Earlier text: SEEING JESUS ONLYPRESIDENT SCHURMAN, of Cornell University, who, from personal observation, is in a position to know whereof he speaks, has given his opinion of the issue in the Philippines. The real trouble there, according to a recent address by the professor, is between the natives and the Spanish religious orders. The majority of the “civilized” natives are Catholic, therefore their controversy with the Spanish “fathers” is not religious. The orders own vast estates of the best lands, and the natives object to them, not as religious overseers, but as landlords. It is mainly because these Spanish friars are landlords that the Filipinos have long been demanding that native priests be assigned to them. Long before the late war between the United States and Spain, the Filipinos had been in rebellion against the Spanish Government, but their real grievance was the landlordism and secular domination of the friars. But the Church of Rome was a State church, supported by the government, and rebellion against the church’s rule was rebellion against the State. So far as the Philippine country was concerned, the church was not only supported by the State but it ruled the State. Practically, the church usurped the powers of the State. One of the conditions of peace with the United States which the Filipinos have all along held out, has been that the Spanish friars be banished from the country, and their extensive landholdings be restored to the State. But the priestly orders hold these immense estates by law. Their titles were granted and recognized by Spain, and must be recognized by the United States, according to the treaty of peace between the two governments. If it were shown that the orders were holding lands in excess of their absolute titles, of course the excess would legally revert to the public domain; otherwise, the government would not be legally warranted in confiscating the property. But it is a strange issue between a nominally Christian ministry and the flock over which they claim spiritual oversight. That the shepherds of the Master’s flock should also, by intrigue with a world power, become lords of the land designed for the sustenance of the flock, and carry on a system of oppression by virtue of such lordship, is far from the Spirit of Christ. Peter, whom Rome claims to regard as the first pope, has left very clear instruction on this subject. To the elders he says: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5: 2, 3. That a government founded on principles of Protestant-republicanism should be inveigled into a necessary support of such a scheme, is evidence of a decided change. A decade ago, aside from the declarations of prophecy, people could not have been persuaded that the great model republic of the United States could have been so maneuvered thru the machinations of a religious power essentially and logically antagonistic to republican principles. Nothing could better illustrate the cunning of the great deceiver than the alertness with which a scheme inaugurated under monarchical auspices, and apparently possible only under monarchical principles, is being transferred to the fostering care of a republic whose boast is civil and religious liberty for her people. As a matter of fact, the lands are held by those nominal shepherds of the Christian church by force of the sword, their claims to them under the laws of Spain having been upheld by the sword for many years. President Schurman suggests that, as the Filipinos do not like the friars as landlords, the government should buy the estates of the religious orders and sell them in small holdings to the people. He claims that it is not a religious controversy, but a question of landlord and tenant. However, the outlook seems to indicate that Rome will eventually decide what will be done, as her agents are in possession. COMPULSORY SUNDAY REST.
By C. M. S.
The agitation for compulsory Sunday rest is not by any means confined to America. Specious as are the claims that the object of the movement is to secure rest for the laboring man, it is still the lever with which that movement is pried into public favor. The promoters of compulsory Sunday rest are pushing out in every direction along this line, as it has proved to be the “line of least resistance” for accomplishing their object. In pretense a philanthropic move to obtain the privilege of weekly rest and church attendance for those denied them, in reality it aims at compulsion of all men everywhere in the matter of Sunday observance. The cry of “the rights of the workingman” appeals to the masses; but the bait conceals a dangerous hook. A plant may throw out a beautiful flower, and the fruit which follows be disastrous to the one who eats. Just so it is with this movement, which is gaining ground in the world to-day. The claims to be made are to be made in the interest of “oppressed humanity,” and when the object is attained, it will be turned into an instrument of oppression for those who do not mingle worship with their rest, or who choose to labor for themselves upon that day. We can judge of the ultimate aims and the real results of this agitation only by the fruits which it has already borne in States or countries so unfortunate as to be burdened now with the “boom” it seeks to confer. Weekly rest is a boon to humanity; Sabbath-keeping is a religious duty; and the honest, conscientious, Christian man will rest and keep Sabbath wherever he is. You can not prevent his doing so. A great corporation can not make men break the Sabbath; dungeons and thumbscrews can not prevent their keeping it. Great corporations work on Sunday, and their employees do the same—not because the corporation has the power to compel such service, but because the employees prefer to work under such conditions rather than to till the soil or go into business for themselves. It is simply and solely a matter of personal choice with them. They choose their master, and follow his directions, regarding lucrative employment of greater importance than obedience in religious things. The truly converted man will not hesitate one moment in refusing to labor upon the day he regards as the Sabbath of Jehovah. The Christian will obey God, whatever the consequences may be. Therefore the plea is a specious one that Christians are deprived of the opportunities of worship by being compelled to work on Sunday. It is also true that the object of the movement is not to enable men to rest on Sunday, but to compel men to do so, whether they wish to do so or not; and in communities where the law permits such compulsion it has been indulged in again and again, and as good Christians as are to be found in any country have been herded with common criminals for daring to work upon that day, even when they had religiously observed the Sabbath which God commanded. This is the benevolent boon which is being forced upon the attention of the world just now. The agitation in Europe in reference to compulsory Sunday rest is taking definite form, and is being carried on with considerable enthusiasm. In October last an international Sunday Rest Congress was held in Paris, attended by delegates from France, Austria, Hungary, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, the United States, Scotland, England, Germany, Roumania, and Denmark. Catholics and Protestants united in the convention, and both have members on the working committees, who are laboring to the one end, the enforcement of Sunday rest. Much work has already been done by these committees in influencing Sunday legislation, and in bringing the nations into harmony to that end. In this way is the whole world being brought into line in the matter of compulsory Sunday observance. To the student of God’s Word and the one who chooses to honor God’s own Sabbath, this means much. How rapidly is the way being prepared for that decree of antichrist which will condemn to death (Rev. 13:15, 16) all those who persist in loyalty to the Creator of the heavens and the earth! C. M. S. Russia Restricts Liquor in Army
An investigation was recently ordered by the Russian Government in the matter of liquor drinking in the army. As a result of this investigation, brandy has been stricken from the soldiers' rations both in time of peace and time of war; no brandy is to be carried into the barracks; liquor-selling in the canteens is prohibited; officers are forbidden to distribute liquor among the soldiers, when such distribution is at the expense of others, a custom which has been prevalent in the Russian army; and provision is made for instructing the soldiers in regard to the harmfulness of alcoholic drinks. Rome’s Determination to Rule the World
ROME'S determination to rule the world was clearly set forth by Father Yorke, of San Francisco, in a lecture at Metropolitan Hall, on February 7, in the following language: “Rome is not an Italian city. It is the city of the church. The pope can afford to wait. The rock of Peter stands; the rock of Peter shall stand; and the pope in Rome shall rule when the memory of nations that held him captive shall be as a dark dream of the night.” Standard Oil’s Enormous Dividends
The Standard Oil Company has declared another dividend of $20,000,000. This is a quarterly dividend. Last year the company paid in dividends the enormous sum of $48,000,000. The dividends paid in 1899 amounted to $33,000,000, and in 1898 they amounted to $30,000,000. With the payment of the dividend now declared, the company will have paid to its stockholders since 1895 more than twice the amount of the capital stock. Transporting and Using Liquid Air
PROFESSOR D'ARSONVAL, of New York, has succeeded in materially reducing the cost of manufacturing liquid air, and has been conducting interesting experiments in its usefulness. Recently a receptacle containing liquid air manufactured in Boston was brought to San Francisco, to demonstrate the possibility of transporting it long distances and its availability as a cooling agent in refrigerator cars. Navy-Yard in the Philippines
The naval board appointed to select a site for a navy-yard in the Philippines has chosen a landlocked harbor in Subig Bay, island of Luzon. The department's plans for the navy-yard in the Philippines provide for a dry dock which will accommodate the largest battle-ships. Such provision seemed necessary if America is to be one of the great powers of the East—which she is. Havana’s Declining Death Rate
A BULLETIN recently issued by the chief sanitary officer of Havana, Cuba, shows a material decrease in the death rate of that city since the American sanitary officers have been in charge. The death rate for the past year was 23 per 1,000, against 27 per 1,000 for the year previous. The work of the sanitary officers in cleaning up the city has been highly commended. Bubonic Plague Rages Across India
THE correspondent of the London Express in India reports that the bubonic plague is now raging in every province of India, being particularly severe in Bengal. In Bombay the deaths reach 95 per cent. of the cases. The scourge is intensified by lack of adequate medical service, the doctors being chiefly occupied in the famine districts. Riots Against Catholic Orders in Spain
Riots against the Catholic orders are increasing in different parts of Spain. At Madrid, on February 10, the rioters even attacked the police and military, and a number of persons were hurt. At Valladolid the rioters repeatedly stoned the convents and monasteries, and shattered the windows of the Jesuit College. Scandinavian Military Preparations
FEARING the encroachments of Russia, Sweden and Norway have decided upon an elaborate reorganization of the army and the erection of a line of fortifications in the northern part of the Scandinavian peninsula. These two countries are said to be able to put 500,000 men into the field if necessary. Chemical Remedy for Consumption
ANOTHER discovery for the cure of consumption is reported from New York by a prominent Brooklyn physician. The remedy consists in saturating the system with a certain chemical which it is claimed will destroy the germs of consumption without injuring the patient. Peking Siege Diary Withheld
MISS CONDIT-SMITH, who was to have published her diary of the siege of Peking, has, according to report from Washington, been induced to refrain from its publication. No reason has been given for this action on the part of the State Department. Decline in Grand Army Membership
TEN years ago the number of men belonging to the Grand Army of the Republic amounted to 400,489. At the present time its ranks have been thinned down to 276,662. An army of 123,827 has ceased to respond to roll-call. Railroad Consolidation Stifles Competition
ONE of the greatest trust deals of the present time is the consolidation of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads, by the Harriman-Morgan, etc., syndicate, for the purpose of stifling competition in freight and passenger traffic. Petroleum Drinking in Paris
PETROLEUM drinking is now classed among the recognized vices of Paris, and the medical society of that city is urging corrective legislation, as the habit is said to be growing alarmingly. KING ALEXANDER, of Servia, whose father's death occurred last week, is reported to be a raving maniac. A MISSIONARY MOTHER.
By Lida F. Scott
“WELL, well,” Mrs. Gerry is saying, prying thru the bowed shutters, “if there isn’t Mrs. Palmer starting off with the two children, and the girl, too, bag and baggage, leaving the house alone, I declare. Lunch baskets, too, and the babies carrying their own little sacks, looking as fresh and happy as the spring morning. What! such unheard-of intimacy springing up between her and the reserved little Mrs. Royce!” Mrs. Royce came out as if she were expecting them, bringing her oldest child with her. They entered a trolley-car at the corner, leaving poor Mrs. Gerry just as curious as she could be. It was not a long ride to a beautiful, wooded park, which they entered. The children were delighted. Golden-haired Grace and dark-haired Florence jumped up and down like a funny little parrot in the menagerie. But it was different with Charlie Royce, who had lost much of the spontaneity of childhood. He looked with wistful eyes on the pair and then down at his spotless white clothes, and concluded, evidently, that running and jumping were out of the question. Mrs. Palmer called Grace and Florence to her side, and, taking from her satchel two dark gingham aprons, she prepared the children for play. “Now, dears, you know mama does not care about these clothes. Do just as you like.” And when they were ready they ran up a green bank, fell on the grass, rolled and tumbled, buoyant with health and delighting in the fresh air and exquisite surroundings. “It is wonderful,” remarked Mrs. Palmer, watching her children proudly and enjoying by sympathy the frolic almost as much as they did, “how nature, if left to herself, will exercise every muscle of the body. Now just watch the variety of postures. What mountains of strength we would be by this time if we had not been repressed and hampered by the unwritten laws of society, and had continued to follow nature’s ways! I would feel, if I curbed those spirits, as tho I were setting myself above God, virtually saying that I know better than the Creator what is good for my children. O, the Lord has been teaching me, in these little ones, glorious lessons, one of which is, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’! If I can only keep my lips sealed, my hands off, except when necessary to check the evil, I feel that I am doing what He wants me to do. I want to see and know what God’s ways are, and beware of taking the lead when He is already in the forefront.” “Charlie,” said Mrs. Royce, “why don’t you run and play too?” “I would get my clothes all dirty, mama.” “Never mind,” replied the mother with tears in her eyes, “never mind your clothes; they can be washed.” “They’re too tight, mama; I’d tear them all to pieces if I leaned over much.” “That’s so; how wrong it is in me! O Charlie, I am so sorry; I have spoiled your day! Mama will buy you a pair of overalls just as soon as she can get to the store.” Charlie looked up into his mother’s face, his own worn and pale, with a sort of wondering surprise; then it lighted up and smiled. It was a mockery of a smile for a child. “Look here, mama, look at me,” cried Florence, flushed with pleasure, “look at me!” And when all eyes were fixed on her, the beautiful little head was placed in a soft mound, and before Mrs. Royce could lift her hands in terror, the little three-year mite had turned a somersault. “Why, won’t she hurt herself?” gasped Mrs. Royce. “O, no!” replied Mrs. Palmer. “They both do that and perform all sorts of acrobatic feats each night before retiring. They are used to it.” Before she could recover from her surprise, they were both tumbling somersaults one after another, stimulated, no doubt, by the surprise they had occasioned. Then Mrs. Royce laughed heartily, so heartily that she surprised herself, for life had become such a burden to her of late years that she seldom thought of laughing. It occurred to her for the first time then that her laughing muscles were growing rusty from disuse. Her jaws ached, but her heart was bleeding. “This is the most comical thing I ever saw. Why, Charlie, here you are six years old, and I don’t believe you could do that yourself! Poor boy! I never did allow my children much freedom. Why, it never occurred to me to plan for their pleasure and profit. I always considered myself too busy.” “After all,” replied Mrs. Palmer, “what in heaven or earth is more important than training up a child in the way he should go? Why should we give the dressing of our bodies, the ordering of our houses, and the care of flowers, the first place in importance, and the training of a little soul the second? Alas! the world is turned upside down, is it not?” “Let us go over this way,” one suggested; “the children will enjoy looking at the animals.” Then they sauntered down the shaded path among the pines, and the children were talking “animals” as fast as their tongues could fly, with joyful anticipation. Just then a squirrel darted across the road. “What is that?” cried Florence. “A squirrel, dear. You know that mama has told you about the little squirrels.” Whereupon Florence planted her baby feet firmly and refused to go any nearer. “No, I don’t want to see the squirrel.” “O, the squirrel wouldn’t hurt you, dear! See, he’s run up the tree. He heard us coming, so ran away.” But the child still refused. Mrs. Palmer stooped down, placed her arm about the chubby figure, and explained carefully and patiently the nature of squirrels to the little mind, which, as the truth was grasped, began to yield, slowly and fearfully. “Carry me, Martha,” she said, “won’t you? Won’t you, Martha?” And Martha, the colored girl, with a sweet Christian face, whom the children loved, lovingly lifted the little form into her arms and carried her over the doubtful spot in the road. Mrs. Royce regarded the scene with interest, so differently would she have managed. “You seem to be able to enter into your children ’s difficulties and to see things from their point of view.” “Isn’t that what the Saviour is doing for us all the time, dealing so mercifully as He does with our shortcomings?” “The commonest things, we should not forget, are often new to the child mind. For my part, I’m afraid of snakes. I don’t suppose I should be if I knew more about their habits, and could distinguish a garter snake from an adder. So my baby simply has not a clear conception of a squirrel, and her instinct of self-preservation asserts itself. Not very different in principle from the big folks, is it? It affords a good opportunity to drop in a lesson in natural history. Why should not mothers watch for these opportunities, anticipating them by storing their own minds with the needed facts?” “Well, well, I am beginning to see that child culture is an art, one of the fine arts, indeed the finest of arts. Even a sculptor, standing before a block of marble, uses all his might of mind and strength of soul to chisel out the beautiful story of his thoughts. And when he gets thru, what is it?—Marble. Yet he is praised, feted, and sonneted. The mother, tho a greater artist if she puts her soul into the work, may die in obscurity, unthanked, unpraised, yet how superior is her work! The angel choirs are singing the praises of that noble, faithful mother, and a crown, a glorious crown, is awaiting her; for she has helped to mold and fit a soul for eternity. Which would I rather be?—A mother. It has come to me now more forcibly than ever before, and I mean to put my soul into the work, with God’s help, and make amends for the past, and make plans for the future. Thank the Lord for a faithful friend.” After the lunch and a review of the caged animals, they returned home. The weeks passed. Mrs. Gerry watched sharply and critically the changes taking place at the Royce’s. No longer were weary hours spent over embroidery and tucks and ruffles for the little frocks. There was a reform in the kitchen as well. Preserves, jams, and jellies took a subordinate place in Mrs. Royce’s affections; and pies, cookies, and all those feeders of bad tempers and quarrels, were ruled off the table. The lace curtains were taken down with less mathematical precision as to time this year; but the children all had overalls, and waterproofs for out-of-door sports on rainy days, and rubber boots to splash in the puddles. The back yard, indeed, took a turn for the worse. Dainty flower beds were now tended by busy children with rake and shovel and hoe, mother superintending, but permitting them to enjoy the fruit of their own hands. How Mrs. Gerry did sputter about it all, greatly disapproving, until she saw the remarkable change for the better in the children! There was much less quarreling, and the children began, under a mother’s patient training and example, to speak even politely. They grew fat, and their cheeks as red as peaches; their bare feet spread and grew sturdy and brown; their bare heads caught the gold from the sun and reflected its glory, and the children, all three, actually became goodly to look upon. Then, in this world of change, there came a change over Mrs. Gerry as well. She grew quiet and reserved. She began to notice the children with less loftiness of spirit, and to admire their little ways. The children took to her better also, and even the baby crept into her lap once or twice. One day Mrs. Gerry put on a simpler dress than was her custom for making calls, and went in to see Mrs. Palmer. During the first half hour she seemed absent-minded and purposeless. Then she burst out:— “O Mrs. Palmer, I have been doing you such an injustice! I have been talking about you, and calling you a crank, and”—she choked down a sob. “There was really nothing one could say against you, but I did my best to injure you. But I’ve changed my mind. How you have transformed those Royce children is the talk of the neighborhood.” “Not I, but the dear Lord did it all. As to the injury, never mind about that, dear.” “If you would only get angry, I would not feel half so bad. God must abhor me. I hate myself.” And her pride just then had a terrible fall, for11 she wept, notwithstanding her feeble efforts to abstain. She felt the pride, that had been as indispensable to her artificial nature as the backbone to her body, begin to melt away, until she thought she would collapse; and she did—that artificial Mrs. Gerry went all in pieces, and never got put together again. Mrs. Palmer spoke words of comfort and encouragement, and they knelt down together and prayed, both prayed, and when they arose from their knees you could not have found your gossipy neighbor, for she was dead, and there stood in her place a new creature in Christ Jesus. Springfield, Mass. LIDA F. SCOTT. LIFE'S MIRROR.
By Madeline S. Brigham
THERE are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave,
There are souls that are pure and true;
Then give to the world the best you have,
And the best will come back to you. Give love, and love to your life will flow,
And strength in your utmost needs;
Have faith, and a score of hearts will show
Their faith in your work and deeds. Give truth, and your gifts will be paid in kind;
Give song, and a song will meet;
And the smile which is sweet will surely find
A smile that is just as sweet. Give pity and sorrow to those who mourn,
You will gather in flowers again,
The scattered seeds from your thoughts outborne,
—Tho the sowing seemed in vain. For life is the mirror of king and slave,
'Tis just what we are and do;
Then give to the world the best you have,
And the best will come back to you. THE GIRL AS A SISTER.
By Mrs. M. C. Du Bois
THE sister's responsibility, her influence over a brother for good or ill, is much greater than most realize. She can, to a great extent, mold a brother's character as she wills. Here is an illustrative incident: A revival series was in progress in a certain place. A young man was thinking seriously of giving his heart to God, and was on the point of expressing himself determined to become a Christian, when his sister, a proud, wilful girl, succeeded in keeping him back. That night, on his way home, he was thrown from his horse, and instantly killed. I have known a few model sisters who took a deep interest in the welfare of their brothers. It is a beautiful sight to see a brother and sister who truly love each other, and who, instead of teasing and perplexing, strive to make each other happy. A sister should not grudge the time and care spent upon her brothers. She should do all she can to make home attractive and pleasant for them. She should take pains to “dress up” and look as neat for her brother as for some other girl's brother. If she is a musician, and has a musical instrument, she ought to play for them; and if they are singers, they can unite their voices in happy song. Many hours can thus be spent in profitable enjoyment, and the boys be kept at home, instead of going “down street,” or to the country store or post-office, where they hear vile stories and their minds are filled with poison of the worst kind. But if the sister is selfish, and loves her ease, she will pay no attention to the boys, nor care where they spend their evenings. The sister ought to take an interest in her brother's room, to keep it neat and in order. Perhaps she can share some of the dainty articles from her own room to help beautify his. I knew a girl who, in the season of flowers, kept a bouquet on the table in her brother's room. Her brother did not seem to notice, and often she thought it was labor lost; but one day he told her he loved to see the flowers in his room when he went in at night, tired with his day's work. Soon after she was called from home, and her brother wrote her how he missed her flowers. She felt amply paid for the pains she had taken. Some one may say, “I do try to be good and sisterly; but my brother never seems to care for me, or notice me, only to tease or find fault; he never wants me to go anywhere with him, and acts as if he did not want me near him.” I think I have seen a few such brothers, and it is a sad thing. But, my dear girl, do not be discouraged; go right on being a good sister. Be patient, loving, and kind. Show an interest in your brother. Chat with him; tell your witty stories for him; look after his wardrobe; keep his buttons sewed on, his handkerchiefs neatly ironed; in fact, perform any little sisterly act that may be needed to convince him of your love. And your tenderness will not be lost. You will win by and by. Sometime, somewhere, your brother will come to realize the worth of a true sister's love. Not all brothers are like the one we have been speaking of. There are brothers who value a good sister, and who are as polite to her as to any girl acquaintance, and are as willing to escort her to church or lecture as some girl friend. I have in mind several such brothers. Would there were more. It does pay to do all you can for your brother. Whatever you do for him will come back to you again. If you set him an ill-natured, fault-finding example, it will recoil upon you from his own irritated nature. If, by patience with his infirmities, you dwell with him in love during the few years you yet remain in the home nest together, you will not lose a rich reward by and by. It is only just a little time now that you will all be together in the dear old home that has sheltered you all since childhood. So, dear girls, while you have your brothers yet with you, do all in your power to make them noble, pure men, if they are not such already. There are also sisterly duties toward the sisters of the same family. Sisters should be loving and kind to one another; but too often they are sharp and cross, and in some cases there is lifelong enmity over mere trifles. Such a situation is indeed sad in any family. Ill-will, hatred, bitterness, or anger ought never to find place with children of the same family. God never intended that any spirit but love should pervade the home. Satan loves to stir up strife and discord in the family. He is doing all in his power, in these last days, to ruin homes, to set the hearts of children against each other, against their parents, against God and His truth. O, that the brothers and sisters in the many homes that the SIGNS enters, would realize Satan's wiles, and not let him use them in his service! Rather may they consecrate themselves to God and His service, and may each brother, each sister, do all that is possible to comfort the dear parents, and make their home the brightest, cheeriest place on earth. Soon you will leave the home of your childhood for other duties, and as you go out into the world, carry with you the knowledge that you did your best to make the home you are leaving a happy one, the memory of which will be a joy to you thru all life's journey. Grand Ledge, Mich. Mrs. M. C. Du Bois. LESSON II.—MARCH 16.—WEARYING GOD.
1 “And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto My name, saith the Lord of hosts, then will I send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold, I will rebuke the seed for your sake, and will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your sacrifices; and ye shall be taken away with it. 4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that My covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. 5 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might fear; and he feared Me, and stood in awe of My name. 6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and did turn many away from iniquity. 7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 8 But ye are turned aside out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. 9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept My ways, but have had respect of persons in the law. 10 “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. 12 The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, him that waketh and him that answereth, out of the tents of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts. 13 And this again ye do; ye cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, insomuch that He regardeth not the offering any more, neither receiveth it with good will at your hand. 14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously, tho she is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. 15 And did He not make one, altho He had the residue of the spirit? And wherefore one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For I hate putting away, saith the Lord, the God of Israel, and him that covereth his garment with violence, saith the Lord of hosts; therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. 17 “Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied Him? In that ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delighteth in them; or where is the God of judgment?” (1) To whom is this message specially addressed? Verse 1. Note 1. (2) What is our duty respecting this message? What is the result if we do not lay it to heart? What results if the message is not heeded? What has already resulted? Why? Verse 2. (3) What further judgments are threatened? Verse 3. (4) What would these judgments show? Are these judgments necessary to impart such knowledge? Verse 4. (5) With whom did God covenant? What was the nature of this covenant? What was God’s object in giving Levi these blessings? In what did they nominally result? Verse 5. (6) What was in his mouth? What was not found in his lips? How did he walk? Before whom? What was the result? Verse 6. (7) What should the priest’s lips teach? What have the people a right to do? Why? Verse 7. (8) But what had the Lord’s priests done? What had they caused many to do? What had they corrupted? What was the character of this covenant? What, then, had they corrupted? What are corrupted life and peace? Verses 4, 5, 8. (9) What had the Lord done to save His honor? In what proportion had He done this? What evil thing does He mention? Verse 9. (10) By what questions does the prophet show man’s equality and God’s impartiality? How, then, ought man to treat his fellow? What do those do who deal treacherously with their brethren? Verse 10. (11) What has Judah done? What was in Israel and Jerusalem? In what particulars? Verse 11. Note 2. (12) What will the Lord do to the man who thus separates from Him? Verse 12. (13) What hypocrisy did Judah and Israel show in their sins? How does God regard it? How does He receive their offering? Verse 13. (14) What question do they ask in their blindness? What specific sin does the Lord point out? For what purpose was the wife given? Verse 14. Note 3. (15) How did God make man and woman? Why? To what should every one give heed? What should not be done? Verse 15. (16) What two things does God here say that He hates? What warning does He repeat? Verse 16. (17) How had their words affected the Lord? Note 4. Why? In what two things had they especially sinned? Verse 17. 1. O priests.—This chapter is especially addressed to priests; but because of this no one need give it away. God designs that His people—all of them—should be priests unto the world. “And He made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto His God and Father.” Rev. 1:6, R.V. See article in editorial department entitled “Priests of God.” 2. Abomination is committed.—The Lord counts Himself as husband to His people. See Jeremiah 3, especially verse 14; Rom. 7:4. He takes poor humanity in their vileness, gives them His own royal name and His glorious robes of righteousness. When those who have been thus honored depart from Him and unite with another, they are as truly committing adultery as is a woman who leaves her own lawful husband to become the wife of another. When the church unites with the State, she is profaning God’s holiness and committing abomination. 3. Thy companion.—God did not give man a wife to satisfy his lust, nor to be his slave or servant, nor to occupy an inferior position, even tho a different one. The original expression is “a help, meet for him,” one fitted to be his companion in a noble service for God and humanity. Husband and wife are to be one, but neither he nor she is to be the one. Both are to blend in one purpose, in one life, but neither to be the slave of the other. 4. Wearied the Lord.—We learn by this lesson that it is the false words, the hypocritical words, the false high profession that wearies God. We may be sinners, but we are always welcome if we seek Him honestly to be rid of our sin. “Pray without ceasing” is His instruction; and the prayer from the sincere soul who longs to be like God is heard of Him with pleasure. THE STEADFAST HOPE.
By Thoro Harris
When on the reef of death my bark lies stranded,
And Time his last rude, fateful gale has blown,
On peril’s rocks my weary feet have landed,
And I am called to tread a path unknown. Thou who hast trod the way untried before me,
When mortal life is slipping fast away,
Then in Thy love, blest Saviour, I implore Thee,
Be Thou alone my dying trust and stay. And if, perchance, my ill all good outweighing,
Thou yet canst save me, thru Thy boundless grace,
Still on Thy arm divine I shall be staying
As I approach my final resting-place. Some humble home, O Lord, Thou wilt prepare me,
Where all the raving blasts of sorrow cease!
To scenes of endless beauty Thou wilt bear me,
Where ceaseless flows the river of Thy peace. Deep in Thy wounds my shame and sorrow hiding,
E’en now I sing heav’n’s new immortal song;
And in Thy love forevermore abiding,
I taste the sweets of bliss, for which I long. Washington, D. C. THORO HARRIS.