SAYS the apostle in Romans 8:28, 'We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.' But, says a dear soul undergoing heavy trial, how is this bitter cup for my good? Why have I lost this dear friend? And many other such like queries. We reply that singly the trial may not be for your good. If all your life were to be spent in such trial, if there were no hereafter, you would indeed be miserable. But that affliction may work out for you an eternal weight of glory if you will but learn the lesson. Humble yourselves before God and he will exalt you in due time.
Believe God still. 'He is too wise to err, too good to prove unkind.' Your trial is needed in some way. You only see the now; God sees the end. You are thinking of the present and near future; God has in mind the ages of eternity to come. The rain, cold as it seems, is as necessary as the sun to the tiny plant; so dark trials are as necessary as pleasant, sunny blessings. And as the rain is blessing as well as the sunshine, so dark trials are blessings together with the sunny places of life; for 'we would not learn to walk by faith could we always walk by sight.' Leave the web of promise to the great Weaver; if it be his will, let him mingle the dark and light, the rough and smooth. He never makes mistakes; he allows us to correct ours. When the web is finished, and we shall see it all, the dark places will be the most glorious; and while in this life we could not see that these trials alone were for our good, we shall then see that all things have worked together for our good through the perfect wisdom of God. But let us not wait till then to know; faith says now, 'We know.' M. C. W.
AN INTERESTING PROPHECY
By C. P. B.
ONE of the most interesting prophecies in relation to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to the events which point to that grand consummation, is that recorded in the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel. In this prophecy, the principal kingdoms of the world were presented to the prophet by means of symbols. "Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." Dan. 7:2, 3.
Then follows a description of the beasts. "The first was like a lion, and had eagles' wings;" but the wings were plucked. The second was "like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it; and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh." The third beast was like a leopard; and it had four wings, and four heads, and dominion was given to it. The fourth beast was a nondescript, "dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it; and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns." See verses 4-7.
The prophet continues: "I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit;" "and the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." After this the prophet saw a vision of the second coming of Christ, and of the giving of all dominion to him. See verses 8-14.
Then the prophet was troubled and sought an explanation of the vision (verses 15, 16), and was told by an angel (verses 17, 18) that the four beasts represented four kingdoms, but that at last the saints of God should take the kingdom and possess it forever. And this agrees exactly with other scriptures, for by reference to Rev. 17:15 it will be seen that the sea represents peoples and nations, and in Jer. 25:31-33 we learn that winds represent war or strife among nations. Then Daniel inquired particularly concerning the fourth beast, or kingdom, and especially in regard to the "ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows." "I beheld," says the prophet, "and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days41came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." Verses 21-23.
In answer to the prophet's inquiry, the angel said that the fourth beast represented the fourth kingdom, and that the ten horns were ten kingdoms which should arise out of it; and that another power should arise among them and overthrow three of the ten. And describing this power the angel said: "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." Verse 25.
We now have before us quite fully not only Daniel's vision, but the explanation of the vision. The beasts, we have learned, represent kingdoms, and it is scarcely necessary to go into details to show that the kingdoms referred to were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome. Concerning the first of these symbols, the lion having eagles' wings, Dr. Barnes says: "Now in regard to the application of this symbol, there can be but little difficulty, and there is almost no difference of opinion among expositors. All, or nearly all, agree that it refers to the kingdom of Babylon." And certainly all must see that the representation was most fitting.
"At first, the lion had eagles' wings, denoting the rapidity with which Babylon extended its conquests under Nebuchadnezzar. When this vision was given, a change had taken place. Its wings had been plucked. It no longer flew like an eagle upon its prey. The boldness and spirit of the lion were gone. A man's heart, weak, timorous, and faint, had taken its place. Such was emphatically the case in the person of the imbecile and pusillanimous Belshazzar, who in weakness and fear shut himself up in the city of Babylon, and with whom the Babylonian kingdom came to an end, B. C. 538."
The second symbol is likewise referred almost universally to the Medo-Persian kingdom. This is the application made by Dr. Barnes, who remarks that the only question is as to the fitness of the symbol. He then goes on to show that no more fitting symbol could have been chosen. Upon this point another writer says: "The character of the power is well represented by a bear. The Medes and Persians were cruel and rapacious,—robbers and spoilers of the people." The three ribs in the mouth of the bear represent some of the earliest conquests of the Medes and Persians.
The leopard was also a most fitting symbol of the Macedonian or Grecian Empire under Alexander. Concerning the symbol, Barnes remarks that "on the supposition that Daniel was to choose a symbol that would represent the Macedonian Empire, he could not have selected one that was better adapted to it than the leopard." The beast is one of the most swift-footed of all the beasts of prey, but even this is not enough—wings are added, and it is a well-known fact that, in the rapidity of his conquests, Alexander excelled anything that the world has ever seen. The four heads of the beast represent the four parts into which the empire was divided after the death of Alexander. On this point Barnes has thus expressed the generally accepted view:—
"It is well known that when Alexander died, his empire was left to four of his generals, and that they came to be at the head of as many distinct dominions, yet all springing from the same source, and all, in fact, but the Macedonian Empire. This fact would not be so well represented by four distinct and separate animals as by one animal with four heads; that is, as the head represents authority or dominion, one empire in fact now ruling by four distinct authorities."
It may not be amiss to again quote Dr. Barnes, not as authority, for no man's opinion is worth any more than the reasons by which it is supported, but as expressing the generally received view of this prophecy. Of the fourth symbol he says: "The fourth kingdom, symbolized by the fourth beast, is accurately represented by the Roman power." "The fourth beast, so mighty, so terrific, so powerful, so unlike all the others—armed with iron teeth, and with claws of brass—trampling down and stamping on all the earth—well represents the Roman dominion." But strong as Rome was, it was to be divided. In the second chapter of Daniel this division was symbolized by the iron and clay in the feet and toes of the image, but in this prophecy it is represented by the ten horns upon the head of the beast. But while the iron and clay denoted only division, the ten horns indicated into just how many parts the kingdom should be divided, namely, ten. And as Calmet, on Rev. 13:1, says: "Even the Romanists themselves admit that the Roman Empire was, by means of the incursions of the Northern nations, dismembered into ten kingdoms." This writer also refers to several other expositors who take the same view of the matter.
The consideration of the little horn which came up among the ten, and work of persecution and blasphemy, must be reserved for another article.
WRONGLY DIVIDING.
By Editor
REV. L. C. ROGERS, in the Sabbath Recorder of December 13, on the woman as the symbol of the Church (see Revelation 12), says:—
“Her child is to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and is caught up to God and to his throne; but the church is persecuted by the dragon, until, in the professed conversion of Constantine, the Roman emperor, in the fourth century, the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood of pagan persecution; then the wrath of the dragon made war upon the remnant of the seed, the faithful few, who rejected the union of Church and State, and refused to become Papists. Rev. 12:15-17. Chapter thirteen marks the rise of Pagan and Papal Rome, and their concurrent prevalence, under the symbol of a beast with seven heads and ten horns.”
But Mr. R. takes no account of the 1260 days which intervene between the time of the child being caught up to God and the time when the earth opened her mouth. In fact, the 1260 days or years cover the period of persecution. But this was not by the Pagans, but by the Papists. Or does Mr. R. make the days literal? If so, when do they apply? And what about the remnant persecuted after the 1260 days? The fact is, the prophecy relates not to the beginning of the Christian dispensation, but to the entire career of the church. If this fact were recognized, that part of the word of truth could better be “rightly divided.”
THE DAY NOT THE TIME.
By M. C. W.
ONE of the chief arguments against the seventh-day Sabbath is the seventh-part-of-time theory. The argument is that God is not particular as to the day, and that if the proportion of time—one-seventh—is kept, the requirement of the fourth commandment is met. Any day of the seven, it is claimed, will answer the intent of the Sabbath law. Sunday is kept because more expedient.
But is this true? Why then did the Lord make the commandment so definite as regards the one particular day? It is the seventh day of the seven we are to remember; in it we are to do no work; on that day God rested; that particular day he blessed and sanctified, or hallowed; that day is his holy Sabbath-day. And no other day can be; for no other day ever passed through such a process. The definite day is the pivotal point of the whole Sabbath law. God could not rest upon and make holy a day without resting upon and making holy a definite day. A man could not sell one-seventh of seven horses without selling a definite horse. The Sabbath of Jehovah can, therefore, only be a definite day; and the commandment is very emphatic that it is the seventh day.
Again: Why will people contend for the proportion of time, which is only implied, and disregard the specific day, which is clearly stated. In some conditions it is impossible for an individual to keep one-seventh of the time. For instance, a rapid train going westward would in one day lose about an hour. To a passenger the day would be one of only twenty-three hours; consequently, he could not keep the seventh part of time. But there is no such difficulty to him who keeps the definite day. Have we any more right to change from the day so plainly expressed in the law, than we have to change the proportion of days? Is not Papal Rome, that has attempted the change from the seventh to the first day, just as guilty as is infidel France, that changed from the seventh day of one cycle to the tenth of a new cycle? Did not God mean what he said when he gave the seventh day? Did patriarch, prophet, or the Christ ever understand it otherwise? If the Lord did not mean what he said, who can say what he did mean? The same reasons exist now for the seventh-day Sabbath that existed when it was given from Sinai. Who dare say otherwise? “Who art thou that repliest against God?” M. C. W.
THE CONTINENTAL SUNDAY.
In an article entitled, "The Continental Sunday, the Reaction Against it in Europe," the Lutheran Observer says:—
"The continental Sunday has trespassed upon the Sabbath as a day of rest. As the physical constitution of man could not endure the exhaustion of uninterrupted toil, God forbade it, and enjoined that all men should abstain from labor one day in every seven. In other words, God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest."
Yes, "God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest," and he also ordained it as a memorial of his creative work. "Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy." "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it," is the language of the fourth commandment; and of Israel the Lord said: "Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." Eze. 20:12. But by the unwarranted substitution of Sunday for the Sabbath, the memorial character of the Sabbath institution has almost wholly been lost sight of. Truly, "the continental Sunday has trespassed upon the Sabbath," and not only so but it has usurped the place of the Sabbath, and being without the warrant of divine law, its friends are everywhere demanding that this lack be supplied by the enactment of civil laws requiring its observance and punishing its violation.
Bible Tracts Authorized in Constantinople
Oscar S. Straus, United States Minister to Turkey, has reported to the Secretary of State that he has obtained of the Grand Vizier the necessary authorization for the Bible house at Constantinople to print in Turkish 35,000 Bible tracts, consisting of the Psalms, Proverbs, the four Gospels, and the Acts
SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE.
By Editor
The Christian Union of December 13 thus draws the comparison between science and the Bible, in a reply to a correspondent: “If the Bible, as interpreted, is at variance with any well-established discovery of modern learning, perhaps our interpretation is at fault; if not, the Bible is at fault. We must not assume that the Bible cannot be at fault in some matters.” In reference to moral matters it says, “The judge in such matters is the Christ in us, i. e., conscience as enlightened by Christ.”
What a conclusion! What a standard! If Darwin’s evolution be accepted as a “well-established discovery of modern learning,” and the Bible does not agree therewith, then “the Bible is at fault”! If in ten years from that time a contrary and equally fanciful theory is accepted by “modern learning” as a “well-established discovery,” then “the Bible is at fault again if it agrees not with the change! And how decide moral matters? “The conscience as enlightened by Christ,” or “the Christ in us”! What “Christian” fanatic ever existed but that had an “enlightened conscience”? The blinded and hypocritical both claim Christ within when transgressing some of the plainest precepts of the word of God. As for us, we prefer the Bible, honored and revered by Christ and his apostles, to the maunderings of the Christian Union or the deductions of “modern learning.” “The Scripture cannot be broken,” said Jesus. We prefer his words to a human conscience.
The Sabbath-School.
Old Testament History.
GOD'S CARE FOR HIS PEOPLE.
(Lesson 5, February 2, 1889.)
(Concluded.)
1. TELL, in their order, what plagues were brought upon the land of Egypt because Pharaoh would not let Israel go?
2. State the particulars of how God discriminated between his people and the Egyptians?
3. What was the last plague?
"And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more." Ex. 11:4-6.
4. How safe were the Israelites to be?
"But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast; that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel." Verse 7.
5. Before this plague was inflicted, what instruction did the Lord give his people? Ex. 12:1-10.
6. What was this feast declared to be?
"And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste; it is the Lord's passover." Verse 11.
7. What were they to do with the blood of the lamb?
"Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning." Verses 21, 22.
8. Why were they to do this?
"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." "For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you." Verses 13, 23.
9. What did this simple act indicate?—Faith in God.
10. What took place at midnight?
"And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead." Ex. 12:29, 30.
11. What part of the previous record warrants us in believing that the Egyptians might have availed themselves of the protection afforded the Israelites?
"He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses; and he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field." Ex. 9:20, 21.
12. Of what was the lamb whose sprinkled blood saved the Israelites from death, a type?
"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." 1 Cor. 5:7.
13. From what are we saved by His blood?
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." Rom. 5:8, 9. "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father." Gal. 1:4.
14. Just before God's people are finally delivered from this evil world, what will come upon the earth?
"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God." Rev. 15:1. "And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." Rev. 16:1.
15. Which of the seven last plagues will be similar to the plagues upon Egypt? See Rev. 16.
17. What distinction will God then put between his servants and the wicked? Ps. 91:1-10.
GOD'S LOVE AND CARE.
By M. C. W.
CARE combines thought and feeling for an object, which leads to action. It is akin to solicitude and anxiety, but is not so strong a word, though broader in its application. In the two latter words fear is expressed as to results, but not so as regards care. It implies that with thought and attention the expected result will be obtained. Care relates to the past, present, and future; but solicitude and anxiety relate only to the present and future. Man may have all these, but God can only have care; and that care will lead him to give such thought and attention to all his purposes that not one shall fail. Care also implies feeling, and God has feeling for his people.
God loves, and has a care for, all mankind. "He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matt. 5:45. His blessings upon the evil and froward are to lead them to repentance (Rom. 2:4); but his blessings upon his people are evidences of his love for them, to confirm them in obedience to him. Deut. 11:13-15. But God has a special care for his people. If they have so recognized his love to sinners as to accept of his terms of reconciliation, "much more" will he do for them to save them. They have left the ranks of the arch-rebel, they have lain down their arms of rebellion, they are longing for a place in the ranks of the loyal subjects; and what monarch would not do more for them, have more thought and feeling for them, than for those still in rebellion! Justice would demand that God should have a stronger love and a greater care for those who have placed themselves in the channel of his love and under his care. Once they were rebels, now they are wards, or children of adoption. So it is that "like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." Ps. 103:13.
The basis of God's care is God's love. He loved the world in its rebellion so much that he consented that his Only Begotten should die for them. All who will accept of that offering shall live; all who will not recognize his love, "choose death." Those who so appreciate God's love that they will gladly yield complete submission, thereby place themselves in the channel of his love, where God can work in them "the good pleasure of his will." Eph. 1:5. If he loved us before, "much more" does he love us when we have been made whole by the purchase of the blood of his dear Son. He had a care for us while we were unreconciled; he surrounded us with influences calculated to lead us to him; he directed his servants to us with messages of reproof and mercy; his Holy Spirit pleaded with us even when we were in wickedness. And now that we have become his, shall his tender care cease? No; for he careth for us still. His care is commensurate with his love.
Would we know what that is? Read the following assurances of God's love for his people:—
"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." Isa. 49:15, 16.
"The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." Jer. 31:3.
Would we know some tangible proof of his love? We can see it in all the common blessings of life, which selfish man takes as a matter of course; in all the incentives to do right thrown around us; and more than all else, and that in which all other blessings center, and from which they all radiate, the giving of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to die. He became poor that we might become rich. He took upon himself our nature, "was made flesh," was tempted in all points as we are tempted, that he might be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Heb. 4:15. Surely God has given proof of his loving care. And if God "spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things" "that pertain unto life and godliness!" Rom. 8:32; 2 Peter 1:3.
Do our doubting hearts desire other evidences of God's care for his people? Read the story of his dealings with the "father of the faithful;" his care of Lot; his love toward Jacob, who desired to be good but knew not the strength till it was given at Peniel. Read of God's care for Jacob's descendants in preserving them from famine; in saving them from the machinations of the court of Egypt, increasing their numbers under the greatest privation and strictest laws for their destruction; shielding them from the plagues of Egypt; bearing them through the wilderness of peril by his own Son as the Angel of his presence. "In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old." Isa. 63:9. And so it has been all through the history of the people of God.
God's care for his people is also manifest in those things which seem to be against them. Jacob, mourning over the loss of his favorite son, when called upon to part with the son of his old age, cried out in the anguish of his soul, "All these things are against me." Gen. 42:36. But the seeming loss of Joseph was God's plan for the rescue of Jacob's whole house from famine. God's special providence was over his people. Moses's forced flight to the land of Midian was the means by which the Lord showed him man's littleness and God's greatness. It placed him in the best school he ever knew. A king's dream is used once and again as a means by which God lifts up the head of his captive servants and advances them to such positions that they can help their companions in tribulation. So it was with both Joseph and Daniel. But time would fail us to tell of God's infinite mercy, wondrous goodness, and loving, watchful care for his people. The inspired word reveals to us again and again that out of the most insignificant, or of that which is naught to us, God can bring deliverance and blessing.
Are not all these records a help to us? Has not God left them on record for that purpose? Yes, most assuredly; "for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Rom. 15:4. And the same "scriptures of truth" assure us that God will not forget his people when the plagues of his wrath, typified by the Egyptian plagues, fall upon the hopelessly wicked world. "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day. . . . A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee." Ps. 91. No plague shall come43near the dwelling of the people of God; God is their refuge, his angels keep them.
These are our assurances. Can we not be faithful? Will God forget his promises? Can his love fail? Trials come, but in these we will be "more than conquerors;" "for," says Paul, "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 8:38, 39. Therefore cast "all your care upon him; for hecareth for you."
AGAIN the mission of Christ brought him to Capernaum. When the news spread abroad that Jesus was a guest at the house of Peter, men, women, and children flocked from every direction to hear the wonderful Teacher. There was a man in the vicinity who was reduced to utter helplessness by the incurable disease of palsy. He had given up all hope of recovery. But his friends and relatives had heard the gracious instruction of Jesus; they had witnessed his wonderful miracles; they saw that he turned none away, that even the loathsome lepers found access to his presence, and were healed, and they began to hope that the paralytic might be relieved if he could be brought under the notice of Jesus.
THEY tried to encourage the sufferer, telling him of the miraculous power of Jesus to cure every malady, of the words of mercy he had spoken to the despairing, and of those who are set free from the power of Satan by a word of his sublime authority. As the palsied man listened to the good tidings, hope revived in his heart that he might be relieved of his terrible infirmity. He longed to see Jesus and place himself in his hands. But when he reflected that dissipation had been the main cause of his affliction, hope sank, for he feared that he would not be tolerated in the presence of the pure Physician. He had loved the pleasures of sin, his life had been a transgression of the law of God, and his bodily affliction was the penalty of his crime.
HE had long before placed his case in the hands of the Pharisees and doctors, entreating their interest and sympathy, hoping that they would do something to relieve his tortured mind and physical sufferings. But they had looked coldly upon him and pronounced him incurable. The palsied man had sunk into despair, seeing no help from any quarter, till news of the miracles of mercy performed by Jesus had aroused hope again in his breast. Yet he feared that he might not be allowed in his presence; he felt that if Jesus would only see him and give him relief of mind by pardoning his sins, he would be content to live or die according to his righteous will. His friends assured him that Jesus had healed others who were in every respect as sinful and helpless as himself, and this encouraged him to believe that his own petition would be granted.
HE felt that there was no time to lose. If anything could be done to arrest mortality, it must be done at once. The despairing cry of the dying man was, Oh, that I might come into his presence! His friends were anxious to assist him in gratifying his wish, and several projects were suggested to bring about this result, but none of them seemed feasible. The sick man, although racked with bodily pain, preserved the full strength of his intellect, and he now proposed that his friends should carry him on his bed to Jesus. This they cheerfully undertook to do.
As they approached the dense crowd that had assembled in and about the house where Jesus was teaching, it seemed doubtful that they could accomplish their purpose. However, they pressed on with their burden, till their passage was completely blocked up, and they were obliged to stop before they arrived within hearing of the Saviour's voice. Jesus was within, and, as was customary, his disciples sat near him; for it was most important that they should hear his words, and understand the truths which they were to proclaim by word or pen over all lands and through all ages.
THE haughty Pharisees, the doctors, and the scribes, were also gathered near, with wicked purposes in their hearts, and a desire to confuse and confound the sacred Teacher, that they might accuse him of being an impostor, and condemn him to death. Jealous of his power and wisdom, they concealed their intense hatred, for the purpose of closely watching his words, and calling him out upon various subjects with the hope of surprising him into some contradiction or forbidden heresy that would give them an excuse to prefer charges against him.
THROUGH this surging crowd the bearers of the paralytic sought to push their way; but the attempt was useless. They urged the necessity of their case, in order to prevail upon the people to fall back, but it was of no avail. The sick man gazed about him with inexpressible anguish. Must he relinquish all hope when the longed-for help was so near? He felt that he could not endure so bitter a disappointment, and suggested that they bear him to the rear of the house, and break through the roof and let him down into the immediate presence of Jesus.
SEEING that it was his only chance of life, his friends followed his suggestion. The roof was opened, and the sick man let down at the very feet of Christ. The discourse was interrupted; the Saviour looked upon that mournful countenance, and saw the pleading eyes fixed upon him with a silent entreaty. He understood the case, for it was he who had led the perplexed and doubting spirit to himself. He had come to the world to give hope to the guilty and wretched. John had pointed to him as "the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." The divine Spirit of Jesus stirred the heart of this poor sinner, and while he was yet at home, had brought conviction to his conscience. He had watched the first glimmer of faith deepen into a belief that Jesus was his only helper, and had seen it grow stronger with every effort to come into his presence.
JESUS acknowledged the faith that was evidenced by the sick man's efforts, under such perplexing difficulties, to reach the presence of his Lord, and lifting up his voice in melodious tones, addressed him: "Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee." The burden of darkness and despair rolled from the sick man's soul; the peace of perfect love and forgiveness rested upon his spirit and shone out upon his countenance. His physical pain was immediately gone, and his whole being was transformed before the eyes of the astonished multitude. The helpless paralytic was healed, the guilty sinner pardoned. The simple faith of the paralytic accepted the words of the Master as the boon of new life. He preferred no further request, he made no noisy demonstration, but remained in blissful silence, too happy for words. The light of Heaven irradiated his countenance, and the people looked with awe upon the scene before them. Christ stood with a serene majesty that lifted him above the dignitaries of the synagogue and the doctors of the law.
THE Pharisees, the scribes, and the doctors had waited anxiously to see what disposition Jesus would make of this case. They recollected that the sufferer had appealed to them for help, and that they had entrenched themselves in the sanctity of their office and refused him one ray of encouragement. They had even expressed annoyance at being troubled with so disagreeable a matter. They had looked with horror upon his shriveled form, and said, We cannot raise one from the dead; dissolution has already commenced.
THESE lofty men did not exchange words together, but looking into one another's faces, they read the same thought expressed upon every countenance: Something must be done to arrest the tide of popular sentiment. Jesus had declared that the sins of the paralytic were forgiven. The Pharisees caught at these words as an assumption of infinite power, a blasphemy against God, and conceived that they could present this before the people as a crime worthy of death. They did not express their thoughts, but these worshippers of forms and symbols were saying in their minds, He is a blasphemer! Who can forgive sins but God alone? They were laying hold of the Saviour's words of divine pardon, to use as a means by which to accuse him. But Jesus read their thoughts, and, fixing his reproving glance upon them, beneath which they cowered and drew back, addressed them thus: "Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (he saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house."
THEN he who had been borne to Jesus on a litter, and whose limbs were then useless, rises to his feet with the elasticity and strength of youth. The life-giving blood bounds through his veins, seeking its natural channels with unerring precision. The lagging human machinery springs into sudden activity, the animating glow of health succeeds the pallor of approaching death. "And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion."
OH, wondrous love of Christ, stooping to heal the guilty and the afflicted! Divinity sorrowing over and soothing the ills of suffering humanity! Oh, marvelous power thus displayed to the children of men! Who can doubt the message of salvation? Who can slight the mercies of a compassionate Redeemer?
HAD the scribes and Pharisees been honest before God, they would have yielded to the conclusive evidence they had witnessed that Jesus was the promised One of Israel. But they were determined that nothing should convince them of this fact. They were in haughty and determined opposition to this meek and humble Teacher, who came from the workshops of Nazareth, yet by his wonderful works threatened to annihilate their dignity and station. So they yielded in no degree their hatred and malice, but went away to invent new schemes for condemning and silencing the Son of God.