Review and Herald, Vol. 13, No. 4.
CONGREGATIONAL PREACHING IN LAPEER, MICHPage 1
Earlier text: CONGREGATIONAL PREACHING IN LAPEER, MICHConversing with a certain Phrenologist, not long since, upon the basis of the Sabbath institution, he had occasion to inquire if we believed the world was created in six literal days. Upon our expressing an unqualified avowal of that belief, he exclaimed, "Why you seem to be behind the times. Geology shows us that it was ages on ages in forming." Geology, the reader is well aware, is the great instrument which unbelievers are endeavoring to wield against the authenticity of the Scriptures. To its deductions they bow as to the oracles of God. There are certain formations, say they, which we conjecture must have been ages on ages in reaching their present state; therefore the Mosaic record is not true. Such is a specimen of their illogical reasoning. On such conclusions as this, no better drawn and no less speedily arrived at, the Bible is set aside, and infidelity triumphs. Against the science of geology, as a science, we have of course nothing to say; but in the use which men make of it, and the conclusions they base upon it, we hazard nothing in the verdict that they make fools both of themselves and their subjects. In this declaration, however severe it may seem, we are sustained by the following quotations. The first is from a "Discussion on the Authority and Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures," held in Philadelphia, in 1854, between Joseph P. Berg, and the noted infidel, Joseph Barker, in which the Bible is vindicated against the aspersions of the latter. On p. 251, Mr. Berg says: "My opponent has spoken with learned precision on the subject of geology. He has doubtless large acquaintance with the subject, gathered from personal investigation, for as he walks by sight, and not by faith, it cannot for a moment be supposed that so consistent a casuist as my opponent, would, in order to invalidate the Mosaic history, quote Mr. Hitchcock and expect us to receive him as authority superior to Moses. As yet, however, he has not furnished the results of his own knowledge or experience. Perhaps he will yet do so. The details will no doubt be of thrilling interest! But let him do as he may, what a miserable piece of deception and presumptuous imposture is presented in this whole ado about geological testimony. Geology, as a science, is yet in its infancy. Its oracles are as contradictory as the sophisms of Atheism. They contradict one another and they contradict themselves. Whom shall we follow? Shall we go with Buckland, when in company with Cuvier, Le Duc, Dolomieu and others; he tells us the traces of the Mosaic deluge are indubitable: or shall we believe him when in his Bridgewater Treatise, he somewhat modifies his views? Shall I take my stand with Hugh Miller, when in his Old Red Sandstone, he teaches that 'the system began with an age of dwarfs, and ended with an age of giants?' or shall I follow him in his Footprints, another of his books, in which he reverses his former theory, and at the very base of the system, 'discovers one of the most colossal of its giants,' and instead of an ascending order of progressive development, asserts a descending order of progressive degradation? Which of Lyell's contradictory positions shall I take? There is one point at least, in which all are agreed, it is this: There is not a geological theory extant which would not be overthrown, and the whole science revolutionized by the discovery of a single new fact. Miller in his Footprints, p. 313, says, speaking of geology, 'It furnishes us with no clue by which to unravel the unapproachable mysteries of creation; these mysteries belong to the wondrous Creator, and to him only. We attempt to theorize upon them, and to reduce them to law, and all nature rises up against us in our presumptuous rebellion.' Now hear him. 'A stray splinter of cone-bearing wood—a fish's skull or tooth, the vertebra of a reptile, the humerus of a bird, the jaw of a quadruped, all, any of these things weak and insignificant as they may seem, become in such a quarrel, too strong for us and for our theory—the puny fragment in the grasp of truth, forms as irresistible a weapon as the dry bone did in that of Samson of old, and our slaughtered sophisms lie, piled up heaps upon heaps, before it.' This is the testimony of a man who is a geologist. Whether my opponent is, or is not, I cannot say. If he is, instead of asserting things as geological facts, it would be his duty to prove them, for he may rest assured his assertions will carry very little force of conviction, in a Christian community. The probability is, he is not a practical geologist at all. If he were, he would not preach Hitchcock, praise Hitchcock, and to all practical purposes, if not swear, at least affirm by Hitchcock as busily as he does! And is this the kind of evidence upon which the Bible is to be discarded! Are we to take the mutterings of geological wizards, who peep out of the dust, as louder and better truths than the dictates of this book, when the best of them, the man who stands in the front rank of geologists, admits that a stray splinter of wood, or the wing-bone of a bird, would be weapon enough to beat the brains out of the best system geologists have ever devised? Oh! what faith my opponent has in Hitchcock; and yet I have very little doubt, if the truth were known, other parts of Hitchcock's book might be used to show that in rejecting the Mosaic history of the deluge, he is at variance not only with the Bible, but with his own principles. Geologists must be more modest. Let them tarry in Jericho till their beards are grown; and when the science which they are cultivating is out of its cradle, and able to stand erect upon its own feet, the first impulse of its generous manhood will be to proclaim from the very heart of this great earth which Jehovah has made, that the Bible is the book of God as surely as heaven and earth declare his glory and show his handiwork!" The following facts also from "Nelson's Cause and Cure of Infidelity," pp. 19-22, belong in the same catalogue as showing the utter fallacy of geological assumptions: "An English traveler, Brydone, wrote and published a description of mount Etna. He describes her craters and her extended slope, covered occasionally for twenty miles or more, along the side of the mountain, with vines, villages, and luxuriance. These are sometimes destroyed by the river of melted lava which issues from the mountain above, many feet deep, and a mile—perhaps more, sometimes less—in width, bearing all before it, until it reaches the sea and drives back its boiling waves. After this burning stream has cooled, there is seen, instead of blooming gardens, a naked, dreary, metallic rock. Sometimes many eruptions occur in the course of a year, breaking out at different parts of the mountain, and sometimes none for half a century. The traveler found a stream of lava congealed on the side of the mountain, which attracted his notice more than others. He thought it must have been thrown out by an eruption, which was mentioned by perhaps Polybius, as occurring nearly seventeen hundred years since. There was no soil on it. It was as naked as when first arrested there. The particles of dust floating through the air had not fallen there, so as to furnish hold for vegetation, and these vegetables had not grown and decayed again and again, thus adding to the depth of the soil. Such a work had not even commenced. He tells us that on some part of that mountain, near the foot, if you will sink a pit, you must pass through seven different strata of lava, with two feet of soil between them. Upon the supposition that two thousand years are requisite for the increase of earth just named, he asks how seven different layers could be formed in less than fourteen thousand years. The chronology of Moses makes the world not half as old. The Englishman was jocular at this discovery, and his admirers were delighted at what seemed to them a confutation of the book of heaven. How many thousands through Europe renounced their belief of revelation with this discovery for their prop, the author of this treatise is unable even to conjecture. It seems that many parts of Europe almost rang at the news of the analogical theory. True, the traveler only conjectured that he had found the lava mentioned by the ancient writer; but no matter, supposition only was strong enough to rivet their unbelief. The author has conversed with those in America, and on her western plains, who would declare they believed not a word of the Bible, because there was no soil on a stratum of lava, which, in all probability, had been there long. "Another learned Englishman, an admirer of the books of Moses, wrote to those who seemed to joy so greatly in their new system. He told them, that inasmuch as they seemed fond of arguing from analogies, he would give them an additional one. He reminded them that the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii were buried by the eruption in which the elder Pliny lost his life, near seventeen hundred years since. Those cities have lately been discovered; and in digging down to search their streets, six different strata of lava are passed through, with two feet of earth between them. And the famous Watson tells them, that if six different soils near Vesuvius could be formed in seventeen hundred years, perhaps seven might be made elsewhere in five thousand years. "Might we not suppose, that those who had renounced their belief of Christianity, after reading some conjectures concerning Etna, would have renounced their faith as soon as these Vesuvius facts were placed before them? No, it was not so. It was easy to descend, but they never re-ascended. Men love darkness rather than light. Thousands who snatched at the objection with joyful avidity never read the confutation. They never inquired for an answer. Those who read were afterwards silent, but remained unaltered. A lawyer who stood so high with his fellow-citizens, for worth and intelligence, that he filled many offices of trust, had his credence of the sacred page shaken by reading the imaginary system built on the surface of Etna's lava streams. He took the book to a friend, to show him what reason we have for casting off our reverence for the Bible. This friend turned over a few pages of the book, where this same traveler, after telling how many eruptions sometimes happen in the course of a month, goes on to narrate the following history: "Our landlord at Nicolasi," he says, "gave us an account of the singular fate of the beautiful country near Hybla, at no great distance from hence. It was so celebrated for its fertility, and particularly for its honey, that it was called Mel Passi, the Honey Land, till it was overwhelmed by the lava of Etna; and having then become totally barren, by a kind of pun its name was changed to Mal Passi, the Mean Land. In a second eruption, by a shower of ashes from the mountain, it soon re-assumed its ancient beauty and fertility, and for many years was called Bel Passi, the Beautiful Land. Last of all, in the unfortunate era of 1669 it was again laid under an ocean of fire, and reduced to the most wretched sterility, since which time it is known again by its second appellation of Mal Passi." "The lawyer was asked if his difficulties were in any way obviated by this rapidity of change from soil to nakedness, and from nudity to soil again, narrated by the same original discoverer of the whole theory. He answered in the negative, and continued obstinately to cast away the book of God. Thousands of cases happen continually, where the individual is as readily and as speedily turned into the path of infidelity, and when once there, continues to trace it with invincible pertinacity. Men, without knowing it, love darkness rather than light." A COMMUNICATION.
By O. Nichols
I FEEL it my duty to define my position in relation to the state of the dead. For many years I have felt very little interest on this subject, not enough to read the articles in the controversy commencing some twelve years ago between the writers of the Ad. Herald, and the Harbinger. I thought this subject was not connected with the advent doctrines; that the minds of those interested in this controversy were becoming unsettled and alienated from the more important doctrines of the three angels’ messages, that it led to contention, strife, &c., not according to the gospel of Christ; and that it was not necessary to our salvation. For these reasons, which I formerly cherished, I let the subject of the state of the dead rest until the present year. During this period, however, I believed that the dead were in an unconscious state. The Old Testament plainly teaches this view; and although there are some passages in the New Testament that are not so plain, to which our opponents would refer to prove an opposite view; yet I could not think that the apostle’s view of the intermediate state conflicted with the writers of the Old Testament. But there was one passage in Luke—the rich man and Lazarus—which always troubled me. I could not understand what it did mean. About a year ago this subject was again taken up by the editor of the Ad. Herald. There were some testimonies then introduced relative to the Jews’ belief of the state of the dead, which seemed to give light on that obscure parable; [Luke xvi, 19–31,] and for a short time my mind was somewhat more unsettled upon some points. In an interview with the editor, afterwards, I expressed that I should prefer reliable testimony of the views of the christians in the first century on these points, rather than that of the Jews; and should like to have them published in the Herald. He replied that on account of the opposition to his views he had concluded to publish nothing more on the state of the dead, unless to answer a special request made through the Herald with the signature of the writer, and if I would briefly preface a few remarks to my request, over my signature, he would answer it: to this proposition I reluctantly assented. I relate these things because I learn there is an impression with some of my friends abroad, that I have renounced my views of the state of the dead through the Ad. Herald. During the present year I have more carefully examined the Bible upon this subject, and, having access to much ancient testimony and arguments which I had not seen before, I understandingly believe that the dead sleep in an unconscious state until the resurrection. I believe also that it is necessary for every one to be fully settled in this belief upon Bible testimony, in order to stand against the delusions of the Spiritual Philosophy of the present age. The Truth Shall Set Them Free
By M. E. Cornell
I will close by dedicating to you the following lines which I have remodeled from an unknown author to make applicable. There are battles fierce and many,
By our valor to be fought,
And we want for soldiers any
Who will fight as brave men ought;
Not with sword of glittering steel
Laying waste the fruitful lands,
But with humble, christian zeal,
And the Bible in our hands. Honest ones are shut in darkness
In the prison-walls of death;
Dreadful is their state of blindness
Pestilential is their breath:—
Let us march to give them freedom,
The pure light of day to see—
Not with any carnal weapons;
'Tis the TRUTH shall set them free! While the Western Ophir calls
Thousands in its dross to share,
Let us search the human heart
For the diamond hidden there,
What if scorn at first shall meet us?
Love and hope shall urge us on,
None shall ever fail who battle
With the weapons of St. John. Let us quickly then prepare
For the strife the needed shield;
Are we few?—then more's the need
We should quickly take the field;
Full of faith and full of hope,
Forth we'll go a conquering band,
With the truth upon our lips
And the Bible in our hand!
M. E. CORNELL.
Wakeman Station, Huron Co., O., Dec, 8th, 1858. WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION.
By Joseph Clarke
It cannot be worked out by your minister, nor can it be worked out by your friend. Christ intercedes before the Father, and pleads his blood; the Spirit convicts, and whispers of a Judgment; the angels wait to carry the tidings; saints warn and entreat, and pray; but all in vain unless you work. The pupil may be favored with accomplished teachers, and best of means; he may attend year after year with punctuality, yet all in vain unless he tax his own powers of thought, and application; and the more patiently and assiduously he labors, the more benefit he derives; and the less he depends upon his aids, and the more he relies upon his own efforts, the stronger he becomes. So in the school of Christ, we must work out salvation, not looking to earthly teachers or visible aids, but with the mind stayed solely upon God, must learn to look away from man whose breath is in his nostrils, learn to direct our own minds to the source of light, learn to watch, and pray, and labor, with fervency and constancy, always with Christ and the object in view. ‐For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.‐ Phil. ii, 13. Thus we are taught to realize our entire dependence. In vain we plough or sow, unless the rain descends and the sun shines. But we have the promise, ‐They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.‐ Let us press forward not waiting to be urged forward like timid children, but like good pupils, work out our allotted task with cheerful hope and uplifted eyes, not obstinate yet firm : not fickle, yet teachable. The Christian’s Daily Cross, Duty, and Privilege
Three things should be thought of by the Christian every morning: his daily cross, daily duty, and daily privilege; how he shall bear the one, perform the other, and enjoy the third. THREE REASONS FOR REJOICING.
By Joseph Clarke
FIRST reason. That there is a consistent system of revealed truth. Such a system as is revealed in the Bible manifesting the goodness of God, vindicating his mercy as well as his justice, a system consistent with reason and equity, and a system clear and plain to the smallest capacity, yet too deep for the loftiest human intellect [unsanctified] revealing the character of Jehovah, and his intentions and plans in the future, and revealing too the character and destiny, and obligations, as well as the perils of mankind. Second reason. That God does in all ages raise up men to proclaim his messages to fallen man. Amid the night of error and sin, suddenly appear the messengers of Jehovah, impelled by the Spirit of truth, led and protected by the God of Abraham. No labor or toil disheartens them, no opposition or persecutions avails to stop their onward course. God will do his work, though Satan and wicked men league to defeat. Third reason. That some few at least have ears to hear. A remnant, “as the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done,” a few here and there. So God will have his witnesses. Praise his holy name! Who of us will endure unto the end? Who will stand the test? To such as go through to Mt. Zion, how glorious the reward! Let us try. Traditions of Men.
By Castle Churchill
BRO. SMITH: Permit me to submit to the Review and (thus) Herald abroad a few passages of Scripture and thoughts. See Matt. xv. 3. "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Here Jesus showed the Scribes and Pharisees how they transgressed and made void the Law of God by their traditions; and then quotes the 5th commandment and says, "Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." Verse 6. Now all we that keep the first day of the week for the Sabbath, have done just the same by the 4th commandment, by our traditions, that the Jews did to the 5th commandment. Verse 9. "But in vain do they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." The commandment of God is, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; (not of the Jews.) Here God condescends to give his reason to man why it is a holy, Sabbath day. "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. xx, 8-11. The Commandments of Men.—Wm. Tyndale, a great English reformer of the 16th century says, "We be lords of the Sabbath, and may change it into Monday, or any other day, as we see need; or we may make every tenth day holy, only if we see cause why; we may make two every week if it were expedient, or one not enough to teach the people. Neither was there any cause to change it from Saturday, other than to put a difference between us and the Jews, and lest we should become servants to the day after their superstition." Questions. 1. What authority has a subject to change the law of his sovereign? 2. Can mortal man by any act of his own, change or disannul the law of his God, and make it void? 3. If he can change one of God's laws, could he not on the same principle, change them all? and if he can change the commandment, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, then it will be right to keep the first day of the week instead of the seventh, for this is the tradition of men. Jesus asked the Jews, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? Now if the fourth commandment has been changed, or abrogated, the record of it must be in the New Testament; and if so, it can be found. But in vain have we searched for it; it is only inferred; and who can draw an inference that will do away with an express command of God and make it of none effect? Some say the day was changed by Constantine; but read the following testimony from the Douay Catechism, p. 143: Question. "What is Sunday, or the Lord's day in general? Answer. "It is a day dedicated by the Apostles to the honor of the most holy Trinity, and in memory that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, sent down the Holy Ghost on a Sunday, and therefore it is called the Lord's day. It is also called Sunday from the old Roman denomination of Dies Solis, the day of the sun, to which it was sacred. Q. Why was the Jewish Sabbath changed into the Sunday? A. Because Christ was born upon a Sunday, rose from the dead upon a Sunday, and sent down the Holy Ghost upon a Sunday, works not inferior to the creation of the world. Q. By whom was it changed? A. By the governors of the church, the Apostles, who also kept it; for St. John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, which was Sunday. Q. How prove you that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days? A. By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants admit of; and therefore they fondly contradict themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feasts commanded by the same church." P. 58, Tract, Law of God. This reminds me of my dream last night. I thought that I with some others was following some footprints that were left in the soft snow, and we supposed that we were traveling on the right track; but on ascending a beautiful rise of ground we came suddenly on a pack of dogs, who were all dressed in men's boots, and had made the tracks that we were following. My astonishment and surprise at such a discovery awoke me from my slumbers, and when I read the above quotation from a Catholic Catechism, surely thought I, we have been following the footprints of the beast. See Dan. vii. 25. "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand 1200 years," i. e., to 1798. "But the judgment shall sit, [upon the beast] and they shall take away his dominion [the saints are then taken out of his hand] to consume and to destroy it unto the end." See Rev. xiii. 5-8, also Rev. xiv. 12. "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and [have] the faith of Jesus." The 6th verse of this chapter begins with the preaching of the Advent doctrine by Wm. Miller and his colleagues, then follows right on each succeeding event. The second angel proclaims the fall of Babylon, the third angel delivers his message with a loud voice, and under this message are seen those that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Here is our patience to abound,
Here with thy saints let me be found,
And sacred keep the seventh day,
And all of God's commands obey.
Thus God will send the latter rain,
And miracles be wrought again
By those who in their Lord abide,
And in his promises confide. The next event in order is the resurrection of the dead, when the blessing pronounced on them will be realized, as Paul says, "The dead in Christ shall rise first," and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. Then will be the gathering of his saints, and afterwards the gathering of the vine of the earth, (the wicked) to be cast into the wine-press of the wrath of God. By the grace of God I am resolved to keep all the commandments, and to lay all upon God's altar. I have conversed with some of my brethren and sisters, and they say they see no command for keeping Sunday, nor any good reason why we should not keep the day God set apart at creation and sanctified as holy time. From henceforth let us keep it holy unto the Lord, that the promise may be ours, "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isa. lviii. 13. From your unworthy brother striving to keep all the commandments and waiting for the return of our Lord.
CASTLE CHURCHILL.
New Hartford, Butler Co., Iowa, Nov. 27th, 1858. THE ADVENT.
By Mrs. R. Smith
Those who've heard the proclamation
Of a coming Saviour near,
Will behold him in great splendor,
When in clouds he shall appear. He will come, this generation
Will not pass till all is o'er.
Sigus foretell he's now approaching,
And is even at the door. O what scenes will burst upon us,
When the heavens and earth shall shake,
When the trump of God is sounding,
And the dead in Christ awake! Saints now living made immortal,
With the risen from the dead,
All arrayed in robes of honor,
With their Saviour at their head. Freed from sin and every sorrow,
Ever to be with their Lord,
And for all they've suffered for him,
Meet a rich and sure reward. But where will the thoughtless sinner
Find a secret place to hide,
From the wrath of him who loved us,
And for us was crucified? Rocks and mountains cannot hide them,
Caves and dens are sought in vain;
Unlamented and unburied,
Will be found the wicked slain. If there's yet one ray of mercy,
Lingering for transgressors here,
Let them haste to gain the treasure,
Bought and paid for us so dear.
MRS. R. SMITH.
West Wilton, N. H. The Danger of Unsanctified Gospel Doctrine
NOTHING is more dangerous than pure gospel doctrines, if they are embraced by an unsanctified mind, and are unaccompanied by the operations of the Holy Spirit. Love not the World.
By M. D. Byington
THE true christian does not love the world. His mind is elevated above it. His affections center on higher, nobler objects than those so defaced by sin and its effects. Earth's cares and toil weary him, and he pants for a better country—the land long since promised to the faithful; and by faith he views it near. This world is not his home. He is but a stranger and sojourner here, as all his fathers were. Its pride and follies are nothing to him. He knows their falsity, and chooses a more enduring substance, even eternal joys. He shares in life's conflicts and sorrow for a season, but it is with his eye fixed upon the world to come, the heavenly mansions purchased so freely, yet so dearly, by his Saviour's blood. Thus he is encouraged forward, pursuing the rough, thorny path, faint and worn, while thousands around him are gliding on and on in the broad way, seeking their treasure in a fallen world. Said the Apostle, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. But the world is full of its votaries. Only a feeble, scattered few are struggling against its tide of sin. Yet they may be strong, strong in their Saviour who overcame. The things that are in the world may have their care, but should not possess their hearts. Our study should not be, how to conform to the world, but how to show ourselves approved unto God. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him. How plain is this declaration of the holy Scriptures! And it is true but little of the Spirit of that Being who is holy and just in all his ways, possesses the hearts of Adam's fallen race. It has been almost extinguished. Ambition and love of the world are taking its place. Yet God has a people on the earth who are seeking for his Spirit, and the truth of his word. Their hearts are being stirred by its warming influence. The love of this world is waning from their hearts, and even now they lift their heads and look up to greet the approach of their coming King. The final conflict is hastening on, and they are fitting for it. Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, they have respect unto the recompense of the reward. And let us think of those mansions as real. Let us call to mind all that is beautiful and glorious, all that is refining and elevating, of which we know or can form an idea, in our conceptions of those unfading promises. There is no danger of our over-drawing the picture. Then contrast it with the reward of those who are choosing the pleasures of sin, the lovers of this world, who have their portion here, and who will not like one of old, choose the better part, a prospective but certain possession, unsullied by sin, and consequently void of sorrow, made up of perfect bliss. Embracing the Third Angel’s Message
By I. N. VanGorder
Bro. SMITH: It is about one year since I embraced the Third Angel's Message, and I thank the Lord that I ever heeded it, for I was once a bitter opposer of the truth. I am at this time with my brother. I have tried to show him that he is trampling God's holy law under foot. He acknowledges the seventh day is the true Sabbath, but has not commenced keeping it yet. I have had some conversation with some of the neighbors, using the works published at the Review Office to sustain the doctrines I advocate, and I find they cannot gainsay them. They do not like to believe them, and yet they cannot overthrow one of them. It seems very strange that the mass of the people should be so blinded that they cannot see. But I at once revert to my own case; I freely confess, I was fully convinced of the perpetuity of the law long before I became obedient to it. Between popularity and reluctance to obey, I, like a drowning man, caught at straws. But I thank my God that he caused me to lay hold on the law of God, and then, having investigated the Scriptures more fully, I was enabled to see how near I came to perishing. My prayer is that we may all, through faith in Christ and obedience to his laws, be enabled to meet in heaven. Yours in hope of life. I. N. VANGORDER. Cecil, Pa. Nov. 28th, 1858. Bro. G. P. Cushman writes from Tunbridge, Vt., Nov. 27th, 1858: “I am glad that we are homeward bound, that our trials and conflicts will soon be over if faithful. This should encourage us to labor on that we may secure the prize. It will not do to go back now, for we shall reap in due time if we faint not. The Lord has not led us down into the message of the third angel to perish, but to secure the favor of God by keeping his commandments and the faith of Jesus. Angels are participating in this work; therefore it must be of God, and it cannot be overthrown. Brethren and sisters let us talk it, pray it, and preach it, as duty requires and leave the event with God. This is the last testing truth we shall have, or the last message of mercy this world will ever hear. Let us get ready and be at our post with our lamps trimmed and burning, oil in our vessels, and we like unto men that wait for the coming of the Lord when he shall return from the wedding.” 'Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another.' BRO. SMITH: I feel thankful to God that my lot has been cast with a people looking for the return of their Lord and Master. I embraced this truth under the labors of Bro. Holt, about ten months since, and rejoice in God that my ears ever heard the message of the third angel. I can say we have had a precious time here in the service of our Master. I feel like pressing forward towards the mark for the prize which lies at the end of the race. I do not feel worthy of the favors bestowed upon me, for all the goodness of God to his sinful creature. I believe the time is not far distant when the people of God will have the faith once delivered to the saints. I feel strong in the faith of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and am willing to give up all for him and follow him through evil as well as good report. I am willing to count all things loss, so I but gain life. Eternal life is worth living for; that inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for those that endure unto the end is worth striving for. The promises of God are sure to those that serve him, keeping his commandments. I desire to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. Although young in the cause, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand on the earth in the last day, and if I continue faithful I shall see him as he is. Praise the Lord! This truth has inspired me with courage to gain a never-fading crown. Your brother in love of the truth. Lovell's Grove, Wood Co., Ohio. A. CALDWELL
By A. Caldwell
BRO. SMITH : The Review is a welcome visitor to myself and family. There are sixteen of us here who are trying to keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus, that we may be numbered with the 144000. We desire an interest in the prayers of the brethren and sisters, that we may endure to the end and receive the crown. We have great opposition here; but if God is for us who can be against us? We have meetings every Sabbath, but have had no preaching since Bro. Hull left, only what little we can do ourselves. We feel determined by the help of God, to conquer though we die. O may God speed the time when ignorance and superstition shall be no more, and they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying know the Lord; for all shall know him from the least to the greatest; [Heb. viii, 11;] when they shall not hurt nor destroy in all the holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Isa. xi. 9. Yours striving for the kingdom. Decatur City, Iowa, Nov. 1858. Seek Meekness and Righteousness
By Sarah Jones
DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS : My heart has been made to rejoice by reading the cheering resolutions and admonitions in the Review. I am still striving with you to be an overcomer of surrounding evil, and become an heir to eternal salvation. We are truly living in perilous times, and nothing but a well founded hope and faith in God will enable his children to come off victorious. It is with shame and deep contrition of heart that we confess our backsliding from the Saviour, but we do thank his great name that we yet have hope in his mercy. And what a great work is yet to be done before we shall be ready to meet our coming Lord. It is high time for us to earnestly seek the needful preparation by constantly humbling ourselves, and bowing more meekly beneath the mighty hand of God, that his merciful garb of righteousness may hide us from wrath and fierce anger in the last great day. Dear brethren and sisters, we are living in that all-important time when the holy message calls us to be "zealous and repent," and will we speedily obey its summons, or shall the Lord of hosts raise up others to take the celestial crowns? Let us refer to the testimony given in Rev. iii, 16. Are not our cases hanging in suspense here in this day of atonement? I fear if we do not move soon it will be too late, and the Lord will fill our places with others. Oh, let us seek meekness and righteousness that we may be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. We want more of the fear of God, the love of his truth, and a vivid sense of the scene before us, to rise above the attractions of earth. While we are the antitype of ancient Israel, should we not do well to remember and lay to heart what God did with them? The light given them was little compared with the light we have in these days. What a fearful time is this we occupy? Oh, what an unwillingness to yield our wills and become what the Lord wants us to be. My prayer is that he will help us to search ourselves daily and not let the straitness of the way slip from our minds. When I reflect upon the goodness of God to me, one so unworthy, and think of the precious truths his Spirit has unfolded to my mind, I strive to incline my heart more fully to his ways, and inquire if my name is engraved with the righteous, whether I shall be permitted to stand on mount Zion with the little flock of the redeemed, which by the help of him in whom the holy prophets trusted have come up to sing everlasting praises. Yes I mean to overcome; and I pray the Lord to give me strength by the aid of a diligent heart and contrite spirit, that I may hold fast and at the end receive the blessed reward of the faithful. Your sister in the Lord, SARAH JONES. Hillsdale, Mich., Dec. 2nd, 1858. Know ye not your own Selves?
By A. Thayer
"It was said by them of old time, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; but I say unto you, Love your enemies." A Methodist communicant once said to me, "It is as much as I can do, not to hate my enemies, it is more than I can do to love them." But when the flesh is crucified, how easy then to love our enemies! How easy is the yoke of Christ! How light is his burden! They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with its affections and lusts. Hatred, anger, wrath, malice, with all other fruits of the flesh expire, when once the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, and love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness and meekness take their place. So if any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature; his old hatred has passed away, he can now bless them that curse him, without hypocrisy or guile, and laying aside all malice, envy, evilspeaking and guile, he desires the sincere milk of the word, that he may grow thereby. Let us above all things have fervent charity, for it is the bond of perfectness. — A. THAYER. Buckland, Mass., Dec. 3, 1858.