Earlier text: PRESENT TRUTH.THE LAW OF GOD AND THE SABBATH WHICH IT ORDAINS.
By W. H. Littlejohn
AGAIN: We might further strengthen our position by showing that the masses of the people were united in believing that the seventh day of the week was the Sabbath, because it was by this conviction that they were impelled to meet regularly on this day, in their synagogues, for the purpose of hearing the Scriptures expounded. And that on such occasions it was the habit of the Saviour to meet with them. But we forego the privilege, since our space is so limited that we can indulge ourselves in but one more quotation before we pass to look at this matter from another standpoint. It will be found in Matthew xxiv, 20. "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath-day." Such were the words of our Lord to his disciples who had been listening to his narration of the terrible judgment which was to be poured out upon Jerusalem. The motive which prompted them was a desire to save those whom he loved from the vengeance which the sword, the pestilence, and the famine should execute upon those his enemies, who were, in their wickedness and blindness, about to put him to death. History has shown that the events to which he was looking forward occurred about A. D. '67. So that the early Christians in obedience to this injunction must have continued for thirty-four years to offer up the prayer that their "flight might not be in the winter neither on the Sabbath-day." The advocates of a change of day, perceiving that it would ruin their cause should they admit that the disciples were directed to pray that their flight might not be on the Sabbath because of its being holy time, have shown their dexterity in debate by furnishing another reason, of a physical rather than a moral nature, why this petition was continually offered up. It was, say they, because the Jews were so rigid in their observance of the Sabbath that the difficulties of escaping on this day would have been tenfold greater than on any other. Without stopping here to show the fallacy of their deductions from the premises, we shall admit for the present that the premise itself is correct, and then see how far this concession of theirs will go toward establishing our view of the point at issue between us. Taking it for granted that they will not repudiate the explanation they themselves have furnished, we find that the very corner-stone upon which that explanation rests, is the fact that the Jews, as a people, did set apart and observe with most scrupulous exactness, a particular day as the Sabbath, even during a time of siege as late as A. D. '67. But that the day which they then kept, was the seventh, is too well-established to require proof. Nor was this the first instance when that people have furnished, under similar circumstances, the most undeniable evidence of their conviction that these oracles which were committed to their fathers in trust, were explicit in reference to the day to be observed. Their history affords many cases in which their enemies, aware of their conscientious scruples against even those labors which were necessary for self-defense on the Sabbath, have waited patiently for its periodic return, and then, making them an easy prey, have put them to death without mercy. And yet it never seems to have occurred to them that they had the remedy in their own hands. That is, that by a change of day altogether, or by allowing one part to observe one, and the other part to observe another, they could frequently, with the aid of a little strategy, deceive and defeat their enemies, save themselves, their wives, their children, and their property, and still answer the demands of the law. We believe that their record will bear us out in the statement, that they never ventured or even dreamed that it was possible for them to make this substitution. Also, that while, as in the cases above mentioned, by too great rigor they made the Sabbatic institution a means of death and misfortune instead of prolonged life and increased happiness, and that in others, by too much laxity they defeated it altogether, and were censured for both of these, still there is not to be found a single utterance of the Lord's which can be construed, even by implication, into a condemnation of the unyielding tenacity with which they ever insisted upon an observance of the seventh day, to the exclusion of all others. Silence under such circumstances means approval. Such an approval gives force and authority to the line of testimony under examination, because it stamps the conviction of a race with the sanction of the Infinite. But look again at this text, in another light. These are not the words of one habituated to the use of language with a careless inaccuracy. It was not designed that they should perish with the hearing. They were to be treasured up, and during the years which should intervene between the prophecy and the fulfillment, their import was to be studied, and they were to be embodied in the petitions of every Christian who desired to escape the destruction which was coming upon that doomed city and its wicked populace. Had they fallen from the lips of one, who, owing to his imperfect knowledge of his mother tongue, would have found it difficult to express exactly the sentiment which he desired to convey, the case would be different. But as they emanated from one, who, when a child confounded the wisdom of the doctors, and in after years extorted from those whom his enemies had sent to take him the confession that "never man spake as he spake," we have a right to presume that he said what he meant and meant what he said. This being so, he used the expression Sabbath-day intelligently: and because it was the one which would exactly convey the idea which he wished to impart. It follows therefore,117 1. That there was a Sabbath-day as late as A. D. '67. For if this be not so, then was the Saviour for some inexplicable cause engaged in framing for his disciples a form of prayer which pre-supposed its existence at the time of their flight, and that it was possible that this might occur on it, whereas it had in reality ceased to be, thirty odd years before it was necessary to escape. 2. That it was a particular day that he was speaking of, and not an institution which any individual could observe on such days as would best suit his convenience or interests. First: because it is preceded by the definite article the; whereas if there was to be more than one day which the people were to look upon as holy time, the indefinite article a would have been employed. Second; because if there had been a division of sentiment on this point, confusion must have followed. Since one would have been imploring that their departure might not occur on his rest-day, another, equally earnest, that it might not on his, and so on, till perhaps the whole week was covered by their prayers; and thus it would become necessary either that the prophecy should go unfulfilled, or that the Lord should be compelled to deny some of them the very thing for which his Son had instructed them to ask. For when they left the city, it was required that they should all do so at one and the same time. And that time was to be indicated by a given sign. When this should appear, all were to flee in the greatest haste, without stopping even to enter the house for any article which they might desire to carry with them, or to return from the field to take their clothes. So that no discrimination could be made whereby one could be allowed to leave at one time, and another at another. Now that we have learned that the Lord spake of the Sabbath in a manner which shows that he looked upon it as being both a particular day, and one the time of the occurrence of which was so well understood by those to whom he was talking that it was only necessary to speak of it by the use of its proper name, and all would perceive the one to which he alluded. If we can by any means determine the application which they made of his words, we shall be possessed of a reliable explanation of their import. To obtain this you have but to turn to your Testament, part of which was written before and a part after the destruction of Jerusalem, and you will find that the Sabbath-day is everywhere spoken of as the seventh day of the week, the same as that which was kept by the Jews, and that there is not a single instance in which this term is used in reference to any other. There is another test which may be applied to these conflicting views of interpretation. It is always allowable, when there is a division of opinion respecting the meaning which should be given to a statute, to introduce any well-authenticated fact, or act of the parties concerned in the making of the same to show what was its original design. This being done, those views which accord with the intention of the law-giver thus ascertained are admitted to be correct. The principle upon which this usage rests is so manifestly just that it requires no vindication at our hands. If it shall appear that the Lord has caused to be recorded any words or deeds of his which clearly indicate that he intended to single out the seventh day of the week from all the others in order that by a proper observance of it we might suitably celebrate his rest after the creation of the world, we shall submit our case in the confident belief that every Christian heart will unhesitatingly pronounce those views sound which have so firm a foundation. In looking for this evidence, one would naturally go back to a time which should exactly or nearly synchronize with the giving of the commandment. Nor will he be disappointed when he approaches this period. That God, who has upon all other subjects, given us “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little,” has not been unmindful of our interests in this matter. Knowing that error is never barren, and that when she once finds lodgment in the mind, she soon becomes the prolific mother of evil, he has never allowed her to enter upon her work of destruction without first clothing her in the shades of night, and truth in the robes of light; thus making the contrast so striking that no one can be deceived as to which is the favorite of Heaven. In fact, the commandment begins with the words “remember the Sabbath-day,” which would seem to indicate that it was designed to ordain the observance of that which had been made familiar to their minds by something that had transpired before. It would not be difficult to show that the race had never altogether lost sight of the fact that the Sabbath was established in Eden, or that they had entirely neglected it. But the plan of this article will not admit of the use of as much space as this would require. We shall content ourselves with a brief examination of two or three transactions which occurred during the exode. The first of these is registered in the sixteenth chapter of Exodus, and transpired about one month previous to the giving of the law on Sinai. It will be observed that in this chapter the expressions sixth-day and seventh-day are so used as to leave no doubt that the days of the week were numbered from one to seven; and consequently that each one, when indicated by its numeral, was as unmistakably pointed out as it could be done at the present time by the use of those names which have since been applied. In fact the Jewish method was the more determinate of the two. For the names being used arbitrarily with us we must first learn them and then the exact order in which they occur, before, one being given, we can tell which of the others should follow or precede it. Whereas they, knowing that there were but seven in all, having ascertained the number of any one could easily find the balance and give to each its proper number with mathematical certainty. To illustrate; in the fifth verse of the chapter mentioned above the Lord uses these words. “And it shall come to pass that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” In the twenty-second verse is recorded the understanding which the people had of this, in the following language: “And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.” So that it is evident that the term sixth-day was as fixed in its application with them as that of Friday is with us. Since the whole congregation seem, without exception, to have hit upon exactly the same as the one on which, in obedience to the injunction above given, they were to gather a double portion of manna. Again; Moses says, in the twenty-sixth verse: “Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.” But if the term seventh day was not limited in its application to a particular twenty-four hours, then this could not be true, for on every other one the manna did fall. In other words, if it was equivalent to one-seventh part of time, or if it was movable so that any individual could commence to number his days from any except the one generally admitted to be the first, and thereby bring his Sabbath upon any twenty-four hours differing from those commonly observed, then would the host have been compelled to go without food on that day. And should the number who refused to follow the examples of the majority increase to six, each observing a different day from the other, then would starvation have been the inevitable consequence. For Moses solemnly declares that the Sabbath and the seventh day are identical. If therefore the habit of observing a particular one as a rest-day really made it the seventh in the sense in which he used those phrases, then the falling of manna on such an occasion would have broken his words, for, mark you, his declaration is unqualified. He does not say that it shall not fall for the individual thus engaged, but he says, 'there shall be none.' Once more; additional light will be thrown upon this subject, by noticing the fact that in this chapter the sixth day is followed in consecutive order by the seventh, thus rendering it certain that these were applications given to days of the week and not used indiscriminately in reference to any fraction of it, provided only that it comprehended one-seventh part of the whole. See verse twenty-third. Moses there says, “to-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord.” Read the context and you will find that the day on which he was speaking was the sixth. But we have already quoted to show that the seventh day and the Sabbath were the same, so that the day after the sixth was the seventh, since Moses plainly said that it should be the Sabbath. Again; as the terms sixth-day and seventh are kindred in their nature, the same rule which would make the latter signify one seventh-part of time, would also demand that the former should be taken to mean one-sixth part of the same period, and that if the latter signifies one day in seven, the former, one in six. A careful reading of verse twenty-nine will disclose the absurdity of such a view. It reads as follows: “See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” Thus it is shown that on the sixth-day the Lord gave the bread of two days, so that on the Sabbath which followed, the wants of the people might be provided for. The sixth day was always marked, therefore, by this miracle, and no other upon which this did not occur, could claim its title. Let us grant for the sake of argument that our opponents are right in supposing that it meant one day in six or one sixth part of the time. It would then follow that on one day in every six the Lord would allow the people a double portion of bread. But as the Sabbath occurred only one day in seven, in seven weeks or forty-nine days there would have been eight days of double rations and only seven Sabbaths. Thereby, through a miscalculation, or for some unaccountable reason, Jehovah would be represented as working one miracle in every two months when the case did not demand it. And so we might go on through the Scriptures finding in almost every chapter something to establish the definitive nature of the days of the week, when alluded to by the use of their proper numbers. The account of creation which was written by the same person who penned the book of the law and the chapter before us, and therefore related in the same language, and within a few years at most of the time at which the decalogue was given, might be appealed to in this controversy. Since in it each day is shown to have been bounded by the evening and the morning; each to have followed the other in the same order as do the figures from one to seven; and each to have been distinguished from the balance by the character of the work performed on it, or as in the case of the seventh by the fact that it was a day of rest and not of labor. Facts which are perfectly irreconcilable with any other understanding of this matter than that which we have already expressed and endeavored to defend. Tell me the meaning of Scriptures. One gem from that ocean is worth all the pebbles of earthly streams.—M'Cheyne. PARAPHRASE OF PSALM IV.
By Editor
God of my righteousness, to me give ear,
And when I call, O tender Father, hear.
Thou hast enlarged me when in sore distress,
Have mercy on me, hear my prayer and bless. O sons of men, in envy at my name,
How long will ye my glory clothe with shame?
How long on vanity bestow your love,
And after lies with eager footsteps move? For on the good the Lord hath placed his heart,
And sets the godly for himself apart.
So shall he listen when his servant calls;
No prayer unheeded at his footstool falls.
Then let your soul before him stand in awe,
Fear ye to trample on his holy law.
With your own heart commune at close of day,
And put your thoughts of wickedness away.
Let righteousness, to God your offering be,
Trust in his name and his salvation see. Yet many of the Lord in blindness say,
Where is the good of walking in his way?
Lord, unto us let the true good be shown,
The light of thy blest countenance alone. Thus hast thou made my heart with gladness shine,
More than by large increase of oil and wine. In peace I lay me down, in peace I sleep;
Thou Lord, in safety all my ways shalt keep. Acts iii, 23. And it shall come to pass that every soul that will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. THE prophet here mentioned is Christ, and the doom pronounced against those who reject him, is the doom of the finally impenitent. It is of consequence therefore to inquire into its import. The word “destroyed” [ἐξολοθρεύομαι], is peculiar. It occurs in no other place in the N. T., and is defined as follows, by all authorities: “To destroy utterly, to exterminate.” There is no possibility of deriving from this word the idea of continued life in suffering. Bloomfield in his Greek Testament with English Notes says on this point: “ἐξολοθρευθήσεται, is a word found only in the Septuagint and the later writers; signifying to ‘utterly exterminate.’” THE PICTURE OF LIFE.
By M. A. House
BEFORE me lies a picture, and
While I attempt to write,
I can see the moving canvas,
With its shades of dark and light. The scenes engraved upon it,
Speak of life, its toil and care,
Of its duties, and the burdens
We are called upon to bear. We see that lengthening shadows
Are beginning to appear,
They tell the day is passing,
That the night is almost here, Wherein we cannot labor,
Wherein can toil no man,
Are there earnest hearts, and willing ?
Oh! then labor while you can. We each a mission can fulfill,
In life's great harvest field.
If well performed, its joy, and peace,
And blessedness will yield. We see the harvest with'ning;
With ready hands and true,
Let us enter 'mong the gleaners,
There is much that we can do. Yes—something for us all to do.
May we with willing heart,
Perform our work although it seems
To us an humble part. What may appear but trifles,
Are accepted of the Lord,
E'en a cup of water given
Will not fail of its reward. Then to the “heavy laden,”
Sad and weary ones, draw near;
Whisper words of consolation,
Even words of hope and cheer; And they'll seem like gleams of sunshine,
In a dark and cloudy day,
Or like fragrant roses scattered
All along a thorny way. This life at best is but a sea,
Its billows dark and deep,
Or like a rough and rugged coast,
Whose rocks are high and steep; But we're journeying toward the haven,
And will anchor there at last,
Forgetting every danger, when
Its stormy reefs are passed. So 'mid the gloom and darkness,
There are gleams of sunshine bright,
Beyond the dark and threat'ning clouds
Are sunny beams of light. Even a “lining” to each storm cloud,
Whose “silver” may be seen. And in this desert land are flowers,
And streams whose banks are green. 'Tis well that 'mid the toil and care
Of such a world as this,
We sometimes seem to catch a view
Of Heaven and its bliss. We see the land of Beulah,
With its blessedness untold,
And the many-mansioned city
With its avenues of gold. Then shall we faint, and cease to toil ?
No, rather should we stay
Amid the sheaves, and glean, glean on,
While it remaineth day. And when life's weary day is past,
And endless years begin,
We may receive a diadem,
With glittering stars therein. When I consider that our hearts are no softer, I wonder that the times are no harder. der that the times are no harder. Our first fall was by rising against God; our best rise is by falling down before Him. He is the most lovely profess… rise is by falling down before Him. He is the most lovely professor who is the most lowly professor. ly professor.
Your benevolence should seek the poor, before the poor seek your benevolence.
He that hath put off the bounds of compassion shall poor seek your benevolence. He that hath put off the bowels of compassion, hath put off the badge of election. Historical Department.
By Hiram Edson
Prophecy is History in Advance. THE SHORTENING OF THE DAYS,
And Typical Bearing of the 40 Years' Sojourn of Israel in the Wilderness. The course pursued by the President and Congress in this year, was what removed the Roman yoke, and established the United States government upon an independent basis, free to act independent not only of the French government, but also of all other earthly governments. And thus the government of these United States was established in 1798 in the tops of the mountains, and exalted above the hills. In other words it was established and exalted above all other governments of the world, and all people have been flowing unto it. The civil and religious liberty guaranteed by the constitution of these United States has drawn a tide of emigration to this country unparalleled in the annals of history. When the Lord set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, they were to be recovered from the land of their captivity, from the countries wherein they had been scattered; they were to be assembled and gathered together. Isa. xi, 11, 12; Jer. xxx, 10; Eze. xxxiv, 11–13; Micah iv, 1–6. The point of compass toward which they were to emigrate in the time of this recovery from the land of their captivity, was to be toward the west, in ships through or over the sea, which would bring them to this American continent; for the land of their captivity embraces all territory east of the Atlantic. Isa. xi, 11–14, lx, 9; Zech. x, 10, 11; Hosea xi, 10, 11; Isa. lix, 19. They were to be brought into a wilderness land. Eze. xx, 33–38; Micah vii, 14, 15; Hosea ii, 13–15; Isa. xxxv, 1–4, xi, 1–10. Paul has taught us that the history of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage, what befell them during their forty years' sojourn in the wilderness, their entrance into the land of Canaan, &c., were our examples or types. 1 Cor. x, 6, 11: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.” And to this agree the words of the prophet Micah, vii, 14, 15. “According to the days, (plural,—forty years) of thy coming out of the land of Egypt, will I show unto him marvelous things,” &c. When the time of the promise drew nigh that God would deliver his people from the 400 years' Egyptian bondage, the people Israel grew and multiplied in Egypt. Acts vii, 17. So also in like manner when the time of the promise drew nigh that God would set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, the people Israel again grew and multiplied by the reformation under Luther, Melancthon and others in the Roman kingdom, spiritually or antitypically called Egypt. See Rev. xi, 8. In the fortieth year of the sojourn of Israel in the wilderness, Joshua sent the officers through the host to stir up the people to prepare to pass over Jordan in three days, and at the end of three days they removed and came to Jordan, which signifies, river of judgment. Here the officers went through the host again, commanding the people when they should see the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then they should remove from their place and go after it; but there was to be a space between them and the ark, that they might know the way by which they were to go, for they had not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves, for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. And it came to pass when they had passed through Jordan, which signifies river of judgment, and were circumcised, that then appeared the captain of the Lord's host with a drawn sword in his hand, to lead them on to take the land of Canaan. Joshua i, 10, 11; chapter iii, 2–6; chapter v. This history being typical, we will compare with it the history of the remnant since the 1260 years' captivity ended in 1798. Though Israel left Egypt the self-same day that the 400 years ended, yet they were pursued by the Egyptians and overtaken at the Red Sea, where their lives were in jeopardy; and it was not till they passed through the sea, and the Egyptian host was overthrown in the sea, that Israel sung the song of deliverance. It was after this that they were doomed to wander 40 years in the wilderness. So also, although the Roman yoke was broken off at the end of the 1260 years in 1798, yet the French nation who held the leading or controlling influence in the Roman government, which is spiritually or antitypically called Egypt, made an open profession of atheism, abolishing all religion and prohibiting all religious worship save of liberty and the country, swearing to extirpate Christianity from the world, &c., and the reign of terror became the most horrid and appalling, and thus the lives of Christians were in jeopardy as was Israel's at the Red Sea. Also a civil constitution was framed for the clergy, to which all were required to swear on pain of death or banishment. The great body refused, and priests and altars were overturned, and blood once esteemed sacred, flowed in torrents. From the Atlantic to the Adriatic she presented but one appalling spectacle. No tongue can tell the woes of the nation. See Marsh's Eccl. History, page 300. This was much like the overthrow of the Egyptian host in the Red Sea. Dec. 1799, Bonaparte abolished this heathen ritual, and re-opened the churches for religious worship, and the heaven-born boon of free toleration was given; and the following year, 1800, a treaty of peace was concluded between France and the United States. At this point the remnant might have united in singing a song of deliverance, as did their ancestors after the overthrow of the Egyptian host in the Red Sea, though the song of Moses and the Lamb is yet to be sung, after the great battle and treading of the wine press in the great day. Now whether we reckon from 1798, where the Roman yoke was broken off, or from 1799, or 1800, where the heathen ritual was abolished and free toleration given, and the treaty of peace concluded between the United States and the French nation, forty years from either of these dates will bring us down to the time where the first angel's message of Rev. xiv was being given, proclaiming the hour or period of God's judgment come, based upon the termination of the 2300 days of Dan. viii, 14, which brought us to the great antitypical day of atonement for the cleansing of the sanctuary, where the judgment first began at the house of God. From the above considerations we find a perfect and admirable harmony in the accomplishment of the indignation, the scattering of the power of the holy people, and the independent establishment of the government of these United States, all transpiring at one and the same time. 1. The days were shortened for the elect's sake by the abolition of torture, and freedom extended to Protestants, &c., in 1776, and American Independence declared the same year; and 2. The days ended in 1798, the captivity of the Papal beast is fully consummated, and the last connecting link which bound the United States under the dictation of the Roman government was broken the same year. In that year the President issued his proclamation to convene Congress on the 15th of July, the avowed object of which was to take a course which should convince the government of France and the world that we are not a degraded people, humiliated under a colonial spirit of fear and a sense of inferiority, fitted to be the miserable instrument of foreign influence, and regardless of national honor, character, and interest. This message was preparatory to the coming to the judgment, and was the antitype of Joshua's sending the officers through the host to stir up the people to prepare to pass over Jordan, which signifies, river of judgment. And now since the first angel's message of Rev. xiv closed in 1844, the temple of God is opened in Heaven, and there is seen (by faith) in his temple the ark of his testament, and the burden of the third angel's message, Rev. xiv, 9–12, now being borne before the people by the priest, the Lord's ministers, is this ark and its contents, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, the following or keeping of which will alone ensure the remnant a safe passage through the judgment. And thus we are now in the antitype of ancient Israel's following the ark passing through Jordan, which signifies judgment. And when the day of atonement is finished, the judgment upon the house of God will be past, as typified by ancient Israel passing through Jordan, the river of judgment; and then “Michael will stand up,” and there will be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, as typified by the trouble of the Amorites and Canaanites, Josh. v, 1; and he, Michael, will lead on the Lord's host to take and possess the kingdom. This will be the antitype of the captain of the Lord's host which appeared to Joshua with a drawn sword in his hand, to lead Israel on to take and possess the land of Canaan. From the above considerations it is clear that the forty years' sojourn of ancient Israel in the wilderness meets its antitype in the history of the remnant between 1798 and 1844, and not this side of 1844. The yoke of Egyptian bondage was broken off at the expiration of the 400 years; but Israel had to bear the reproach of Egypt through the forty years till they were passed over Jordan. See Josh. v, 9. So also the indignation ceased, and the Papal or Roman yoke was broken off in 1798; but the remnant must still bear the reproach of spiritual or antitypical Egypt, till the day of atonement or the judgment upon the house of Israel is passed, after which the reproach of Egypt will again be rolled off. It is evident from Ex. xvi, and Nehemiah ix, 14, that Israel in the time of their sojourn and bondage in Egypt, were drawn away, and lost sight of the true Sabbath of the Lord; hence when he had brought them out of the land of Egypt into the wilderness, it became necessary for him to make known unto them his true Sabbath. Compare Ex. xvi with Nehemiah ix, 14. They were restored to the true worship of the true God by keeping all of the ten commandments. This was the condition upon which they were to enter into and possess the land of Canaan. Deut. iv, 1, 2; viii, 1, 6–11, 19, 20; Lev. xxvi. So also has the church in the present dispensation, in the time of their bondage in antitypical Egypt, been drawn away and forsaken the holy covenant—the Father's law of ten commandments, and lost sight of his true holy Sabbath. Ps. lxxxix, 27–32; Dan. xi, 30–32; 2 Thess. ii, 1–3; Eze. xxiii, 4, 5; Isa. lviii, 1, 12, 13. Hence the true holy Sabbath is again to be made known, and the true remnant church restored by the third angel's message to the keeping of the true Sabbath and all the ten commandments and the faith of Jesus, as a condition upon which they are to enter into and possess the antitypical or heavenly Canaan. Rev. xiv, 9–12; Isa. lviii, 1, 12–14; lvi; Rev. xxii, 14. The Measureless Love.
By Dr. Guthrie
I CAN measure parental love—how broad, how long and strong, and how deep it is; it is a sea—a deep sea that mothers can only fathom. But the love displayed on yonder hill and bloody cross, where God's own son is perishing for us, no man nor angel has a line to measure. The circumference of the earth, the altitude of the sun, the distance of the planets—these have been determined; but the height, depth, breadth and the length of the love of God passeth knowledge. Such is the Father against whom all of us have sinned a thousand times! Walk the shore where the ocean sleeps in the summer calm, or, lashed into fury by the winter's tempest, is thundering on her sands; and when you have numbered the drops of her waves, the sand on her sounding beach, you have numbered God's mercies and your sins. Well, therefore, may we go to him with the contrition of the prodigal in our ears and this confession on our lips—“Father, I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight.” The Spirit of God helping us thus to go to God, be assured that the father, who seeing his son afar off, ran to meet him, fell on his neck and kissed him, was but an image of Him who, not sparing his own Son, but giving him up to death that we might live, invites and now awaits your coming.—Dr. Guthrie. “WE trust the Lord is on our side, Mr. Lincoln,” said the speaker of a delegation of Christian men to that good man, during one of the darkest days of the rebellion. “I do not regard that as essential as something else,” replied Mr. Lincoln. The pious visitors looked horror-struck until the President added, “I am most concerned to know that we are on the Lord’s side.” Mr. Lincoln was right. The right side is not your side or my side. Mark that, my children. The Lord’s side is the place to rally. His banner has right, truth, love, and holiness written on it. Be sure that you stand up for God’s banner, even if you stand alone. THE great comfort of a believer, on his death bed, is, faith in Christ, hope in the promises, and an interest in the covenant. THE CHRISTIAN'S BALANCE-SHEET.
“For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Rom. viii, 18. “THE SUFFERINGS OF THE PRESENT TIME.”
In labors more abundant.
In stripes above measure.
In prisons more frequent.
In deaths oft.
Five times received I forty stripes, save one.
Thrice was I beaten with rods.
Once I was stoned.
Thrice I suffered shipwreck.
A night and day I have been in the deep.
In journeys often.
In perils of robbers.
In perils by my own countrymen.
In perils by the heathen. In perils in the city.
In perils in the wilderness.
In perils in the sea.
In perils among false brethren.
In weariness and painfulness.
In watching often.
In hunger and thirst.
In fastings often.
In cold and nakedness.
Besides those things which are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Total, - - - - - “Light afflictions, but for a moment.” “THE GLORY TO BE REVEALED IN US.”
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love him. That he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he hath before prepared unto glory. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; and not me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Total, - - - - - “An eternal weight of glory.” The apostle Paul having carefully examined the foregoing account, deliberately makes the following declaration: “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—The Christian Helper.