Earlier text: EditorialFEDERATION, ALIAS TRUST.
By W. N. G.
FEDERATION is the order of the day. In business circles, especially in the large corporation caste, it is called "trust," and is quite extensively condemned. True, the condemnation is largely nominal, being in great measure by men who have no opportunity to profit by its operation and by men who expect to profit politically and otherwise by opposition to it. The loudest opposition is of the political platform character, which, of all things, is generally the most insincere. A once prominent California politician said, after election, "Platforms are only molasses to catch flies;" and the expression has been many times verified. Then we have the Federated Trades, which is simply an enterprise to advance the profits of the business of those who unite with it, on precisely the same principle of the great corporation trusts. And we have the new proposition of a great federation of all the distinctive orders of railway employes. And so, in all worldly matters, even in the political parties, federation is the dominant idea. But outside of business or trade circles, the trust, popularly styled "federation," has become a veritable slogan. The one which, perhaps more than all others, is endeavoring to include everything in sight, is the "Bureau of [so-called] Reforms," with headquarters at the national capital. Its object is to control Congress, and, by means of plausible measures with innocent exteriors, to eventually commit the government into the hands of that class of religionists who would enforce their ideas of religion by civil law. This bureau, or religious lobby, adopting political means, is the outgrowth of a federation of interests on the part of various associations whose idea of national reform in general is religious legislation. We have before noted the movement for a "confederation of evangelical churches," by which the movers, despairing of ever securing a union of popular Christianity, hope to secure co-operation in establishing certain religious institutions. It is thought that in some way this federation will pass for Christian union, while the different sectarian factors may still retain their varied doctrines and animosities, which constitute an emphatic disunion. The principal point on which such a federation could unite would be enforced Sunday observance, and in such a union or religious trust they count on the co-operation of the Roman Catholic Church. Indeed, why it could not come into such a federation, or apology for Christian Union, we see no reason. It is well known that there has been much hostility between the Epworth League and the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor, especially within the limits of the M. E. Church. But the Epworth League is willing to federate with all young people's societies. Its Board of Control, at a recent meeting, adopted the following resolution:— Resolved, That we desire, as heretofore, to express our wish for close fellowship with all Christian young people, and our readiness to co-operate in practical Christian work with the young people of all evangelical denominations, and hereby authorize the general Cabinet to receive or make such advances for a federation of young people's societies or for a young people's congress in the year 1900, as they may deem advisable. This is not the only suggestion for federation of young people's societies; the subject is being favorably considered by the Christian Endeavorers, and, in fact, by all the young people's associations of any note. Yet the idea of these societies, as with the churches in proposed confederation, is to promote, rather than sacrifice, the interest and strength of the individual society. There would be no such suggestion for the purpose of advancing the general welfare at the expense of the interest of the individual organization. In all these propositions, the characteristics of each church or society must be preserved, no matter how much at variance each may be with all the others. In such a principle there can not be anything like Christian union. It is simply trusting for aid in the arm of flesh. Christian union is a oneness of heart, as the union of the Father and the Son. Christian union is an individual union with the Father and the Son, and the union of all such individuals with each other follows as a logical consequence. Christian union is not a federation of churches, for there is but one Christian church, and Christ is its head. Christian union is union with Christ, not necessarily with societies of any character; it is union in sacrifice, not in self or society aggrandizement. It is union in sacrifice for the advancement of the cause of God, the salvation of souls; it is a union for the reformation of individuals, without reference to society or civil government. The Spirit of the Lord foresaw all this federation craze, and gave his people a prophetic warning concerning it. "Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us. For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear; nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread." Isa. 8:9-13. W. N. G. Light to Other Lives
By J. R. Miller, D.D.
THEN, each one in his own place, we must give light to other lives, and make the one little spot in this world that is close about us brighter and happier with love and grace. THE WEEK AND THE SABBATH.
In this age of unbelief everything divine that involves a cross is criticized; and it may truly be said that among all subjects of Bible truth none is more questioned to-day than that concerning the Sabbath. The whole world is ransacked to find an excuse for not keeping the day ordained of God. Not only is the day of the Sabbath denied, but the week to which it belongs is attributed to heathen origin. These things from the unlearned may be in a sense pardonable, but when leading ministers "put no difference between the holy and profane" (Eze. 22:26), the Word is made void, and the foul weeds of error choke the seeds of truth. Bishop Doane, of the M. E. Church, of Oregon, has stated that "Abraham borrowed the week from the Chaldeans, who kept the seventh, fourteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-eighth days of the month as rest days, and when his descendants came to Sinai, they chose to observe every seventh day to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt." Upon this colossal premise of error he builds the proposition that "as the church then had the power to select the seventh day, so the church, after the resurrection of Christ, chose to keep the first day of the week." The Scriptures teach that "there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Prov. 16:25. As the Word of God is the basis of every Christian practise and virtue, it is safe to abide by that revelation of his sovereign will alone. No satisfactory origin of the week can be shown, except the record of Genesis 1 and 2:2, 3, in which the Creator's six days of labor and the seventh of rest are brought to view. This measurement of time the Lord has identified in every age by the perpetual monument of the Sabbath, connecting himself to man by a constantly recurring cycle of his own appointment. God made the days and gave to each its place in the cycle, and to man a corresponding duty upon each, to follow, in his sphere, the Architect of the universe. The resting upon, the blessing of, and sanctifying for man of the seventh day made it "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Gen. 2:3; Ex. 20:10, 11. Christ Was the Lord or Creator of the Sabbath and the Week.
By C. A. Wyman
"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." John 1:10. "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth." Col. 1:16. "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ." Eph. 3:9. The one who created was the one who "rested." The Lord who made was the Lord who "blessed." The Christ which "sanctified" is the same Jesus which sanctifies to-day, of which sanctification the Sabbath is the sign. Eze. 20:12. Therefore, the seventh-day Sabbath is the oldest Christian institution next to marriage that has survived Eden. More than this: As the Son of man was the Maker of the Sabbath, and, in consequence, is Lord (Mark 2:28), so also he was the Maker of the week, or period of seven days to which the Sabbath belongs; and hence the week must be of divine origin. This will appear conclusively by the following: "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." Gen. 2:3. "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." Ex. 20:11. "All things were made by him [Christ]; and without him was not anything made that was made." John 1:3. Since the period of days is of his own make and appointment, whether we call it "week," or "seven days," the fact remains that, so long as the ORDER of the days can be identified, so long can man, if he will, follow the example and precept of Jehovah. To teach otherwise is to make void the special act of God, and render meaningless his command. In successive ages, as recorded in his Word, the Lord has identified the seventh day of a constantly recurring cycle, as the Sabbath, and the day so identified is the seventh in direct order from creation. For the first seventh day was ordained for man, by the Creator's example of rest and sanctification before Adam, the representative of the heavenly family. Before the giving of the law at Sinai the falling or absence of the manna marked the first, sixth, and seventh of a cycle of seven days. As holiness never was imputed to the first six days of creation, they could not be profaned, and as nothing can be profaned that is not already holy, it follows that the first profanation of the seventh day shows it to be the identical day of the Sabbath in order from the beginning, and thus we read:— "And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?" Ex. 16:27, 28. Here was divine condemnation because of long refusal to keep the day already incorpo7rated into law. This same day the Lord there recognized as the seventh day from the creation, for the commandment so placed it. To the one who believes "the record that God has given of his Son," the foregoing evidence is sufficient that the order of days from the beginning was preserved to Sinai. For forty years thereafter the same period of days was meted out by miracles of divine power. Over two thousand cycles were measured off by Deity in which upon the sixth day twice as much manna fell as on other days, upon the seventh none fell; and again the falling of the manna marked the first day of the succeeding period. The people had no choice in the matter whatever, nor could they possibly lose or mistake the day of the Sabbath or the week which it terminated. Not the wildest advocate of the "lost time" or "any-day-in-seven" theory would have dared to vindicate it then. It is left for later times, when, "because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Eccl. 8:11. For centuries afterward, while that people existed as a nation, the most pronounced judgments of God fell upon stiff-necked Israel for forgetting their Saviour and profaning the day of his sacred rest. Eze. 20:12-16, 24-26. Jerusalem itself, the city of the Great King, but for Sabbath-breaking would yet be standing. Jer. 17:21-25. But the unquenchable fire of God's wrath was kindled in its gates, and its desolations are forever a witness of that rebellion that put under their feet the Lord's day. Jer. 17:27. As none can keep holy that which is holy without first being holy, that people, nor any other with unconverted hearts, could discern the sacredness of God's ways. So the final judgments, though now delayed, will fall upon the inhabitants of the earth, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant. Isa. 24:5. For the priests (ministers) "have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them." Eze. 22:26. Pursuing the investigation of this subject, we find the same cycle of days brought to view in the New Testament. "And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulcher, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment." Luke 23:54-56. The day following was the first day of the week. Therefore the Sabbath was the seventh day of the week, and as that day was according to the commandment, then the week, and the Sabbath so specified, are identical in order from Sinai, which was the preserved order from the creation. For the same period and purpose of days is affirmed, and the same Lord speaks that instituted all things. Added to this the excavated remains of the records of antiquity testify to the most remote observance of this order of days, and the leading languages of the world, whether ancient or modern, whether connected with Bible influence or separated from it by sea or tribal wars, all witness to the same unchanged period and purpose of days to our own time. And the men with whole pages of titles of D.D.'s, or LL.D.'s, shall declare against the seventh-day Sabbath, and call it "Jewish," the good Word of God still says it is "the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Ex. 20:10. We here rest the argument for the proposition that the week and the Sabbath are of divine decree from the beginning, and have been preserved in direct succession to our own time. The links that bind this promise are irrevocable: - God made the order and purpose of days in the beginning.
- He blessed the seventh day alone for man to keep as the memorial of his rest.
- The only law that he has given for septenary rest recognizes the same order and sanctified day.
- Christ as Creator made both the week and the Sabbath to which it belongs, and ever recognized them.
- Faithful children of his in every age have remembered the same holy day and preserved it unchanged through the wreck of empires and the scoffs and persecutions of the world.
Kind reader, "what think you of Christ?" Is the Son of man the Lord of the Sabbath, or is every man a lord himself? Shall we be among those conspirators who "hide their eyes from his Sabbaths" (Eze. 22:26)? or shall we be found in Christ, with our feet turned away from the Sabbath, from doing our pleasure upon his holy day? and shall we call it a delight, the holy of the Lord (not "old Jewish"), honorable, and honor him, not doing our own ways, nor finding our own pleasure, nor speaking our own words. May God grant for Christ's sake that not our will but his will be done.
C. A. WYMAN.
St. Johns, Or. A GOLDEN SUNSET.
By R. A. Young
NATURE, freshened by the flowers,
Lies in calm repose;
And my spirit feels the quiet
Of the evening's close. Drops of rain like pearls are gemming
Bud and leaf and flower,
But the lovely day is dying
With the speeding hour. Far behind the hills in glory
Sinks the golden sun,
While the clouds in radiant splendor
Tell that day is done. As I gaze, with heart adoring,
At this evening scene,
Heaven's glories seem just hidden
By a vail between. While the sunset's brilliant radiance
On my vision falls,
Clear before my spirit's vision
Stand the jasper walls. And the gates of pearl are open,
And the ransomed sing,
As they touch the golden harp-strings,
Praises to their King. And through all my soul is thrilling
Rapturous delight,
As above this earth I'm lifted,
To behold the sight Of the world's exalted Monarch
Seated on His throne.
Saints and angels bow before Him;
Jesus reigns alone. Be it mine there to be numbered
With the blood-washed throng,
Who will sing through endless ages
Heaven's eternal song: "Worthy is the Lamb once offered,
Once for sinners slain;
Evermore His praise be sounded
Without end. Amen."
R. A. YOUNG. JEWISH CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS.
By F. C. Gilbert
The Sanctuary and Its Services.—Continued.
The Function of the Sanctuary.
THE query has doubtless often arisen in the minds of the readers of these articles as to the relationship of the sanctuary to the customs and traditions of the Jews. It no doubt has been asked, Why has so much been said about the services of the sanctuary, and the building of that structure, and so little concerning the customs of the Israelites? We believe if the readers will continue with this series, they will discover the close proximity which exists in the minds of the Jews between the ancient sanctuary and their customs. The perplexity with which they are troubled and know it not, is expressed by Paul when he says, "But their minds were blinded; for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart." 2 Cor. 3:14, 15. And that same blindness exists among the orthodox Jews who follow the customs of their fathers unto this very day; and it will follow them until they see Jesus. When Christ was upon earth, he was greatly surprised that the Jews were so ignorant concerning him and his work, when they devoted their entire time to the study of the Bible, and especially to that part which spoke concerning the Messiah. When the wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, and asked, "Where is he born who is King of the Jews?" the priests, scribes, and Pharisees in reply to Herod's request, answered in the very words of the prophet who spoke of his birth, and, too, at the very time when he had come into the world. Matt. 2:1-6, compare Micah 5:2. And yet they did not know that the babe born in Bethlehem's manger was that very child. During the Saviour's entire ministry, he quoted Moses and the prophets to prove his mission and his Messiahship, and appealed to the Jews to study the Scriptures, for in them they had eternal life, and they also testified concerning him. John 5:39. And on another occasion he told them in the temple, "Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am; and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not." John 7:28. And yet of his true character and the divine purpose of his advent they were entirely ignorant. That they could have known him as he is, with all his glory and in the fulness of his power, and could have received of that fulness, is clearly taught to both the Old and New Testaments. For we read: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein [in the Gospel] is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Rom. 1:16, 17. The literal translation of this latter clause, quoted from Hab. 2:4, is, "And the righteous liveth on [or 'in'] his faith." But the power of God, which only can save man, must have been in existence before Christ became incarnate, since man, the sinner, has ever needed the power of God to save. But we read again, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12. The prophet Isaiah says, "Thy first father hath sinned" (Isa. 43:27); and we know that "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23); therefore, as Christ is the only One in the universe able to impart to man the salvation of God, and mediate in behalf of humanity for forgiveness, as well as to grant power to keep from sinning, the Gospel of Christ must have been in existence since the days of our first parents. And again: "And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim. 3:15. Then Timothy, his mother, and grandmother, were all acquainted with the salvation of God through faith in Jesus, the same as people have salvation to-day. And it is doubtless true that his aged grandparent lived prior to the Saviour's incarnation. 2 Tim. 1:5. We further read, "For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men." 1 Tim. 4:10. We are all aware that men lived in the world who antedated Christ's first advent. These people, therefore, who were saved prior to his birth in the flesh, were saved by his Gospel. Thus it is very plain and evident that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was in operation ever since man sinned and was in need of a Saviour; and it is equally true that those who were saved before the first appearing of Christ were saved in the same way that people have been saved during the last nineteen centuries. So we again repeat that the Jews did have opportunity to know Jesus as he is, and to have enjoyed the free and full salvation of God as it is revealed in Jesus Christ. When the Saviour met the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, and learned by their conversation the ignorance in which they were of the recent events which had transpired concerning himself, he said to them, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken; ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." Luke 24:25-27. He repeatedly told the Jews that Moses and the prophets wrote of him, and that if they did not believe Moses' writings, they could not appreciate his words; that if these writings could not convince them concerning himself, they would not be convinced tho an angel of God came to them directly from heaven, or a man was raised from the dead. John 5:46, 47; Luke 16:29-31. The New Testament is very clear in declaring that the people in the former dispensation had the Gospel of Christ, which was able to and did save their souls. Perhaps we will adduce just one more proof on this point. On one occasion when Christ had an interview with the Jews, and while they were boasting of their ancestry from Abraham, and therefore naturally good, he told them that he preceded Abraham, and that the patriarch received his salvation from him. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad. . . . Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." John 8:56-58. And by comparing the last part of the latter verse in the original Greek, with Ex. 3:14, they will be found to represent the same person. Paul, a little later, gives the same testimony: "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham." Gal. 3:8. Just a few thoughts now from the Old Testament. "I will mention the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie; so he was their Saviour. 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. 63:7-9. Here we are taught that the Lord not only will help his people, but that he did help them, that he was their Saviour. And we found that there is but one Saviour in the world, and that one is Jesus. The prophet not only for himself knew the blessings of the Gospel, but declared how others, in days gone by, had enjoyed the same privileges. And in those blessings were contained the same joys that we have to-day. For they had conversion, forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, and the presence of God. See Ps. 51:9-13. The function, therefore, of the sanctuary, in the days of Israel, was to teach the Gospel as it is in Jesus. The spiritual Israelites saw in all those things the Saviour and the Gospel, just as we see the Saviour in the emblems he left to his people this side of the ascension. True, we partake of them by faith; they likewise accepted those things by faith to understand them truly. For we read that there the just lived by his faith; and to-day we read that he is the beginner and finisher of our faith. It is the same Saviour, and the same salvation. And thus it was all the way along from the beginning. God sought to lead men to understand the good news of salvation in Jesus in various ways; but the Alpha and the Omega of the whole is Jesus Christ. He is God's great treasure-house, from which everybody can draw all things necessary which pertain to life and godliness. Col. 2:3. As time elapsed with the Jews, and as they kept departing further from God, they lost sight of the spiritual life and power of the sanctuary and its services, and made simply a formality of them; and the belief finally became prevalent that those things were not merely means to an end, but the ends themselves. Instead of seeing the Christ by faith, and through him obtaining righteousness and life, they decided8 that the virtues and the life could be obtained by simply performing the external services connected with them. The Lord had taught them that he was their justification and their righteousness; but they had lost sight of that, and become their own saviours, and the workers of their own righteousness. Isa. 45:25; Jer. 23:5. Thus we can see the close relationship which exists between the sanctuary and the traditions of the Jews; and we shall further note how, when the sanctuary was finally abolished and all the services of the temple destroyed, they made an imitation of nearly all things connected with the sacred service of God, and built up a great hedge and a mammoth structure of customs and traditions, thinking they were doing as real and as acceptable service to the Lord as when the sanctuary was in existence in the days of Moses and Aaron. In our next article we will contrast the day of atonement as commanded by God with the manner of its observance as established by tradition.
F. C. GILBERT. “Enquire, and make search, and ask diligently.” NOTE.—We wish those who ask questions to take particular notice: (1) Only such questions will be answered here as we believe to be of general interest and information. (2) We can not undertake to explain from four to a dozen scriptures, as in one sentence we are often requested to do. (3) Do not ask to “explain” a certain text or passage. State clearly the point in question. (4) Give full name and address, not for publication unless desired, but as evidence of good faith, and to give us the privilege of replying by letter if deemed best. (5) Unsigned communications of any kind find the quickest way to the waste-basket. (6) It is always well to inclose stamp. (7) “Foolish and unlearned questions avoid,” also, those that minister to mere curiosity. (8) Study the Scriptures yourselves. KINDLY explain 1 Peter 4:18: “If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
J. C. D. The previous verse, referring to the last days, declares that “the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God,” etc. “We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ” (Rom. 14:10), and there shall all be judged “according to their works” (Rev. 20:12). Judged by their works, at the very best, the righteous of themselves could only say, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10), while, on the other hand, they have made many mistakes. Thus judged they would scarcely be saved; but by living faith the righteousness of Jesus Christ covers their mistakes, and by the mercy of God, which “rejoiceth against judgment,” they are saved with his great salvation. But where shall the sinner stand, whose works have not been wrought for God, and who rejects the arm held out to save him?—He must perish. The text is an admonition to the righteous to be diligent and faithful, and to the wicked to turn to God. Read verses 1 and 2, punctuating as follows: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the street of it [‘thereof,’ R. V.]. And on either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” We know no reason to “spiritualize” the above statement. It will be in that new earth a literal tree, growing on either side of the street, overarching the river, which flows through the midst of the street. Its life-giving fruit is of twelve kinds, and its leaves will be for the service or healing of the nations, restoring later generations to man's pristine stature, strength, and glory. No. 570. Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
WHAT is true in Gen. 2:9? Was only the tree of life in the midst of the garden? or were both the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil there?
F. M. H. All is true in Gen 2:9. Both trees were in the middle or central place of the garden. This is shown by Gen. 2:9, 17 and 3:3. The Lord evidently pointed out which tree was meant, because both Adam and Eve knew when they ate of it. In that perfect day everything, doubtless, as it came from the hand of God, expressed in its appearance its character. No. 571. A Question of Tithe.
DOES the tithing system require the farmer to pay tithe on the grain fed to his farm horses, and on the money invested in tools with which to raise his crop? Of course I understand that if a man keeps a team for his own pleasure, he should tithe the grain fed to it, but in regard to those used solely to tend the crop, it is not so clear. Is it not an expense of production, to be deducted before he reckons his tithe?
C. E. M. The general law of tithing is expressed in Lev. 27:30-33 and other passages. It is not a hard and fast rule with respect to burdensome details, but the expression of a principle in which is recognized God's ownership of all. We show that we recognize that by returning to him the tithe, and he who truly does this will endeavor to use the remaining nine-tenths, over which the Lord has made him steward, to God's glory. On general principles we would reply as to the horses, No. For instance: A man rents a farm for $400. The cost of feed for his team in the cultivation of his farm is $100; seed grain, $200; of labor, besides his own, $100. His profits are $1,200. From this he deducts the above items of expense, a total of $800, leaving a profit of $400. Upon this the farmer pays a tithe of $40, leaving $360 upon which to support himself. But we hardly agree with our correspondent that the farmer pays the larger tithe proportionately. The faithful mechanic or day laborer who rents his home or room, pays proportionately the larger tithe; for he tithes everything. As he receives his $10 a week, he deducts $1.00 tithe. Out of the $9.00 remaining he pays his house rent, buys his fuel, provision, all that he has, and many times makes offerings for the poor and for missions. How many farmers estimate the rent of their houses, and pay tithes on the amount? The question in its details is one between the individual and God, in which, in matters of differences, it is always well to give the Lord the benefit of the doubt. Let our correspondent and others look to the Lord. He will enable them to decide aright. No. 572. Spirit, Soul, and Body.
PLEASE explain the meaning of “spirit, soul, and body,” in 1 Thess. 5:23.
W. S. G. Spirit is the higher life, embracing the spiritual faculties; soul, the intellect, will, and lower emotions; body, the material flesh. The whole expression, “spirit, soul, and body,” is a comprehensive expression embracing the whole man. God desires to sanctify and preserve blameless the spiritual, mental, and physical faculties of man. No. 573. Beast and False Prophet.
WHEN were the beast and false prophet, of Rev. 19:20, cast into the lake of fire and brimstone?
G. W. L. Before the millennium. The “beast” and “false prophet” are symbols of systems which will be destroyed by the glory of Christ's presence when he comes. At that time “a fire will devour before him,” and the earth shall be set on fire at his presence. See 2 Thess. 2:8; Ps. 50:3; 97:3; Isa. 30:33. The last text shows that when the unvailed presence of God shall be revealed to the sin-cursed earth, the earth will be set on fire, tho not universally so. But all the works of man will be broken down and consumed, and thus all earthly systems, prominent and predominating among which are the “beast” and “false prophet,” will be destroyed. They live and seemingly prosper till the great day of the Lord breaks upon the world, but are then taken by the calamities and snares of their own wickedness, and perish in the fires kindled by God's presence. Rev. 19:20. At the end of the thousand years the whole earth will be converted into a vast lake of fire, which will consume all of sin, and all who have identified themselves with sin, and will be cast into the lake of fire where and as “the beast and false prophet are [were cast],” at the beginning of the thousand years. See “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation,” on Rev. 20:10. Before the millennium these systems and their devotees perish as a consequence; but after the millennium they meet the full fruition of their evil deeds as individuals. IN Gen. 2:7 is the word “life” in the Hebrew in the plural, that is, “lives”?
J. F. M. It is “lives” in the original Hebrew, an idiom of the language, as it is “lives” in the original of the “tree of life” (Gen. 2:9), and “breath of life” (Gen. 7:22), where it is applied to beasts. So “blood” is in the plural in the original Hebrew in Isa. 1:15; 33:15. There is absolutely nothing in the plural form which shows men to be immortal. Not at all. Baptism is a whelming, an immersion, a burial; but sprinkling is not. These scriptures refer to the ancient manner of purification. See Lev. 14:4-7. The sprinkling was an authoritative declaring the person or thing sprinkled to be clean. So Christ will cleanse all who believe him. ON the above subject the Free Methodist has these faithful words to speak:— Worldliness gets into the church by comparatively slow degrees. If it came stalking in all at once it would doubtless be resisted; but it begins by putting on just a little. Just enough to take the cross off, one thinks will do no harm; but it proves just enough to put the curse of God on. Beware of the little substitutions that the enemy would persuade us are so innocent. It is "the little foxes that spoil the vines." There is a place where we may speak the plainest truths and no one think of saying, "Physician, heal thyself." This is the only safe ground to stand upon. It is painful to one who desires the bride of the Lord to be "without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing," to realize that the encroachments of the world are fettering her, in prayer and testimony, and bringing upon her spiritual paralysis, which is the sure precursor of death. But such will inevitably be the case with such as trifle with their convictions in regard to outward adorning. Mr. Wesley's words will never be out of date: "This is no time to give encouragement to superfluity of apparel." It is necessary to guard against it as against stealing, or swearing, or lying, or drunkenness. The "lust of the eye and the pride of life" are as much opposed to the spirit of our holy religion as covetousness or licentiousness. It is sure to bring spiritual blight and mildew wherever indulged. It will never do to assume even an indifferent attitude toward it, tho most of the churches either ignore it by silence or openly approve it; or, the subject has become distasteful through unwise presentation. A popular evil like this needs all the more holy men and women to stand as a perpetual rebuke against its aggressions. While this danger threatens most in large, towns and wealthy communities, yet it appears more or less in all sections of the land. The Need for Good Roads
By Troy Exchange
It will cost no more to build good roads this year than one or five years hence, and if improved now, we shall be enjoying the benefits to be derived therefrom, instead of attempting to navigate roads that are a disgrace to civilization. —Troy Exchange. Christian Joy in Obedience
By John Wesley
Christian joy is joy in obedience, joy in loving God and keeping his commandments.—John Wesley.