Earlier text: THE STONE OF WITNESSPROMISE TO THE FATHERS.
By Editor
“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s, but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” Ps. 115:16. It is written that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Therefore that which is not based on the word of God is not faith; it may be opinion or conjecture, but it is not faith. Even so that is not hope—Bible hope—which is not based on the promise of God. Men may claim to hope for many things, but if there is no promise to sustain the claim, it is clearly invalid. In order to have clear ideas of the Christian’s hope it is necessary to understand God’s revealed purposes of grace toward us. There is no doctrine of the Bible which stands alone or has its place disconnected from other doctrines. They are all related, so that each one casts light upon all the others; and, therefore, all are important, and none are “non-essential.” It is the purpose of this writing to examine some of the promises of God, and thus endeavor to determine what is, truly, our hope. There is no subject of greater interest to man than that of the future destiny of this earth and our relation to it. We find ourselves, not only placed upon the earth, but so strongly identified with it, that we may be said to be a part of it. It is no mere figure of speech which says that God “knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” Ps. 103:14. Vain philosophy and false science, prompted by human pride, have denied, as far as they possibly can, every statement of the Scriptures which shows man to be a frail, perishable creature. But the declaration of Bible history that “God made man of the dust of the earth,” Gen. 2:7, cannot be denied; for continuous observation convinces us that we are of the dust, and return to dust again. But so great is the obduracy of the human heart that it will pervert what it cannot deny. Thus it has been claimed that Prov. 11:31, which in its teaching is related to our text, proves that there is no future punishment. But such a claim is seriously defective in several respects. The passage reads: “Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner.” 1. This text does not relate to this life, but to the future. 2. If it denies a future punishment to the wicked, it also denies a future reward to the righteous. But 3. The claim is based upon the material error of confounding consequences with penalties. Two men may be burned in the same house; one of them set fire to the house to destroy his neighbor’s life and property, but by some mishap perished in the flames. The other perished also, but he was trying to rescue his neighbor from destruction. Did either of them receive the desert of his action? If the one justly perished, what shall we say of the other? We might multiply illustrations to any extent to show that men are not rewarded in this life; every consideration of justice accepts the declaration that God “hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world.” Acts 17:31. The question arises whether the reference to the gift of the earth in our text is historic or prophetic. We will first consider it in the light of history. Turning to Gen. 1:26, we find that it was God’s purpose in the creation of man to give him dominion “over all the earth.” And in verse 28 we learn that this dominion was given to Adam; that he was authorized to bear rule over the earth, and over everything upon the earth. In consistency with man’s nature he was placed upon probation for the development of his character; and while the tree and the herb of the field were given him for food, one tree was excepted. Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he was not permitted to eat under the severest penalty; the Lord said to him: “In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Gen. 2:17. But man did eat of that forbidden fruit; God arraigned him as a transgressor, and cursed both him and his dominion. “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;” plainly intimating that his life should end. “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Gen. 3:17, 19. And this was no idle threat. Its execution is on record. “And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.” Gen. 5:5. A few points of interest and importance are here to be noticed:— 1. Had not man sinned he would not have died; God would have established him in immortality that he would have continued to live forever. 2. But, of course, he would have lived forever on the earth; here he was created; this was his “dominion;” and there is no intimation that any other dominion was to be his, or that he was to be transferred to any other locality. 3. The loss of life is the greatest of all losses; it includes all other losses; for when a man loses his life he has nothing more to lose. It was a knowledge of this truth, and of human nature, that led Satan to say, “All that a man hath will he give for his life;” Job 2:4; “for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” 1 Tim. 6:7. By transgression Adam lost everything. 4. Adam could bequeath to his posterity no more than he possessed. He forfeited his dominion and his inheritance, and possessed it but a little while. And, accordingly, the Scriptures never point us to what was given to Adam as the ground of our hope. Our inheritance from Adam is of death as well as of life; a brief possession of a little of this world, with sorrow and pain, ending in the darkness of the grave. Therefore, if the gift of the earth, referred to in our text, is that granted to Adam, it is a matter in which we have no deep, abiding interest. Historically, it has no hope for us. But the passage quoted from Proverbs, “The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth,” assures us that another view is to be taken of our text; that it has a prophetic bearing to which the “children of men” may look with hope and confidence. That our minds may be guided in the proper channel of investigation, we will examine a few texts in the New Testament which speak of our hope and of its foundation. Says Paul to the Hebrews, 6:12-19:— “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater; and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us; which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.” Several interesting points are here introduced which are well worthy of notice. 1. We are pointed to God’s promise to Abraham as the source of our hope, and of strong consolation. 2. Notice the certainty of the promises: God’s immutable word confirmed by his oath. 3. This hope is “set before us.” Some people outlive their hope; it was a hope of last year, and they think they would be pleased to recover it after it is lost. A hope that is grounded upon our own works, our own experience or feelings, may be outgrown. But when the promises of God are the basis, it is indeed a hope set before us; for we cannot outlive the promises of God. No change of feeling, no vicissitudes of experience, can invalidate the promises of God. Like the polar star, which in all weather and at all times points out the course of the mariner, they stand as the beacon of hope and of safety. 4. This hope is an anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast. It is the only hope that never fails, because it alone has an immovable foundation. “The hope of the hypocrite shall perish;” and “his trust shall be as the spider’s web” (Job 8:13, 14), because it does not take hold of God’s unfailing word. When Paul says “there is one hope,” Eph. 4:4, or speaks of those who are “without hope,” Eph. 2:12; 1 Thess. 4:13, he does not mean to say that others are absolutely hopeless and despairing; but their confidence is vain; they have no firm foundation, no hope worthy of the name. This will be readily understood by the figures used; compare the spider’s web with an anchor! or imagine a navigator collecting a quantity of spider’s web, and taking it on board his vessel for an anchor; so foolish is he who rests on anything but the promise of God for the foundation of his hope. But it may be objected that Paul does not mean that we are to look for consolation and hope to the promise made to Abraham, but only that that promise is set forth as an illustration of the faithfulness of God, who will as surely perform the promises given to us as he did those given to Abraham. This objection, however, is fully met by the following considerations:— 1. In all the Scriptures, God’s people are referred to Abraham as their father in the faith; as the one with whom the covenant was made in which is contained our hope. This is a well-known and acknowledged truth. 2. Paul says: “If ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3:29. Here our heirship is directly referred to the promise made to Abraham, and our inheritance is conditioned upon our being his seed, or children. This is very explicit and decisive. 3. When Paul answered his accusers before Agrippa, he said: “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers; unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come.” Paul’s hope was not a new one; it was the hope held by the “twelve tribes;” the promise made to their fathers. And we can be at no loss to whom to refer the term, “the fathers.” What has been quoted from Paul refer us to Abraham, to whom, and to Isaac and Jacob, “the heirs with him of the same promise,” Heb. 11:9, it must apply. The interesting point of inquiry now is, What is the promise to which he refers? Some have answered this in one way; some, in another; but in this all must agree that the safest way—the way to find out to a certainty what God did promise to Abraham—is to turn to the record and read for ourselves. And now I must ask the indulgence of the reader while quoting at some length from the Old Testament. To some it may be tedious, but all who wish to have settled to a certainty, and by undisputed authority, the important question raised, will doubtless follow, with interest, the chain of testimony which places it beyond a doubt. In entering upon this field, we must bear in mind the position occupied by the race at the time to which the record relates. We have seen that man was created to dwell upon, and rule over, the earth; and that, by transgression, he lost his dominion, and sunk into the grave, to molder back to dust. The promise made to the woman that her seed should bruise the head of the serpent, doubtless looked to the restoration of that which man lost; but in what manner this should be effected was not revealed. We know also that this “seed of the woman,” referred to, is Christ. But it is likewise true that the covenant, under which Christ works the great “restitution,” was made with Abraham; that we are “Abraham’s seed” if we are Christ’s. Gal. 3:29. Therefore, whether we follow the condition of man as he stood after the loss of his inheritance, or look at the gospel means of restoration, we shall find that the promises to Abraham contain the substance of the plan of restitution, and offer a solution to the difficulty in the way of carrying out God’s original purpose in the creation of man. Gen. 1:26, 28. After man was driven from Paradise, there is no chain of promises given to him until we come down to Abraham. Here are given promises—here is made a covenant which reaches to the latest hour of human probation, and links our hope to the revealed purpose of God in creation, presenting a unity of design and execution in the work of God, and in his purposes of grace toward man, which fills the soul with admiration and joy.—EDITOR. Stirring Up Church Interest Through Earnest Leadership
In our judgment a good way to work up an interest in a church on any subject, is, first, for the mover himself to be brimful of his topic—so full that he can talk it up and push it with the air of a man who is in earnest. Presently he will get others in the same notion with himself, and then pretty soon a general move can be made. When a number of men get truly in earnest they can accomplish great things. This rule will apply to church improvements, to mission work, to Sabbath-school work, and to revivals. The thing wanted is as far as possible to get the whole church stirred.—Baptist Banner. THE PRIMARY CLASS.
By Mrs. M. K. White
Ever since the Bible classes began the study of the New Testament lessons, this department of our paper has been devoted almost entirely to the wants of the older classes; but as it is generally admitted that it requires greater skill to teach successfully a class of children than a class of adults, we see no reason why a portion of the space should not, occasionally at least, be given to them. In this the editor agrees, and so we propose this week to have a friendly chat with the teachers of the primary classes; and if any have questions to ask or plans to recommend to others which they have worked successfully themselves, we hope to hear from them. Probably there is no department in which there is greater chance for improvement, both in numbers and in ways of working, than in this; nor is there a field which yields better returns. But the best season in which to work is fast passing away, and we would ask of each teacher, What are you doing to make your school more interesting for the children? How does the attendance compare with last year? and what is being done at the present time to increase it? “Well,” says one, “where we have so few children as in our church, it cannot be made interesting for them, and I have no heart to try to get those outside of our church to join.” If this is the case, the very first thing that ought to be done is to increase the number, and then make it interesting for them. Give them a corner by themselves, no matter how few, and then select one of the best, most earnest, and pleasing members for teacher. If there is a separate room to which they can repair after the opening exercises, so much the better. We have known cases where a school-house was used in which a very successful class was held in a room devoted during the week to hats and cloaks. Sometimes they are held in the entrance hall of the church, although here they are more liable to interruptions. A very good way is to partition off a portion of the church with curtains, or with black-boards and maps on standards, which can easily be removed before time for church service. This, however, does not allow the exercises to be varied by singing, as could be done in a separate room. At all events, a class of active children should not be required to wait while the older ones are being questioned in general review. It is a constitutional necessity for children to be active. Therefore if obliged to keep perfectly still, they will soon dislike to come; and if allowed to whisper and play, they will learn a lesson of irreverence for the house of God, and form habits which it will be difficult for them in after years to overcome, and which if continued will surely ruin the school. Better control their restlessness by giving them something to think about, and by so changing the exercises that they will not become wearisome. This we are aware is not an easy thing to do, but by patience and perseverance on the part of the teacher, and a careful preparation of the lesson, it can be done. The three years’ study laid out in Lesson Books Nos. 1, 2, and 3, is very interesting. We have just completed book No. 1 in our school, and although at first very anxious to study the New Testament lessons, I can truly say that the past has been a very profitable and pleasant year’s study, and now, having learned better how to study those lessons, I believe I could learn more by going over them a second time than at first. In the brief record contained in the book of Genesis, and covered by book No. 1, we have almost the only history of our world for over two thousand years. But because this part of the Bible is quite familiar, most think they do not need to study in order to teach it. Here is where they fail. They have a general knowledge of the subjects, but a close study into the condition of the world at that time, and into the habits and customs of the people, would add at least one-half to the interest of the study and to their efficiency in teaching. Visiting the scholars at their homes will also be found a great help in this work. No matter what the size or age of the pupil, the teacher will be better prepared to teach, and know better how to govern, after having become acquainted with his home training. Unless the parents can be induced to spend some time every week in teaching the little ones their lesson and in assisting the older ones, the Sabbath school will accomplish very little good for them. The question is often raised, How old ought a child to be before entering a class? That depends, of course, upon the nature and development of the child; but a safe rule to adopt is as soon as the parents are willing to undertake the task of teaching him the lesson at home; if the entire lesson be too hard, a few questions will answer at first. Some people adopt the same rule in regard to the Sabbath-school as they do in regard to the day school; that is, send the little ones along to get them out of their way. As I once heard a lady remark concerning her little boy who did not want to go into a class: “He is so troublesome that when he is with me I cannot take any sense of what is said, and he must go.” Conversation with her afterward revealed the fact that he was so small she never had been able to teach him any of the lesson. And yet she would impose the task upon some primary teacher of not only keeping him still, but teaching him something, and at the same time of doing the same by half a dozen others. If the mother who is with her child day after day and week after week is unable to do this, of what avail will it be for the teacher to try for an hour or less once a week? We love to see the little ones in the school as soon as they can talk plain, but it will do them no particular good unless their parents will take pains to drill them a little every day upon the lesson. The school is the place for the infant classes as well as the older ones to come to recite and not to learn their lesson. An occasional visit from the teacher will greatly help in bringing this about. It will also afford the teacher an excellent opportunity to learn what impressions are made upon his pupils from week to week by his teaching. If a new scholar is placed in the class, special pains should be taken to make it interesting for him. Take this opportunity to let the old members tell in a connected story what they have learned about a certain subject. By all means have a piece of paper and a pencil ready to take down the full name and address, and if possible call upon him during the week. This will link the mother to the school; knowing more about it, she will have a more personal interest in it, and the chances will be greatly increased for doing her good. Thus in innumerable ways will the earnest, faithful teacher find opportunity to work for the school. It is not always the most talented who succeed in this department, but it is those who are most observing and willing to work and learn, those who have a cheerful, animating nature, and who have the love of God beaming in their countenance and actuating their lives. At some future time we may consider some of the ways by which the attention and interest of children can best be secured and held. LESSON FOR PACIFIC COAST.—MAY 28. Luke 6. “Lord, Lord.” God judges of the heart, not by words, but by works. A good servant never disputes, speaks little, and always follows his work. Such a servant a real Christian is; such is a faithful minister, always intent either on the work of his own salvation, or that of his neighbor; speaking more to God, than to men; and to these as in the presence of God. The tongue is fitly compared by one, to a pump, which empties the heart, but neither fills nor cleanses it. The love of God is a hidden spring which supplies the heart continually, and never permits it to be dry, or unfruitful.—Quesnel. Matt. 7. “And every one that heareth—and doeth them not.” Was there ever a stricter system of morality delivered by God to man, than in this sermon? He who reads or hears it, and does not look to God to conform his soul and life to it, and notwithstanding, is hoping to enter into the kingdom of Heaven, is like the fool who built his house on the sand. When the rain, the rivers, and the winds come, his building must fall, and his soul be crushed into the nethermost pit by its ruins. Talking about Christ, his righteousness, merits, and atonement, while the person is not conformed to his word, and spirit, is no other than solemn self-deception. Let it be observed, that it is not the man who hears or believes these sayings of Christ, whose building shall stand when the earth and its works are burnt up; but the man who DOES them. Many suppose that the law of Moses is abolished, merely because it is too strict and impossible to be observed; and that the gospel was brought in to liberate us from its obligations; but let all such know, that in the whole of the old covenant nothing can be found so exceedingly strict and holy as this sermon, which Christ lays down as the rule by which we are to walk. “Then, the fulfilling of these precepts is the purchase of glory.” No, it is the way only to that glory, which has already been purchased by the blood of the Lamb. To him that believes, all things are possible.—Clarke. No wonder that when He had finished such an address, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching. They had been accustomed to the tame and slavish servility of the Rabbis, with their dread of varying a word from precedent and authority; their cobwebbery of endless sophistries and verbal trifling; their laborious dissertations on the infinitely little; their industrious trackings through the jungles of tradition and prescription; and felt that in the preaching of Jesus, they, for the first time, had something that stirred their souls, and came home to their consciences. One of the Rabbis had boasted that every verse of the Bible was capable of six hundred thousand different explanations, and there were seventy different modes of interpretation current, but the vast mass of explanations and interpretations were no better than pedantic folly, concerning itself with mere insignificant minutiae which had no bearing on religion or morals. Instead of this, Jesus had spoken as a legislator, vested with greater authority than Moses.—Geikie. THE SABBATH-SCHOOL INTEREST.
By S. N. Haskell
There is no enterprise connected with God's work of more importance at the present day than the Sabbath-school interest. Its object is twofold; first, to give old and young a better understanding of God's word; second, to make impressions on the minds of children which they will not only carry with them through this life, but into eternity. The mind is to be disciplined for Heaven in this world. There is no greater cause of infidelity among the rising generation than the fact that the Bible history was never real to them. The Bible countries are imaginary. The lands spoken of in the Scriptures are so different at the present time from what they were, that scarcely any resemblance is now seen. The Bible characters are not now upon the stage of action, therefore the reality of Bible scenes is not felt. There is no place like the Sabbath-school to make these scenes a reality. It should therefore ever be the object of the Sabbath-school to become familiar with Bible truths; and that teacher who accomplishes the most is the one who excels in this direction. A mere form or theory of the lesson will never bring success, but it requires a heart that is full, and which overflows with the subject that can make the lesson interesting. Hence, every help that can aid the teacher and scholar in thoroughly understanding the country in which the scene transpired, the people and the circumstances which called forth the words spoken, is of great value. If there is no interest taken to fill the minds with new and fresh ideas concerning the subject, other means will have to be resorted to besides the truths themselves to interest the scholars, and such an interest is not calculated to impress the mind with divine things. It detracts from the reality of Bible subjects. This evil is seen in many of the Sunday-schools at the present day. It only educates the mind for skepticism in future years. It is in view of these facts that special efforts have been made to provide valuable works as helps to the study of the Scriptures. There is no work which throws so much light on the present system of the New Testament lessons, as the Spirit of Prophecy, read in connection with the four evangelists. It gives the mind and feelings of the people, and thus we get a clearer idea of the intent and object of the Scriptures. It is thus the mind becomes changed and susceptible to the operations of God's Holy Spirit. Gathering Instruction Like the Bee for Sabbath School
The bee gathers honey from every flower; the Sabbath-school teacher should gather instruction for his class from every book and newspaper he reads, and from every circumstance in life he witnesses. DAY OF FASTING AND PRAYER.
The day of prayer and fasting appointed by the General Conference Committee was a profitable day for the church in Oakland. It is scarcely to be expected that such a season should be well improved by every one in any church having quite a large membership; but to most of our members here it was a day of blessings. As we learned of some who felt no burden of the occasion, or whose views of the duty were so vague as to preclude the possibility of their being benefitted by the exercise, we take the opportunity to make some remarks about fasting, even though the day is past. And we do this more readily as we hope this may be followed by other appointments of this kind. There are two scriptures where hypocritical fasting is denounced. In Isa. 58 the hypocrisy of the people is plainly shown, and the Lord refused to accept them in afflicting their souls while they neglected important duties or indulged in great wrongs. This expression, “afflicting the soul,” we find in Leviticus. On the day of atonement every one was required to afflict his soul. Lev. 16:29, 31. Again in ch. 23:27–32, the order is given again with the additional statement that whosoever shall not afflict his soul on the day of atonement shall be cut off from among his people. Isa. 58:5 shows us that the soul was afflicted by fasting; also Ps. 35:13 (literally): “I afflicted my soul with fasting.” The Scriptures are silent as to any means of afflicting the soul but by fasting. We profess to believe that we are in the antitype of the day of atonement. We have the very clearest evidence that we are in the closing years of this dispensation. Whether we strongly believe so as to realize this truth, is another thing. Our High Priest, who is passed into the most holy place in the Sanctuary in Heaven (see Heb. 9:23, 24; Rev. 11:19), must very soon finish his work of intercession; the day of atonement will then be past. Now its privileges and duties rest upon us. And the prophets have spoken distinctly upon these duties, showing that the requirement to afflict our souls by fasting comes over into this, the true day of atonement. With good reason we always quote Joel 2:1, to prove that a message of warning will be given to the world before this dispensation closes. “The day of the Lord” is a period of time which immediately succeeds “the day of salvation.” This is a day of joy and hope to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the intercessions of “the Saviour of all men”; that will be a day of darkness and gloominess to all the inhabitants of the earth “who know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” But the indignation of the Almighty will not fall upon men without a warning being given. The order of the Lord is: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land [earth] tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” That day is ushered in by the seven last plagues and the coming of Christ to overthrow his enemies. See 1 Thess. 4:16–18; 5:1–3; 2 Peter 3:3–10. Of the time when this warning is given, when the day of the Lord is near, the Lord further speaks by the prophet Joel, thus: “Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord. Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” Joel 1:14, 15. And again: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them; wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?” Thus it is seen that fasting and prayer are most urgently enjoined upon God’s people in the closing days of this dispensation. And how appropriate the duty. If the typical day of atonement was of such solemn importance that he who did not afflict his soul in that day should be cut off, much more is this, the antitype, a solemn time, when a preparation is to be made that we may “stand in the battle in the day of the Lord” (Eze. 13:5); when the period of human probation is so soon to expire. The other passage wherein hypocritical fasting is denounced is in the “sermon on the mount,” Matt. 6:16–18. But this does not set aside the duty of fasting; it confirms it. When self-righteous prayers are condemned, the Lord directs how we should pray, and gives assurance of a blessing from our Heavenly Father. And when he spoke against the fastings of the hypocrites, he directed how his disciples should fast, and added: “And thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” And thus the Saviour has left on record a gracious promise for fasting. There is efficacy in prayer. But it must be “fervent” to be “effectual.” James 5:16. Fasting has a subduing, humbling influence. It quickens the sensibilities and intensifies the feeling. Let any individual approach the “hour of prayer” immediately after a full meal, and again after fasting, especially where a specific object is in view, and he will realize the difference in his feelings and in the fervency of his prayers. The Lord says, “He knoweth our frame.” He knows what we need to strengthen our faith and zeal, and to aid us in our devotions. Fasting has ever been accepted of God, and is now acceptable to him. When the utter extermination of the house of Ahab was threatened because of his wickedness, we read that when Ahab heard those words, “he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.” And the Lord said: “Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days.” Every one is familiar with the case of Nineveh. When Jonah declared that in forty days Nineveh should be overthrown, “the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast.” And the proclamation was unusually strict in its terms: “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water.” And God was entreated of them, and spared the city. He who hears the young ravens when they cry, and notices the fall of the sparrow, has a regard for the lowliest of his creatures. When the people turned from their evil ways, and the Lord turned from bringing upon them the threatened evil, he distinctly noticed his regard for the many persons in the city who could not “discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle.” Joel 4:11. Even the afflictions of the cattle, deprived of food and water, moved him to pity. And his pity is still moved when we afflict our souls. In the prophecy of Joel, ch. 2:15–17, quoted above, where the people, old and young, are called to a fast, and to crying unto God, it is added, “Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.” When the disciples of Christ failed to relieve a child who was afflicted with a demon, they asked him the reason why they could not cast him out. The Lord gave them the strongest assurance that nothing was impossible to faith, but added: “Howbeit, this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” This confirms our statement that fasting strengthens faith, and by it may be accomplished that which cannot be accomplished without it. The lesson was not forgotten by the apostles, for we find instances recorded in their history, brief as it is, of their having prayed with fasting on special occasions. We are constrained to believe that if any are indifferent to appointments of this kind, it is because they have no burden of the time in which we live and the work in which we are engaged. But such are no more than lukewarm believers of the truth, and have great need to arouse and cast aside cool formality, and “be zealous and repent.” Perils are increasing, and must increase. Our devotion and our consecration must likewise increase. Our faith and our zeal must be increased to meet the coming troubles. And every means of grace must be improved in the great work of preparation for our own salvation, and of successfully imparting a knowledge of the truth to others. Clergy Pressed to Avoid Offending Wealthy Congregants
A PROMINENT Pennsylvania clergyman says that if the ministers in that State should plainly preach the doctrines of the Sermon on the Mount, they would find themselves without congregations in less than six months. They must give to their discourses a tone which will not offend the wealthy sinners who pay the greater portion of the pew rent.