[This article is No. 25 in the series entitled "A Review of Sunday Legislation in Century Nineteen," but it will be of equal interest to those who have not read preceding numbers. —ED. S. OF T.]
It was my unpleasant duty in the last number of this serial to outline briefly the persecutions perpetrated by the Church of England during her infancy. It will be in the province of this paper to sketch her malpractices during later days.
The votaries and apologists of the Church of England have endeavored to extenuate the measure of her guilt in persecuting the Roman Catholics during those early days, on the ground that their presence in British territory was a menace to the political stability of the throne. There may be a shadow of a truth to this, but as long as we lay claim to veracity we would not dare to state the case more strongly.
Doubtless there was many a jolly popish priest in the old manor houses of the northern countries [of England] who would have admitted, in theory, the deposing power of the pope, but who would not have been ambitious to be stretched on the rack, even though it were to be used, according to the benevolent proviso of Lord Burleigh, "as charitably as such a thing can be," or to be hanged, drawn, and quartered, even though by that rare indulgence which the queen, of her special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, sometimes extended to very mitigated cases, he were allowed a fair time to choke before the hangman began to grabble in his entrails.
But the Church of England was also the persecutor of the Puritans. And the Puritans were certainly not political foes of the throne of England. When the Church of England persecuted the Puritans, she did it out of pure, unadulterated, narrow-minded bigotry. It is true that the Papists were a faction. But the Puritans were only a sect. They were a small and an inoffensive sect. The Church of England persecuted them, and they became a faction. Says Macaulay:—
By no artifice of ingenuity can the stigma of persecution, the worst blemish of the English Church, be effaced or patched over. Her doctrines we well know do not tend to intolerance. She admits the possibility of salvation out of her own pale, but this circumstance, in itself honorable to her, aggravates the sin and the shame of those who persecuted in her name. Dominic and De Monfort did not, at least, murder and torture for difference of opinion which they considered as trifling. It was to stop an infection which, as they believed, hurried to certain perdition every soul which it seized, that they employed their fire and steel. The measures of the English Government with respect to the Papists and Puritans sprang from a widely different principle.
We most certainly agree with England's historian laureate that the "doctrines" of the Church of England "do not tend to intolerance." But this can only be urged in allegation of the fact that published creeds are of no value in guiding the steps of polemical ministers, armed with civil power. Indeed the position of very many clergymen of the Church of England seems to be tersely stated by one of them, Steele, who in a dedication tells the pope "that the only difference between our churches, in their opinions of the certainty of their doctrines, is that the Church of Rome is infallible and the Church of England is never in the wrong."
It was during the memorable days of king Charles I. that the Puritans were treated the worst. They were indeed followed by a persecution as cruel and relentless as that of the Holy Office of the Inquisition. They were forced to leave their native land as exiles. They were cast in dungeons damp and dark. They were mercilessly whipped. Their ears were cut off. Their noses were slit. With red-hot irons their cheeks were branded. And all of this by the Church of England! But in vain did their oppressor endeavor to wear out their fortitude. They were truly mutilated defenders of liberty. Forsake the cause of freedom and the post of duty?—Never. Again and again they defied the vengeance of the Star Chamber. With undiminished resolution they came back "to the place of their glorious infamy, and manfully presented the stumps of their ears to be grubbed out by the hangman's knife. The hardy sect grew up and flourished in spite of everything that seemed likely to stunt it, struck its roots deep into a barren soil, and spread its branches wide open to an inclement sky. The multitude thronged around Prynne in the pillory with more respect than they paid to Mainwaring in the pulpit, and treasured up the rags which the blood of Burton had soaked, with a veneration such as miters and surplices had ceased to inspire."
Nor has the Church of England always been consistent on one of its own pet theories. I refer to the doctrine of Passive Obedience and Divine Right. When the reigning sovereign professed the Church of England doctrines, the clergy advocated this doctrine vigorously; but when a papist sat upon the throne they maintained as far as possible a discreet silence. Here is their belief on the matter, as stated by one of their number:—
The reigning prince is a being armed with supreme physical power by the hand and permission of Providence; as such the lord of our property, the master of our lives, the fountain of honor, the dispenser of law, before whom each subject must surrender his will and conform his actions. . . . Who when he errs, errs as a man, and not as a king, and is responsible, not to man, but to God. . . . The church [of England] with one uniform, unhesitating voice, has proclaimed the duty of "passive obedience."
In view of such a statement of this Fox can hardly be blamed for telling the House of Commons that, "by being a good churchman, a person might become a bad citizen."
Charles II., the ignoble hero of the restoration, came after the Commonwealth, which had taken the place of his unhappy father, Charles I. He seems to have done all in his power to humble the bishops, and for this they hated him cordially. Nevertheless, he does not appear to have manifested any marked affinity for the dissenters. During his reign the famous Five Mile Act was passed, which forbade nonconformist teachers, who refused to take the non-resistance oath, to come within five miles of any corporation where they had preached since the Act of Oblivion (unless they were traveling), under penalty of £40.
He in turn was succeeded by James II. (1685). This man was a papist; but, strange to relate, the bishops struck an alliance with him forthwith. It would appear that they hoped to convert him. Be that as it may, the extraordinary union ended in a quarrel. And the ground of the quarrel was this: The king made an attempt to repeal the celebrated Test and Corporation Acts. By these it had been enacted that all persons in government employ should be compelled, under a heavy penalty, to receive the sacrament according to the rites of the Church of England. On the 18th of March, 1686-87, the king informed the Privy Council that he had determined to grant "entire liberty of conscience to all his subjects." This from a Catholic prince was a marvel. But it was too much for the bishops.
From this moment the position of the two great parties was entirely changed. The bishops clearly perceived that the statutes which it was thus attempted to abrogate were highly favorable to their own power, and, hence, in their opinion, formed an essential part in the constitution of a Christian country. They had willingly combined with James while he assisted them in persecuting men [the Puritans] who worshiped God in a manner different from themselves. So long as this compact held good they were indifferent as to matters which they considered to be of minor importance. They looked on in silence, while the king was amassing the materials with which he hoped to turn a free government into an absolute monarchy. They saw Jefferies and Kirke torturing their fellow-subjects; they saw the jails crowded with prisoners, and the scaffolds streaming with blood. They were well pleased that some of the best and ablest men in the kingdom should be barbarously persecuted, that Baxter should be thrown into prison, and that Howe should be forced into exile. They witnessed with composure the most revolting cruelties, because the victims of them were the opponents of the English Church.
Although the minds of men were filled with terror and with loathing, the bishops made no complaint. They preserved their loyalty unimpaired, and insisted on the necessity of humble submission to the Lord's anointed. But the moment James proposed to protect against persecution those who were hostile to the church; the moment he announced his intention of breaking down that monopoly of offices and of honors which the bishops had long secured to their own party; the moment this took place, the hierarchy became alive to the dangers with which the country was threatened from the violence of so arbitrary a prince. The king had laid his hand on the ark, and the guardians of the temple flew to arms. How could they tolerate a prince who would not allow them to persecute their enemies? How could they support a sovereign who sought to favor those who differed from the national church? They soon determined on the line of conduct it behooved them to take. With an almost unanimous voice, they refused to obey the order by which the king commanded them to read in their churches the edict for religious toleration. Nor did they stop there.
What came next is best told by Macaulay:—
Then followed an auction, the strangest that history has recorded. On one side the king, on the other the church, began to bid eagerly against each other for the favor of those whom up to that time king and church had combined to oppress. The Protestant dissenters, who only a few months before had been a despised and proscribed class, now held the balance of power. The harshness with which they had been treated was universally condemned. The court tried to throw all the blame on the hierarchy. The hierarchy flung it back on the court. The king declared that he had unwillingly persecuted the Separatists only because his affairs had been in such a state that he could not venture to disoblige the clergy. The established clergy protested that they had borne a part in severity uncongenial to their feelings only from deference to the authority of the king. . . . Those who had lately been designated as schismatics and fanatics were now dear fellow-Protestants, weak brethren; it might be, but still brethren, whose scruples were entitled to tender regard. If they would but be true at this crisis to the cause of the English Constitution, and to the reformed religion, their generosity should be speedily and largely rewarded. They should have, instead of an indulgence which was of no legal486validity, a real indulgence, secured by Act of Parliament.
The Puritans joined with the bishops, and this coalition drove James II. from his throne. And it is a fact never to be forgotten that the first and only time that the Church of England has made war upon the crown, was when the crown had declared its intention of tolerating, and in some degree protecting, the rival religions of the country.
(To be continued.)
THE SABBATH WILL BE A TEST IN THE LAST GREAT REFORMATION.
By Matthew Larsen
BY ELDER MATTHEW LARSEN.
IN my last article attention was called to the fact that there would be a warning message given to the world, a work of reformation wrought, and a remnant people called out, who should keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus (Isa. 62: 10, 11; Joel 2: 1, 30-32; Rev. 12: 17; 14: 12), before the second advent of Christ is to take place. In this article I purpose to show that the Sabbath will be a test in that reformation,—a test of our loyalty and obedience to God,—that there will be a reformation in respect to its observance, and that the remnant people of God will keep it, just as God commanded it.
In entering upon the discussion of this question we will first call attention to a few illustrations, or considerations, from the history of God's people and work in the past, of a similar character, as illustrative of this point. In nearly every great or important reformation of the past, of which the Lord has furnished us any record, the Sabbath truth has been made prominent, and the Sabbath has been set before the people as a test of their loyalty to God. In proof of this assertion appeal is first made to the history of the Israelites at the time of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. While down in Egypt, in bondage and servitude, they had, to a greater or less extent, been led away from the knowledge of the true God into heathenism and Egyptian idolatry. They had strayed away from God, and by cruel taskmasters been compelled to break the Sabbath and disobey him. In this condition God took pity upon them, and purposed to make them his peculiar people, and deliver them, that they might serve and obey him. "And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness; . . . that they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws." Ps. 105: 43-45.
But, as has already been noticed, they had been blinded and defiled by the heathen idolatry with which they were surrounded; and consequently a work of reformation must be wrought for them. They had nearly lost the knowledge of the true God and of his law. So the Lord led them out, and made himself manifest to them by "signs and wonders" (Eze. 20: 5; Jer. 32: 21); he gave them his laws, and purposed to test them whether they would obey him or not. But before they could enter the land of Canaan, they must first be proved. The record says:—
"Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no." Ex. 16: 4.
But how, or by what means, does he prove or test them?—By the fourth commandment,—the Sabbath obligation. Six days he caused the manna to fall; but on the seventh day, which was the Sabbath, he gave them none:—
"And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating; . . . and it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much; . . . and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord; bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning."
And they did so; and on the next day—the Sabbath—Moses told them that there should be none in the field on that day: "Six days shall ye gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none." But some of the people disobeyed, and went out to gather on that day; but they found none. "And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?" The expression "how long" implies a previous continual neglect, and, hence, a previous knowledge of the institution. "See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." Ex. 16: 21-29.
Thus the Lord not only showed them which day to keep, and how to keep it, but he also made it the test of their obedience and loyalty to him. "I will prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no," said the Lord. And he chose, or used, the Sabbath, or the fourth commandment, for that purpose. It thus became the test in that reformation.
Again, in the days of Nehemiah, when the Lord brought again his people from Babylonish captivity, we discover that this same fact is again made quite prominent. They had again gone into idolatry and sin, and a reformation had thus become a necessity. Neh. 9: 26, 38. Again, the Sabbath comes in as a testing truth, by which they are to be proved. Neh. 13: 15-22. In fact, its violation was one of the chief causes which had led them into the captivity to begin with. See Jer. 17: 20-27; 2 Chron. 36: 16-19; Neh. 13: 18.
When we come down to the time of Christ's first advent, we again notice the same thing. A message is to be given, a work of reformation must be wrought; the way of the Lord must be prepared, and the standard of righteousness be exalted. But this time the Jews had gone to the other extreme. They had virtually made void the commandments of God by their burdensome traditions (see Matt. 15: 1-9; Mark 7: 1-12); especially was this true of the Sabbath. They had gone so far as to prescribe that it was wrong upon the Sabbath day to walk on the grass, to lift a pail of water, wear nailed shoes, carry a blanket, or heal the sick, and the like. Says one writer:—
The restful and refreshing Sabbath of Eden and Sinai had been buried by the Pharisees under the rubbish of petty rules. Strangely enough, some readers have mistaken Christ's work in removing this rubbish, that the people might once more enjoy their Sabbaths, for an effort to destroy the Divine Fountain itself.—The Sabbath for Man, Crafts, pp. 367, 368.
When Christ came, he undertook to remove this rubbish, he condemned their foolish traditions, and sought, both by precept and example, to set them right, by teaching them how to properly observe it, so that it might be to them, as God had intended, a day of delight and holy joy in the Lord. Time and again did the Jews utter complaint against him for his manner of observing the day, and they even accused him of violating the Sabbath, because of the deeds of mercy and goodness which he did upon that day. John 5: 8-18; 7: 18-24; 9: 13-16. But Christ, who spoke the law from Mount Sinai, gave them to understand that what he did, in healing the sick, etc., was according to the law, was in keeping with its true letter and spirit. He says, "Wherefore it is lawful [i. e., according to the law, see Webster] to do well on the Sabbath days." Matt. 12: 12.
Thus the Sabbath—the proper keeping of the Sabbath—became the chief point of contention or complaint between Christ and his disciples, and the Jews and Pharisees (Matt. 12: 1-12; Mark 2: 23-28; 3: 1-5; Luke 6: 1-11; 13: 10-17; 14: 1-6); and, consequently, it was made the test of a proper, or lawful, obedience to the commandments of God. Hence, we find Christ, when telling his disciples of the destruction of Jerusalem, placing the most marked stress upon the importance and the proper observance or keeping of the Sabbath, by instructing them to even make its proper observance a matter of prayer. "Pray," said he, "that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." Matt. 24: 20. Why not flee in the winter?—Because they would have perished from the cold. But why not flee on the Sabbath day? If the day was no longer binding, if it had been done away, they might as well flee on that day as on any other. The obligation must, therefore, still be in force, and its observance recognized. To flee to the mountains on that day would have involved them in a violation of the sacredness of the Sabbath, which forbade all unnecessary labor, or labor which might possibly be avoided, and fleeing on that day to the mountains would have been a hard, laborious day's journey, and, hence, a violation of the sacredness of the Sabbath obligation. The opposite of fleeing would be resting. Hence, Christ virtually taught his disciples to pray that they might rest on the Sabbath day. Thus important was the observance of the Sabbath in the days of Christ and the early Christians, and certainly it can have lost none of its importance or sacredness since.
From these illustrations we may justly conclude, or expect, that this question,—the Sabbath question,—will become quite an important factor in connection with the reformation of the last days, and its observance a test of our sincerity and loyalty to the service of God. We have observed that such has been the case in each of the reformations of the past, to which our attention has been called. Whenever God would "prove" them, whether they would walk in his law or no, he used the Sabbath for that purpose, and to this rule, we may be sure, the last great reformation will be no exception. God deals with his people and his work alike in all ages. "I change not," he says. Mal. 3: 6.
The "remnant people" keep the commandments of God. Rev. 12: 17. But whosoever offends in "one point, he is guilty of all." James 2: 10. And since the Sabbath, the fourth commandment, the observance of the seventh day, is a part of that law, it follows, as an inevitable conclusion, that they will be Sabbath keepers. From this there can be no escape.487
I will now introduce some more direct proofs in support of this proposition that the remnant church will be observers of the Sabbath, that it is to be a test of their obedience:—
"Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice; for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed." Isa. 56: 1.
But this is to take place at his second advent, for so says Paul:—
"And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9: 28.
Salvation, then, is a thing to be revealed at his second coming.
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time," i. e., the last day. 1 Peter 1: 5.
Then, since the prophet Isaiah is speaking of a time when salvation is "near to come," "near to be revealed," and that is not until in the "last time,"—not until our Saviour shall come the "second time,"—it follows that this prophecy must apply to that time. From this conclusion there can be no escape. And now let us see what follows:—
"Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it [That "doeth" what? that "layeth hold" on what?]; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. . . . Also the sons of the stranger [i. e., the Gentiles], that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, everyone that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even then will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; . . . for mine house [i. e., church] shall be called a house of prayer for all people." Isa. 56: 2-7.
The obligations of God's house, or church, must of necessity be just as universal as the house itself; hence, the universality of the Sabbath. From the above prophecy it is evident that the remnant people of God, both Jews and Gentiles—that is, "the sons of the stranger"—are to keep the Sabbath. One more text and we think it will be sufficient on this point:—
"And they that shall be of thee [i. e., the "remnant"] shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in." Isa. 58: 12.
Something has been trodden down for generations; a "breach" has been made; and this remnant people are going to raise it up again, and thus become the repairers of the breach, the restorers of paths to dwell in. Now, what is it? We venture it is the Sabbath. Let us see:—
"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Isa. 58: 13, 14.
This puts the question beyond a doubt. There will be a reformation in respect to the Sabbath in the last days. The remnant church will observe it. It will be a test of their fidelity to his cause and truth. They are, in the proper observance of the Sabbath, to raise up the foundations of many generations, and thus to be called the repairers of the "breach," etc. The Sabbath is the testing truth of that work. And who does not feel the necessity of such a work being wrought. But then it becomes a matter of importance to us to know not only how to observe the Sabbath, but which day is the Sabbath. May the Lord, then, help us to investigate this question, heed it, accept God's word, and obey it.
THE GREAT FAMINE.
By W. H. Wild
BY W. H. WILD.
"BEHOLD, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord; and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." Amos 8:11, 12.
God is a God of love, "long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." All are dependent upon God for their existence. He sendeth rain upon the unjust as well as on the just, he causeth the sun to shine upon the evil as well as on the good. "The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works." After man had sinned, and become God's enemy, a traitor to his government, even then, when in man there was no hope of a future life, God sent his Son, his only Son, into the world, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life.
There is no end to the love of God. To be sure he is not a God that loves iniquity; he would not and could not save us if he did. He has provided a way whereby poor, fallen man may become like him, pure, holy, lovely, and loving. He says:—
"Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. . . . Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
God cannot be just and save people in their sins, for then he would perpetuate sin and sinners to all eternity. But he can be just in blotting out from the universe all sin, and sinners who identify themselves with the sin, who will not come to him, that they might have eternal life. They will be speechless and without excuse when they are brought to judgment. For in his great mercy the Lord says:—
"Turn you at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at naught my counsel, and would none of my reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me." Prov. 1:23-28.
And why does the Lord do this?—Because of their own choice. Inspiration thus tells us:—
"For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord; they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof." Verses 29, 30.
We will now return to our subject, the great famine. I desire to show, first, why God permits such a famine to come, and, secondly, when it will come, or upon what generation.
We find in the book of Revelation (chapter 14, verses 9, 10) a warning to all the inhabitants of the earth against the worshiping of a certain beast, or his image, and also against receiving the mark of the beast. All who reject this warning and worship the beast will be visited by the seven last plagues, or drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which will be poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. What the beast and his image are, that we are forbidden to worship, are portrayed in the prophecy of the thirteenth chapter of Revelation. Here are brought to view two beasts, the leopard beast and the two-horned beast. It is the two-horned beast that is to enforce the worship of the leopard beast. See verse 12. It is the two-horned beast that is to deceive the people by its miracles, and enforce the mark of the beast.
We cannot take time in this article to prove what governments these two beasts are a symbol of. We will briefly say that the leopard beast, or first beast in the chapter, is a symbol of the papal power, and the two-horned beast symbolizes our own government. If the reader wants proof for this, let him send for the book entitled "Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation," 43 Bond Street, New York City.
To prove that the Third Angel's Message of chapter 14 is the last message of mercy, to be given just before the great day of God's wrath comes, we call attention to the events which immediately follow the proclamation of this message, as found in the latter part of the chapter, commencing with verse 14. There the coming of Christ and the harvest of the world are brought to view. Moreover, the wine of God's wrath, that all who worship the beast are to drink, is synonymous with the seven last plagues of chapter 16. This is shown by verse 2 of chapter 16, which tells us that the noisome and grievous sore falls upon those who worship the beast or his image, and receive his mark.
Now we are prepared to show what generation it is that will experience the effects of the famine. It will be that generation which rejects the Third Angel's Message. The fact of their seeking the word of God, and not finding it anywhere on the earth, proves that there is no one to preach that word to them, for they have rejected the word. It seems that their probation has closed, and that, although they have had warning after warning, yet, after all, the day of God has come upon them unawares.
The words of our Saviour, found in Matt. 24:14, prove that a famine for the word of God could not come before the end comes, and we are told repeatedly by the prophets of God that when Christ comes all the wicked will be destroyed. "The Lord shall be revealed488from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." See 2 Thess. 1:7-9. This takes in all classes who, at that time, obey not God. The time of the pouring out of the plagues of God's wrath seems to be one year, from the close of probation to the coming of Christ. Isa. 63:4, 6; Rev. 18:8. These plagues are before Christ's coming, for the Saviour does not come until after the sixth vial is poured out. It will also be in this day when they will experience the great famine. Before this the inhabitants of earth will have rejected the word of God, refused to hear its message of life and salvation, choosing their own way instead of God's way, and God gives them their fearful choice. His servants have no more burden to preach; his Spirit is withdrawn. When the wrath which they have chosen comes, then, when too late, they will seek for God's word. What a universal wail will go up from those who fear not God and obey not his gospel, when that day overtakes them! Then shall they cry, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." Reader, yield to God now.
Docility Overcomes Difficulty
A DOCILE disposition will, with application, surmount every difficulty.—Manilius.
TO THE AGED.
By Eliza H. Morton
BY ELIZA H. MORTON.
O AGED pilgrim on the way,
Rejoicing in the Lord,
Know ye the truth for this thy day,
And render praise to God.
Full many crosses ye have borne,
And now new light is shed
Along thy path, and Jesus holds
A crown above thy head.
Fear not the taunting face of clay;
Leave prejudice behind;
God's word alone, thy staff, thy stay;
Let not tradition bind.
The Sabbath of Jehovah shows
What Jesus is to thee,
Creator, Saviour, help divine,
Oh, let him ever be!
And floods of light with crimson gleams
Will tinge thy sunset sky,
And glory shine from heaven's gates,
And angels hover nigh.
GOD'S WORD AND CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE.
By F. M. Burg
BY F. M. BURG.
THE lives of Christians would be characterized by a much greater degree of happiness, they would experience a greater amount of that "peace of God that passeth knowledge," if they had a better understanding of the relation of the word of God to a real Christian experience.
To how many is an effort to be a Christian nothing more than a heavy drudgery, whereas they might be in the enjoyment of that complete freedom and liberty which it would please our beneficent heavenly Father to bestow, and for which provision is made in his word. "Provision for a happy Christian experience in the word?"—Yes, most assuredly. And the lives of Christians will be but a foretaste of the bliss of heaven when they understand fully what the word of God may be—is designed to be—to them, not merely an intellectual knowledge, however, but an experimental knowledge of it.
In the experience of how many is the word read with no appreciation of its real value, reading it, not as the voice of God direct to them personally, but, if not as some ordinary book, yet as something written in the dim past to someone else, the record, merely, preserved for us.
Is the Bible the voice of God addressing us as verily as though he were visible and spoke audibly? Who will say it is not? Are not the relations between God and each individual soul as intimate and full as though the great plan of redemption were devised solely for his personal salvation? The sacred volume was written for all, expresses the matchless love of God to all, is his voice addressing all, and is, therefore, for each one. As the writer, a short time since, heard it expressed by one, that which is past, present, and future with us, finite beings, is with him, the infinite, the One with whom a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, an eternal present, an eternal now.
He who is invisible to mortal eye, yet seen in matchless splendor in his word by that person who has experienced its transforming power, saw—let us say me, not someone else—saw me, in all my relation to circumstances; saw me lost, undone, in myself having no hope, doomed to die; yea, he knew all about me, and, in consideration of all I needed, he, in infinite pity, wrote this wonderful letter, and in it made provision for my every need in this world and for all that I can hope to have in the next. God made provision for my conversion; he made provision for my complete victory in every conflict in my Christian experience; and this victory over sin is what will give to Christians the "peace of God that passeth knowledge."
That there is cleansing power in the word this article can no more than merely state. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made." See Ps. 33:6, 9. This word of God is the basis of our faith (Rom. 10:17), and faith is the "victory that overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). Faith is victory, not hoping for it, and sad because we do not have it. Turn it around. Victory is faith, i. e., as stated in Heb. 11:1, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for," etc. What is it?—The substance, the possession, of that for which we hope, not wishing we had it, as it were, thinking to ascend into heaven to bring Christ down, or descending into the depths to bring him up, but taking hold of that for which the word makes provision, and rejoicing in its possession,—in our Christian experience laying hold of the victory for which provision is therein made. And, too, if one has the victory, he knows it; and this knowledge gives peace. He knows it how?—By faith. The difficulty is that Christians wait for something visible to indicate that they have the victory. But that is not faith. What has sight to do with it? The victory is in the word, not in the person. Claim it; take hold of it; rejoice in its possession. Be wholly submitted to God's will; then, and then alone, can you claim the victory. Otherwise the claim to victory is selfish boasting. Shall we not more fully appreciate the word of God, by which we must live?
WHAT "CHRISTIAN NATIONS" PAY FOR DRINK.
THE following, from the Oakland Times of recent date, a Democratic paper, presents some statistics worthy of consideration. While the United States spends about five million dollars for the conversion of the heathen, over one billion is expended for indulgence in that which does no good, but untold evil:—
In almost every respect the United States is a more extravagant country than England, although England is the most extravagant country in Europe. But in the consumption of spirituous liquors the English exceed us both in the quantity and cost of the liquor consumed. Americans consume a trifle more ardent spirits than the British, but when it comes to wine and beer and other malt liquors of that class, the English are away ahead as drinkers.
The British consumption of ardent spirits is 1.18 gallons per capita, while in America the consumption is 1.50 per capita. When we come to the beer and wine, we see a still greater disparity in favor of the Americans. The English drink 36.17 gallons per capita annually, while the Americans guzzle only 15.54 gallons per capita. But the American gallon is smaller than the imperial gallon, and if we reduce the latter to the American measure, the total British consumption of liquor amounts to 37.71 gallons per capita annually, against an American consumption of less than half that amount.
But liquor costs more in this country than in England; and for that reason the drink bill of the mother country is not so much greater in proportion than the liquor account of the United States. The English pay $17.58 per capita for their liquor, against $15.53 per capita paid in the United States.
Last year the total cost of the liquors consumed in the United Kingdom amounted to $675,739,025, for a population of 38,429,000. In 1892 the drink bill of the United States was $1,014,894,364, for an estimated population of 65,000,000. Scotland drinks more spirits and beer per capita than Ireland. She also drinks more spirits than England or the United States, but her consumption of beer is smaller than that of either. Ireland consumes a trifle more spirits per capita than England, but drinks less than one-third as much wine and beer.
One feature of these drink statistics is the fact that the consumption of liquor in America is lowest in the Southern States. Judged by the amount of liquor consumed, the people of the cotton States are the most temperate white people on earth. It may be surprising, but it is a fact that Georgia consumes much less whisky and less than half the beer per capita that is drunk in Massachusetts.
A HAPPY SLEEP.
By Mrs. M. F. Butts
BY MRS. M. F. BUTTS.
As on some day that seemeth long,
Night comes with blessed sense
Of finished work, of quieted care,
Of dreamy indolence,
When darkness like a curtain's fold
Shuts us in peace away,
And with a thought of heaven we fall
Asleep till dawn of day,
So that still night that we call death
Will fold us sweetly in
From the long years of weariness,
Of sorrow, and of sin,
Will hold us in a blessed sleep
No earthly woe can wake,
Till the new dawn shall touch our lids
And bid the silence break.
—Advance.
Jesus During the Week of Death
By James Stalker
CHRISTIANITY has no more precious possession than the memory of Jesus during the week when he stood face to face with death. Unspeakably great as he always was, it may be reverently said that he was never so great as during those days of direst calamity. He triumphed over his sufferings, not by the cold severity of a stoic, but by self-forgetting love. —James Stalker.