It is one thing to believe that this message has been given away back in ages past, or will be in some future time, and quite another thing to believe that we have come to the time in the history of the world when it is due. The first and second have been given, and the third, in regular succession, is now going to the world. I have been reading and also thinking of the magnitude of this work. It is to warn the whole world. If nations of other languages are benefited, obstacles must be surmounted, and they must be faithfully warned, or the work will not be accomplished.
Well may God’s messengers now say, We are about a great work, and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while we leave it to come down? I have noticed that those who firmly believe this message and all that pertains to it, grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, while those who take the Sabbath and reject the rest, are dwarfed. They appear like a bird with unfledged wings. They rise a little way, and then fall back, till discouragement comes over them and they sink down and give up the whole.
It is no use to make an effort to go in this direction unless we have confidence in the leaders—those who have borne the burdens in the heat of the day, and with the help of the Lord have carried this work forward successfully till it has become a great work indeed. And the reforms that have come just in time and place to fit up a people for the coming of the Lord and translation, how can they be rejected with impunity?
I am convinced beyond a doubt that those who amount to anything in this cause will have to be whole-hearted. The fearful and unbelieving will certainly go back. Oh! that all Sabbath-keepers would give up their prepossessed opinions and idols, and come into the churches, and take hold of the work with earnestness. And some of us in the churches must have a deeper work, or we shall be left behind, and others will be raised up to take our places. The Lord help us to do so before it is too late.
MARY STRATTON.
Prayer: Duty Taught by Precept and Example
By R.; H. L. S.
Prayer.
OUR duty in regard to prayer we learn both by precept and example. In this examination, I confine myself to the New Testament. The Saviour gave directions which ought to be studied by all.
1. Do not pray to be seen, or heard, of men. Carefully avoid all hypocrisy in the worship of God. But the direction to enter into thy closet, &c., does not forbid public or social prayer in their places. Jesus prayed in the presence of his disciples; and the apostles frequently prayed together. The remarkable prayer of the Saviour in John 17 was before his disciples; and several instances of social or public prayer are given in the Acts of the Apostles. But in a spirit of reverent devotion all else should be, comparatively, lost sight of, and the great thought of coming into the presence of the mighty God fill the mind.
2. Use not vain repetitions. This is said to be a fault of the heathen; and it is also a fault more common, perhaps, than any other among Christians.
(1) In the use of set forms and phrases. These become so common with some people that they are used without any regard to fitness of time and circumstance. They have heard them so often used that they seem to think they are prayer, whenever and however spoken. In using stereotyped phrases there can be but little devotion or real worship.
(2) Repetitions are often indulged in when the spirit of prayer is not present, and the speaker seems to think it necessary to pray about a certain length of time. When we consider the examples of prayer, we shall see how greatly they are mistaken in this. A person who goes over the same ground, and reiterates the same thing, not because the soul is burdened with the subject, but because the time must be filled out, or who utters old, set forms of speech, not because they express a present want, but because they are often used in prayer, no more worships God than did the Pharisee who prayed at the corner of the street.
(3) There is a common form of repetition in prayer which is highly irreverent; it is the constant use of the divine name. The name of the Deity, in any of its forms, is too sacred to be used lightly, or to be spoken unnecessarily. Nothing can be more painful than to hear sentences disjoined and broken up with constant repetitions of sacred titles. Sometimes the speaker seems at a loss how to complete the sentence commenced, and the names or titles of the Father and Son are thrown in as helps, either to gain time, or to connect that which would otherwise appear incongruous. Did reverence permit, I would give some illustrations of prayers frequently heard. This is taking the name of God in vain, and cannot be acceptable to him. The Hebrew people were superstitious, we think, in regard to the use of the divine name; but to some extent their example is worthy of our attention. I knew a preacher whose use of the name of Deity in the pulpit was shockingly irreverent. He seldom spoke of the earth, directly, but would frequently speak of it as the footstool, using the name found in Rev. 16:14. I have often heard a single sentence in prayer containing the names of the Father and Son in various forms, mixed up in the most common-place petition, without any appearance of special fervency to justify it.
Prayer should never be an attempt at doctrinal discourse. Prayer is petition—not teaching. It should never contain rhetorical flourishes, nor attempts at fine figures of speech. Some excuse themselves from praying because they cannot use good language. A sick child, burning with fever, would not hesitate to ask its mother for water, because it was not learned in language nor fluent in speech. Prayer should be the expression of the heart’s earnest desire for what we need, in the simplest language possible. Simple language is not inconsistent with the most elevated style. Gen. 1:1-5, is a most sublime composition, but a model of simplicity of expression. If the heart feels, the tongue can speak; or if the heart be overburdened, and the Spirit assists, making intercession even with groanings that cannot be uttered, still it is prayer. But this latter belongs more especially to secret prayer, for social prayer should be adapted to those present. Private prayer is not appropriate for public occasions. Very seldom should we pray with others where we cannot use the pronoun “we.” It is inappropriate and wrong for one to professedly lead others in prayer, and then pray concerning things in which they can have no interest, and of which, perhaps, they have no knowledge.
Prayer should be with consideration. We would not presume to go into the presence of a Governor, to present a petition or ask a favor, without considering what we wanted, and then we would ask in appropriate language; and not only our language, but our manner, would indicate our respect and reverence for the personage whom we addressed.
For the length of prayer, no rule can be given. The Saviour said, “After this manner, pray ye,” and then offered a prayer of less than one minute. In presenting the case of the Pharisee and the publican, he put six words in the prayer of the publican, a humble petition for mercy, and about five times as many in that of the Pharisee, which was a pompous address, rather than a petition.
His prayer for his disciples at their last meeting before his crucifixion was less than five minutes in length. The prayer of the apostles on the occasion of choosing a successor to Judas, is contained in two verses. Somewhat longer is that which was offered when they were threatened and commanded to preach no more in the name of Jesus, recorded in Acts 4:24-30. Doubtless in secret they often prayed at greater length; but when the Saviour left his disciples to go alone to pray in the garden, but a few words are recorded, though his soul was in an awful agony; and these words were repeated as he went again, adding a few more words of resignation and submission. While no limit could be placed upon private devotional petitions, enough is learned from the Scriptures to warrant the advice given by an eminent Christian: “Let your prayers be short, frequent, and fervent.” R. & H. L. S.
THE DESTINY OF MAN.
By Chauncey Cotton
Great God, thy word is firm and sure,
And every act of thine is pure.
Not so with man; for he's unjust,
And must return again to dust. Gen. 3: 19.
Yet from thy hand so fair he stood,
Thou didst pronounce him very good.
Upright, they, male and female, stand,
And hear from God this strict command:
“Of all the trees but one, to eat,
To you, I give their fruit for meat;
Of that eat not, nor touch, and why?
For if you do, then you shall die.
Now by this rule maintain the strife:
Obey, and have eternal life;
But disobey the Lord on high,
In dying thou shalt surely die.” Gen. 2: 17.
But man his Maker disobeyed,
On all his race the doom is laid.
Now in this state, though man may grieve,
Yet die he must, there's no reprieve. Rom. 5: 12.
But death to all is deep repose,
It's all the same to friends and foes; Job. 3: 11–20.
For when we lie beneath the clod,
We've no remembrance of a God. Ps. 6: 5.
The rich, the poor, the high, the low,
In death, no love nor hatred show.
Their envy, too, is no more cherished,
These, all of these, with them have perished. Ec. 9: 5, 7.
Yes, death hath loosed the silver cord,
The dead, we know, praise not the Lord. Ps. 115: 17.
They all remain in silence deep,
For death is like a dreamless sleep. Ps. 90: 5.
A state from which they'll not awake,
Till Christ the earth and heaven shall shake.
When the last trump shall rend the skies,
Then shall the dead in Christ arise;
Eternal life to them be given,
Forever in the bliss of Heaven.
The second Adam's race they are,
Eternal life from him they share. John 10: 28.
With him they'll live, with him they'll reign,
Free from all sorrow, sin, and pain.
Christ in his glory they will view,
The earth and all things now made new. Rev. 21: 1, 5.
The earth more glorious than at first,
Now the inheritance of the just.
Here Abraham's promise from the Lord, Gen. 13: 15.
And Peter's, find their full reward. Matt. 19: 27–30.
The word is sure to all the seed,
By faith in Christ they're heirs indeed.
The meek will then the earth enjoy, Matt. 5: 5.
But God the wicked will destroy. Ps. 37: 38; 145: 20.
For yet a little while, you see,
And then the wicked shall not be. Ps. 37: 10.
The psalmist searched creation round,
The wicked nowhere could be found,
For in God's word the truth there stands,
That they shall be as fat of lambs. Ps. 37: 20.
And when they feel God's mighty stroke,
They shall consume and turn to smoke;
For God is a consuming fire, Heb. 12: 29.
And they must feel his dreadful ire.
Like tares, though well in bundles bound,
When burned, those tares cannot be found.
Or chaff burned up, are words employed, Matt. 3: 12.
And chaff burned up, is chaff destroyed.
A day is coming as we learn, Mal. 4: 1–4.
And as an oven it shall burn;
A day of wrath, and day of trouble,
When all the wicked shall be stubble.
That day shall burn up root and branch;
And to escape there'll be no chance.
And when burned up by mighty flashes,
There's nothing left of them but ashes.
So God, by his almighty power,
The adversaries shall devour. Heb. 10: 27.
A gate that's wide is brought to view,
And those destroyed will not be few.
The second death on none can reign,
Till first they die and live again.
But there's a death, by close inspection,
From which there is no resurrection.
And now the prophet's words I'll give; Isa. 26: 14.
That “they are dead, they shall not live;
They are deceased, they shall not rise;”
Now has the prophet told us lies?
Or was the truth by him employed,
When he declared they were destroyed?
And can we any hope then cherish,
That all their memory did not perish?
Is there an attribute of soul,
O'er which grim death has no control?
What sense of man among the five,
That will the stroke of death survive?
It takes a man that's been to college
To show that dead folks still have knowledge. Ec. 9: 5.
There is a class, let God be praised,
Described as dead and also raised! Rev. 20: 5.
No second death can them devour,
On them that death can have no power.
And yet a class is left behind,
The second death will surely find.
To save a part from any state,
Must leave the other to its fate.
CHAUNCEY COTTON.
Friendship, N. Y.
As a Little Child.
THERE is a touching passage in McDonald’s poem, “Within and Without,” which describes an interview between the poor, unhappy hero of the tale and his lovely little daughter. She runs to him as he sits absorbed in mental conflicts, saying, “Father, what is poetry?” “A beautiful thing, of the most beautiful God has made,” was his reply. Then he opens a book, and shows her some poetry. She looks at it with disappointment, and says, “I don’t think that’s so very pretty, father; one side is very well—smooth,” running her finger up and down the row of capital letters, but the other side is rough, just like my hair in the morning before it is brushed. “I don’t care about poetry.” Her father then reads aloud some verses, and that pleases her; but still she cannot understand why poetry is beautiful. “Her mother is beautiful; but this is not as pretty as mother.” Her father tells her she cannot understand till she is older, but then she will find out for herself, and love poetry well. “Do you believe me, dear?” “Yes, father;” but still in an aside, with a glance at the book, “I wonder where its prettiness is, though; I cannot see it anywhere at all.” The father resumes his train of thought, and looking up suddenly, “terribly wretched, and beyond relief,” at the mystery of God’s ways with him, he sees his daughter in a corner curiously examining the book of poetry. She peeps into it; then holds it to her ear; then rubs her hand over it; then puts her tongue to it; still she is baffled. She has no faculty by which to judge of what is beyond her comprehension, and, in spite of her assertion that she was willing to take her father’s word for it, she was yet questioning. The father caught the lesson, and, bursting into tears, prayed, “Father, I am thy child. Forgive me this. Thy poetry is very hard to read.” There are hours in the experience of every person when there is nothing good or beautiful in the lesson of life; but the day is coming when the soul shall know as it is known, and see as it is seen. Until that day of new and larger life there is no resting-place for the restless, undeveloped soul, save in the sure and abiding word of God, which shall never fail.—Christian Weekly.
To S. S. Teachers—Don’t Preach.
A LOOK was enough! There the teacher sat in the middle of a large class of half-grown young men. He was one of the truest and best-informed Christian men in our congregation—everybody respected and loved him. But he could not keep a scholar for more than two successive Sabbaths. They disappeared like the wicked, and could nowhere be found. At every session some new faces were added to the circle, but it never grew in circumference. What could be the difficulty? It puzzled the pastor. The superintendent was hopeless. In any other class it would have been less important, but these young men ought to be retained. At last it was determined that we should investigate the difficulty in person. We opened the door, and a look was enough! The man was a preacher. He took the sermon as his pattern. He had a congregation, not a class—and a congregation of youths like Eutychus at that. A more drowsy collection of bright, shrewd, jolly young men could hardly be conceived. He had gone through his introduction, announced his plan, developed his points, and, just at the moment when we took our look, was making his application and appeal. From that moment, we did not blame the truant scholars. They had done just what we would have done under similar circumstances. They had been cheated, and as soon as they found out the deception, they ceased to be its victims. They supposed that they were joining a Bible-class, but beheld a little church. They expected to study, but they were compelled to listen. They looked for a teacher, but found a preacher. And yet, this good man was unaware of the true difficulty. He mourned over his unspirituality, when the trouble was in his method. He prayed over the perversity of the unregenerate souls who rejected his ministry, but his own pride of preaching was greater than their lack of interest. He wondered at his failure to interest, and gave more time and effort to preparation; but the reservoir was full enough, the trouble was in the pipes. He tried to fill narrow-necked bottles with dashes of water, rather than drop by drop.
MORAL—Don’t preach. Question the lesson into the scholar’s mind and then question it out. Make the class do the greater part of the work. Be suggestive rather than declamatory. In so doing you will not only attract, but truly instruct and permanently retain, the members of your classes.
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Appointments and Notices for Autumn 1873
Appointments.
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of Heaven is at hand
** Services in Chicago, every Sabbath (seventh day), at 269 West Erie St. All Sabbath-keepers spending a Sabbath in Chicago, are invited to attend.
Notice.
As I intended to go to Iowa the coming winter, to labor among the Danish people, as the Lord will see good to open before me, and shall probably not return again to Minnesota very soon, I will therefore say to my Danish brethren of the Minnesota Conference that I intend, the Lord willing, to meet with you before I leave the State, as follows:—
Brown Co. church, Oct. 4 and 5. This is designed for a Quarterly meeting, and things should be prepared for it.
Steele Co., Oct. 10–15. Will brother C. Nielson meet me at Meriden Station, Oct. 9, and have meetings appointed for that evening?
Riceland church, Oct. 18 and 19. JOHN F. HANSON.
The next monthly meeting for Oswego county, N. Y., will be at Roosevelt, the second Sabbath and first-day in Oct. A general attendance is requested. We extend the invitation for brethren to meet with us from adjoining counties. Let us come together to seek the Lord and a preparation to labor in the great harvest field. In behalf of the church. HIRAM EDSON.
I will meet with the church at Mount Morris, Mich., Sabbath and Sunday, Oct. 11, 12, 1873. First meeting Friday evening.
At Flushing, from Wednesday evening, the 15th, over the Sabbath and Sunday following. It is expected that the organization of the church at Flushing will be completed at this meeting. L. D. VAN HORN.
The next quarterly meeting for Rhode Island will be held at Curtis Corners, Oct. 18 and 19, in connection with T. and M. Society. The members of the Society are requested to send their reports to Miss M. J. Prosser, Wakefield, R. I., one week before the meeting. A. P. GREEN, Director Dist. No. 1.
Will the directors of the T. and M. Society of Michigan arrange with the churches in their respective districts to hold the T. and M. quarterly meetings in connection with the church quarterly meetings? E. H. ROOT.
The quarterly meeting for the church at Waterloo, Grant Co., Wis., will be held Oct. 18 and 19. Brethren and sisters from Mount Hope and Bloomington are invited to attend. Cannot Bro. Atkinson attend this meeting? JEHIEL GANIARD.
I will meet with the church in Oceana County, near Greenwood Station, October 14. JOHN BYINGTON.
Monthly meeting at Canaan, Ill., Oct. 18 and 19. Let all come to work. COMMITTEE.
News and Miscellany.
“Can ye not discern the signs of the times?”
The Nations are Coming!
One hundred and eighty-four thousand immigrants have landed in New York this year, from January to August, which indicates that there is scarcely a perceptible lessening of the restless current that sets toward the better land of America. Of this number, about sixty thousand came from Germany, fifty thousand from Ireland, and twenty thousand from England. The balance is contributed by almost every nation on the globe, the largest representations being as follows: Sweden, 7000; Scotland, 6000; Denmark, 5000; Norway, 6000; Italy, 4000; Switzerland, 3000; France, 3000; Holland, 3000; Russia, 2500; Wales, 1700; Austria, 1000.
TERRIFIC GALE ON THE BLACK SEA.—Constantinople, Sept. 16. A violent storm on the Black Sea last week was very destructive to shipping. Seventy vessels were wrecked near the mouth of the Bosphorus and nearly all on board perished. At one point on the coast 265 corpses were washed ashore.
PERNICIOUS INFLUENCES.—The Long Branch correspondent of the Philadelphia Press is aggrieved, and so he or she protests against the influences of watering-place life on children, especially young girls. It is the rule, and not the exception, to see girls from ten to fourteen years of age in full ball costume first on the floor in the evening when the dances begin, and last to leave it, often finishing with a supper of beefsteak, soft crabs, and fried potatoes. Children go unattended to the lunch table, dress lobster, make ham sandwiches, order cups of “black and green tea, well mixed and strong,” saying sharp things to the servants, and in all respects behaving like men and women of society, and somewhat fast at that.
INTERESTING DECISION.—In Indiana, it has been judicially decided that the purchase of a railway ticket is also a purchase of a seat in the car. In this case the purchaser refused to give up his ticket until he was furnished with a seat. His request was not heeded, and it was in evidence that it could not be complied with in consequence of the crowded condition of the car. The passenger was therefore rejected, his baggage being thrown after him, for which injury he has now recovered $2,000.
OLD CLOTHES.—Sneer not at old clothes. They are often made holy by long sacrifices, by careful foldings away, that they may last until the dear ones are provided for. If many an old coat could speak, what tales it would tell of the noble heart beating underneath.
If thou desirest Christ for a perpetual guest, give him all the keys of thine heart; let not one cabinet be locked up from him; give him the range of every room, and the key of every chamber; thus you will constrain him to remain.
Omission Regarding the Seventh-day Baptist Memorial Fund
By John Nevins Andrews
Omission.
In making a brief report of the seventh-day Baptist anniversaries, I inadvertently omitted to speak of the Memorial Fund. Last year being the two hundredth anniversary of the existence of the denomination in this country it was then determined to raise a memorial fund of $100,000. Those who contributed to this fund were to be permitted to state the object to which their individual donations should be applied. About one-half of this sum has been raised during the year just closed. I regret the omission in my report. J. N. Andrews.
By Request: The Dark Day Article
By Editor
By Request.
We republish the article on the Dark Day by request of a friend on the Pacific coast. To many of the readers of the REVIEW, this will be new, and it can but be gratifying to all to consider the facts concerning this remarkable sign of the times.
The poetry, The Destiny of Man, is also republished by request. It was first published in vol. xi, Dec., 1857.
Use “Right Words.”
We frequently hear individuals confess to God that they are “in a cold and lukewarm state.” It is not possible that this should be true. A moment’s consideration will teach any one that “cold” and “lukewarm” are so different that we cannot be in both conditions at the same time.
Answers to Correspondents.
To W. E.: You will find an answer to your question about Melchisedec in the pamphlet entitled, Refutation of the Age to Come, published at this Office.
“1. I would ask you to harmonize Matt. 28:1, with Mark 16:1, 2, and Luke 23:54, and 24:1. “2. Some take the position that our Saviour was crucified on Wednesday and rose on the Sabbath. If they could sustain that, would it not be a good proof against celebrating that as the resurrection day. H. H.”
Ans. We see nothing but harmony in the texts cited. They all make a plain distinction between the Sabbath and the first day of the week. All say that the Sabbath was ended, and that it was early on the first-day when they came to the sepulcher. But none gives the exact time of the resurrection. For an exposition of the texts you are referred to the tract entitled “Sabbaton,” published at this Office.
We are not interested to prove the day of the resurrection, until it is proved that we are required to keep the day of the resurrection. If men are determined to offer “will-worship” it is easy for them to conjecture reasons for it. It is sufficient to show that it is will-worship, and not required of God, without going beyond that fact to parley about the reasons, which are only of their own devising.
“GOD ENDED HIS WORK.”
By J. H. W.
The query on Matt. 28:1, reminds us of the oft-repeated question concerning Gen. 2:2. Many seem to find it difficult to harmonize this with Ex. 20:11, and other texts which say that God finished his work on the sixth day. Dr. Clarke suggests that some versions of Gen. 2:3, read “sixth day” instead of “seventh.” The Hebrew says “the seventh.” Prof. Greene says:—
“Vayechal, ended, i. e., by discontinuing, not by performing the concluding portion, so that there is no need either of supposing that part of the work of creation was performed on the seventh day, or of changing ‘seventh’ to ‘sixth’ to evade the fancied difficulty.”
The following is in part the definition of the original word as given by Gesenius:—
“1. To be complete, perfect, finished. The primary idea is to close up, come to a close. . . .
“2. To be finished, ended, past, e g., a season or period of time; Gen. 41:53; Ruth 2:23; Isa. 24:13, ‘when the vintage is ended,’ 10:25, ‘and the indignation will be past.’ . . .
“3. To be ended, spent, consumed.” &c.
Now that there is no necessity of combining with this the idea of doing a part is proved positively by Dan. 9:24, where it is prophesied of the Messiah that he shall “finish the transgression.” No one will contend that he does this by doing the last part of it, but by causing it to cease. And so of Gen. 2:2: “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is.” Of course nothing was left to be made on the seventh day. “Thus the heavens and earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made, and he rested the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”
The harmony of these texts is found in giving to “ended” in verse 2, the idea of “discontinued,” or ceased from. The remark of Prof. Greene is, beyond doubt, correct; and there is only a “fancied difficulty” in the text.
J. H. W.
The Final Hour.
By J. H. W.
In that hour when the more we are loved the more helpless is love; in that hour when the richer we are the less able are riches to do anything; in that hour when the more there is about us the less is it flavorsome and desirable; in that hour when heart and flesh fail—we need the comfort of believing, with all our heart and mind and soul, that universal intelligence and universal love preside; that we are leaning on the arm of a God who is never weary; that we are guided by an eye that never sleeps; that we are safe, and saved by a heart that never ceases to beat with sympathy and love."—Beecher.
Some friend has sent us the above selection for publication. It is very pretty, and that is the best we can say for it, as we consider that it comes from a minister who finds no comfort in the blood of Christ, and never uses the text which assures us that that blood cleanses from all sin. “Universal love” is a desirable theme, but love has its avenues of operation, and unites with “universal justice,” by faith in his blood; Rom. 3: 23–26. Many will come to “the final hour” deceived, and be undeceived too late for remedy. Matt. 7: 21, 22. The sensational and sentimental religion of a thousand Beechers will never wash a sinner without faith “in the blood of the Lamb,” nor bring any where they can sing the soul-inspiring, triumphant song of glory to the Son of God: “Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us by thy blood.” Rev. 7: 14; 5: 9. J. H. W.
Correction to Maine Conference Report
By W. H. Blaisdell
Correction.
In my report of the doings of the Maine Conference, at its late annual session, I omitted to report the following item of business which was transacted by the Conference:— “Voted, to donate to the General Conference the sum of one hundred dollars.”