Review and Herald, Vol. 77, No. 3.
AS MUCH AS LIETH IN YOU, LIVE PEACEABLY WITH ALL MENPage 1
Earlier text: A LETTERWe have found by the word of the Lord that the Millennium begins at the coming of the Lord and the resurrection of the righteous; that at that time all the righteous are taken away from the earth, and all the wicked are slain upon the earth, and that thus the earth is left desolate; and that, as the righteous reign as kings and priests with Christ a thousand years before returning to the earth, and the wicked “lived not again until the thousand years were finished,” the earth is left desolate during the Millennium. This is abundantly confirmed by other scriptures and other considerations. 1. The Millennium is in “the day of the Lord.” And the day of the Lord begins in connection with the second coming of the Lord; for the prophet Joel, in proclaiming and describing the coming of the Lord, the same coming that is described in Rev. 19:11–21, says: “The Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” Joel 2:11. And in this “day of the Lord” the earth is to be laid desolate, and left without an inhabitant. For Isaiah says: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isa. 13:9. And, again, after declaring that the Lord of Hosts would rise up against Babylon and “cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew,” “make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water,” and “sweep it with the besom of destruction,” he says: “This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” Isa. 14:22–27. And Jeremiah says: “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.” Jer. 4:23–29. Accordingly, Joel proclaims the coming of this “day of the Lord,” and describes it thus: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains.” Joel 2:1, 2. This clause, “as the morning spread upon the mountains,” is very expressive. It is descriptive of a dark and gloomy morning, in which fogs and mists rest upon the earth, in dismal weirdness, as if there were no atmosphere. And this is precisely the condition of things in the Millennium; for when the Lord comes, the atmospheric heaven departs “as a scroll when it is rolled together” (Rev. 6:14); it passes away “with a great noise.” 2 Peter 3:10. And when the atmosphere shall have thus passed away, there is nothing left to cause the mists and fogs to float; and so they settle upon the earth, in dismal darkness and gloom, just as it was when first the world was spoken into existence. Before the atmosphere was created, “the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep;” even as described by Jeremiah in the day of the Lord: “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.” 2. This desolation of the earth is further confirmed by the teaching concerning the sabbatic year41 of the old dispensation. It is stated in 2 Chron. 36:21 that, by the people’s being carried captive to Babylon, the land was left desolate, that she might enjoy her sabbaths. And the land lay desolate for seventy years, “until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil three-score and ten years.” That is, Israel for four hundred and ninety years had failed to observe the sabbatic year in giving the whole land the rest that God had provided for it in that year, and now they have to go into captivity, and the land must lie desolate, until all the sabbaths of which they had robbed the land in those four hundred and ninety years, which made seventy years, should be made up. And in this all men are taught definitely by the word of the Lord that since the whole earth has been obliged to pass along for six thousand years without any rest at all, it having been robbed of all the sabbatical years in this whole time,—until the curse has “devoured the earth,” and it is “utterly broken down” (see Isa. 24:4–6, 19, 20),—the whole earth—must lie desolate one thousand years, to make up the sabbaths of which the earth has been robbed in these six thousand years under the weight of the curse that has been heaped upon it by the sins of men. Accordingly Isaiah says: “The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.” Isa. 24:3. And Zephaniah says: “I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord. . . . Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests [Rev. 19:17, 18]. . . . The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness: . . . the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” Zeph. 1:2–18. And that is the Millennium, though there is even yet more to say upon it. The best way to learn to do a thing is by doing it
“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, can not disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.” God’s covenant with Abraham was not a covenant of law, but of promise; not of works, but of faith. This covenant, as we have seen, and as is even here said, was not only confirmed, but was even doubly confirmed “in Christ” at the time of the making of the covenant. Then, since the covenant, even though a man’s, once confirmed, can not be disannulled, neither can anything be added to it, it is perfectly plain that the law, which entered four hundred and thirty years afterward, was never intended to change the character of the covenant. The law did not enter in any sense to take the place of the promise. In the entering of the law there was never any purpose in the mind of God that the works of law should take the place of righteousness by faith. But just here was the great mistake that was made by Israel: they utterly mistook their own standing, and the meaning of what the Lord gave to them, and his purpose in the giving of all that came after that covenant was confirmed. If the covenant with Abraham had been held in faithfulness, nothing else would have ever needed to enter. But, when the real truth and virtue of that covenant were not discerned, and men went further into unbelief and darkness, the Lord followed them, and employed means and gave instruction to bring them from unbelief and darkness to the faith, light, and blessing of the covenant that he had made. For “if man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant of which circumcision was a sign, they would never have been seduced into idolatry, nor would it have been necessary for them to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt. They would have kept God’s law in mind, and there would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed from Sinai, or engraved upon the tables of stone. And had the people practiced the principles of the ten commandments, there would have been no need of the additional directions given to Moses. “The sacrificial system, committed to Adam, was also perverted by his descendants. Superstition, idolatry, cruelty, and licentiousness corrupted the simple and significant service that God had appointed. Through long intercourse with idolaters, the people of Israel had mingled many heathen customs with their worship; therefore the Lord gave them at Sinai definite instruction concerning the sacrificial service.”—“Patriarchs and Prophets,” page 364. The law entered in written form, ordinances were established, and all only because of their unbelief and transgression. None of these things were ever necessary to the covenant, nor were they parts of the covenant: the covenant was complete in itself when it was confirmed, and being confirmed, nothing could possibly be added to it. Therefore, nothing that ever came afterward was essential to the covenant. But because of their unbelief and transgression, these things were essential to them, to help them to the place where they could discern the truth, the light, and the purpose of the covenant; and where in faith they could enjoy all its blessings and its power. In other words, these things were all to help them to an enlightened faith,—the true faith of the covenant,—the faith of Christ. Accordingly, in another place, it is written: “The law entered that the offense might abound [to make sin appear, ‘that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful’]. But, where sin abounded grace did much more abound, that, as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Thus the object of the entering of the law was to bring men to Jesus Christ. And the object of all that came in after the covenant was made and confirmed was to help them to a true knowledge of that covenant. But instead of receiving all these things in this light, and using them for this purpose,—the purpose only of coming to the full faith of the covenant of Abraham,—Israel made the mistake of putting all these things in the place of the covenant, and using them, instead of God’s covenant, as the way of salvation. Thus the law of God which, as we have seen, entered to give the knowledge of sin, and so impress the need of the Saviour provided in the covenant with Abraham, Israel turned into the way of salvation by their own endeavors to do the law. The law of the Levitical priesthood, which was instituted to instruct them with respect to the true,—the Melchisedec, priesthood of the covenant with Abraham,—Israel turned from this purpose, and made it the final priesthood, and expected salvation and perfection by it. Heb. 7: 11. The earthly sanctuary and its services, which were given in connection with the Levitical priesthood, and which were given to instruct them concerning the true,—the heavenly sanctuary and its services, in which Christ was to be priest after the order of Melchisedec,—this Israel also perverted, and made it the final service, and expected salvation by this service. Ps. 110: 4; Heb. 6: 13–20; 7: 9–22, 28; 8: 1–5; 9: 2–28; 10: 1–17. Thus they lost sight altogether of the covenant with Abraham,—the true way of salvation,—and all these things which were given to them in their unbelief and transgressions to lead them to the light and to instruct them unto the covenant with Abraham and the true way of salvation, they put in the place of that. And this was only to put their own perverse views in the place of the truth of God; to pervert to the inventions of their own carnal minds, the sacred ordinances which the Lord had given to lead them to spiritual mindedness: it was only to make themselves their own saviors: it was to put themselves in the place of God. But when these things, which, in his love, God had given to help them to faith, were thus perverted to their own carnal views, all life was taken out of them, and they found in them no help whatever to righteousness. And, as in this way which they had gone, everything depended upon their own doing, this caused them to go yet further, and add to these things that God had given, that vast multitude of fine-spun distinctions, legal exactions, and pharisaic traditions, which was manifested in the ceremonialism of the Jews in the days when Jesus came; and which “the Pharisees which believed” thought to fasten upon Christianity, by which they confused the Galatians. And this it was which called forth from the Lord the epistle to the Galatians, to show to both Jews and Gentiles the truth of God’s everlasting covenant, and the true relation of the law, both moral and ceremonial, to that covenant. And this instruction is needed to-day just as well as then, or ever; because it is the bane of human nature to be ever ready to put its own views in the place of the truth of God; to put its own works in the place of the righteousness of God; to put ordinances and ceremonies in the place of faith; to put the inventions of the carnal mind in place of the work of God; to put self in the place of God. IN THE LIGHT OF THE PROMISES.
By Uriah Smith
Scanning the scene of life and its issues in the light of the promises, we are enabled to take a clearer view of the relation in which God stands to his work and his people in the earth. Guided by these, and the prophecies he has given concerning them, we see God more clearly as an ever-present factor, guiding in his work, and watching over the servants whom he has sent forth into his vineyard. We see them as ever present in his mind, in his thoughts and designs, as his far-reaching plans are being worked out according to his eternal purpose. “As touching the resurrection of the dead,” said our Lord, “have ye not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” This was his response to the cavils of the Sadducees, who were asserting, in opposition to the teaching of Christ, that there was no such thing as the resurrection of the dead. This was his assurance to them, based on the testimony of God’s word, that there is to be a resurrection of the dead, and therefore his doctrine was true. When he says, therefore, that “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living,” and applies that to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it is not to be understood as a declaration that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive, but that they will live again, which must be by a resurrection of the dead, and that thus the point he contended for was sustained. His reasoning was that they must live again; for it would be utterly incongruous, and contrary to the honor of God, for him to proclaim himself the God of any who have passed off the stage of this life, if they were never to have any further conscious intelligent existence in this world. Therefore Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will live again; for God had declared, over and over again, that he is their God. The Sadducees had failed to take in the meaning of that saying, and therefore they erred, not knowing the power of God. The words of Scripture must be given their full force; and when thus applied, they will sustain, in all its beauty, every truth that Christ ever revealed to men. And what a striking relation is thus shown to exist between God and those worthy patriarchs of old! God is the God of the living only; yet he is their God. With our limited capacities, it is difficult for us to preserve the conception of a continuity of existence when one’s line of life is subject to a break of a long period of silence and darkness in the tomb. But with God there is no loss of continuity. His people are continually in his thoughts and presence, in his sight and knowledge, by which he comprehends all things. Those worthies are just as much alive now to him from whom no past42 nor future is shut away, as they were when Abraham was manifesting that faith which was counted unto him for righteousness, or when Jacob was passing through that divine struggle which changed his name to Israel. Christ assured his disciples, when he gave them that great commission which sent them into all the world, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” This promise covers the whole ground to the end of time. Therefore it covers more than the actual life of each laborer to whom it applied. Christ, by this, takes into his own charge not only the actual personal efforts of his followers, but all that pertains to their work, and results from it. And this does not end with their life. Their influence still lives; and the promise, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world,” is an assurance that God watches all these lines of influence which each one has set in motion, to direct them in the channels where they will accomplish the greatest good, till the problems of probation are worked out by all the living, and all the work in all the world is done. And when our brethren go forth, at the bidding of the Master, to foreign fields, and fall at their post, who knows how many trains of influence they may have set in motion, or how many seeds of truth they may have sown, destined to spring up in due time, and bear an abundant harvest to appear in the Judgment? The distribution of awards is delayed till the coming of the Lord and the resurrection of the just; for till then how can it be known how much fruit has accumulated to the credit of each one, to be remembered by the Lord when he comes to reward every man “according as his work shall be”? To that time God ever looks forward; and to the same time he points us: “Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” Special mention is made of those who labor with reference to the coming of the great day, and who give to the household meat in due season, in regard to that time. “Blessed,” says Christ, “is that servant, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” And if a servant faithfully does that work while living, if he falls before that great day comes, that teaching is not lost upon the church; its influence will still work in the preparation of others; and the servant will be entitled to the blessing just the same as if he had lived and labored all the time till that day. It is in this way that the benediction pronounced upon those who die in the Lord must be fulfilled: “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.” The results of the work they did while living, often widespread and far reaching, will then come into account. We can call to remembrance the words and deeds, and draw lessons from the example of the loved and honored ones who are taken from us; but all we can do by this is to give to the living the poor aid of our sympathy and respect; but God remembers them to better purpose. This is the way the apostle speaks of the remembrance in which God holds his people: “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Heb. 6:10. We call to mind our fellow workers to honor their memory; but God would esteem himself “unrighteous” not to remember them in the larger and more effectual sense in which he bears them in mind, to reward them as their works have been. But perhaps the most comprehensive of all promises is that found in Dan. 12:3, to the wise, and to them who turn many to righteousness: “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” None of these glorious orbs, like which they that labor to turn men to righteousness are to shine forever and ever, fail or grow dim. They shine on and on, as fresh and bright as when, in time’s early morning, they sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. And this, like all the others, is an ever-present promise in the mind of God, containing the portion which he anxiously waits to allot to his faithful servants. So long as this remains unaccomplished, they “live unto him,” engraved upon the palms of his hands, till he can see them in possession of their full reward. At the memorial services held in the Tabernacle, Sabbath, January 6, in honor of our laborers who have fallen during the last year or two in foreign fields, some of the thoughts here mentioned were presented. The object was to bring before the mind, in an extent perhaps not always realized, how fully all God’s works are open to his own mind; how the whole field ever lies as a scene spread out before his view; how his eye is ever upon the servants he sends forth into the great harvest field; how all their toils and labors, the disadvantages under which they work, the opposition they meet, the calamities that befall them, the discouragements they encounter, the burdens they carry on their hearts for the perishing, and the rewards that await them, are spread out like an open volume before God, and are, to his perception, an ever-present, living scene, exciting in his heart the profoundest emotions of love and compassion, causing him to declare that he is the God of the living, not of the dead, and to regard his servants as if they had already reached that goodly estate to which he has pledged himself to bring them. So our views of them, and our feelings concerning them, should be modified accordingly. We should not look upon them as those of whom only a sense of grief and loss is left, but, through the medium of the blessed hope, and the promises of the heavenly reward, as those whom we are soon to meet again. God has so provided consolation for his people that we are not to dwell upon the present separation, but upon the future and endless meeting, after all the toils and trials of the campaign are over, and regard ourselves as linked in memory and interest, not to the dead, but to the living, because they are to live again when we meet together at last with exceeding joy, and, recounting the trials, conflicts, and triumphs of our earthly life, shout the harvest home. At the conclusion of the remarks, the following resolution presented by the classmates of Elder F. W. Brown, the associate laborer with Elder D. A. Robinson, in Calcutta, India, was read:— Whereas, It has pleased our Heavenly Father to call Brother F. W. Brown, our former classmate, from the work which he loved so well, we wish to express our appreciation of his noble Christian life and faithfulness in the cause of the Master. Therefore be it,— Resolved, that we extend to his family, relatives, and co-workers our heartfelt sympathy in their sad bereavement. We shall ever treasure his life among us as a memory rich and beautiful, full of pure words, earnest prayers, and kindly deeds. We recognize in him one who daily walked with Christ in harmony and love. His life and death shall be to us an inspiration to continue steadfast in the work in which he has fallen, to bear the good tidings of salvation from sin and suffering to earth’s needy ones. CLASS OF 1901,
OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL MISSIONARY COLLEGE. Hymn No. 1412, which, with 1032 and 1264, of “Hymns and Tunes” constituted the hymns for the occasion, concluded the services. U. S. Sunday Law Agitation in Chicago
By Brother Sadler
From Chicago, Brother Sadler writes:—
Our brethren who pass through Chicago often speak thus to me: “Well, I suppose you are not bothered much with the Sunday-law agitation here in Chicago, as everything seems to run about the same seven days in the week.” To the casual observer this seems to be true; but notwithstanding all this, there are great channels of influence molding public sentiment in this direction. Some time ago the Butchers and Retail Grocery Clerks Association began to agitate the matter of Sunday closing, and last week, from personal conversations and newspaper articles, I discovered that this movement is assuming large proportions. The labor organizations are coming to the support of the movement. The general committees representing Methodist, Episcopal, Baptist, Congregational, Presbyterian, and Christian churches which have been in charge of the noonday revival services at the Central Y. M. C. A., have all pledged themselves to support the movement. Noonday prayer-meetings for the coming week are to be especially devoted to the agitation of Sunday laws, their enforcement, etc. The agitation in favor of religious legislation is becoming more and more widespread in Chicago, notwithstanding the general appearance of loose Sunday observance. It would require but a short time so to mold public sentiment as to secure the enactment and enforcement of Sunday laws so rigid as to work great hardships to the progress of our work. Chicago is destined undoubtedly to become a great battle ground of truth and error in the closing struggles of this world's history. We see the forces of persecution and oppression organizing themselves for the last conflict; and as never before are impressed that the people of God who are enlightened on these great subjects should give the trumpet of truth a certain sound. The night is far spent. THE FIRST GENERAL CONFERENCE.
By Stephen N. Haskell
Certain men from Judea had come down to Antioch with strange doctrines, teaching the church that “except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye can not be saved.” Paul and Barnabas had great influence with the Antioch church. It was at this place that the Holy Ghost had said, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” Notwithstanding this the evil seed sown by these half-converted Jews who came down from Jerusalem caused a dissension that Paul and Barnabas could not settle; so after they “had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.” Acts 15:2. Under these interesting circumstances a general conference was held in Jerusalem, A. D. 51. On this occasion Peter rehearsed his experience. Paul and Barnabas gave their experience also, telling how God had wrought miracles and wonders by them among the Gentiles. James declared that the gospel going among the Gentiles was according to the words of the prophets. After a certain amount of discussion, some one on this occasion had a vision. This seemed to bring perfect harmony into the church at Jerusalem. “Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: and they wrote letters by them after this manner: The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: it seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 15:22–26. It is evident from the expression “and they wrote letters,” that it was customary for testimonies from the church of Jerusalem to be sent out. “We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.” Verses 27–29. It is evident from this that the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of Prophecy, was regarded as divine authority by the church at Jerusalem. The brethren left with this epistle, and went directly to Antioch. “And when they had gathered the multitude together [or, in other words, called a general meeting], they delivered the epistle [that is, read the testimony]: which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation [that is, the congregation rejoiced that the Lord had sent a message to them]. And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.” Verses 30–32. Notice that this letter, or testimony, was taken by Barnabas and Paul, and one of them read it to the43 people. Then Judas and Silas, who also were prophets, exhorted the brethren. They sustained the testimony with their own words. In other words, they had a social meeting after they had read the testimony. The influence of the testimony and the exhortation confirmed the church in the right way. They appreciated the testimony, and were strengthened by the united effort of these brethren. “Some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.” Verse 36. But here came a contention. In a time of need, John Mark had left Paul and Barnabas while laboring in a foreign land, and had returned home. Paul did not think it wise to run the risk of taking such a man, while Mark’s uncle, Barnabas, thought that the course pursued by Mark was occasioned by a lack of experience; and so the contention was sharp between them, and “they departed asunder one from the other.” “Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; and Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.” They went through Syria and Cilicia, carrying with them the same testimony, and confirming the churches. The contention of Paul and Barnabas did not at all affect the testimony. Like a beaten rock against which the waves dash, the testimony stood the same, and those who received it were confirmed and established in the faith. There may have been some weak brethren who were influenced to reject the testimony because of this contention between the leading brethren who carried the testimony; but those whose record comes down to us were those who were confirmed by the reading of the testimony. Paul and Silas went through Asia Minor, and delivered unto the brethren “the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.” Acts 16:1–5. Here are important lessons for us. History repeats itself. The Testimonies of the Spirit of God come to his people with a divine authority to take them to the churches and read them. Even though there may be differences of opinion among leading brethren, those churches who heed the Testimonies as they are read, not only become established in the faith, but their numbers are increased. Some ministers of the present day prefer to give their own words rather than read a Testimony from the Lord to the people; but Paul, a pre-eminent apostle, and Silas, a prophet of the Lord, did not think it beneath them to take the testimony that was sent out under the direction of the Spirit of the Lord, and read it in all the churches; and the Lord blessed the reading to the salvation of souls. S. N. H.