Earlier text: JESUS CHRIST A CONQUERORI have unlearned contempt. It is the sin
That is engendered earliest in the soul,
And doth beset it like a poison-worm
Feeding on all its beauty. As it steals
Into the bosom, you may see the light
Of the clear, earnest eye grow cold and dim,
And the fine, upright glory of the brow
Cloud with mistrust, and the unfettered lip,
Curled with the iciness of a constant scorn.
It eats into the mind till it pollutes
All its pure fountains. Feeling, reason, taste,
Breathe of its chill corruption. Every sense
That could convey a pleasure is benumbed,
And the bright human being, that was made
Full of all warm affections, and with power
To look through all things lovely up to God,
Is changed into a cold and doubting fiend,
With but one use for reason—to despise! Be patient with your friends. They are neither omniscient nor omnipotent. They cannot see your heart and may misunderstand you. They cannot know what is best for you, and may select what is worst. Their arms are short, and they may not be able to reach what you ask. What if they also lack purity of purpose and tenacity of affection, do you not also lack these graces? Patience is your refuge. Endure, and in enduring conquer them, and if not them, then, at least, yourself. Above all, be patient with your beloved. Love is the best thing on the earth, but it is to be handled tenderly, and impatience is a nurse that kills it. Be patient with your pains and cares. We know it is easy to say and hard to do. But you must be patient. These things are killed by enduring them, and made strong to bite and sting by feeding them with your frets and fears. There is no pain or care that can last long. None of them shall enter the city of God. A little while, and you shall leave behind you the whole troop of howling troubles, and forget in your first sweet hour of rest that such things were on the earth. Be patient with your deferred hopes. The heart is sick, no doubt, but sick hearts must take the tonic of patience. All that is worth hoping for will come to the Christian. The hope itself is put in peril by the impatience that weakens and prostrates your strength. Here also you have no better resource than patience. You will reach next year just as soon by taking it quietly; the end of your preparation for life's work—your apprenticeship or college course—will come of itself. The end of all your labor is not far beyond, and need not be sighed for nor impatiently expected. Clad in patience, you walk in an invisible armor, against which temptations to repine and murmur fall harmless. Put on patience against your hungry hope. Be patient with yourself. You are full of faults, and your life abounds in blunders. Do not lash yourself sore with self-debasement. Some confidence in yourself is needful to your success. A servant who is always scolded and flogged and kicked will end in utter worthlessness. You are your own servant, and ought to be a severe master but not a tyrant in your own house. But worse than tyranny is capricious treatment of yourself. To-day you call this servant a dear and perfect one: to-morrow you upbraid him as an ass and coward. Be patient with him; it is the only way to get work out of him. It seems almost irreverent to counsel you to be patient with God; and yet you know that even against God you have cried out in your impatience. Your garden did not bloom in season or bear fruit in abundance, and in your heart you said, “God will never reward me according to my works. He has flowers for others and fruit even for the ungodly, but me he leaves in want. When will my turn come?” Be patient. He has one time, and you have another. Your time is when you desire: his is when you can use. He sees your day of real want: you see only the hour of capricious wishes. You can afford to wait. Be patient.—Methodist. It is a most excellent rule in life for those who would keep out of trouble, and keep themselves, too, out of the reach of injurious busy-bodies, to have their eyes and ears wide open, and their mouths shut. They may see all that is to be seen, and hear all that is to be heard, but they need not tell to others all that they may wish to hear. These are scheming times. People are not what they were twenty years ago. The struggle for life and wealth has become so fierce and intense that it has broken down many of the scruples that once governed men. Matters spoken of in confidence, or words dropped incautiously in chance conversation, are not always accorded the privacy they are entitled to. They are too often used without remorse, whenever they can be used to the advantage of one or to the detriment of another; and in this way a man who has honest schemes of business in hand, or who may have the misfortune to have unhappy secrets in his household, or in his personal circle, frequently finds the world cognizant of them all without scarcely knowing how it obtained the information. An upright, just, and honorable person, who chances to come into possession of a knowledge of his neighbor’s private affairs, will lock his lips upon it, and suffer no one else to obtain it from him. But all men do not possess this high regard for others, and the only safe rule in dealing with such persons, and indeed with all persons, is to keep your own counsel; converse freely and genially on ordinary subjects, but on grave personal matters cultivate a careful reticence. If you have important business projects in hand, keep them to yourself, or at most, limit the knowledge of them to the few trusty friends on whose discretion you can rely, and whose advice and assistance you may need. There are few successful business men who do not make this an inflexible rule in their operations. It saves them infinite trouble, and is one of the secrets of their prosperity.—Sel. Ill doers are ill thinkers. All men can't be masters. Fear is stronger than love. Agree, for the law is costly. Dying is as natural as living. A long life hath long miseries. Hatred is blind as well as love. Care and diligence bring love. Children are poor men's riches. Idleness always envies industry. Heaven is worth the whole world. A great fortune is a great slavery. A danger foreseen is half avoided. Fore-cast is better than work-hard. A good example is the best sermon. Idle men are dead all their life long. By doing nothing we learn to do ill. A good friend is my nearest relation. A man is not so soon healed as hurt. A great reputation is a great charge. He doth much that doth a thing well. Empty vessels give the greatest sound. Ignorance is the mother of impudence. A quiet conscience causes quiet sleep. Ask thy purse what thou shouldst buy. Do good, if you ever expect to receive it. The Believer's Helper
By Dean Law
The believer is called to wayfaring and to wayfaring struggles. He has to bear a daily cross, and to fight a daily fight. But in every hour of need a sure support is near. Behold Moses: the ground which he must tread is very slippery; the hill of his difficulties is very steep; a foe opposes every step. But a staff and a sword are provided for him in the name of his guiding and protecting Lord. “I am that I am.” On this he can lean the whole burden of his cares, and fears, and pains. By this he can scatter kings as dust. This stay is still the same,—ever mighty, ever near. The feeblest pilgrim may grasp it by the hand of faith. And whosoever grasps it is “as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever.”—Dean Law. On Complaining About an Early Death
By Cicero
Some men make a womanish complaint, that it is a great misfortune to die before our time. I would ask, What time? Is it that of nature? But she indeed has lent us life as we do a sum of money, only no certain day is fixed for payment. What reason, then, to complain if she demands it at pleasure, since it was on this condition you received it?—Cicero. OUR SITUATION AND PROSPECTS.
By John Nevins Andrews
We have cause to render thanks to God for his gracious assistance. Hitherto the Lord has helped us. We have had to labor under very great disadvantages of which our brethren in America can have no adequate idea. God has suffered our faith and patience to be severely tested, but he has never suffered us to be overwhelmed. We began to publish under circumstances that made the work in every respect very difficult and very laborious; but our circumstances are changed so that the labor to issue our French paper and tracts is greatly diminished. We have nearly four hundred subscribers, the most of whom take an interest in the paper. We have nineteen French tracts; viz., The Millennium, The Second Advent, The Two Thrones, or Exposition of Daniel Second, The Judgment, The Sanctuary, What Day Do You Keep? and Why? Exposition of Matt. 24, The Sabbath of the Bible, The First Message, The Second Message, The Third Message, Perpetuity of the Ten Commandments, The Sufferings of Christ, The Two Laws, The Law and the Gospel, The Sabbath in Prophecy, The Present Truth, The Spirit of Prophecy, and God's Memorial. We have also in German, The Sabbath by Elihu, The Millennium, and The Two Laws. These have been printed in editions of 5000 copies, except two, which were printed in editions of 10,000 each. An inventory recently taken shows that we now have on hand, at wholesale prices, 2500 francs in value more than all the money that has been invested in our publishing work in Bâle. We have practiced rigid economy, and have made great efforts to guard against errors and losses. To publish a paper like LES SIGNES DES TEMPS, we are absolutely obliged to live in a city. If we had a press of our own, we could set up an office in some small village; but if we have others do our work, we are obliged to choose some city where a suitable press can be found. Whenever our American press is established in Europe, it will then be very easy for us to set up our office in any village that may be most desirable. Bro. Bourdeau has now returned to Switzerland, and I am nearly ready to join him in public labor. Our work is now in such a condition that we can keep up the paper and the publication of tracts, and yet it will be possible for me to be with him half of the time. We shall probably select as our fields of labor those villages where our paper has been taken. I think we have reason to hope for success. And now I must speak of the German work. Bro. Ertzenberger cannot make headway in new fields unless he can have tracts. He has to meet powerful antagonists, who use the press against him, and thus destroy the interest after he has raised it to the point where many seem ready to decide for the truth. I am satisfied that it is a duty to print tracts in the German language. I should be glad if they could be first used in a German paper, as they would then come cheaper. But I know not when it will be in the providence of God that our paper shall be printed in German. I hope, however, that the time is at hand; but purpose to get out several German tracts at once. And now I must also speak of the Italian work. Bro. Ribton is putting forth a very earnest effort in the city of Naples. He feels the need of tracts in the Italian language. He has already translated several of the best tracts, and is very desirous to print them for immediate use. He is a competent as well as conscientious translator, and understands the three things which every translator should understand, viz., the subject itself, the language out of which he translates it, and that into which he translates it. I feel an interest for the work in Italy that is very intense. Certainly God has planted his truth in that country in a manner that shows his desire that it should be there preached. We must sustain and advance the work in Italy. I have been struggling hard in connection with our publishing work in French to master the German and Italian languages. God has helped, and some progress has been made. We have a choice and valuable assortment of publications. These are well adapted to the wants of the people to whom the truth is preached. We have not sunk nor squandered the money that has been sent here for the publishing work. We have now in valuable publications, not only the full value of the money, but nearly 3000 francs in excess of all. We have a considerable number of interested readers of our journal. Some have been converted. There is an opening for the preaching of the word of God in several places where the paper is taken. Many who have read our paper are convinced of the truth. And now with God's blessing I hope to give much of my time to public labor with Bro. Bourdeau. It was never my intention and never my wish to shut myself up to the work of printing our paper and the tracts; but, contrary to my own purpose and my own choice, I have found myself obliged to put forth my utmost effort to sustain this branch of the work, and to guard against serious errors and losses. It has been to me a school in which I hope that some lessons have been learned that will be of profit to the cause of God. I have perfect confidence that God is here to help. My heart is full of courage. This is his work, and he will sustain it. All my interest is in it, and I wish to spend and be spent for Him who gave himself for me. We heard of the sickness of Bro. White with very great pain. He may be sure that we pray for him. May his strength be given back to him by the Spirit of God, and may we still share his wise counsel and his faithful oversight. 58 Mullerweg, Bâle, Suisse, Oct. 17. CAN GOD ORGANIZE MATTER TO THINK?
By Dudley Marvin Canright
How different species of plants and animals are perpetuated. Inorganic matter has not the power of producing a living animal, or even a plant; but at creation God made the first specimen of all vegetables and animals, and gave each the power to reproduce its kind, some one way, some another. Plant a thousand different seeds in the same soil, and out of these same material elements each will construct a plant like itself; so each animal begets another after its own kind. How this can be we cannot possibly say, yet there is the fact. I hold in my hand six little seeds. They do not seem to differ much in size, weight, or color. They are nothing but matter, at the best. I place them all side by side in the same soil. They are moistened by the same dew, warmed by the same sun, and they grow up together. But how marvelous! Each little seed has produced a plant every way different from all the rest. Then look at the various shapes and colors of the flowers as they open their leaves and blossoms. One is red, one is white, another is pink, another violet. Who can explain this mystery? Nobody. Yet this is all the work of mere matter vitalized by the power of God six thousand years ago. Look at that apple tree. It bears sour apples. I take a twig from a sweet apple tree, and graft it into one of the limbs. On that little twig grow sweet apples, while all around it on the same tree the apples are sour. The same sap rises up from the root, and feeds all the limbs alike; but when it comes to that limb, the same sap is made into sweet apples instead of sour. What does this? Is there a mysterious intelligence in that little limb? Oh! no. It is nothing but matter at work, and gross matter at that. The God who can make matter work such marvels as these, can make it think. Our pleaders for immateriality see such a difference between matter in its higher forms, as when organized into an angel or the higher classes of men, and the grosser forms of matter as seen in the lower animals, plants, and minerals, that they conclude these cannot both be material. But we fully believe that the whole difference lies in the superior organization which the Creator has given one over the other. Take another simple illustration. Here sits a skillful painter. Before him are his canvas, his brushes, and several kinds of paint,—all nothing but gross matter. They do not look very beautiful in that shape. But now he commences his work. He puts on a little of this paint, a little of that, and some of the other. In due time, lo and behold! there is the figure of an angel. The innocence and loveliness of Heaven sit upon it. We cannot admire it too much. Again he takes up the same brushes, with the same paint, and on the same canvas soon is represented the hideous form of a horrid devil. What a contrast in the two pictures! Can they be of the same material? Oh! yes: the only difference is in the way they are put together, or at most a little tinting of some other paint is added. With the same material he can paint a plant, a beast, or a man. Then cannot God do as much? Yes: we know he does, for we see it every day. Gather up promiscuously a hundred pounds of vegetable matter, a hundred pounds of brute flesh, and then take some human flesh, and analyze them all. They will be found to consist largely of the same materials. Then, reader, it is the organization that makes the plant, the beast, or the man. Yes, sir; and it is the organization that makes the mind, which neither the stone nor the plant possesses. God has organized matter in certain forms so that it does think. If a false theology had not utterly blinded our eyes to reason and the plainest facts of every-day observation, it would require no argument to prove this proposition. There sits a fly. Is he not material? Is he anything but matter? Will any be foolish enough to claim an immortal soul for him? No: all any one claims is that he has animal life, but no spiritual nature. Well, I carefully reach out my hand to put my finger on him. He sees the motion, and knows he will be killed if he remains there; so he flies away. Man in danger acts the same as that fly: we know that he reasons in doing so; so does the fly, or else it would not move. I raise my hand to strike that chair; but it does not try to move. Why not, as well as the fly? Because it knows nothing, while the fly sees its danger. Here is my dog. He thinks. I know he thinks, for I see the evidence of it. I speak to him, and he moves his head, wags his tail, and comes to me. Could unthinking matter do that? No. I tell him to do this or that, and he obeys me. This shows that he knows, that he understands what I say. But our opponents say this is nothing but instinct: there is no thought, reason, or intelligence about it. This is only a dodge; but be it so, it only helps our case. For according to their own position they must admit that matter can be organized so as to hear, see, feel, and act. I run a pin into my dog, or I strike him. See how quickly and keenly he feels it. He cries out for pain. See his flesh quiver. There is feeling there: none can deny this. So our opponents must now admit that matter can be made to feel; but all matter cannot feel. Indeed, no matter can feel unless first properly organized. But further. My dog can see. Look at his twinkling eyes. He has as good sight as man has. Doesn't he hear also? How acute his sense of smelling! You may deny him a mind and reason, but you cannot deny that he sees, hears, smells, and feels. Well, he is wholly material, as we both agree. Then here we have proof which cannot be evaded in any possible manner that matter can be organized so as to see, hear, smell, and feel. This gives us the whole question; for if God can organize matter to see, to hear, and to feel, he can as easily organize it to think. Unless they admit that the dog has an immortal soul, which they will by no means do, they cannot resort to the favorite dodge which is employed when we argue that the human eye does see. They reply that it is not the eye that sees, but the immaterial spirit behind it, which sees through the eye as we see through a telescope. But the dog has no such immaterial entity back of his eye; yet he sees; so it must be the material eye that sees after all. Take another familiar illustration: Here are a dozen hen's eggs. I open one, and find nothing but common matter, largely water with a little phosphorus, lime, &c. I can see no signs of thought or even animal life here, nothing which can see, or hear, or move itself. I put the remainder of the eggs under a sitting hen. In a few days I behold a living animal breaking out of those shells. It now has eyes, ears, and can run around, and feed itself. It can see, hear, and feel. What has wrought this great difference in the matter which was in that egg? Has God sent an immortal soul down to animate it? Oh! no. Simply the latent animal life in that egg has been developed. It is just the same matter that it was before, only it is differently organized. Now that matter can see and feel. Let us carry this further. A man is asleep. Prick his foot with a pin. His foot feels it, and the nerve immediately carries the impression to the mind, and the man awakes. In this case it is the material flesh which feels the pin and informs the mind of it. Is it claimed that the immaterial soul is of the same size and shape as the body, and hence it is present in all parts of165 the body; and that it is after all the soul that feels, and not the flesh? But this theory won't work well for our opponents. According to this view, the immaterial soul of a child can only be the size of a child. Hence it must grow larger as the child grows to man's size. But how can an immaterial thing grow? That which can grow larger must be composed of parts. Hence it can be divided, separated, and thus destroyed, and hence is not immortal any more than the material body. But to return to that foot. We can positively demonstrate, beyond any contradiction, that in this case it is the material flesh, not the soul at all, which feels the prick of the pin. Here is the proof: Cut off that material leg. Have you cut off the leg of the spirit body which they claim is inside of the material body? Of course they dare not admit that; for if you can cut off the leg of the immaterial body, you could also cut off its head and cut it all up! No, that won't do; so the leg of the spirit body must be there still, hanging out after the material leg of flesh has been amputated! What a predicament that must be for the unfortunate spirit leg! But the point is, Which feels, the material fleshy leg, or the immaterial spirit leg? We will try it. When the flesh was there, the prick of a pin, the blow of a cane, could be felt. But now that the flesh is gone, thrust in the pin, strike at it and through it with a cane; is there any feeling? Not a particle, as any man will tell you who has lost a limb. So one told me yesterday, when I asked him, and tried the experiment. Then it is not the immaterial body, but the fleshy body, which feels. Take another case. A man's limb is paralyzed. The nerves no longer act. The leg or arm is still alive, but it has no feeling. You may prick it, freeze it, or burn it; but the man feels nothing. I know a brother in just this condition. He has frozen all his fingers off because he could not feel when they were cold. What is the difficulty in this case? The material nerve of flesh, the one which feels, is paralyzed and inactive; hence there is no feeling in that limb, though the limb is alive. Now if it were the spirit which feels, and this is present in all the body, why does it not feel, as well as before? What can our opponents say to this? Nothing; for it utterly demolishes their immaterial-spirit theory. But further: we positively know that their pretended spirit-man inside can neither see, hear, smell, taste, nor feel. How do we know this? Put out a man's material eyes, and can he see anything now? No, nothing at all, as any blind man will tell you. So of all the five senses. Destroy the material, physical organs of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or feeling, and the soul can neither see, hear, smell, taste, nor feel. This demonstrates that it is the material man which sees, hears, &c. If the spirit can see, why does it not do so? Why does not the soul of the blind man see? Why does not the soul of the deaf man hear? Oh! you say, it is encumbered with the flesh. Then it cannot see through matter, can it? But it has been always asserted that the immaterial spirit is so superior to matter that it can go through the most solid matter, as through a wall, through a board, through glass or iron. But now this has to be given up, and it is admitted that it cannot even see, nor hear, nor smell through so thin a material substance as the human skull! Poor, weak thing! the material ear can do better than that. Reader, that boasted immaterial spirit-man inside is all a fable. There is no such useless tenant there. God has organized the material physical man to see, hear and think; and we see him in the exercise of this power every day. It is a favorite argument with our opponents that matter cannot possibly be organized so as to think, feel, &c. Take as a specimen of all this reasoning the following from Rev. D. W. Clark, D. D., Bishop of the M. E. Church, in his book, “Man All Immortal.” He has here stated their side as forcibly as it can be done. He says: “We are accustomed to say the eye sees, the ear hears, the finger feels, and so forth; but such language is used only in accommodation to our ignorance, or from the force of habit. It is incorrect. The eye itself no more sees than the telescope which we hold before it to assist our vision; the ear hears not any more than the trumpet of tin which the deaf man directs toward the speaker to convey the sound of his voice; and so with regard to all the organs of sense. They are but instruments which become the media of intelligence to the absolute mind, which uses them whenever it is inclined or obliged to do so.”—P. 75. This is the doctrine of the immaterialist. It will do very well for them to reason that way in the case of men; but they cannot do it in the case of the dumb beast, because, as does Bishop Clark in this very book, they claim that brutes have no mind, no soul; hence in these cases they are compelled to admit that the eye does see, and the ear does hear. They have never answered this argument: they never will. They must either admit that every flea, every mosquito, every little gnat, has an immortal soul, or else they must admit that a material eye does see. But if the Almighty can organize matter so as to see, hear, feel, then he can organize it to reason. But they squarely deny that it is possible for the Almighty to do this. The Biblical Institute at South Lancaster, Mass., closed Sunday evening, Nov. 11. There was an increase of numbers till nearly the close, some students coming in even during the last week, swelling the list of names to sixty-two; and there was an increase of interest to the last. Twenty-one days were employed in the work of the Institute, during which time forty class lectures were given on Bible subjects, eight sessions were held devoted to instruction in Parliamentary practice, pronunciation, grammatical principles, &c., seven sermons were delivered, and five social meetings were held, besides a half hour devoted to prayer and conference preceding each lecture, making about one hundred distinct meetings. Many, besides the members of the class, regularly attended, so that the house was crowded at each meeting. So far as the occasion itself is concerned, we have reason to think it was regarded as quite satisfactory by those who attended. Its real utility, however, is yet to be demonstrated by the fruits, if any, that shall follow. The following resolutions, expressive of the feelings of the class were offered at the last meeting:— “Whereas, We feel that blessings and privileges so great and precious as those we have enjoyed at this Biblical Institute, demand expressions of gratitude to those through whose instrumentality and immediate efforts we have been so highly favored; therefore “Resolved, 1. That we hereby express our appreciation of the earnest efforts, self-sacrificing labors and unremitting toil of Bro. S. N. Haskell and family, in their endeavors to render this Institute a success, and in caring for the wants, both temporal and spiritual, of those of our company who have been their guests, and we hereby tender them our sincere and heartfelt thanks for their labors of love. “2. That our thanks are due, and we hereby express them, to the So. Lancaster church for their kind hospitality and generous efforts in providing for our comfort, and also for the encouragement they have given the Institute by their constant and faithful attendance. “3. That we hereby manifest our thankfulness to Bro. U. Smith for his patient, earnest efforts in expounding and illustrating the principles of present truth, and that we sympathize with him and bid him Godspeed in his faithful labors to advance the work of the third angel’s message. “4. That, in view of the increased light that shines from the sacred word, the inestimable privileges we have enjoyed, and the encouraging evidences that are opening before us daily, we try to feel the burden of this work as never before; and we hereby solemnly pledge ourselves to make the work of the third angel’s message the work of our lives, and do all that we can by word and deed to hold up the light to our fellow-men.” These resolutions were passed unanimously. But the expressions of appreciation were not confined to resolutions. Some were of a more tangible nature. Through Bro. Haskell, as speaker, who made some very appropriate and impressive remarks upon the occasion, the class, to our complete surprise, tendered him the gift of a beautiful pocket Bible, the Teachers’ Edition, by the American Tract Society. At the meeting when this was presented, it was accompanied with the following beautiful lines, which, at the unanimous request of the class, are herewith presented. It was also voted that we publish our response, read at the closing meeting. We therefore give them both as follows:— LINES ACCOMPANYING THE PRESENTATION.
We have prized the words thou’st spoken
More than we can ever tell;
Hence this small but sacred token,
As we come to say, “Farewell.” May the truths which here are gleaming
With a luster naught can dim,
Draw our hearts beyond earth’s seeming
To the real—up to Him. Who has said, The many mansions
I must leave thee, to prepare.
When he comes to claim his chosen,
May we meet each other there. Signed—Students So. Lancaster Biblical Institute. Grateful, I accept this treasure,
This best token of your love.
Here I link your names, with pleasure,
To the hope of joys above. Precious book! May they who give it,
And may he to whom ’tis given,
Love its sacred truth and live it,
Till we reach the gates of Heaven. Then in places of glory
Shall our songs of triumph swell,
All our theme Redemption’s Story,
Mingled with no sad “Farewell.” FOUND HE WAS MISTAKEN.
By C. W. Stone
Just a week or two before we pitched our tent in Danvers, the Methodist minister of Tapleyville, a village fifteen minutes’ walk from Danvers, preached a sermon on the coming of Christ, using good Bible arguments, and taking good, sound Advent positions. As one sign he mentioned the fact that the gospel had been preached to every nation. Matt. 24:14. Very soon after we commenced, the Congregationalist minister preached against our position on the prophecies, denouncing the study of the prophetic portion of the Bible as prying into the secrets of the Almighty, as “vain speculation.” Eld. Canright replied at the tent before a very large audience. This created a greater interest than anything else would have been likely to do, and for a time, nothing more was heard from that quarter. Apparently unsatisfied with this minister’s attempt, and thinking that he himself was the veritable man who could demolish our doctrines, the Methodist minister took the floor. As yet, Eld. Canright had spoken upon nothing but the prophecies and the advent, and as the minister did not wish to attack us upon the point in which his brother over in the other church had so signally failed, he determined to come at it by a flank movement, and attack the advent doctrine itself, and thus with one “fell swoop” sweep away the advent and prophecies all together. To do this, he must first remove the breastworks that he had thrown up just before our going there, as he had got them up so high he could not well shoot over them. But he was not to be deterred from his purpose; and adopting a motto similar to the one that political men used not many years ago,—“Anything to beat Grant,” he began. He said he had found out that he was mistaken. He had not carefully studied the subject for himself, but had taken for granted what others had said about it. Now he had looked the ground over for himself. The gospel had not yet been preached to all the world. A great many nations had not yet heard it. People had always been looking for Christ. Special moves of this sort always wrought evil results. No one could tell anything about it. Christ might come at death. After he had thus tried his skill, another man away some four miles lifted up his voice. And so it passed from one church to another, each minister vying with the others in trying to show where we were lame. Finally, some one from the outside, who had been calmly looking on, sent the following note to the Salem Post:— TO THE EDITOR OF THE SALEM POST. Sir,—A Danvers lady, speaking in regard to the religious excitement in that place induced by Elder Canright’s preaching, says, “The ministers in this place strongly remind one of a parcel of ‘roosters’ situated in neighboring coops. One crows, and with a self-satisfied air soliloquizes, ‘That is a perfect success. I defy competition.’ The male occupant of the neighboring coop hears him, and says, ‘That is no kind of a crow; I can beat that. Just listen, ye roosters, and hear me crow!’ And another listening exclaims, ‘Whew! nonsense! I am the rooster that can astonish the world,’ whereupon he sends up his crow. Then the whole rooster fraternity hold forth at once.” But she says “she has never yet heard of a rooster attempting to take back his crow and crow it over again differently, as one of their ministers has done of late.” OCCASIONAL. As expressing the opinion of the public, we thought that note better than a long argument. DENMARK
By John G. Matteson
We had only one meeting in Saltum this week. I have made several visits, and tried to encourage the people to furnish us a suitable place in which to hold our meetings. During the summer we can easily find a place, but in the winter it is very difficult. When the audience is scattered through three or four rooms in a house, the interest cannot be maintained. A gentleman in Alstrup is now building a hall, which we have rented of him for five years. It will be finished in four or five weeks. Friday morning I started on my trip to Fanö. This island lies about two hundred and fifty miles south of Alstrup. An interest was raised in this place, when I was here last August, and several wished to have me come back again. I have hired a hall for meetings in Nordby. Last night I held a meeting with some friends nearly all of whom were members of the Lutheran church. Many have tried to raise prejudice against us; but these friends feel the need of spiritual encouragement and help, and some receive the word gladly. Several articles have appeared against us in some of the papers, and an effort is made to hinder us in our work as much as possible. But we trust that they that are with us are more than they which are against us. One article is entitled, “A Strong Religious Excitement.” I have written an answer to this and sent it to the publisher, but it has not appeared in print yet. A Pastor Kirkeberg, in America, has sent a lengthy article about S. D. Adventists to the High School Journal, which has an extensive circulation in Denmark. Among his accusations against us, he states that we have appointed the day and hour when Christ shall come; that we preach the law first and Christ second, &c., &c. Such palpably false statements do no harm among those who are acquainted with us, but they may, no doubt, cause prejudice among those who have heard nothing but false statements about us. We will continue to warn our fellow-men of the coming Judgment, and try to lead their hearts to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And when they speak all manner of evil against us, falsely, we will, according to our Saviour’s words, rejoice and be glad. Nordby, Denmark, Oct. 22, 1877. THE BIBLICAL INSTITUTE.
By A. S. Hutchins
This Institute recently held at South Lancaster, Mass., should prove a permanent blessing to each one who has attended it. Truths, both doctrinal and practical, and of the utmost importance to us as a people, were here clearly and forcibly expounded by Brn. Smith and Haskell. As we reflect upon the privileges enjoyed here, and the light brought to bear upon the mind, we are deeply impressed that our work as a people to whom is committed the proclamation of the last message of mercy, is not only of the greatest importance, but that our time in which to work is indeed short, and fast-fleeting. The prayer and social meetings connected with the lectures, were seasons of interest, and occasions of spiritual refreshing to many hearts. The resolutions formed, and covenants made, that our life in the future should be characterized with greater holiness of heart, and marked with constant and continued devotion and consecration to God, should not be forgotten. Forgetful of these blessings, and our solemn vows to use them to the glory of God, we can no more honor him than Israel could sing the songs of Zion in a strange land. Oh that we might feel with reference to the work laid upon us, as did the prophet toward Jerusalem when in captivity he cried out: “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.” A goodly number of young men of promise and of hope to the church, were favored with the privilege of attending these lectures. Some of these are struggling with convictions of duty. They need the prayers and sympathies of their friends at home. They need words of encouragement from them, to help them break away and go at the Master’s bidding. But not all of them will have it. As these struggling souls shall lift, there are those who will stand ready to trig the wheel, but they will be sure to place the trig the wrong side of the wheel. May Heaven pity them. We are confident that some who may thus work against the voice of the Master would have been greatly benefited could they have attended this course of lectures. When we give our hearts to God, when we enlist in the service of Him who suffered and died for us, it is not for us to choose our pathway, nor to decide on our sacrifices. It is rather to say, “Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.” “No man that warreth entangleth himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” Are the hands of any tied for the present, whom God bids to his work, he knows how to set them free, if all be committed to his care. The Judgment will reveal who has been faithful. Excuses that men and women may make to-day for neglecting duty, will fail then. The dying charge of David to his son Solomon, seems appropriate here: “Be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man; and keep the charge of the Lord thy God to walk in his ways, . . . that thou mayest prosper in all thou doest.” 1 Kings 2:2, 3. Said one strong young man in our last social meeting, “The great question with me is: Shall I improve upon this privilege as I should?” Let us all act with reference to this thought.