Earlier text: THE KINGDOM OF GODPrepare Ye the Way of the Lord.
By Uriah Smith
THIS prophecy [Isa. xl, 3] was fulfilled by “John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matt. iii, 1, 2. A change, as great perhaps, as any that the world has ever witnessed was about to take place. The Jewish dispensation was drawing to its close. The time was at hand when a new and better covenant was to be made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah; [Jer. xxxi, 31; Heb. viii, 6-8;] a new dispensation was to open; the great sacrifice in which all types centered and by which they were all to cease, was soon to be offered up, and an effectual atonement made for the sins of all those who through Christ might seek for pardon. Men would soon no longer have access to God through outward sacrifice and the service of the earthly sanctuary, but through the ministration of Christ our great High Priest in the heavenly Sanctuary; the last act in the plan of salvation was to be accomplished, and the blessings of the gospel proclaimed to the world. Such were some of the events which were then on the eve of fulfillment: for this change the minds of God’s people must be prepared; therefore the voice was heard, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Greater events than these are just before us: events for which the ones just alluded to, were only preparatory. The results of the plan of salvation are about to be told; when all who would come that they might have life, will be gathered home, the wicked cast off, and the stain which sin has made upon the universe of God be wiped away forever. May not then the words quoted, form an admonition applying to us with double force at the present time: Prepare ye the way of the Lord. As those who profess to believe that the world is now hearing the last message of mercy; who see that there is a breach in the law of God to be repaired, and that only through obedience to all the commandments we are to enter into life; who perceive the end of all things just upon us; as those who make such a profession, we are anxious that the truth should be brought before the people, that honest souls may come into the ark before it is too late; that the jewels may be searched out, and that those may return again to the standard who have been “scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” We are naturally anxious that such should be the case; but how is it to be accomplished? Will the Lord perform it and let his people remain passive and idle spectators? By no means. We have each a part to act in this great work. We are not called into the vineyard to be idle. Every child of God, no matter how humble his position may apparently be, has his station to occupy and his place to fill; and that each member should be found standing at his post and filling his allotted place, is necessary for a vigorous and healthy condition of the whole church. It is not enough that we simply be no hindrance to the work; nay, I will venture the assertion that there is no such thing as occupying such a position in connection with the people of God. If we are not gathering, we are scattering abroad. The moment we lay down our oars, that moment we are being borne by the current down the stream; and our example and our influence is constantly telling either for more consecration to God and a closer walk with him, or for less activity, less watchfulness, and less zeal in his cause. The church is a sympathetic body. When one member suffers, the whole suffer with it. One discordant string jars upon all the rest. If therefore the church is not standing together, acting as one man, if discords and separate interests are at work, we cannot expect the Lord to work for the advancement of his cause. We see then how, in a measure at least, we are to prepare the way of the Lord. We must act in unison with the body. We must be consecrated to the will and work of God. We must “present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is our reasonable service.” We must so live and be in such a position that we may let our light shine, that God may work through us as instruments to forward his truth. Thus we see that we have a great work to do with ourselves. We are to render ourselves fit temples for the indwelling of the holy Spirit, and fit instruments for our Master’s use. Till we do this we have not done our part towards preparing the way of the Lord. The work is about to rise and the message go with a loud voice. Amid the mass of minds that will then be brought to bear upon the truth, of every variety of sentiment, temperament and disposition, are we all prepared to stand true to our post, to be unmoved by the trials which may arise, and to breast the storm of opposition which we shall have to meet? Are we prepared to bring with a strong hand all the different elements that will then be brought together into strict accordance with gospel order, that there may be no confusion in the work? If not, we are not ready for that time. It seems that the world has reached that place where everything is ripe for the last great work; and when the people of God are prepared so that he can, consistently, and without danger to themselves, manifest his power through them, there will be delay no longer. Then let us be putting on the armor; let us see to it that we are occupying the place assigned to us, and thus heed the admonition, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
U. S. Communication from Bro. Bates.
By Joseph Bates
DEAR BRO. WHITE:—The third angel's message is taking deep root in northern Ohio. About ten months since there were four Brn. with their families that kept the Sabbath. Although they lived several miles apart, they endeavored to meet together in Milan or some other place every Sabbath of the Lord. They prayed the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into Ohio, that honest souls might be sought out, and they would help by their means and do what the Lord required of them. By invitation I labored there a few months last Summer. Bro. Loughborough entered the field soon after I left, and the Lord has blessed his labors in winning souls to Christ. After the Olena conference we visited Clarksfield and some other places together where the way was open to receive the word. THE CONFERENCE at Green Springs Apr. 25th and 26th closed with deep interest; the word spoken was attended with the divine presence. By request we held meetings in Baldville the next Sabbath and First-day, Apr. 29th and 30th. The Lord gave edge to his truth. Conviction fastened on the mind. Some confessed that the Sabbath of the Lord was the right day to keep. Ten were baptized on profession of their faith in the third angel's message. Some others wished to be, but were hindered by outward influences. After the baptizing we had a refreshing season while celebrating the death and sufferings of our divine Lord. We also visited Arlington in Hancock Co., Fremont, Clyde, and York-ridge, in Sandusky, Co., where we found Brn. keeping the Sabbath, or searching for the present truth. In the first mentioned place a deep interest was manifested by some to receive more light, and a desire that I should stay longer. This I could not do because of previous appointments. This was the first time the message had been given in that place. A brother wrote me from thence several days after, saying the leaven was working, and wished me to return, or send some one. I hope the messengers will not forget them. At the Conference in Milan, May 5th—7th where we met, you had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with perhaps one half of the number that have embraced the keeping of the Sabbath within one year in northern Ohio. From the Milan conference we passed over the R. Roads and Lake, to Rochester, N. Y., Here we found the brethren at their post, sending out the Review, and pamphlets to the scattered remnant, while you and your companion were pursuing your western tour, proclaiming the glad tidings of the Kingdom. We were much comforted and strengthened in meeting with the church in R. and trust that our meetings on the evenings of the 9th and 10th inst., were a blessing to some. The conference in Kensington, Ct., on Sabbath, First and Second-days, 13th 14th and 15th, was very encouraging; the Brn. seem resolved to have a closer walk with God. The meeting seemed to revive them much. Some of the church from N. York City, and Springfield were present. All seemed to feel the pressing necessity of New Testament order. Brn. A. Belden and E. L. H. Chamberlain were chosen deacons of the church and set apart for that office by prayer and laying on of hands. Acts vi, 1—6; Titus, i, 5—6; 1 Tim. iii, 8—13. The Lord added his blessing in this work, and also for the sick. Some acknowledged we had the true Sabbath and all the commandments of God were right. Three were baptized in obedience to the great head of the church. From Connecticut I came to this place by invitation, to visit our afflicted sister, companion of Bro. Marshal H. Edson. I had not the privilege of seeing her alive. She died happy in the Lord a few hours before I arrived. JOSEPH BATES. Ashfield, Mass., May 18th, 1854. P. S. May 23d. I thank the Father of all mercies, for preserving me in my last tour among the scattered149 remnant, and permitting me to return to my family in safety, last evening, via Ashfield, Mass. J. B. WESTERN TOUR.
By James White
May 16th we left Jackson for Locke Conference. Bro. A. A. Dodge, who took not a little pains to convey us from place to place, when we were in this State one year since, took us in his carriage to the place of meeting. At Eaton Rapids we were kindly entertained by Dr. V. R. Stowell, and family. The 17th, we performed a most tedious journey over logways and through the mud, to the place of meeting. Here we were disappointed to find so many warm friends of the present truth. The brethren came in from the surrounding country so that on Sabbath the school-house was filled with attentive hearers, mostly Sabbath-keepers. The meetings on Sabbath, and First-day were deeply interesting. On First-day the house was filled at an early hour, and many stood up, not able to get seats, and others gathered around the windows out side. Some went away, because they could not hear. The meeting closed, leaving a good impression on the people generally, while believers were much comforted and strengthened. On our return to Jackson, we called on Bro. C. S. Glover, of Sylvan, and was happy to learn that the Conference at that place had resulted in good—that the brethren were becoming more and more united. The good cause in Michigan is rising. The people want to hear the reasons of our faith and hope, and preaching brethren feel like entering the field with fresh courage. They design obtaining a tent to use the present season. May the Lord prosper them and the cause. Christ's Teachings and the Sabbath.
By E. R. S.
OFTEN when the claims of the Sabbath are presented, the no-Sabbath advocates are ever ready with the reply that Christ never reproved Sabbath-breaking, therefore the fourth commandment is not now binding upon us. In reply it has been repeatedly shown that because the observance of the Sabbath was so strictly regarded at that time no such reproof was necessary. But the Saviour did take occasion to rebuke the Pharisees for a neglect of the weightier matters of the law, while they were thus strict in the observance of the Sabbath, and paying tithes of all they possessed, &c. And were it not for the light now being dispensed no such pleading would be offered as excuse for violating this holy precept. The faithful promulgation of the Sabbath truth cannot but develope the carnal mind of this wrath-bound generation who have so sadly misapplied and wrested the Scriptures to their own destruction. It is not my intention to discuss this point at length; for it is as plain a corollary as was ever drawn, that Jesus Christ and St. James have taught in unison that whosoever offends in one point (or precept) of the law is guilty of all, thereby omitting or relaxing no precept. But admitting the New Testament to appear silent in regard to the Sabbath, is it not entirely so in respect to many other sins that we might mention. I will here present one for the consideration of the candid: the great sin of slavery. It is historically affirmed that Christ and the apostles made their appearance in the Roman empire when the world was filled with slaves. It is stated by writers well informed on this subject, that forty millions of human beings were held in slavery at this time; about one fourth of the entire population; and the right of the owners was that of life and death without protection from law or mitigation of public sentiment. The Saviour saw all this; yet he has said nothing against slavery as far as we know from revelation during his ministry. Is slavery, therefore, no sin? Certainly not, if our opponents' premises are correct. But this kind of reasoning can never stand the searching eye of Jehovah. It may deceive and quiet some minds; but when the judgment of Babylon takes place, we are informed that in her is found the blood of martyrs and slaves and souls of men. So likewise those that keep not all the commandments of God, (fourth not excepted,) can entertain no hope or claim to the tree of life, or admittance to the golden City, but are found without with dogs and sorcerers, waiting for the second death, not fit for a place in the universe of God. Who would not rather be found in the class pronounced blessed. Rev. xxii, 14. E. R. S. We introduce our remarks on this passage with the following translation: For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy of comparison with the glory which is about to be revealed to us. For the longing desire of the creation is awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God (for the creation was subjected to frailty, not of its own will, but on account of him who subjected it,) in the hope that the creation itself, shall also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth, and are in pangs together, until now. And not only so, but ourselves also, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves, awaiting our filiation, (the sonship,) the redemption of our bodies. We do not propose to comment separately upon all the words and phrases of the passage, but to touch lightly upon those on which there is no difference of opinion. We shall aim rather to dwell upon those portions which are essential to a right apprehension of the general scope of the passage. It will be obvious to all, that the key-note of the passage is struck in the verse immediately preceding that with which our translation commences. "And if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him." Thus bringing the sufferings of Christians into immediate contrast with their future glorification, the mind of the Apostle instantly takes fire. In a manner strikingly characteristic, he proceeds to give utterance, as far as he is able, to the conceptions by which his soul was filled and overwhelmed. But what is the point of view, from which he contemplates the glory that is to be revealed to the sons of God? On what stage in the career of the sons of immortality does he fix as furnishing the most full and perfect contrast to the weight of suffering, that bows them in this vale of tears? In other words, what is the period referred to, when they were to be glorified together with Christ? For, that one and the same period is indicated by this and the following expressions—the glory which is about to be revealed to us—the manifestation of the sons of God—the glorious freedom of the children of God—and finally, the sonship—the ransom of our body—that all these expressions, we repeat, point to one and the same occasion, does not, we think, admit a doubt. And what is that occasion? Are we not pointed, most distinctly, to the resurrection? Overlapping all the intervening periods, and overlooking, as it were, all preceding and minor displays of the Christian's glory, does not the mind of the Apostle fasten upon the time when the glorified body, shall be raised from the dust of the earth to reign in renovated youth and beauty, and the relation of the children of God shall be recognized and announced before an assembled universe? Let us recur, for a moment, to the expressions as they occur;—when, according to the representations of the New Testament, are Christians to be glorified together with Christ? When, in the only sense, acknowledged by the Scriptures, is to take place the manifestation of the sons of God? Compare here, Col. iii, 4, "When Christ, our life, is manifested, then shall ye also be manifested with him in glory." Compare, 1 Thess. iv, 13, a passage directly relevant to our subject. And to what portion, again may we so justly refer the glorious freedom of the sons of God, as to that which witnesses their triumph over death, the last enemy, and emancipates their entire nature from the thraldom to which sin had subjected it? But if the above expressions left any doubt, it is dissipated by the final, most explicit statement of the Apostle himself, in which he couples the filiation (evidently another expression for the manifestation of the sons of God—the full and public recognition of their relation, and their investiture with the glory which belong to it) with the redemption of the body, making the two circumstances, if not identical, at least coincident in time. Here, then, it seems to me, is an important clew to guide us in the interpretation of the passage. And we cannot avoid the conviction, that here all the interpreters, whom we have seen, have more or less failed. Some throw the resurrection entirely out of view. Others, who admit a reference to it, fail to give it due prominence—to make it the fore-ground of the picture—to let it occupy that place which it manifestly occupied in the mind of the Apostle. We think the phraseology of the passage, especially taken in connection with the general tenor of the New Testament representations, forces upon us the conviction, that the Apostle here refers definitely to the period of the resurrection, and that, not so much because this was the most advantageous view from which to draw the contrast, but because this was ever uppermost in his mind, when he reflected on the future glory of the people of God. Indeed, it cannot have escaped the attentive reader of the apostolic writings, how frequent and striking are the allusions to that period, and how it pervaded and colored all their religious hopes. The passage which we have quoted from Col. iii, 4, is full of significance, and furnishes a striking commentary on that under consideration. "Ye are dead," says the Apostle, "and your life is hid with Christ in God." The Christian life is now hidden, concealed. In his separate existence, and real character, he is scarcely recognized. When, then, is he to be manifested? When honored with the title, and clothed with the glory, that belong to his station? When, in other words, is his manifestation—his filiation—to take place? "When Christ, our life," proceeds the Apostle, "is manifested, then shall ye also be manifested with him in glory." In 1 Cor. xv, this topic furnishes the theme of one of the most animated and eloquent discussions found on the pages of this always animated writer. He shows how it follows from and pre-supposes the death of Christ, how it involves the very cardinal doctrines of the gospel, and is a vital element of the Christian's faith and hope. He dwells upon its proofs, its scenes, and its practical uses, with a minuteness, a variety, and a fullness, which show that it absorbed the energies and interests of his soul—that it was with him an ever-present and inspiring truth, held not merely as a tenet, essential to the completeness of a scheme of doctrines, but as a truth fruitful of practical influences, and heavenly consolation—pressing on his heart with the might of a new and overwhelming reality—the consummation, and the glory of the gospel—the grand object of Christian hope—the grand incentive to Christian faithfulness. It will not, we trust, be irrelevant in this connection, to present a passage of some length, from 2 Pet. iii, 10-16. We shall give it nearly in the words of the common version. "But the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth and the works in it, shall150 be burnt up. Since, then, all these things must be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness—looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, in which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements melt with fervent heat. But we, according to his promise, look for new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless, and consider the long suffering of the Lord's salvation. As also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you, as also in all his epistles speaking concerning these things." This interesting passage needs no comment; compared with Rom. viii, 19; 1 Cor. xv; 1 Thess. iv, 13-18, it sheds a flood of light upon the uses which the apostles made of the doctrine of the resurrection. If we have succeeded in settling this point, the way is opened for deciding, satisfactorily, upon the meaning of the much contested ktisis. We need not dwell upon the origin and possible signification of this word. Derived from ktizein, to create, it denotes primarily the act of creating; secondly, as synonymous with ktisma, the thing created, the creation. It has, we believe, in its ordinary use, about the same latitude as the word creation, and may, according to its connection, refer chiefly to inanimate nature, or include sentient beings. That it is ever, or could be without the utmost harshness, employed to denote Christians, there is no evidence. The expression kaine ktisis, a new creature, or a new creation, furnishes no ground for such a supposition. The question then, is between that view of it which includes and refers chiefly to sentient beings, and that which refers exclusively to inanimate nature. Does it, in other words, in the passage under consideration, denote men in general, mankind, or inanimate existence in nature? If the view which we have taken above be correct, the question is easily, nay, already decided. The ktisis is introduced as looking with earnest longing for the period when the sons of God shall be manifested, in hope of showing them their glorious deliverance. Is this true of the world of unconverted men? Could the heathen, of or before the age of the Apostle, be said in any possible sense, to be anticipating the resurrection period, with the hope of being themselves participators of its benefits? This point is too plain to need argument. Of all the doctrines or facts unfolded in the word of God—of all the truths, undiscoverable by reason, of which the gospel is the depository; and which none, perhaps, bears so decidedly as this the impress of its superhuman origin—none is so far from having visited the loftiest visions of the sublimest speculators. The Pythagorean metempsychosis bears to it no analogy. Theologians have fancied, that in the Platonic triad, they could discover the germ of even the mysterious doctrine of the trinity. The sacrifices of the pagan world have been regarded as embodying a dim conception of the atonement. But the resurrection of the dead is, we had almost said, the one great fact that belongs exclusively to Christianity. The only meaning then, which remains for ktisis, in the present case, is the inanimate creation—nature. By an animated, we do not say bold—prosopopoeia, the writer introduces universal nature as longing for the period of the complete emancipation of the sons of God. The argument then—for it contains the substance, though not the form of an argument—is used a fortiori. It reasons from the less to the greater. If the benefits to be reaped by irrational existence from the scenes of that day are so great as to justify it in earnestly expecting them, what shall be its results to the immortal intelligence—the sons of God—who are to be the principal participators in its glories? If its subordinate and incidental results are so unspeakably desirable, what may they anticipate on whom it shall confer its "weight of glory"? The sentiment derived from this interpretation is amply sustained by other declarations of Scripture. We will not go back to the prophetic writings, although it is certain that among the Jews there existed a belief in the future renovation of the earth. Neither would we lay much stress on the "renovation," of Matt. xix, 28, or the restoration of all things, of Acts iii, 21, as these expressions are too general to be a safe foundation for argument. When, however, the fact is clearly made out from other sources, they may justly be regarded as corroborated evidence. We need but appeal to the passage already quoted from Peter, in a similar connection, to place the matter beyond a doubt. "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." The words, "according to his promise," decidedly oppose our interpreting this as the mere figurative language of prophecy. But this general view receives still further confirmation from a right understanding of the clause contained in the parenthesis. We have connected, in hope, not with, was subjected, but with, is awaiting. It thus introduces the reason of the anxious longing of the creation, for the period in question. The construction seems thus more simple and unembarrassed, and will, we think, commend itself to the judgment of the reader. The clause in the parenthesis, then, intimates the reasonableness of the expectation entertained by the creation. The reason is that it had no agency in the act which subjected it to its state of bondage, but guiltless itself, was so reduced solely on account of another. The earth was not brought into subjection on its own account. "Cursed is the ground for thy sake," is the emphatic declaration of the Judge, to guilty man, and one which sets in a striking light the truth of the passage before us. As it was not then, by its own agency, or for its own guilt that it was subjected, but solely as the innocent participator in the punishment of another; the creation may rationally hope (such is the tacit implication) that when the last vestiges of the curse are removed from the offender, the unwilling and unoffending sharer in the curse shall receive a like liberation. There is a tacit appeal to the justice of the Deity—an implied assertion that he will not suffer the innocent victim to remain involved in evils from which their guilty author has been liberated. This idea might receive a much more extended elucidation than we now can give it, and one which would go far to establish, on independent grounds, the probability of the future restoration of the material world. And the natural period of such a renovation would be the time when it had ceased to be the repository of the sleeping dust, of sin ruined, but ransomed man—when death, the fatal enemy, was utterly annihilated by the resurrection of the bodies of the believers to life and glory. What we repeat, more natural, what more consonant with all we know of the divine economy, than that, in that moment even physical nature, which was moulded by the plastic hands of the Creator into innumerable forms of beauty and perfection, and scanned by the Omniscient eye, was pronounced "good," shall spring forth from the bondage of its corruption, be freed from the stains of sin, and renovated and beautified, become the meet abode of righteousness? Christ was revealed that he might destroy the works of the devil. One of these works was the subjugation of the natural world to natural, as a faint type of moral evil. The curse, which was laid upon the earth, was as much a result of the malignant efforts of the great adversary as the death, temporal and spiritual, inflicted on Adam and his posterity. And does not, we ask, the full accomplishment of the avowed purpose of the Son of God's appearing—his complete triumph over death and him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, require that he rescue the world, also, from the evils which it shared, in common with its guilty inhabitants? We have thus given our general view of this difficult, interesting and sublime passage. We willingly leave it to be compared with that which makes ktisis refer to mankind in general. It is readily seen what a stoop this latter requires us to make from the elevation to which we are raised on the glowing wing of apostolic faith and hope. It in fact perfectly unchristianizes the whole passage. It degrades "the manifestation of the sons of God—their glorious deliverance from bondage—their huiothesian, the public and solemn ceremony of affiliation into something or nothing, which has been anticipated with earnest longing by the whole heathen world! Tell us not that the Apostle brings forward such a view to cheer his Christian brethren in their state of trial and infirmity. Ask us not to believe, that he has led their minds away from their own glorious resurrection—a reality with whose truth and importance his mind was all imbued and glowing—to a heathen expectation which never existed, and which, if it had existed, was never to be realized! Not only is there no inexplicable "lacuna" in the omission of the heathen world, or the race of men in general, but such an illusion would have been wholly inappropriate. True, they are no less in bondage to frailty and corruption, than the natural world; but it is not true that they, like that, can with any propriety be represented as looking forward to the resurrection as their period of deliverance. And why? Because it will bring no deliverance to them. The world of mankind, so far from welcoming the gospel intelligence of a general resurrection and judgment, shrink from it as a period of superlative woe, in which wrath is to come upon them to the uttermost—which while it consummates the blessedness and glory of the righteous, shall fill the measure of their misery and ruin. On the contrary, there is the utmost propriety in asserting this of inanimate nature. And why? Simply because it is a fact—at least because it was the current opinion of Christians of that age, an opinion sanctioned or rather originated by the express promise of the Messiah himself. No good reason, then, can be shown for denying to Paul the license employed by his colleagues in composing the sacred canon. With those who regard the figure as unwarrantably bold, there will be, we believe, few to sympathize. We will not dwell upon the accustomed boldness of oriental and prophetic imagery, in which the sea, the earth, the mountains, the valleys, are made not only fraught with intelligence and emotion, but by a still greater stretch of imagination, are endowed with hands, eyes, feet, and made to perform acts corresponding to these endowments. The figure in question hardly allies itself in this respect, to oriental imagery. It is a figure, such as in every nation and age would spontaneously suggest itself to a vivid and powerful imagination, in the contemplation of such facts. Whose bosom does not thrill with the conception—what taste does not readily admit, at once, the propriety and awful grandeur of the figure, in which Robert Hall represents creation as clothing herself in sackcloth, and a shriek of innumerable agony rending the frame-work of universal nature over the perdition of a single soul? But when the theme is the general resurrection—with all the weight of glory which will be bestowed on the people of God—when Omnipotence itself shall lavish its treasures of grandeur and of glory, how immeasurably greater the propriety of representing universal nature as instinct with life, and awaiting with earnest longing the happy period, in whose results, in themselves inconceivably glorious, it is so largely to participate. Bold as the figure seems, to a superficial contemplation, it sinks into tame propriety by the side of the mighty subject which it is designed to illustrate. And finally, may we not find in this passage another instance of the use which the primitive Christians made of the doctrine of the resurrection? With what vital energy and animating power, it came home to their hearts—how it prompted them to labor, supported them in trial, and consoled them in affliction? May not the modern church inquire how far, in this respect, she has partaken of the apostolic spirit? The doctrine of the resurrection is, indeed, occasionally dwelt upon, as a sublime truth and a glorious reality. But has it due prominence in our reflections? Do we look and "hasten forward" to the coming of the Lord? Does the Christian preacher avail himself of the utmost efficiency of this instrument, as a means of keeping alive and spreading a deep-toned and active piety? Does it press upon Christians in general its motives to obedience? Is it cherished as a vital, cordial doctrine of the gospel intimately connected with the resurrection of our Lord, livingly entwined with all our hopes of future blessedness, and animating us to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, inasmuch as it conveys to us the assurance and the pledge, that our labor is not in vain in the Lord?—Christian Review, March, 1839. Communication from Bro. Hutchins.
By A. S. Hutchins
DEAR BRO. WHITE:—For about five months past, I have been laboring in company with Bro. Ingraham. We have spent several weeks in this county, during which time we have witnessed the progress of truth with deep interest. About twenty have been added to the little band of Sabbath keepers who are looking for the immediate and personal coming of the Saviour, since commencing our labors here last Winter. On the Sabbath of our first Conference in Ulysses, in Jan'y., Bro. C. H. Barrows was some distance from home, with a design of returning before First-day; circumstances however rendered it necessary for him to put up for the night in U., which he did with one of the brethren, without knowledge of the meetings, or that he was among Sabbath-keepers, till he stopped. On First-day he came into meeting and heard a lecture in defence of the Bible Sabbath, for the first time. He was strongly convicted that he had heard the truth. Said he had been living too destitute of the enjoyment of religion, but by the grace of God he would live better. The next Sabbath he attended our meeting and his son with him. Before the close of the meeting they both resolved to keep the Sabbath. The young man embraced religion and has been baptized. Soon after this Bro. B. moved to Liberty, Mc Kean Co. where we held meetings the 6th and the 7th inst. We found the people in that vicinity had been reading our publications before we went there. A goodly number of friends were present to hear the word spoken, who listened attentively for the first time to the last message of mercy. Four ministers were present during the meeting. One of these (Unionist) received us kindly, and favored us with the privilege of occupying the time of his appointment on First-day. He exhorted the congregation not to condemn us, nor what they had heard. But like the Bereans to search the Scriptures, and see if these things were so. We expect to visit the friends there again soon. The steady and onward march of truth in this vicinity is causing some uneasiness among the ministers. In Ulysses and Allegany, the public have been warned to beware of the doctrines (held by us as truths of the Bible) which are causing excitement here. Last First-day a discourse was preached in this place for that purpose; which we heard. Several points of doctrine differing widely from those taught by human creeds and the traditions of men, were spoken of and counted "divers and strange doctrines." But the great scarcity of scriptural proof in defence of the premises assumed, and the weakness of human reasoning to sustain them, had a tendency rather to strengthen some in the truth than to turn them away from it. Others who read the Bible but little and allow the minister to do most of their thinking (upon religious subjects) were doubtless quieted and strengthened in opposition to the truth. As the Sabbath truth has been shaking the sandy foundations of the First-day theory, and uniting God's people together, we expected an attempt would be made to sustain Sunday-keeping, but in this were disappointed. We could but pity our speaker while attempting to expose our "errors," without ever having heard a lecture (as he informed us) relative to what we do believe. May the Lord enable us to "Prove all things: hold fast that which is good." A. S. HUTCHINS. Allegany, Potter Co., Pa., May 18th, 1854. Christians are light and salt. Thus said Jesus Christ:—Ye are the salt of the earth. Ye are the light of the world. But salt must have saltness; and a candle to give light must burn. If the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. Matt. v, 13-16. We must have the grace of God in our hearts—must have salt in ourselves. Mark ix, 50. The candle must be lighted by divine grace, or it can give no light. The more salt the greater the savor; the more heat, the greater the light. We are to keep our hearts with diligence. Prov. iv, 23. And there are two reasons why we should cultivate the christian graces in our own souls In the first place, it is only thus that we can be prepared to do good to others. Eminent holiness is essential to great usefulness. We cannot season others, if we have no salt in ourselves; we cannot give light to others, if we have not the flame of grace burning with us. Let your light shine says the Savior; but that it may shine, it must burn. The more it burns, the more it will shine. But, in the next place, independently of the importance of this work—this inward growth—in its relation to others, it is the duty of every Christian to make progress in the divine life. We must grow in grace.—2 Pet. iii, 18. We must run with patience the race that is set before us. Heb. xii, 1, 2. We must fight in the Christian warfare. Eph. vi, 10—20. We must press toward the mark. Phil. 3, 12—14. Our own vineyards must be cultivated. Cant. i, 6. We must not be conformed to this world, but be151transformed by the renewing of our minds. Rom. xii, 1, 2. Our aim should be to die unto sin, to live unto righteousness, and to become daily more and more like Christ. Christians are not, and cannot be, too active; but would not their activity be more efficient for good, if they were more diligent in cultivating piety in their own hearts? And would not they thus become more prayerfully, more intelligently, and more benevolently active? Would not they thus better illustrate and justify their title, LIGHT AND SALT?—Home and Foreign Record.