Earlier text: An Atonement Consistent with ReasonThe Festival of Sunday Not of Divine Origin.
By John Nevins Andrews
THE Bible speaks of the sanctification of the seventh day, but it never speaks of the sanctification of the first day. Gen. 2:2, 3. The Bible commands men to observe the seventh day, but it does not command them to observe the first day. Ex. 20:8–11. There is no passage in the Bible which speaks of the change of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day. There is only one passage in the Bible which speaks of a religious assembly on the first day of the week, and this was in the night time. Acts 20:7–11. It is not said that the disciples were accustomed to meet on the first day. We have therefore no reason to suppose that it was an apostolic custom to celebrate the first day as a sacred day. How then has the day arisen to its present eminence and power? Not by divine authority certainly. Nor did it arise by a few efforts, or within a brief period, but it required a long succession of favoring events, and the period of many centuries in order that it should become what we now see it to be. The case of the festival of Sunday may be well illustrated by that of the pope. The sovereign pontiff and the festival of Sunday each arose from an obscure and feeble beginning, and each gained power and influence by slow and almost unnoticed advancement. We have shown that there is no divine authority for the first day of the week. It is not difficult to show that Christ did not ordain Peter to be sovereign pontiff, and that the apostles never recognized Peter as filling such an office. Yet there are many more passages in the New Testament that attach some degree of prominence to Peter than there are which even mention the first day of the week. The existence of the sovereign pontiff with his claim to be infallible, and with his assertion that all the monarchs of the world must submit to his authority, is no proof that Christ ever appointed any man to such an office. Yet the pope asserts that he can trace his predecessors back to the apostle Peter, and this assertion satisfies the multitude that there have always been such priest-kings as the popes of the present century, though this is false. In like manner the general authority possessed at the present day by the festival of Sunday is supposed to prove that the day must have been appointed by Christ, and must have come down to us from the apostles. Of course, as the New Testament contains no such appointment, it is necessary to rest the authority of the day upon tradition, as the faithful Roman Catholic uses tradition to uphold the power of the pope. It is an evil omen with respect to any institution to find that it has been built up by fraud. It shows that it was not ordained of God, but that it comes from men; and it shows also that the men from whom it comes did not fear God. In the ninth century there appeared what were called the Decretals of Isidore, which were a collection of pretended decrees of the early bishops of Rome, showing that they claimed and exercised absolute authority over all men. Every word of this was false, but in the dense darkness of the ninth and tenth centuries the people believed these falsehoods and yielded to the usurpation of the popes. The fraudulent character of these decretals is now acknowledged by the most learned Roman Catholics, but the authority of the pope which they built up has never been surrendered. There is no authentic mention of the first day of the week in the history of the church before the time of Justin Martyr, who wrote at Rome A. D. 140. But if the first day is to be traced back to the apostles by tradition, there must be found or created some earlier witnesses who mention the day. So we are told that Barnabas, who was the companion of St. Paul, bears testimony to the sacredness of the first day, and that his words must be as good as those of St. Paul. Thus in the epistle which bears the name of Barnabas it is said: “We observe the eighth day with gladness in which Jesus arose from the dead.” This is quoted in triumph as positive proof of the sacredness of the day, and of the fact that the tradition in its behalf ascends to the apostles. But this epistle, like the forged Decretals of Isidore, contains in itself the evidence that it is a wicked fraud. Thus in speaking of the hyena this epistle says: “That creature every year changes its kind, and is sometimes male and sometimes female!” And so Eusebius, the earliest of church historians, and Mosheim, and Neander, the most distinguished of German church historians, unite in the testimony that this epistle was never written by Barnabas. The first thing then in the tradition which supports Sunday is a fraud. The letter of Pliny, the Roman Governor of Bythinia, written about A. D. 104, is often quoted as saying that the Christians of that country were “accustomed to meet on the first day of the week.” The letter of Pliny is used as the second witness in behalf of the Sunday festival. But this use of the letter of Pliny is a direct fraud, for he simply says that the Christians met on a “stated day.” Böhmer, a learned German writer, contends that this “stated day” must have been the seventh day. This is every way probable, for there is no ancient writer before the middle of the second century who speaks of religious assemblies on the first day of the week, or who even mentions the day. The third traditional witness for first-day sacredness is Ignatius, the bishop of Antioch, about the commencement of the second century. But it is a remarkable fact that of the fifteen epistles ascribed to Ignatius, twelve are by the almost unanimous consent of scholars pronounced forgeries. The three that are supposed to be genuine say not one word concerning the first day. But one of the twelve spurious epistles, viz., the Epistle to the Magnesians, is by a false translation made to support the sacredness of the first day. The epistle speaks of living according to the Lord’s life, katà kuriakàn zôôa zôntes, and this is translated living in the observance of the Lord’s day. But the epistle uses not the word hemeran, day, but the word zoen, life. Thus the third traditional witness for the first day is nothing but the false translation of a fraudulent epistle. Modern historians assert that the Christians of the first century were unanimous in observing the first day of the week. But the only documents which purport to have been written prior to A. D. 140, which can be brought forward to prove the observance of the day, are the three which we have cited, and we have shown that each of these is used by fraud. OFFERINGS
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
The Honor Due to God. No. 3.
We notice briefly, in passing, the object of the tithe, and to whom it should be paid. From the statement in Lev. 27:30, 'The tithe is the Lord's,' we would naturally gather that it is to be used in his service; and if used in his service it must, of course, be given to his servants. From the instances of its use that are recorded in the Bible, it seems to have been designed wholly for the support of the ministry. Abraham paid his tithes to Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God. Under the Levitical law the tithe went for the support of the tribe of Levi, who were engaged in work pertaining to the sanctuary. They, in turn, were to devote a tenth of what they received in tithes, to the support of the priests. See Num. 18:20-26. 'All the tenth in Israel' is said to have been given to the tribe of Levi for an inheritance. The remaining nine-tenths was again tithed for charitable purposes. Num. 14:22-26; Deut. 26:12-14. This is additional evidence that the tithe was designed solely for the support of the ministry. Whether or not a portion of the tithe might be appropriated to any other use than the support of the ministry, it is certain that the individual never disposed of his own tithe, further than to bring it to the treasury. When Nehemiah was restoring the worship of God, he cleansed the chambers of the temple, and brought in the holy vessels. Then he says:— 'And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field. Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries [margin, store-houses]. And I made treasurers over the treasuries, . . . . and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.' Neh. 13:10-13. That the tithe is to be brought to one place, and distributed from thence, is proved by Mal. 3:10: 'Bring ye all the tithes into the store-house, that there may be meat in mine house.' Every man is under solemn obligation to pay tithes, but no individual has any right to dispose of it according to his own notions. 'It is the Lord's.' And right here we wish to emphasize the fact that, strictly speaking, we cannot 'give' a tithe. We cannot give what does not belong to us, and the tithe is the Lord's. Earthly Governments, in consideration of the protection they afford to the lives and property of their citizens, collect taxes for the support of their officers; but men do not speak of 'giving' their taxes, nor do they usually take credit to themselves for liberality, when they have paid them. In God's government the same plan exists. In return for the protection and many blessings that God bestows upon his creatures, he demands a tithe of all their increase, which may be considered as the taxes of his Government. But let it be distinctly understood that the church levies no tax; the tax is levied by God himself, nor does he compel men to pay. Each one must decide for himself whether or not he will thus honor God. There is no compulsion; but the punishment for dishonoring God in this regard, though delayed, is none the less sure. It is evident from what we have just said, that a man can by no means be called liberal merely because he pays his tithe, no matter how great it may be. The wise man says, 'The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.' Prov. 11:25. Now while it is true that blessings will follow the strict payment of the tithe, it is clear that that is not what is meant here, for paying tithes is not liberality in any sense of the word. This brings us to a brief consideration of In addition to their tithes, the Israelites spent much in offerings. There were special offerings, such as sin-offerings, peace-offerings, and thank-offerings. The name of each of these is sufficiently descriptive. For the law in regard to them, see Lev. 4; 5; 7. The point to be remembered is that these sacrifices cost something, the cost varying with the wealth or position of the one making the offering. Those ancient Jews had no idea that a man could profess to be a religious man for a score of years, and yet contribute nothing to the cause. And they really seemed to think that there was something disreputable in dead-head worship, even when they could worship for nothing as well as not. When there was a plague upon Israel on account of David's sin in numbering the people, the prophet directed the king to 'rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.' Accordingly David went up, and was met by Araunah, to whom he told his errand. 'And Araunah said unto David, Let my Lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him; behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee.' 2 Sam. 24:22, 23. Imagine now that you hear David say, How providential! Here is everything ready; I can worship God, and it won't cost me a farthing. But no; David had a better idea of what true worship is. 'And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price.' That, you say, was very natural; the king did not want to be under obligation to anybody. But it was not because he was averse to receiving a gift that he refused Araunah's offer; there was a principle involved. Here is his reason: 'Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.' And the result was that 'David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.' We hear much about the superior privileges of the Christian dispensation; of the increased light that we enjoy. Very true; but do we realize the responsibility that these rich blessings bring? If the ancients had such exalted ideas of the sacredness and importance of the worship of God, what ought we to do? Do we appreciate the blessings that God is showering upon us without measure? Gratitude will show itself in a tangible form as well now as it would three thousand years ago. It is true that 'salvation is free,' but is it any freer now than it was then? Did the patriarchs and prophets buy their salvation with their tithes and offerings? Did not they obtain pardon for sin through Christ alone, as well as we? Most certainly. All that they could do or give would not purchase the pardon of a single sin, and this they knew; but they had a deep sense of the amazing love of God in holding out to them a free pardon through Christ, and their hearts overflowed with gratitude. Salvation is indeed free, but it has cost a price beyond the comprehension even368 of angels, and when men begin to realize its value, they will not be anxious to avoid making sacrifices, but, with David, their cry will be, 'What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.' A Happy Family.
By S. N. Haskell
If any of our friends wish to see a happy family they can do so by calling at the student's home in Healdsburg, at the Healdsburg College. The new building was opened for the reception of students July 25, at the commencement of this term of school. It was dedicated Sunday, Aug. 5. The notice of this has already appeared in the SIGNS. Mrs. Mary Clement and Mary Chinnock at the present stand at the head of affairs in the house. Sister Clement's long experience in boarding-houses, and at the Sanitarium at Battle Creek, Mich., has amply qualified her for the position. The opening of the school being in the midst of harvest, there were many expecting to attend who could not then leave their work, so that there were but a few individuals who came to board at the new College building at the commencement of the term; but the family has been continually increasing by fresh arrivals, and its present number consists of about twenty-five. It was our privilege to stop with them for a few days, and to become somewhat acquainted with the students. During our stay not a dissatisfied expression did we see upon the countenance of any. The rooms of the building are large and airy, and all the surroundings present a cheerfulness and refinement which are elevating and ennobling in character. The social atmosphere seems perfectly free from anything like sharp criticism in word or act that is calculated to wound spirits or sadden hearts. It is a co-operative institution. The building being recently finished there is much clearing away of rubbish to be done, and other out-door work of like character. This is entered upon at 5:30 A. M. with a spirit of cheerfulness and zeal which we never saw exceeded in any family. The young men act as though it was their home; and they are anxious to see the ground set out with trees, cultivated, and artistically arranged. All of this will be accomplished in due time, and the work will be done by the students. These improvements will give them employment much of the time till the next vacation. There will be useful trades introduced, such as printing, that those who desire to do so can learn to edit and write for the press, also to set up their own matter and print it themselves. Dressmaking and other appropriate employments for young ladies will also be arranged as soon as circumstances will allow. There is considerable labor to be performed inside of the house. This is taken hold of by the young ladies in as cheerful a manner as any could imagine. They receive proper instruction from those qualified to give it. A desire to learn how to do the commonest work in the most approved manner is manifested by the students; and not one desires to be excused. They act upon the principle that that which is worthy to be done at all should be done well. All seem determined to elevate the standard of labor and all kinds of housework; and there is a prevailing sentiment in the family that no Chinaman shall come under their roof to perform labor. Not because of any prejudice against the Chinaman, but because they wish to perform the labor themselves. From half past five in the morning until the regular school hours, the hum of some tune, and the happy cheerful countenance which is met at every turn, speak louder than words that the exercise is taken hold of with cheerfulness, and there is real enjoyment in it. A few days' stay at the home would convince the most chronic grumbler that there is a better way to live than by feeding on imaginary difficulties and troubles. They have morning and evening worship as regular as the offering of the morning and evening sacrifices. At the close of prayer one morning the students met by themselves, and in a few moments presented the resolutions which accompany this article. They requested that they be published in the SIGNS so that their friends might know their real sentiments after about two weeks' experience at the College home. They were signed by each student living at the home. The school in other respects is also prospering. It opened with sixty-two students. The numbers have been increasing at the rate of over two a day; and at this time of writing there are eighty in regular attendance. Others are expected soon. The prospect never was better for a successful school with respect to numbers than at present. All seem well pleased with the prospect. We passed through the College the morning we left. Nearly every student was engaged in Bible study. Two classes are in the Old Testament history and two in the New. The subject of one class the morning we were present was "Christ's Miracles." I never saw a greater interest in any Sabbath-school to learn all the particulars about Christ,—what he said, the meaning of the parables, etc.,—than was manifested in that class. And in each class there was the greatest interest in the study of the Scriptures. We could scarcely refrain our tears as we noticed the interest manifested from the child of seven summers to the young men and women in their different classes. A few of our friends from abroad were present at the dedication, and two of them before returning to their homes pledged the sum of $5,000 each towards the $25,000 fund, and felt that the work must go. These men have both left children here to attend the school. Their prayers and sympathizing words were of great encouragement to those who felt the burden of the school interests. They assured us that they would stand by the school with their influence and with their means. While relating the encouraging words of these brethren and what they had pledged, some of the professors turned their faces and wept to think how condescending God was to raise them up such friends, and of the responsibility that rested upon them. The brethren return to their homes to sell a portion of their real estate and raise this sum of $5,000 which they pledged. There are others in this State with as true hearts, and we believe will do the same. The time has fully arrived when advance steps should be taken, and we believe that our brethren in California will not be behind in any enterprise that will further the cause of present truth. If there are those who doubt whether a school founded upon these principles can be successfully carried forward here upon the Pacific Coast; or whether the children would enjoy to labor a portion of each day to give physical strength, let them visit this school, and the most doubting Thomas will be convinced that there is no portion of the country that can furnish better and more intelligent young men and women than the State of California. And nowhere can a company of young people be found who enjoy this system more than does this company at Healdsburg. WHEREAS, The opportunities afforded in the Hall for combining manual labor and school work, tend not only to give us the highest education and teach us practical life lessons, but also to give clearness of mind for study, therefore Resolved, That we hereby express our thankfulness for these privileges, and our confidence that the principles embodied in the plans recommended by the founders of our school are right, and the discipline not only wholesome but pleasant. Further Resolved, That as we have experienced some of the good results of this system, we heartily recommend it to our fellow-students, and to all who are desirous of pursuing their studies under the most favorable circumstances. The Missionary.
By S. N. Haskell
God Favors the Persecuted.
NOTWITHSTANDING God permitted such a terrible slaughter upon the people that inhabited the the Waldensian Valleys, at times he wrought for them wonderful deliverances. "Do not condemn us without hearing us," said they, "for we are Christians and faithful subjects; and our Barbes are prepared to prove, in public or in private, that our doctrines are conformable to the word of God. . . . Our hope in God is greater than our desire to please men; beware how you draw down upon yourselves his anger by persecuting us; for remember that, if God so wills it, all the forces you have assembled against us will nothing avail." These words were put forth in faith, and courage, and in hope that God would vindicate his own work and truth with his own people. However, they were useless words to those who had brought upon them such great destruction. The march of their persecutors before this had been a victorious, though not a glorious one; and the victories which they had gained were over those who were helpless, having fled to the caves and dens of the earth. Seven hundred men were dispatched from the main army which had been so victorious, to destroy, as they supposed, another company of Waldensian heretics, but this effort did not meet with such success. The ascent of the mountains on the north side, to reach the Waldenses, was a mere foot-path formed by the herdsmen. The soldiers of the papal legate, bearing their weapons, to be employed, not in venturesome battle, but in cowardly massacre, toiled up the ascent of this foot-path. Above them were pinnacles of rocks, below them was a terrible precipice. It was a winding path, and they were obliged to go single file. Away to the east was a green meadow, level as ocean. It was to this point that they were making their way. Sometimes they would climb on their hands and knees over some difficult rock. While they were in this path, ambitious to begin their work, the Lord interfered in behalf of his people. After passing this place of danger, they rushed upon the people with a confident expectation that they would have but an easy task in destroying them. A battle was joined at the hamlet of Pommiers. "The weapons of the Vaudois were rude, but their trust in God, and their indignation at the cowardly and bloody assault, gave them strength and courage. The Piedmontese soldiers, wearied with the rugged, slippery tracks they had traversed, fell beneath the blows of their opponents. Every man of them was destroyed with the exception of one ensign. Of all the 700, he alone survived. He made his escape, and crept into a cavity which the summer heats had formed in a mass of snow. Finally cold and hunger drove him forth to cast himself upon the mercy of the men he had come to destroy. They received him generously, and pardoned this solitary survivor of the host that had come to massacre them." They sent him back to the main army to tell the tale. The Waldenses still sought for peace, but their humble supplications were contemptuously rejected, and they were still given three courses either of which they could choose. First, come to mass; secondly, be butchered as sheep; or thirdly, fight for their lives. They decided to choose the latter. They took their kneading-troughs, their ovens, and their culinary utensils; they took their aged on their shoulders, and their sick in couches, and leading their children by their hand, climbed the hills and arranged themselves to fight for their lives. The bow was almost their only weapon of defense. The Piedmontese host pressed heavily after them. When they saw the danger which they were in, they fell upon their knees and cried, "O God of our fathers, help us. O God, deliver us." The God of battles heard their cry and granted them a glorious deliverance. Upon hearing their prayer, the leader, a bloodthirsty man of Mondovi, instantly shouted "that his soldiers would give the answer, accompanying his threat with horrible blasphemies." He raised his visor as he spoke, and at that instant an arrow from the bow of one of the Waldenses entered between his eyes and he fell to earth a corpse. Then they were driven back down the slopes, and the Vaudois descended369 upon them like one of their own mountain torrents. Thus it pleased the God of their fathers to crown their efforts with success that day. They returned and met with their friends as the evening began to fall, to celebrate with songs on the heights where they had won it, the victory which it had pleased God to give them. But their persecutors only burned with rage and shame at thus being defeated by these herdsmen. They reassembled their host, and again started upon their errand of blood. The Waldenses knew well how to traverse the mountains, and they had done this through rents in the mountains, and through long, narrow, and dark chasms, which led them to a place of security as they supposed; but their enemies found the entrance, and on they madly rushed. In this terrible defile the soldiers of the papal legate now marched. They advanced the best they could along the narrow ledge. It seemed impossible for their prey to escape them. No angel seemed to blockade the pass until they had fairly placed themselves in a terrible condition, providing God's providence should interfere in behalf of the innocent. Below them were a thousand feet of precipice, and above them was a cliff which could not be scaled, the only way to reach the Waldenses. History says as they were wending their way around this mountain "a white cloud no bigger than a man's hand, unobserved by the Piedmontese, but keenly watched by the Vaudois, was seen to gather on the mountain's summit, about the time the army would be entering the defile. The cloud grew rapidly bigger and blacker. It began to descend. It came rolling down the mountain-side, wave on wave, like an ocean tumbling out of heaven—a sea of murky vapor. It fell right into the chasm in which was the papal army, sealing it up, and filling it from top to bottom with a thick black fog. In a moment the host were in night; they were bewildered, stupefied, and could see neither before nor behind, could neither advance nor retreat. They halted in a state bordering on terror." Some of the Waldenses went above them in passes with which they were familiar, and tore up large stones and rocks and sent them thundering down into the ravine. The papal soldiers were crushed where they stood. Others entered the chasm where they were and attacked them in front. Panic impelled the enemies to flee; but their efforts to escape from their position was far more fatal than the sword of the Vaudois, or the rocks that, swift as an arrow, came bounding down the mountain. "They jostled one another; they threw each other down in the struggle; some were trodden to death; others were rolled over the precipice, and crushed on the rocks below, or drowned in the torrent, and so perished miserably." One began to vent his curses on the "Waldensian dogs" and while the words were in his mouth, his foot slipped, and he rolled over the precipice and was carried away by the stream, and his body finally deposited in a deep eddy or whirlpool. Of the 18,000 regular troops, and, it might be added, about an equal number of desperadoes, that entered upon this campaign "they left their bones on the mountains they had come to subdue; they were cut off mostly in detail," and but few ever returned to their homes. Thus from time to time God wrought for his suffering people, showing that there was a God that heard prayer, and one that delivered those who trusted in him.
S. N. HASKELL. WHEN members of the church fail to report to the quarterly meetings, letters are sent out reminding them of the fact. These letters are intended to answer a two-fold purpose; to ascertain why they do not report, and to serve as reminders, that the person shall not be so negligent again. The clerk of the Oakland Church has received a response from an absent member, containing the following words:— “If the notice of regular church quarterly meetings had been sent regularly, I am sure you would have heard from us. We were negligent, and so were the church officers.” We must differ with the writer. The fact that we have “regular quarterly meetings” at stated times throughout the year obviates the necessity of sending notices. We have a large number of non-residents and absent members, and it is quite too much to ask the clerk to send notice “regularly,” when every member knows the time and knows his duty in respect to it. There is no such duty devolving on “the church officers.” And it is quite wrong to subject the clerk to the trouble of sending letters of inquiry. We hope that all our members will yet become so prompt that these inquiries will go out of use, as they ought to. No Effort Lost.
By G. D. Ballou
NEARLY all of us are inclined to become discouraged if we do not see immediate results of our work as ministers or missionary laborers. No doubt this looking for immediate results comes from our judging spiritual things too much by temporal matters. We should remember that we are only sowers and tillers in the gospel field. God has charge of the harvest. “Paul may plant and Apollos water, but God giveth the increase.” We may assist in the work, so as to hasten the harvest, and by faithful labor we may at last rejoice with the angel reapers around the throne of God. Incidents are continually transpiring that should give us courage to labor on, whether we see immediate results or not. A few years ago one of our young preachers spent two weeks in a new place, preaching part of the time to three hearers—a husband and wife and their daughter. This winter Brother McClure held a few meetings in another part of this county, and this same family were in attendance. They had moved here and now the wife and daughter, having meditated for years on what they first heard, joyfully accepted the whole truth after hearing a few sermons. Another family whose friends, some of them now dead, had for years been occasionally sending them the SIGNS and tracts, attended a few of our meetings in Ferndale, and are now obedient to the last message. Another, who had read the SIGNS more or less for years, through the kindness of friends, and had been a bitter opposer to the Sabbath truth, has yielded his heart fully to the precepts of the Most High. In our daily visiting we find hearts that have been deeply stirred by the present truth, by reading only a few copies of the SIGNS. Wherever we go we find the way has been prepared for us by the missionary work already done. We find it easy to sell books and take full subscriptions for the SIGNS; and we find friends among the people, who gladly extend to us the hospitalities of their homes, because we are connected with the people who have sent them the papers and tracts. Our hearts are filled with gratitude to God for present truth, and for such efficient means of spreading it, and for a people who are thus willing to help advance the work. Labor on, dear brethren and sisters, the Lord is preparing the earth for the reaping time. Help to scatter the precious seed. Labor with a heart in the work. Do all you do heartily as unto the Lord. Labor cheerfully, patiently, and faithfully, and none of your efforts will be lost. G. D. BALLOU.
Humboldt Co., Cal., Aug. 2, 1883. Meetings in Vermont.
By A. S. Hutchins
AFTER a pleasant sojourn of five months at the Sanitarium, at Battle Creek, Mich., we are happy to resume our efforts to do a little in the cause and work of God in our Conference, supplicating the throne of grace for heavenly wisdom to strengthen and guide in the work so solemn and responsible. July 14, 15, we spent with the church in Jamaica. We had strength to speak to this people once each day. On Sabbath the ordinances of the Lord's house were celebrated. One brother was added to the church. The Sabbath-school here is, we believe, a blessing to both the old and the young. On first-day some business was attended to in behalf of the interests of the cause, hopefully looking forward to an increase of union and strength among the people of God here. To the elders of this church, we affectionately exhort in the language of another: "Feed the flock of God which is among you; not by constraint, but willingly, . . . . being ensamples to the flock." 1 Pet. 5:1-3. And let the dear brethren and sisters strictly observe the injunction of the same apostle, "Yea, all of you be subject one to another. And be ye clothed with humility," and union of heart, and growth in grace with addition of numbers may adorn this church. July 21 and 22, we spent with the church of Irasburgh and Charleston, at Brownington. In addition to speaking the word of life here, we attended to the duties of the quarterly meeting. On first-day we baptized three young friends. One of these, a young lady, who is an approved school-teacher, testifies that she never felt satisfied that the first-day of the week is the Sabbath of the Bible. Some months since while away from home attending school where neither her associations nor surrounding influences would incline her to thoughtfulness on the subject of the Sabbath question, or to investigate this point, conviction settled upon her mind that if she would honor God by keeping all of his commandments, she ought to keep holy the seventh day. A few weeks from this time she deliberately decided henceforth to keep the seventh day as the Sabbath, as a duty incumbent upon a disciple of Christ, and expressed a wish for baptism, and church membership among our people. Last Sabbath we spent at Wolcott, where we spoke to a little company. One of these was a sister from another State, who had not before heard a sermon on present truth for six years. Referring to her lonely condition for so long a time she expressed herself like this: "My Bible and the Review have been my study." She spoke with sweet assurance of her hope of life eternal. The Bible, the SIGNS, the Review, and the Instructor, with other periodicals and publications to which we have access, are, though silent, excellent preachers. May the lonely ones, like this sister, trust in him who numbers the hairs of our heads; study his holy word, be found much in prayer (as all should be), and gather the truths of the gospel from those periodicals and publications which proclaim the near coming of the Lord and teach the work of divine grace in the heart requisite to meet him, and though lonely they may grow in grace. We feel thankful for the work which has been done in our State within a few months, in obtaining subscribers for the SIGNS on trial. It seems to us that new fields are thus opening for other reading matter, and perhaps for future labors of our ministers. Let us take courage in the Lord and faithfully do what we can. A. S. HUTCHINS.
Barre, Vt., Aug. 1, 1883. WE pitched our tent in this place, and have been holding meetings a little more than a week. The Lord has favored us with the very best of weather; and there seems to be little prejudice, for the people turn out en masse. They listen with profound interest to the prophecies. Yesterday, Sister Ida Ballenger gave a temperance address, at 3 P. M., to a tent full of attentive listeners. After the lecture, one old gentleman said to us, “I have heard a good many men lecture on temperance, but that beats them all.” In the evening we preached on the subject of the sanctuary, to a tent crowded full of interested listeners. The people are intelligent. We have canvassed the town and obtained sixteen monthly subscribers to the SIGNS. Hope to get some permanent subscribers. This week we shall canvass the Law and Sabbath in the Third Angel’s Message. Pray for us that the Lord will give success to his truth in this place. Aug. 6, 1883.
T. M. STEWARD,
J. F. BALLENGER. North Pacific Conference.
By Chas. L. Boyd
EAST PORTLAND, OREGON.—Our new tent is now pitched in a very pleasant locality, corner of G and 7th Streets. Meetings commenced last Thursday evening with a fair attendance. The subjects considered have been the prophecies, signs of the times, and kindred truths. Notwithstanding meetings were being held all around us, last evening our tent was crowded by a congregation who listened attentively to the subject of the millennium. Scripture evidence was produced showing the last days of human probation to be a time of great wickedness and trouble, that evil men and seducers are to wax worse and worse. The blessed time promised when righteousness covers the earth as the waters now cover the sea follows the second coming of the Saviour. At this time the "former dominion" is restored, and He whose right it is takes and possesses the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. The people all over the city are reading the SIGNS and tracts which are furnished by our colporteurs. We ask the prayers of all who desire that light shall shine and truth triumph. Artesia, Los Angeles Co. Cal.
ELD. M. C. ISRAEL writes a line from Los Alamos, Santa Barbara Co. Aug. 9, in which he says:— “I left the tent at Artesia last Friday. The interest and attendance were better than at Downey, the average being over one hundred. We were invited to visit people at their houses from the commencement of the meeting. The prospect looks favorable for good results. I am on my way north to get things ready for the camp-meeting.” Contentment and Wasted Lives
"He who isn't content with what he has, wouldn't be content with what he would like to have."—Averbach. Many a man dreads throwing away his life at once, who shrinks not from throwing it away by piecemeal.