Text: "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work." Ex. 20:10.
GOD never stultifies himself by introducing into the same law conflicting provisions. He never enjoins in one clause a duty in which is implied the right of choice as to the time and manner of its fulfillment, and in the next prevents you, either from enjoying this franchise yourself, or requires at your hands, that which would render it impossible for others to do so. In other words, applying the principle to the case in hand, God either meant to confer upon all the right of deciding for themselves which day they would keep, or else he intended to withhold it from them altogether. If the latter be true, it was done for good and sufficient cause; if the former, then he was moved to this course by considerations equally weighty. There is no half-way ground in this matter. The right of choice in this thing is either a positive good or a positive evil. If the latter, then he has, unquestionably, guarded against it in every reasonable manner; if the former then he has, doubtless, shielded it with the most scrupulous care, in order that the greatest good might be accomplished, by leaving to the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the master and the servant, the right as against every other man, of saying, not only that they would keep the Sabbath, but that which was equally God-given, of determining when they would do so.
But this is just what our friends argue that he intended to do in the decalogue. If they are right we shall, undoubtedly, find it constructed upon this principle throughout. Let us test the matter. Perhaps the best method of doing this would be that of allowing some one of their number to attempt, practically, to carry out his conception of this doctrine.
(1.) Let him be a man of family, say a farmer, a portion of whose children are grown up, and who is surrounded by much hired help; also, a man who is not only conscientious in his notions, as doubtless many of that faith are, but a somewhat ardent advocate of them; and one who would spurn the idea of depriving others of that which he believed to be their rightful prerogative.
Having kept Sunday for the whole of his life thus far, he concludes that a sentiment which can never be enjoyed is hardly worth the holding, and decides to deviate from the practice of years, so far as to substitute Wednesday for it in the future. His wife consenting, they gather the household about them, and make known their intentions. While he invites all, as far as they can consistently do so, to unite with him and wife in this thing, he nevertheless gives them to understand that he shall by no means attempt to coerce compliance, since that would be an infringement on their undoubted freedom to consult their own wishes in such matters. However, it would be exceedingly gratifying if all would make the change with them.355The young people, seeing that such a step would be very inconvenient, and many times in the way of their enjoying society as they otherwise would, decide not to take it. The hired help, also, for one cause or another, determine not to depart from the custom of their fathers.
Wednesday arrives at last, and with it the appointed rest. Our venerable friend, true to his convictions of duty, having previously assigned, to all who thus desire, the field of their labor during his Sabbath, in order that his mind might not be turned away from its devotions by the intrusion of matters of a secular nature, withdrawing, in company with his wife, to a retired portion of the house and congratulating himself upon the liberality of sentiments which, instead of holding all to the same inflexible rule, furnishes so much scope to the gratification of personal tastes and the consulting of individual interests, enters upon this rest. In this mood, the Bible is taken from the shelf, and opened to the 20th chapter of Exodus. The gray-haired man reads: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." Yes, Lord, he replies, we are endeavoring thus to do. "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work." Yes, he responds, we have already done. "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work." Once more he ejaculates, This has reference to one day in seven, and means that it should be celebrated as we are celebrating this. He begins back a little: "In it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates." He pauses. A new idea strikes his mind. He again reads the passage. He is not mistaken. In the light of those words he is a Sabbath-breaker. For, waiving all questions in regard to time, he is guilty in respect to the manner of keeping the Sabbath; as, by every rule of fair construction, these words clearly imply that his sons, his daughters, his man-servant, his maid-servant, his cattle, and even the stranger that is within his gates, are to abstain from labor on the same hours on which he does; and yet, by his own direction, his daughters and his maid-servants are hard at work in the kitchen; his sons are employed in like manner in one field, while, in another, his oxen, under the goad of a hired man, are pressing their weary shoulders against the yoke, in order that in due time their master may reap in a rich harvest of golden grain—the reward of their Sabbath toil.
Do you say that we are begging the question in saying that the words in controversy, when rightly understood, teach what we claim? We reply, the verdict of all ages and races is in our favor in this matter. From Sinai to the present time it has been the practice of both Jews and Gentiles to hold church members responsible, under the principle enunciated in this language, for the conduct of those under their roof on the Sabbath day. So general, and so deep seated, is the conviction that this practice is in every way commendable, we venture the prediction that should a conscientious Sabbatarian in search of labor among equally sincere Sunday-keepers, who needed his services ever so much, propose the idea of working for them on the latter and resting on the former day, his proposition would be spurned with contempt by nine out of ten, on the ground that they could not grant it without sin.
(2.) The understanding of the clause which you suggest involves absurdities too great to be entertained for a moment. Take example, the first two classes mentioned, i. e., sons and daughters. In the majority of cases, they would include children of immature years. Does it seem probable that God would subject a father to the humiliating necessity of consulting the whims and caprices of boys and girls, as to when they should observe the Sabbath on his premises and under his roof? Yet he has done so unless the language in question confers upon him the power of compelling them to rest at a time either fixed by the Almighty, or to be fixed by himself.
(3.) The third class produces an illustration of the folly of such a sentiment, as clearly marked as does that of the second. For it cannot, with any show of reason, be urged that the servant should be made superior to the master by conferring upon him the privilege of deciding in reference to the day upon which he will rest, and at the same time, the latter be held responsible for the manner in which he passes it.
And, besides, is it not manifest that the workings of such a system would be disastrous in the extreme, and that the efforts of every family conducted upon this principle would inevitably be marked by confusion and failure? Surely, nothing is more indispensable to success than the presence of the leading mind at the time when the subordinate ones are to carry out the plans of operation which he has formed. But this, in the case under consideration, would be rendered impossible for at least one day in every week. Not only so, but the sentiment in question, in the hands of skillful shirks, especially where the service, as among the Jews, was many times for life, would prove the never-failing source of vexation and trial; for a change of Sabbath would ever afford a plausible pretext for absence, whenever extraordinary or unpleasant labor was to be performed.
(4.) Again, the fact that cattle are mentioned in this connection in common with sons, daughters, men-servants, maid-servants, and strangers, throws light upon the intention of the Lawgiver; for, as it is said of them, in common with the others, that they shall do no work in it (i. e., the seventh day), it becomes too plain to admit of argument that the words "in it," as here read and applied to them in common with the other classes, does not refer to the day of their choice, since cattle cannot exercise volition—but must be understood as alluding to the one in which the master himself refrains from labor.
Thus we think we have established that which we at first assumed to be true, namely, that the head of a family does not wholly comply with the law by simply resting on the Sabbath day. He must do more than this. He must compel those about him to follow his example.
The bearing of this fact upon the general issue is too plain to require comment; for you will remember that the "Seventh-part-of-time theory" is but the enunciation of the principle, that God has clothed every man with authority to decide for himself when he will hallow the Sabbath; and yet we discover that, by a decree of the same God, three-fourths of the race, or at least all embraced in the various orders of children abiding at home, men-servants, maid-servants, and strangers, are most effectually debarred from the benefits of this provision. One of two things, therefore, is true: Either the Lord has, in the details of his law, defeated its general purpose and plan, or else this theory does not accord with its original intention. The reader will not be slow to decide which of the hypotheses he will adopt.
Fourthly, the providence of God is against this exposition.
Having found that the internal evidence of the law is overwhelmingly against our opponents, we might rest here in the confident conviction that our case is fairly made out. But, remembering that men who are called upon to change opinions of long standing, desire, if they do not require, all the light which can be given, we pause before submitting it to them to pass upon, that we may present testimony drawn from the providence of God, showing that his dealings with his people, during the forty years in which he walked and talked with them in the wilderness, were such as to render it utterly impossible for them to keep any day but the last of the week.
If we shall succeed in doing this, as there is in Him "neither variableness nor shadow of turning," as he never does anything the effect of which he does not previously comprehend, and, as the rule of action is precisely the same now as then, we shall be condemned for attempting, now, that which the Hebrew then found it impossible to accomplish. Or, to state the proposition in another form, as there can never be any shade of conflict between God's revealed will and his secret purpose, as his words and his acts always tend to the same end, if the former were designed to vindicate the idea of a variable Sabbath, the latter would have been equally decided in its favor. We will for the sake of brevity, suppose that some one of the mighty hosts of Israelites had been seized with this modern notion. He has conformed to the usage of the multitude a long time; but finally he grows restless, and makes it manifest by intimating that Moses takes too much upon himself, in that he teaches the people that all are to keep the Sabbath simultaneously, since this, to his mind, was by no means a part of the original plan. Weary, at last, with simple remonstrance, he takes a step further, determined either to become a martyr to his own faith, or revolutionize that of the camp.
Sunday affords a convenient opportunity for carrying his plan into operation. As with the Hebrews, that day began with the setting of the sun on what is now Saturday evening, he assembles his family in his tent at that period, they having been previously notified, and having acquiesced in, his intention. As the shades of evening draw on, they retire to rest, wooed by the almost holy stillness of the night into the impression that they are keeping an acceptable Sabbath unto the Lord. Morning dawns at last; and as the rising sun throws for the first time his golden pencils of light across the landscape, they awaken to the consciousness that it is holy time. The first inclination is to break a fast which has been of so long duration that nature is somewhat importunate in her demand for food. This is especially true of the children, and they clamor for bread. But their appeals are unheeded; there is not a morsel of food in the tent.
It is true that the fields without are white with that most delicious substance, whose taste was said to be "like unto wafers mingled with honey;" but they remembered that the Lord had said that the people must not go out to gather it upon the Sabbath day. Ex. 16:29. The dilemma is an unpleasant one. The father appreciates the awkwardness of the situation, and, stung to the quick at the prospect that his first attempt at innovation must prove abortive, since it would be folly to persist in it under the circumstances and anxious to shift the responsibility of failure to the shoulders of another, reprovingly inquires of his wife why she did not foresee this upon the previous day, and guard against it by furnishing a double portion of manna, according to the usual custom. She gently reminds him that it was impossible; for, that being the seventh day, no manna had fallen, else the word of the Lord would have been broken. Ex. 16:26. Mortified, but not corrected, and failing to comprehend to its full extent the moral which this lesson ought to have taught, he attributes his first failure to the unfortunate selection of a day that had been preceded by one upon which there was no fall of manna, and decides to make one more effort. Monday furnishes the first opportunity for this purpose, and is therefore fixed upon; and Sunday, the very one which had witnessed his disappointment, becomes the preparation day for the second experimental Sabbath. There is no lack either of the material to prepare, or of a disposition to put it in a state of readiness for the morrow. When the seething and baking of a sufficient quantity is completed, it is viewed with evident satisfaction, since it is supposed to furnish a complete guaranty against a failure similar to the one which had occurred in the past. The sun goes down, and holy time is once more fairly entered upon, the night is passed in unbroken silence, and the first dawn is hailed as the arrival of the auspicious moment which is to witness the triumphant vindication of a theory, the enemies of which, through the merest accident, have been enabled to ridicule for a period.
Again, the family circle is complete. As they gather around to partake of the morning meal, the urn, in which is deposited that which is one and the same time the precious food of angels and that of God's wandering people, is brought forth and its cover removed, in order that each one may receive his portion of its most delicious contents. How perfect the revulsion of feeling and how great the chagrin, when they find in the living mass of loathsome worms. The words of Moses, that they should not keep any of that which was gathered on any day but the sixth until the morning, are brought to mind; and they perceive, at last, that they have but repeated the experiment of those who had formerly disregarded this injunction and found that "it bred worms, and stank." Ex. 16:20. But folly had not yet run her perfect round. Reason seemed to have been dethroned until Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are tried with like success.
Upon the first day of the week, that which many are now solemnizing in supposed obedience to the commandment, there was found no food at all, while upon the remaining five, it was in such a condition as to forbid the entertaining, for a moment, the thought of being appropriated as food by mortal man.
Thus terminates the first attempt to confound the sacred with the profane. Its victim, thoroughly humbled and profoundly penitent, returns to the old way, a wiser and a better man, resolving in the future, to atone, as far as possible, for the past, by a faithful observance of the Lord's Sabbath. Making Friday the preparation day, he once more enters upon its solemn hours. How different the experience now! No hunger here, nor sight of nauseating food! The creature is in harmony with the Creator. The latter, to make up for the lack of manna on the seventh day, gives a double portion on the sixth; and to obviate the difficulty which would arise from the fact that the manna which ordinarily fell would become corrupt within twenty-four hours, by an exercise of divine power, he makes that of a nature to last forty-eight.
Thus did the Lord distinctly teach his ancient people that his Sabbath was a particular, definite day of the week. If you would feel the force with which this conviction must have rested down upon their minds, you have but to remember that there were in each week, three distinct acts of God, or, if you please, miracles, all tending to confirm them in it; viz., the falling of the manna on the six days, the giving of a double portion on the last of them, the preservation of this over the seventh, and the absence of any, whatever, on this. Also, that, as there are in each year fifty-two weeks, they must have witnessed in each year one hundred and fifty-six of these occurrences (there being three each week), and, in the forty years of their wanderings in the wilderness, the enormous aggregate of six thousand two hundred and forty.
W. H. Littlejohn.
(To be Continued.)
A Country Thanksgiving Sermon.
By Pacific Rural Press
Ay, goodman, close the great barn door;
The yellow harvest time is o'er;
The earth has given her treasures meet
Of golden corn and bearded wheat.
You and your neighbors well have wrought,
And of the summer's bounty caught;
Won from her smiles and from her tears
Much goods, perhaps, for many years.
You come a tribute now to pay—
The bells proclaim Thanksgiving Day.
Well have you sown, well have you reaped;
And of the riches you have heaped,
You think perhaps that you will give
A part, that others, too, may live.
But if such argument you use,
Your niggard bounty I refuse.
No gifts you on the altar lay,
In any sense are given away.
Lo! rings from heaven a voice abroad;
"Who helps God's poor doth lend the Lord."
What is your wealth? He'd have you know
To hold it, you must let it go.
Think you the hand by heaven struck cold
Will yet have power to clutch its gold?
Shrouds have no pockets, do they say?
Behold, I show you then the way:
Wait not till death shall shut the door,
But send your cargoes on before.
Lo! he that giveth of his hoard
To help God's poor doth lend the Lord.
To-day, my brethren—do not wait;
Just yonder stands dame Kelly's gate;
And would you build a mansion fair
In heaven, send your lumber there;
Each stick that on her wood-pile lies
May raise a dome beyond the skies;
You stop the rents within her walls,
And yonder rise your marble halls;
For every pane that stops the wind
There shineth one with jasper lined.
Your wealth is gone, your form lies cold,
But in the city paved with gold
Your hoard is held in hands Divine;
It bears a name that marks it thine.
Behold the bargain ye have made,
With usury the debt is paid.
No moth doth eat, no thieves do steal,
No suffering heart doth envy feel.
Ring out the words, who of his hoard
Doth help God's poor doth lend the Lord!
Go get your cargoes under way;
The bells ring out Thanksgiving Day!
—Pacific Rural Press.
Troublesome Church Members.
A PASTOR was pleasantly situated—had charge of an affectionate and active church—and his ministrations were crowned with ordinary success; but there was one cause of discouragement and trouble. Brother John Johnson, a wealthy and respected member was dissatisfied. He was hard to please. Nothing exactly suited him. The preaching was not sufficiently doctrinal, the discipline was altogether too lenient, and the singing was without life and fervor. He opposed new measures because they were new, and wished old ones changed because they were old. He had a natural affinity for the minority; and would probably have changed his opinion if he had found himself in the majority. He was not wanting in liberality, and the church was in no small degree, dependent on his contributions for support; but he was a thorn in the side of his pastor. He watched him with an eagle's eye, and improved every opportunity of finding fault with him.
The pastor resolved to endure the tormenting censures of Brother Johnson no longer; and much to the sorrow of his church, sent in his resignation. He soon took charge of another church, where he found many brethren and sisters warm in their attachment to him, and ready to aid him in all his efforts to do good; but to his dismay, he discovered that there was in that church too, another John Johnson. The pastor changed his field but did not escape his trials. He removed several times; but could never get clear of John Johnson; and came finally to the conclusion that every church has its John Johnson. So much for the story.
We have been long acquainted with the same John Johnson. Few churches are free from his croakings. In some churches there are several, sometimes as many as half a dozen John Johnsons. It is perhaps an advantage to have more than one in a church. They are sure to be on the opposite sides of every debatable question, and they neutralize one another's influence and divert their batteries from less pugnacious members.
What should the church do with Brother John Johnson? He should not be expelled. He is a good man and does some good in his way. He must be borne with. He has been raised up to exercise the patience, temper, and forbearance of the brotherhood. He is a thorn in the flesh of the pastor; but it will preserve him from being exalted above measure, and he will find the grace of Christ sufficient for him. Time may exert a mellowing influence on the spirit of Brother Johnson; or, if he should grow more querulous and troublesome as he grows older, he will not live always, and his son, though he inherits the disposition of his father, will have less influence and be less able to cause trouble.
Pray for Brother Johnson; be not fretted at his complaints and contrariness; strengthen the hands of the pastor in his work; and be sure not to fall into the spirit and copy the example of the old man; and let the pastor retain his place, trust in God, perform his labors, and leave John Johnson to do the croaking.—Religious Herald.
THE WORLD UNFRIENDLY TO THE CHRISTIAN.
We mistake the matter, if we think that the offence of the cross has yet ceased from the land. We mistake it if we think that the persecution of contempt, a species of persecution more appalling to some minds than even direct and personal violence, is not still the appointed trial of all who would live godly, and of those who expound zealously and honestly the doctrine of Christ Jesus our Lord.
We utterly mistake it if we think that the reproach cast upon Paul that he was mad, because he was an intrepid follower of Christ, is not still ready to be preferred against every faithful teacher, and every consistent disciple of the faith; and that under the terms fanaticism, dogmatism, and mysticism, there is not ready to be discharged upon them from the thousand batteries of a hostile and unbelieving world, as abundant a shower of invective and contumely as in the first ages.—Sel.
Prayer with Earnest Simplicity
GOD loves to have us pray with earnest simplicity. Better in God's sight are the broken and heartfelt lispings of a child than the high-flown utterances of some who think themselves wonderful in prayer.
Joys of True Religion
Of all joyful experiences, there are none like those which spring from true religion.
Come unto Me.
By A. S. Nason
“Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11 : 28.
There are sad, weary, aching hearts everywhere, vainly seeking rest. They know not where to find it. They are groping in darkness, amid the baubles of earth. They do not heed the voice of Jesus, pityingly calling them unto him. They do not know that in him is balm for all their woes.
Some gather with the giddy throng in pleasure's haunts, hoping there to still the throb of anguish in their breasts. But they find no alleviation of sorrow there. Others seek for satisfaction in struggling after wealth; but gold does not yield them the peace they desire. Still they rush heedlessly on, little realizing that the brittle thread of life may break at any moment, and their opportunity for securing the eternal treasures of heaven be lost forever.
How sad the scene to the true child of God! Those who have drank deeply of Jesus' love will be in earnest to bring these poor, deceived ones to the true light. They will not rest while it is in their power to save any who are perishing. Their prayers will continually ascend to the throne of God that Jesus will open the eyes of these poor, blinded ones. They will not seek ease and comfort for themselves chiefly; but the aim and object of their lives will be to win souls to Christ, by persuasion, love, and meekness. The work of salvation will absorb every energy. All the powers of the mind will be brought to bear upon this all-important subject.
Oh! that every one among us who professes to be a follower of Jesus, might be imbued with power from on high, and go forth bearing the image of Jesus, clothed with his divine love and Spirit, and raise a voice so earnest and thrilling, that it should rouse the careless from their slumber, while yet a door of mercy is open for them, and cause them to see their terrible danger. Let us hasten to prepare for the solemn work before us. The moments of probation are rapidly passing away. We have no time to tarry.—A. S. Nason.
Sherman City Camp-Meeting.
By James White
FOUR camp-meetings have now been held in the State of Kansas the present season. One in May, at Neosho; and three others in the months of October and November. The annual conference was held at the first meeting in the spring, at a central point. The three autumn meetings at three points in the State from North to South. The last, the Sherman City camp-meeting, has been held in a community cursed by the blighting influence of opposition to the health reform, and the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy.
This meeting appeared small when compared with our camp-meetings in older States, yet it was large when compared with the attendance at the Methodist camp-meeting held on the same ground two months ago. The country is new, and the meeting was located at a great distance from villages of importance, where there is but here and there a humble dwelling.
The Sherman meeting commenced October 31. There were ten family tents and a large number of covered wagons on the ground, besides two congregational tents. One of the large tents was used as a chapel for conference and prayer meetings; and the other was divided into apartments for families. There were not far from one hundred brethren and sisters upon the ground. It seemed to be a general gathering of the scattered ones. They were gathered from southeast Kansas, from Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and some from Iowa and Michigan. Mrs. W. attended the Richland meeting near Topeka, which was much larger than the Sherman meeting, and was on the ground at this last meeting one day in advance of us. When Elder Bourdeau and the writer reached the ground, sixth day, November 1, Elder Haskell was preaching to a good audience. Mrs. W. preached in the afternoon. Few here had ever heard her, and the deepest interest was felt in what she had to say. The brethren continued to come in until the sun went down, reminding us that the holy Sabbath was at hand.
A general gathering of the entire camp was called as the sacred hours of the Sabbath drew nigh. At this meeting we took the stand and made remarks appropriate to the occasion; then we enjoyed a season of prayer. It was evident to all that the presence of the Lord of the Sabbath was with us. This interesting meeting was more than one hour in length. After a brief intermission, Elder Bourdeau gave a discourse on the subject of redemption, and was followed by remarks from the writer until the time to retire had come.
Elder Haskell was on the ground in advance of us, and had erected a comfortable tent, furnished with a board floor, covered with a plain carpet. In this tent was a good bed, a table, a stove, chairs, and other things necessary for a week's sojourn in camp. Here we were made comfortable, and found rest in sleep such as we ever enjoy in tent life. The weather has been dry and very mild, excepting the slight chill of evening and morning. While we write, it is as mild as a Michigan September morning.
Sabbath morning we spoke for nearly two hours to a tent full of eager listeners, on the words: "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev. 19:10. Elder Haskell spoke in the afternoon on the subject of sacrifice.
As the sun was sinking in the west, and the close of the Sabbath drew nigh, the camp was assembled under the large tent to take leave of our dear friend, the blessed Sabbath. At this meeting we spoke quite fully of the proper manner of observing the Sabbath, and especially of guarding both ends of it. We stated that while it is yet light on sixth day, complete readiness should be made for the Sabbath, embracing chores, bathing, and change of clothing; the family should be assembled in the best room in the house, and one or two chapters should be read from the blessed Bible by the light of day, and the entire family should be bowed in prayer, waiting for the coming of the Sabbath. And the best definition of family prayer, is a brief prayer from each one of the family.
When an earthly friend is expected, preparations are made with care. How much more should we prepare for the Lord of the Sabbath to come into our homes and hearts at the very introduction of holy time. Be in season. If there is a period from thirty to eighty minutes between the full light of day and the darkness of night, it is much safer to give the Lord's Sabbath the benefit of the entire period of doubt as to the beginning of the day. Let the hour of prayer cover the ground, that the first end of the Sabbath be not marred. The close of the Sabbath should also be guarded. The season of prayer should cover all ground of doubt as to the close of the day, and upon our knees we should part with the Sabbath as with a very dear friend.
At seven in the evening, Mrs. W. spoke to a crowded tent on the subject of Christ's triumphant ride into Jerusalem. It was very evident that the interest of the meeting was deepening.
First day morning there were probably five hundred persons on the ground. In the forenoon we spoke for nearly two hours, giving the reasons of our faith and hope, and Mrs. W. spoke on the subject of Christian temperance in the afternoon. Her appeals to slaves of intoxicating drinks and tobacco were pointed and forcible. One gentleman remarked that he could listen to that woman on the important subject of temperance twelve hours, and not get tired on his rough board seat. Elder Haskell preached in the evening.
Monday was a day of labor. The morning meeting in the large tent continued five hours, from nine till two, and during nearly all this long meeting Mrs. W. occupied the stand, excepting the season of prayer for those who had come forward to seek the Lord. This meeting closed victoriously. Strong cries for mercy and grace to endure, and also shouts of victory, were heard. In the afternoon we spoke on the subject of baptism, after which six were buried by Elder Cook in the creek near by.
In the evening Mrs. W. spoke to a tent crowded with eager listeners, upon the subject of Bible sanctification. This was a clear, powerful, and timely discourse, in which the bogus sanctification of our time was shown up in its true character.
Early Tuesday morning the camp was called up to appear in the large tent for a morning meeting. Our beloved Brother Santee was to be set apart to the work of the gospel ministry by the laying on of hands. We gave a short discourse appropriate to the occasion, and after the congregation had given a unanimous vote of approval, prayer was made by Elder Haskell in connection with laying on of hands by Elders Haskell, Cook, and White. Charge by the writer. This was followed by breakfast, and the usual hurry and noise of axes and hammers taking down our cotton city. And away drove those hardy Kansas farmers with their families to their rural homes. That everybody says, is supposed to be true. The united testimony of all our people on the ground this morning is that this meeting, from commencement to close, has been the very best they ever attended. And the outside attendance has been good and orderly. The general compliment has been that this has been the most orderly and most neat and cleanly and respectable camp-meeting they ever attended.
Kansas is a good field of labor. Kansas is increasing her population faster than any other State in the Union. The people are generally poor, but intelligent and ready to read and hear, and investigate the reasons of our faith and hope. But there is a great want of laborers in this extensive gospel field. God pity the people of Kansas, and send help to those who are perishing for the bread and water of life. It is now expected that their general camp-meeting and annual conference for 1879 will be held at a central point about the tenth of May. And we are under promise, if the Lord will, to be at that meeting on our way from Texas to Colorado.
Tuesday afternoon, Elder Haskell, Mrs. W., our daughter Mrs. J. E. White, and the writer, took the train at Oswego, Kansas, for Dallas, Texas. At Muscogee, Indian Territory, we found a good hotel where, to our happy disappointment, we found the best accommodations. Wednesday we reached Dallas, dusty and weary, but glad that our journey of about one thousand miles from Battle Creek, Mich., to Dallas, Texas, was at an end. We tarried for the night at the home of Brother Cole and family, and Thursday, came to the good and comfortable home of Brother McDearmon. Here our daughter met her parents, brother and sister, who have all been brought near the door of death by the fever which has prevailed in this State during the past season. Our coming to them is timely. They have a large house and warm hearts, but as they move about they look more like walking corpses than living men and women. We remain here until Wednesday, the 13th, when we go to the Plano camp-meeting.
At present, we can only say of Texas, that the weather is mild and dry. We already suffer with the heat. Our postoffice address at present will be Denison, Texas, where we may spend the winter. Elder Bourdeau remains awhile in Kansas, then he will visit his French brethren in Illinois. After the Plano camp-meeting, Elder Haskell will return to Battle Creek, and labor in New York, New England, and elsewhere. As we write a gentle rain is falling, which betokens more clear, cool, and healthful weather.
J. W.
The Coming of the Lord.
THE following remarks we copy from the Sabbath Memorial of July, 1878. Brother Jones is doubtless right. "There is too much silence on this great theme." According to the "sure word of prophecy" this doctrine will be both preached and opposed in the last days. As he says, it used to be dwelt upon by the ministry much more than it is at present. We rejoice with thanksgiving that so many are now joining their pens and voices to break the silence on this important subject, and are especially pleased that so faithful an advocate of truth for the last days as Brother Jones is awake to the importance of the theme.
"At an early age we listened to a sermon on the coming of Christ and the resurrection of the saints. The text was Psalm 17:15, and the occasion was our dear mother's funeral. Our tender years were made familiar with this glorious doctrine, for ministers were accustomed, fifty and sixty years ago, to dwell upon it for the warning of sinners and the comforting of believers. We have often lifted up the voice on this subject. Shall the pen be silent? Alas, we fear there is too much silence on this great theme. The pulpit and the press are too much given to speak of an improved state of things, and a continuation of the same without ever reaching on to the time when shall be heard the voice of the archangel, the shout of the Lord himself, and the blast of the 'trump' of God (1 Thess. 4:16). We believe in improvement, especially in the behaviour of Christians. Knowledge is spreading and great efforts are being made, not without success, to increase temperance, virtue, honesty, and peace; yet the increase of immorality is so apparent that we should feel disheartened were it not for faith in the power of the gospel. But faith and the gospel cannot avert the certain on-coming flood of perdition to the ungodly. Let, therefore, the pen, as well as living voice sound the alarm: 'Flee from the wrath to come,' 'Prepare to meet thy God,' 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.'
"The Lord will come. He came once, and gave himself for us. He will come again. He said to the disciples, 'I will come again, and receive you unto myself.' The prophets clearly intimate the great event: 'His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives.' On that mountain overlooking Bethany and Jerusalem the angels said, 'This same Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.' 'He will come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe.' Contemporary with his coming, will be the punishing with everlasting destruction, them who obey not the gospel. It is written, 'The Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Lord and His name one,' and 'His people shall be all righteous.' The prophets, Christ, and the apostles speak of His coming in positive terms. James says, 'Behold the Judge standeth at the door;' and both Peter and Paul agree with James, that 'the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.' Let us note well that His coming must be very much nearer now than it was then. While this fact is a warning to all to prepare to meet Him, it is also an incentive to all believers to fulfill the Master's injunction: Occupy till I come! How much there is to be done, and how little time to do it. The brevity of life admonishes us that there is no time to idle away. Countries hitherto quite inaccessible are now open to the gospel. Their bars of iron have been drawn, and their gates of brass lifted. China, Arabia, Armenia, Abyssinia, the heart of Africa, and other fields, are white unto harvest. Brethren in the Lord! with the increase of opportunities our responsibility increases. Let us preach faithfully what the Master requires as the fruit of faith in Him, namely, the obedience of the heart and life, to the Father's commandments."