dangers10 of their perilous undertaking. The spies brought specimens of the fruit, showing the fertility of the soil. It was in the time of ripe grapes, and they brought a cluster of grapes so large that it was carried between two men. They also brought of the figs and pomegranates which grew there in abundance. The people rejoiced that they were to come into possession of so goodly a land, and they listened intently as the report was brought to Moses, that not a word should escape them. “We came unto the land whither thou sentest us,” the spies began, “and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.” The people were enthusiastic; they would eagerly obey the voice of the Lord, and go up at once to possess the land. But after describing the beauty and fertility of the land, all but two of the spies enlarged upon the difficulties and dangers that lay before the Israelites should they undertake the conquest of Canaan. They enumerated the powerful nations located in various parts of the country, and said that the cities were walled and very great, and the people who dwelt therein were strong, and it would be impossible to conquer them. They also stated that they had seen giants, the sons of Anak, there, and it was useless to think of possessing the land. Now the scene changed. Hope and courage gave place to cowardly despair, as the spies uttered the sentiments of their unbelieving hearts, which were filled with discouragement prompted by Satan; their unbelief cast a gloomy shadow over the congregation, and the mighty power of God, so often manifested in behalf of the chosen nation, was forgotten. The people did not wait to reflect; they did not reason that He who had brought them thus far would certainly give them the land; they did not call to mind how wonderfully God had delivered them from their oppressors, cutting a path through the sea, and destroying the pursuing hosts of Pharaoh. They left God out of the question, and acted as though they must depend solely on the power of arms. In their unbelief they limited the power of God, and distrusted the hand that had hitherto safely guided them. And they repeated their former error of murmuring against Moses and Aaron. “This, then, is the end of all our high hopes,” they said. “This is the land we have traveled all the way from Egypt to possess.” They accused their leaders of deceiving the people and bringing trouble upon Israel. The people were desperate in their disappointment and despair. A wail of agony arose, and mingled with the confused murmurs of voices. Caleb comprehended the situation, and bold to stand in defense of the Word of God, he did all in his power to counteract the evil influence of his unfaithful associates. For an instant the people were stilled to listen to his words of hope and courage respecting the goodly land. He did not contradict what had already been said; the walls were high, and the Canaanites strong. But God had promised the land to Israel. “Let us go up at once, and possess it,” urged Caleb; “for we are well able to overcome it.” But the ten, interrupting him, pictured the obstacles in darker colors than at first. “We be not able to go up against the people,” they declared; “for they are stronger than we. . . . All the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” These men, having entered upon a wrong course, stubbornly set themselves against Caleb and Joshua, against Moses, and against God. Every advance step rendered them the more determined. They were resolved to discourage all effort to gain possession of Canaan. They distorted the truth in order to sustain their baleful influence. “It is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof,” they said. This was not only an evil report, but it was also a lying one. It was inconsistent with itself. The spies had declared the country to be fruitful and prosperous, and the people of giant stature, all of which would be impossible if the climate were so unhealthful that the land could be said to “eat up the inhabitants.” But when men yield their hearts to unbelief, they place themselves under the control of Satan, and none can tell to what lengths he will lead them. “And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.” Revolt and open mutiny quickly followed; for Satan had full sway, and the people seemed bereft of reason. They cursed Moses and Aaron, forgetting that God hearkened to their wicked speeches, and that, enshrouded in the cloudy pillar, the Angel of his presence was witnessing their terrible outburst of wrath. In bitterness they cried out, “Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!” Then their feelings rose against God: “Wherefore hath the Lord brought us into this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.” Thus they accused not only Moses, but God himself, of deception, in promising them a land which they were not able to possess. And they went so far as to appoint a captain to lead them back to the land of their suffering and bondage, from which they had been delivered by the strong arm of Omnipotence. In humiliation and distress, “Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel,” not knowing what to do to turn them from their rash and passionate purpose. Caleb and Joshua attempted to quiet the tumult. With their garments rent in token of grief and indignation, they rushed in among the people, and their ringing voices were heard above the tempest of lamentation and rebellious grief: “The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey; only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us. Their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Fear them not.” The Canaanites had filled up the measure of their iniquity, and the Lord would no longer bear with them. His protection being removed, they would be an easy prey. By the covenant of God, the land was insured to Israel. But the false report of the unfaithful spies was accepted, and through it the whole congregation were deluded. The traitors had done their work. If only the two men had brought the evil report, and all the ten had encouraged them to possess the land in the name of the Lord, they would still have taken the advice of the two in preference to the ten, because of their wicked unbelief. But there were only two advocating the right, while ten were on the side of rebellion. The unfaithful spies were loud in denunciation of Caleb and Joshua, and the cry was raised to stone them. The insane mob seized missiles with which to slay these faithful men. They rushed forward with yells of madness, when suddenly the stones dropped from their hands, a hush fell upon them, and they shook with fear. God had interposed to check their murderous design. The glory of his presence, like a flaming light, illuminated the tabernacle. All the people beheld the signal of the Lord. A mightier one than they had revealed himself, and none dared continue their resistance. The spies who brought the evil report, crouched, terror-stricken, and with bated breath sought their tents. Moses now arose, and entered the tabernacle. The Lord declared to him, “I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation.” But again Moses pleaded for his people. He could not consent to have them destroyed, and himself made a mightier nation. Appealing to the mercy of God, he said: “I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy. . . . Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” The Lord promised to spare Israel from immediate destruction; but because of their unbelief and cowardice he could not manifest his power to subdue their enemies. Therefore in his mercy he bade them, as the only safe course, to turn back toward the Red Sea.—“Patriarchs and Prophets,” pages 387-391. Zaccheus Sought the Saviour
“LITTLE Zaccheus climbed a tree for Christ, and he found what he sought. The heart that is determined to find the Saviour will succeed.”