Earlier text: Facts about the Holy LandReforms and the Courage to Lead Them
By J. H. Ginley
REFORMS of all kind are attended with care and perplexity. But few have the courage to bear up under the opposing influences incident to such undertakings. Popularity and the speech of people deter many noble minds from yielding to the convictions of their better judgment, and standing for the right. Hence, the few have to lead out in all these revolutions, and perhaps for years toil on alone, and may be left with little accomplished; but from these small beginnings some new ideas may be dropped, as seeds, to germinate in other fertile minds, and these seeds sown by the former investigators are grappled by the second, to be brought to a higher degree of perfection, and placed upon a firmer basis. Reform presupposes the existence of errors which make such reform necessary. Thus in the great Reformation in the days of Luther, the prevailing system of Christianity became so corrupt that that holy man saw the need of a complete change and a higher standard of morality. To accomplish this, he devoted the energies of his whole mind and strength; and Christianity to-day is enjoying the comforts secured by that man of God. Refined civilization has introduced many ideas which cause a wide departure from the plain, natural habits of life. The introduction of these has brought about changes which are very detrimental to health, and have become a prominent cause of much of the mortality of the human race. Thousands die, who ought to, and might, be alive to-day had these causes been corrected. Sickness among families, in neighborhoods, &c., may always be traced to a cause which, if sought out and corrected, soon puts an end to physical disturbances. This cause may exist in ill-ventilated houses, improper food, insufficient clothing, foul emanations from piggeries, and in a large majority of cases it arises from out-houses in the form of sulphureted hydrogen, one of the most deadly gases. These houses should have careful attention, or should give place to the more modern invention, called earth closets. How many there are who have sore eyes, sore throats, &c., because they occupy close bedrooms whose only window is frequently darkened by green window curtains, upon which may be seen streaks as from water running over their surfaces. The carbon exhaled during the night causes the arsenic of the green to decompose, hence the streaks. This being re-inhaled, headaches, nose-bleed, diseases of the eyes, throat, &c., are the sure results. The light and air being excluded, a fungus growth of mold, and other parasites, conspire to make it one of the most unhealthy places about the premises. Then, again, the alvine discharges left in open vessels emit deadly odors which no constitution can long withstand. In these small sleeping apartments may be frequently found in addition to the parents, from one to six children. The poisoned air thus breathed over and over, causes epidemics which carry off these children one after another, until all are either dead or made invalids for life. Water which has stood for some time in the house should not be used for drink or culinary purposes, as it is one of the greatest agents to absorb impurities of the house and atmosphere. Add to these causes, late suppers, pastries, candies, heated rooms, and little exercise, and death has but little else to do than to use the weapons thus readily furnished him in almost every household. Fashion in dress, fashion in eating and drinking, both in season and out of season, with evil habits of every kind, have all told wonderfully upon the human race. Through these influences, disease and premature decay and decrepitude are seen everywhere. Cripples may be counted by millions, of every form and grade, many of whom have been so from birth, because of the errors of their parents, while others were made so by using drugs of various kinds. At this time there is surely need of reform in these matters, and here steps forward another grand movement designed to benefit the human family at large. This movement is known to the public under the title of health reform. This reform proposes to reach the people where they are. It appeals at once to their reason, to their candor and sound judgment. It neither abuses any, nor deprives them of their rights or privileges, but instead, seeks to elevate them, and to unloose the shackles of habits by which popular society has enslaved them. Health reform with its benign influence is presented to the people as a protection against the physical errors of fashionable life. It takes by the hand many who have admired the goddess of fashion and bowed at her shrine all their lives, and leads them to respect the laws which nature’s God has established for their well-being. Health and vigor then begin to chase away the gloom; and sunshine, animation, and life, soon take their places. J. H. GINLEY, M. D. Health Institute, Battle Creek. “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” In order then to bring the subject at once before the reader’s mind, we unhesitatingly declare that the text quoted does not prove eternal suffering, and that there is not a single passage in the whole Bible, which, when fairly construed, can be made to do so. The candid reader will admit at once that the Scriptures must agree with themselves, and that one part must not contradict another. And yet if the doctrine of endless misery is true, and is taught in the text above referred to, then many plain passages are made unintelligible and contradictory. For example, we might cite such passages as the following: “Yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be”—“the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs; they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away”—“the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off.” Ps. 37:10, 20, 38. The ungodly are “like the chaff which the wind driveth away.” Ps. 1:4. “Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into his garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matt. 3:12. “Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Mal. 4:1. These texts, and many more that might be quoted of the same import, positively teach the utter and complete destruction of the wicked. There is not the slightest hint given in any one of them, nor can even an inference be drawn, that those who thus perish, consume, are destroyed, burnt up, &c., are to live forever in unutterable torment. These terms, made use of by the sacred writers, all express plainly an end of existence; and if we find anything in the Scriptures which is not so plainly and clearly expressed, which modern theology has pressed into its service in order to teach the horrid doctrine of an endless hell, we must bring such texts into the light of the plain and obvious ones, and then no difficulty will be experienced. In Mark 9:43, 44, quoted above, we do not find the doctrine of endless misery taught, but rather the reverse. The Saviour was teaching his disciples that whatever peculiar or besetting sin it was which ensnared them, and was likely to work their ruin, it was to be cut off in order to save them. We frequently see this principle carried out in the practice of surgery. How often does it happen that individuals are deprived of some diseased member, in order to save the whole body. Perhaps mortification has set in, and the surgeon announces the fact that unless amputation is immediately performed, the person’s life is in jeopardy. The idea which runs through the whole passage is very plainly expressed in Matt. 5:30: “If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” The idea is that of perishing. It is better for one member of the body to perish, than for the whole body, as it inevitably must, if cast into hell. The word rendered hell in the common version, is translated from Gehenna, the Grecian mode of spelling the Hebrew words which are translated “the valley of Hinnom.” In this valley the children of Israel formerly sacrificed their children unto Moloch, and committed abominations in the sight of the Lord. King Josiah, however, caused it to be polluted, by casting into it all kinds of filth, the carcasses of beasts, and the unburied bodies of executed criminals. Continual fires were kept in order to consume these, and what the fires did not destroy, the worms fed upon. Hence the origin of the expression—“Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” It is probable that the Jews associated the idea of future punishment with this horrid place. That the reader may have a full view of what the Scriptures say about this valley, we copy the following arrangement of texts, from Bible vs. Tradition:— The locality of Gehenna is recorded in Josh. 15:8: “And the border [of the lot of Judah] went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom into the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem; and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward.” Josh. 18:16. The lot of Benjamin. “The border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to En-rogel.” Jer. 19:2. Pollution of Gehenna. 1 Kings 11:7: “Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Moloch, the abomination of the children of Ammon.” 2 Chron. 28:3: Ahaz “burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.” 2 Chron. 33:6: Manasseh “caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.” The desecration of Gehenna. 2 Kings 23:10: And Josiah “defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Moloch.” That Gehenna was afterwards made a receptacle for filth we gather from the Rabbins. We likewise read of the desecration of the brook Kidron, that ran through the valley of Hinnom. Gehenna was a place of punishment by burning. Lev. 20:14, “If a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness; they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.” In the 2d to the 6th verse, the people of the land were to destroy the worshipers of Moloch, which was probably done in Gehenna, where the image was placed. Lev. 20:9. The daughter of any priest that profaned herself was to be burned with fire. Jer. 7:30–33: “The children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord. They have built the high places of Tophet which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire. . . . Therefore, behold the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of SLAUGHTER; for they shall bury in Tophet till there be no place. And the carcasses of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.” Joel 3:2: “I will also gather all nations and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” From histories and prophecies we perceive that Gehenna has been, and is to be, a place of punishment; and as it has been, so it may be again, a place of punishment by fire; but it is not a place where the wicked are now being punished, nor will it ever be a place where the wicked shall be kept alive there forever, is to charge God with naming the place inappropriately! In the New Testament the word Gehenna occurs twelve times. Eleven times it is found in the Gospels, and once in James 3:6. In every place it was spoken to the Jews who understood its meaning. But in none of these passages will the reader find on examination, any expression which indicates that the wicked will be kept alive in torments. But some think they find this doctrine taught in the phrase, “The fire that never shall be quenched; where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched.” But this is only a reference to the same thing that is expressed in the previous word—Gehenna. There continual fires were kept—fires not quenched, or extinguished. The prophet Isaiah asks: “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” Evidently no one without being devoured. As the fires of Gehenna consumed the bodies cast into them, so the “everlasting fire” and “the lake of fire,” into which the wicked are to be cast, will consume or burn them up. The fire will be inextinguishable, or will not cease burning, till all the filth is consumed, and God’s kingdom and earth is cleansed from the polluting touch of sin and sinners. But it is absurd to say, that, because the fire is said to be unquenchable, therefore that which is cast into it cannot be consumed or burnt up. And yet this is the argument of those who quote this passage to support their doctrine. In connection with this subject, we may quote the texts where it is claimed that hell-fire is clearly taught as the destiny of the wicked. This we shall not deny—only this that the wicked will be capable of existing forever in that fire. Matt. 13:49, 50: “So shall it be at the end of the world [age]; the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” This furnace of fire may be understood as the same as the Gehenna of fire before mentioned. But we discover no allusion to unending life in this furnace. The “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” is often referred to as proof of this; but it only shows this, that “the weeping and gnashing of teeth” will be prior to rather than after the execution of the sentence. Matt. 25:41: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.” It is the fire of the age—the punishment or condemnation of that age. This does not prove at all that those who are consigned to it will live in endless torment. Again in Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 15; 21:8, we find a lake of fire mentioned, into which the beast and false prophet, the devil, death and hell [hades], and all wicked characters are finally cast. And though it is said of the devil that “he shall be tormented day and night until the ages of the ages,” yet we know that it is positively revealed that even he shall be destroyed. Heb. 2:14. And besides, this very lake of fire is called “THE SECOND DEATH.” There is not one word about those parties doomed to this punishment living without any possibility of dying; but the very name which is given by the Holy Spirit to this lake of fire, designates the office which it is to perform; viz., to put an end to the lives of those who are consigned to it. There is nothing more clearly stated in the Bible than that the wicked will be destroyed, come to an end, or cease to exist. The passages are too numerous to quote. There are more than two hundred plain declarations “that the wicked will be destroyed without remedy, body and soul, root and branch, all of them will become as nothing, they will have no existence.” And whether this destruction is attributed to fire, or sword, or famine, or pestilence, it matters not. Any one of these agents can produce this result, if it be so ordered. All the false reasoning and perversion of Scriptures by those who advocate eternal torment, arises from a belief in the immortality of the soul. This is the rotten foundation upon which is built the great temple of error. The soul being believed to be immortal, and as being capable of living after the death of the body, either in happiness or misery, it necessarily followed that new meanings had to be given to common words, in order to fit the doctrine. Hence, death in the Bible, when referring to the future state, means life; to perish or to be destroyed, means consciousness in misery; life means happiness, &c. So “the worm that dieth not,” is the gnawings of a guilty conscience, which will torment those who are doomed to suffer the pains of an endless fire, without the possibility of a release by death. But let a person accept the Bible doctrine of the mortality of man, his unconsciousness in death, and no future life for the dead, without a resurrection, and then no difficulty will be experienced with such texts as the one we have been considering. All will become plain, reasonable, and harmonious. Jehovah will then appear in his true character, as a Being of love, mercy, and justice, and not as a monster, worse than Moloch, delighting in the eternal misery of the creatures he has made; and the Bible, the transcript of his mind, as revealed to man, will no longer appear contradictory, but become radiant with new beauties, heretofore obscured by the mists of error.—Sel. “Be of Good Courage.”
By Dudley Marvin Canright
THIS is an exhortation frequently found in the Bible. When Moses sent the spies on the dangerous work of spying out the land of the enemy, he said to them, “Be ye of good courage.” Num. 13:20. When Moses was about to be taken away from the people, he exhorted them to “be strong and of a good courage.” Deut. 31:6. Then he called Joshua who was now to become the leader of Israel, and admonished him to “be strong and of a good courage.” Deut. 31:7. After Moses was dead, the Lord appeared to Joshua, and said, “Only be thou strong and very courageous.” Josh. 1:7. And again: “Be strong and of a good courage.” Verse 6. When Joshua was about to die, he said to the people, “Be ye therefore very courageous.” Josh. 23:6. David, in his last advice to Solomon, says, “Be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.” 1 Chron. 22:13. So the psalmist exhorts all the saints to “be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.” Ps. 31:24. In similar language Paul exhorts his brethren to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Eph. 6:10. To Timothy he writes, “My son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim. 2:1. All this shows that God does not want his people to be discouraged and cast down; but to hold up their heads and hope in him. He is almighty and can easily impart strength when needed. What is weaker than a discouraged man? God’s servants should never yield to this feeling, but rely on God and thus honor him. The Whole Earth Filled With God's Glory
As I live, saith the Lord, the whole earth shall be filled with my glory. We sometimes meet with men who seem to think that any indulgence of the affectionate feeling is weakness. They will return from a journey and greet their families with a distant dignity, and move among their children with the cold and lofty splendor of an iceberg, surrounded with its broken fragments. There is hardly a more unnatural sight on earth than one of these families without a heart. A father might far better extinguish his boy’s eyes than to take away his heart. Who that has experienced the joys of friendship and values sympathy and affection, would not rather lose all that is beautiful in nature’s scenery than be robbed of the hidden treasure of his heart? Who would not rather follow his child to the grave than to entomb his parental affection? Cherish, then, your heart’s best affections for home. Indulge in the warm and gushing emotion of fraternal love. Think it not a weariness. Teach your children to love the rose, and the robin; to love their parents, their God. Let it be the studied object of their domestic culture to give them warm hearts, ardent affections. Bind your whole family together by these strong cords. You cannot make them too strong. “The Law and the Testimony.”
By N. G. Sanders
Some person, desirous no doubt that we should be enlightened on the absurdities of our faith, sent us the Crisis containing remarks of the editor about tent-meetings in California. Those remarks were read in my hearing, followed by an article from the same paper on spiritualism. As the first was read, I felt annoyed at the misrepresentation of the views of S. D. Adventists, but by the time the second was finished my annoyance was almost lost in observing the discord between the two articles. The spirit of the first was clearly enmity to the law of God, but the second arraigned spiritualists before that law. He quotes Isaiah 8: 19, 20: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Truth is said to be harmonious, but here was the Crisis trying to cast contempt on S. D. Adventists, because they believe the law binding on all men now; and then, in the same issue, arraigning a class of people before that law. Hasn’t the Crisis made a mistake in bringing Isaiah 8: 19, 20, over into the Christian dispensation? or did not the author of the prophecy foresee that the law would not be binding away down here? were we to insist on trying the Crisis by this detector, we should be in danger of deciding that “there is no light in them.” And why should we not use this rule, if it is of force against spiritualists? We, who claim to be Christians, ought not, certainly, to complain of being tested by it unless it can be shown that they are Jews and we are not. But the Crisis retains the testimony of the New Testament. Well, we are glad they have not gone so far yet as the class whom they arraign; but we would say to them, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” For how can the carpenter’s saw answer in the place of the square, or the measuring line? And we do not know that it would be amiss to add, “What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.” And has he not here joined the law and the testimony? We are glad to meet you over this prophetic test, designed, as it no doubt is, for this time, and in view of the fact that you, with us, believe that Satan is working “with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send [has sent] them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” 2 Thess. 2: 9-11. And also that you should agree with us that we should test them by the law and the testimony. May we ask you to suffer a word of exhortation? It seems that receiving “the love of the truth” is a safeguard against this “delusion.” We should then hold ourselves in a position where we desire only to know that God speaks, and be ready to obey. This, brethren, is no child’s play that has fallen to the lot of Christians of the last generation. It will be a close work. It is even “the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Rev. 3: 10. We shall need to live “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” And if he tells us that, “when they shall say unto you [us], Seek unto them that have familiar spirits,” &c., we should test them by the law and the testimony, be assured it is because some one has been doing violence to the testimony, and taken the seal from the law; it is because some one has been doing violence to the testimony, and taken the seal from the law. And if, also, in the same connection, it is said, “Behold I, and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts,” does this not indicate that there will be a very peculiar people developed by this binding up of the testimony and sealing the law, not among Jews, but disciples? And if it is also true that one class is now counseling us to seek unto familiar spirits, &c., another obeying the injunction to “bind up the testimony, seal the law,” and others are opposing this work, have we not reached the very time indicated by this prophecy, and can we not see the part we are acting in this drama? Particularly when we remember that the wrath of the dragon is to be especially manifested against the “remnant which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ,” and we are told in Rev. 19: 10, that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” As children of God, brethren of the same family, with one common interest, and a common foe to meet; how can we afford to lose sight of a single truth of God’s word, or spurn one help which he offers, or to inveigh one against another. We should ever remember that the day that cometh will try the works of those who build of wood, hay, and stubble, and the great Refiner will know the true metal. Suffer me then to refer you to the admonition and counsel of one in another day, who said: “Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do touching these men. . . . And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught; but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it, lest, haply, ye be found even to fight against God.” Acts 5: 35, 38, 39. But I do not feel to leave you here. My heart yearns over the people of God, in and out of every denomination; as I realize that Satan is indeed working “with all power, and signs, and lying wonders.” Oh! how anxious should we be to “ask for the old paths,” and “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints;” to get our feet planted on the rock, and to know which way the Lord is leading. With what breathless anxiety should we listen to hear the word of command, and how joyfully should we fall into line of battle. Oh! how can we—how dare we—fight in our own ranks? This has ever been the stratagem of Satan. We are told that when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And has he not come in like a flood? If so, where is the standard, and who will rally? “Tell us Plainly.”
By Mary E. Guilford
A SKEPTIC remarked, not long since, that “Jesus himself never told us that he was the Saviour.” Said he, “We have to take the testimony of others for it.” Such remarks denote a very limited knowledge of the Scriptures. No one at all conversant with the language of Christ, can fail to understand that he acknowledged himself to be the Saviour of the world. On the night of his betrayal, when they led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where all the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders, were assembled, the high priest said unto him, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am; and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14: 61, 62. He declared himself to be the Messiah (the Saviour.—Web), John 4:25, 26, to be the Son of God, John 9:37; 10:36, and in Luke 19:10, he tells us that he was come “to seek and to save that which was lost.” If he came to save, how can he be otherwise than a Saviour? The unbelieving Jews said to Jesus, “If thou be the Christ tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not.” What plainer evidence do we need than these testimonies, combined with the miracles which he performed, to prove the divine origin and mission of Jesus Christ? But the skeptics of our day, like the unbelieving Jews, will not be convinced. They prefer darkness rather than light. Jesus endured a life of toil and suffering, and shed his precious blood to redeem a sinful, fallen race, and restore them to favor with God. But many deny him and spurn the Holy One of Israel. The love of God dwells not in their hearts. Says87 Jesus in mournful pathos, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” John 5:40. We need not hesitate to accept the Scripture testimonies in reference to Christ’s mission upon the earth, for he bears witness himself to their truthfulness in John 5:39, where he admonishes us, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.” Instead of filling the mind with doubts and cavil, let us strive to be more like the noble Bereans who searched the Scriptures daily to see whether those things were so; and may we learn to be “not faithless, but believing.” THE PENITENT'S PLEA.
By Rebekah Smith
Thy throne, O God, would spotless be,
Should I be cast away from thee,
Unworthy thy rich, sovereign grace,
Unworthy in thy courts a place. Forsake me not, my Lord, I pray,
Nor leave me in sin’s dangerous way;
When strong temptations fierce assail,
Without thy help, who can prevail? On One that’s mighty, help is laid,
The debt I owe, my Surety’s paid.
O God, on thine Anointed look,
And keep my name in thine own book. Through Him who died that I might live,
Canst thou, O Lord, my sins forgive?
In thine own strength help me to rise,
And grant me favor in thine eyes. I cannot trust myself to stand;
I fall, shouldst thou withdraw thy hand.
Our strength is weakness; who can know,
If left by thee, their depth of woe? I tremble, Lord, in view of this,
Lest I the path of life should miss;
Lest I be worsted in the fight,
And prove a rebel in thy sight. My dearest Lord, oh! can it be
That I shall e’er depart from thee?
Shall e’er that fatal line have crossed,
Beyond which God has said we’re lost? Once more thy promise, Lord, I plead,
To help in every time of need,
To overcome each darling sin,
That I at last the prize may win. The Law of Christ—What Is It?
By Dudley Marvin Canright
THE phrase, “law of Christ,” occurs but once in the Bible. “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Gal. 6:2. Those who claim that the law of God is abolished, undertake to make great capital out of this, and have a great deal to say about the law of Christ, asserting that it includes all the law there is in the New Testament, by which Christians are to be governed. It is well for us, then, to inquire what this law of Christ is. Turning back to John 13:34, we find when this law was given, and how much it includes, and just what it is. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” This is expressly declared to be a new commandment, and it is, indeed the enunciation of a new principle of action not previously taught. Before this they were required to love their neighbors as themselves. Lev. 19:18. But now Christ says, “Love one another as I have loved you.” How did Christ love them? He loved them better than himself, for he laid down his life for them. Now, says Christ, from this time forward do you go forth and love one another like that. This we understand to be the new law of Christ. It does not indeed supersede the old law; but it is a higher motive of action by which we are to be governed. This commandment Christ repeats again in John 15:12, 17: “This is my commandment, That ye love one another as I have loved you. These things I command you, That ye love one another.” That this is what Paul calls the law of Christ in Gal. 6:2, is manifest by the application he makes of it. “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ;” that is, by bearing the burdens of our brethren we shall fulfill this law of Christ. By this we show that we do love our brethren as Christ loved us. John, in his epistle, makes frequent reference to this commandment of Christ. “For this is the message [margin, commandment] that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” 1 John 3:11. In verse 16, he explains this scripture thus: “We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” That is just what Christ did. Again in verse 23, he says, “And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. In chapter 4:21, he refers to it again thus: “And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” These quotations are sufficient to show what the new law of Christ is. It is this, and nothing more. Admiring the Preacher Versus Honoring Christ
By Rowland Hill
I HAVE heard some persons, when leaving a place of worship, admiring the minister, and exclaiming, “What splendid language! what beautiful metaphors! what original illustrations!” May they rather say, after hearing me, “What sinners, we are! what a glorious Christ we have! what a blessed salvation!”—Rowland Hill. Is the World getting Better?
By F. A. Buzzell
A FEW believe that wickedness increases; many the opposite. If righteousness is increasing, drunkenness will decrease. “Figures won’t lie,” and we can furnish a few. Boston is called the “Modern Athens,” its moral status is as good, if not better than any place of its size in the world, we think. Rev. Wm. B. Wright, of Boston, in a recent discourse brought forward the following statements and figures. From a report of his discourse in the Boston Herald, we make this extract: “The Chief of Police of Boston reports that there were 400,000 arrests in seventeen years, 275,000 of which were for drunkenness, besides 28,000 who were assisted home intoxicated. It was a notorious and undeniable fact that there was a steady and fearful increase of drunkenness, in proportion to the increase of population. In 1856 the number of arrests for this offense was 6780; in 1870, 18,678—an increase in fourteen years of 175 per cent, while the increase of population was but 53 per cent, and this increase was in the time when stringent laws were upon the statute books, and an effort made to enforce them.” “Fear not, Little Flock;”
By J. Matteson
FOR it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the Heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12: 32–34. Precious promise given to those who fear the Lord, and who give themselves, with all that they have, into the hands of the Lord! With filial confidence they can trust in the Lord, and lean upon his mighty arm, which alone can bring salvation. Fear not to trust in the Lord. Be not afraid of making large investments in his cause. Be not afraid to risk property, honor, strength, or even life, in his service. Fear not the ridicule or slander of men. Fear not their reproach, hatred, or persecution. Be not of a doubtful mind. The Lord cares for the birds and the flowers. How much more he will care for you. Holy angels will encamp about you. They will be a refuge in every danger. Cling to the dear Redeemer, then he will give you the kingdom, in spite of an angry adversary, and a persecuting world. Though you are nothing but a small, weak worm, your Saviour is mighty. He lives. He “will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” How often he has sustained you in trials, and preserved you through the hours of temptation and darkness! He offers to you his strong arm. Take it, and say with Jacob, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me;” Gen. 32; 26; and with David, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Ps. 23. But if you would have a treasure in Heaven, your heart must not cling to earthly treasures. Let not your bags wax old. Let not heap up riches to devour your flesh as fire in the day of the Lord. Indulge not in luxury and feasting, forgetting the poor and fatherless. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give in your bosom.” Brethren, give good measure to the needy. “For with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6. Give not simply what you can spare just as well as not. But deny self. Sell a little and bestow it here or there, where it is needed, in the name of Jesus; then God shall reward you. Continue to do so until you have transferred all your property to Heaven. Then you will go there too. How fast must this be done? The Lord will direct by his Spirit. For every sacrifice made in his cause, you add to your treasure in Heaven. There a crown of glory, bright as the sun, and garments white as snow, are waiting for you. There may you shine and rejoice with the heavenly host. But if you are stingy, and selfish, and afraid to lend to the Lord, who has given you life and all the blessings you enjoy, then this will all stand against your account in the great day. Your soul clings to your earthly treasures, and you will perish with them. James 5: 3. J. MATTESON.