In view of the fact that “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek;” and that disregard of the law of God turns circumcision into uncircumcision, a Jew into a Gentile; while observance of the law of God turns uncircumcision into circumcision, a Gentile into a true Jew, the Scripture very appropriately asks the questions: “What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?”
And although there is advantage, yet it is in no wise of a sort that calls for any return of the Jews, just because they are Jews—Jews after the flesh. The Scripture answers these questions; but in the answers to the questions, it is nowhere given as one of the advantages which the Jew has that he should return to Palestine.
Though there is much advantage, every way, yet the chief of all the advantages that ever were to the Jews for any cause, is “that unto them were committed the oracles of God.” And even these oracles were committed to them, not for their sakes but for the fathers’ sakes, that God might fulfill the promise made to the fathers. And the promise made to the fathers was not because of any personal favor that God would show to them; but was altogether because of the character that they had developed through faith in God. And these oracles were committed to them that they, in turn, might convey to all nations of the Gentiles the knowledge of God as revealed in those oracles. And when, instead of doing so, those people abused those oracles, they became even worse than the heathen who had not had the great light that had been given to them.
So, then, neither were the oracles committed to them because they were better than other people, nor did the mere committing of the oracles to them make them better than others; for, in view of the fact of this chief advantage “that unto them were committed the oracles of God,” it is written:
“What then? are we [the Jews] better than they [the Gentiles]? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes.
“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
“Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.” Rom. 3:9-30.
Thus again it is demonstrated by the argument of the plain word of God that faith—faith, the faith of Jesus Christ—is the only way for any return of153either Jew or Gentile, and is the one only way for both alike. And this faith is equally within the reach of Jew and Gentile wherever they may be. It can not be had any more certainly in Palestine than in any other country: and for the simple reason that it is not found in a place, but only in a Person—the person of Jesus Christ. And through the blessed administration of the eternal Spirit, this Person is now accessible to all people in all places alike.
And through-him both Jew and Gentile have access by the one Spirit unto the Father; all are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus; and there, “there is neither Jew nor Greek;” for whosoever is Christ’s is “Abraham’s seed,” and an heir “according to the promise” made of God to Abraham.
And this is the return, and the only true return, of the Jews to their own land; for the land that God sware to Abraham to give to him and to his seed is the only land that truly belongs to the Jews; and this belongs only to true Jews, the true seed of Abraham, who are such only by faith in Christ.
“WHEREFORE then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, . . . and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”
This statement in Gal. 3:19 is identical in substance with that by Stephen in his last words to the Sanhedrin, as they were about to stone him to death, when he said: “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.” Acts 7:52, 53.
This expression by Stephen, that the law was received “by the disposition of angels,” and the expression in Gal. 3:19, that the law “was ordained by angels,” are identical; for Stephen’s word translated “disposition,” and Paul’s word translated “ordained,” are the same Greek word precisely, with simply a variation in tense. Stephen’s word is διαταγὰς, and Paul’s word is διαταγείς.
Now, what law could it be which, whatever else might be included, was pre-eminently the law referred to by Stephen when, in connection with the law that they had not kept, he charged them with being murderers? What law is it which pre-eminently is not kept by a murderer?—It is the law of God—the ten commandments, one of which says, “Thou shalt not kill.” And when the same identical word is used in Gal. 3:19, in the same identical connection, then what law alone can be referred to as pre-eminently the law there referred to, whatever other laws may be included? To have any other than the same law in both places, would be simply to do positive violence to the plain scripture in its whole connection. And since there can be no possible question as to what law is pre-eminently the one referred to by Stephen, there can likewise be no question as to what law is pre-eminently referred to in Gal. 3:19, when the same identical word is used as was used by Stephen, and in the same connection and in the same sense precisely.
What, then, is the thought expressed in the words “the disposition of angels,” “ordained by angels”? The root of the two words used by Stephen and Paul is διατάσσω, which signifies “to arrange, ordain, establish;” “to set in order, and draw up an army” on parade, or “in battle order.” Thus, the specific statement in the two passages is that at the giving of the law referred to in the two places, the angels were drawn up in grand array, as a king disposes his army, or a general his troops; and that, in the presence of this grand array of the angels of God, the law in question was given by the hand of a mediator.
As was presented in a former study: Since there is but “one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,” Christ is unquestionably the Mediator in whose hand this law was ordained. And the scene is touched in Deut. 33:2: “The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.” From his right hand went forth this “fiery law” in the writing upon the tables of stone, and also in the work of making the tables of stone upon which the law was written by that hand of fire. For “the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.” Ex. 32:16.
And when those original tables had been broken by Moses, although Moses hewed out a second two tables like unto the first, he was required to take up these tables into the mount; and there, Moses says, the Lord again “wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the Lord gave them unto me. And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me.” Deut. 10:4, 5.
Thus the law of the ten commandments, in the completest sense, was given by the hand of the “one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus;” and no other law was so given. Other law was given by word, or by inspiration, to Moses, which he wrote with his hand; but no other law than that on the tables of stone was given in, or by the hand of the Mediator. From his “hand” went forth that “fiery law;” and from that hand went forth no other law. And when from that “right hand” went forth that “fiery law,” then thousands of saints were present. These ten thousands of saints (or “holy ones,” R. V.) were the grand and glorious array of angels ordained, disposed, set in order, by the heavenly King, to behold and to do honor to this wonderful transaction of that most wonderful occasion.
Even Christian people have never yet truly discerned the majesty and glory of the giving of the law at Sinai; and that majesty and glory are only the true measure of the importance of that event. “There were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud;” “mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly;” “the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder;” “the voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world; the earth trembled and shook.” Ps. 77:18. And from the midst of that glorious and terrible scene, when “the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness” (Deut. 4:11), “the Lord spake, . . . out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice,” the ten commandments (Deut. 5:22), “and he added no more.” And “all the people that was in the camp trembled,” and “entreated that the word should not be spoken [added] to them any more.” And then, with his hand of fire, “he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto” Moses.
“The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.” Ps. 68:17. “The angels, ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, surrounded the people of God as they were assembled around the mountain, and were all above them; thus making a great, living tabernacle, from which every evil angel was excluded, that not one word that was to come from the voice of Jesus should be altered in any mind, nor one suggestion of doubt or evil to a soul be made.”
Thus when the law was delivered at Sinai, the glorious Lord and all the people were surrounded with the heavenly host of angels, disposed, ordained, arranged in orderly array. Four-faced and four-winged cherubim, six-winged seraphim, and bright angels in glittering golden chariots—all these by the thousands upon thousands accompanied the Majesty of heaven, the Mediator, as in love there went forth from his hand to sinful men his great fiery law of love. Deut. 33:3. Than at the giving of the law of God, the ten commandments, at Sinai, there certainly has been no more majestic scene since the creation of the world. And that is the only law ever given by the hand of the Mediator.
How can there be any question or doubt that this is the law of Gal. 3:19 that was added because of transgressions, and that was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator?
GOOD THINGS TO COME.
By Uriah Smith
Good things are what the children of men are incessantly seeking. Drowning men, seeing something near them, it may be but a straw, will eagerly clutch at it, thus betraying their overwhelming desire for something they feel the need of, to help them in their desperate strait.
Just so in spiritual matters. People will grasp at every expression of scripture which the first wild thought may suggest can be manipulated to favor something that they greatly desire to be true. Thus many have expounded, and expanded, the texts treating upon the love of God, till they have persuaded themselves that none of the human family can ever be lost, and so have lost themselves in the soundless, boundless sea of Universalism.
Others, seeing that Universalism can by no possibility be true, according to the Scriptures, have studied out what they conceive to be the next best thing to come, and that is that men who do not see fit to accept the gospel, or do not, as they describe it, have an opportunity to accept it, in this life, are to have another opportunity in a coming age, and then may accept the gospel if they will, and be saved just the same as if they accepted it now.
This idea is immensely pleasing to those who are inclined to say, Go thy way for this time; and when I have a convenient season, I will give attention to these matters. And who would not say this if he were sure there would be another opportunity after this was allowed to pass by? That second opportunity will, of course, be the “convenient season;” for then, they think, they will have had more experience, and consequently will be better prepared to act. So they dismiss the consideration of their soul’s eternal interests to the expected more favorable season in the future, and plunge the more recklessly into the vanities and frivolities of this present evil world.
This is one of the most winning enticements presented by the great deceiver. Oh, says the lover of pleasure, if I am to have another opportunity, that is all anyone can ask; I will take this world now, and run my chances for the next. This pleasing fable will doubtless quiet more souls in reference to their present duties and dangers, and lead to their ultimate ruin, than almost any other false beacon that has ever been set up. The idea of a future probation, when the errors of the present time may be corrected, and the poor heathen have an opportunity, as it is called, is most captivating to the careless and pleasure loving. Were it not for this, the easy acceptance of it by the masses would be most astonishing. Its rapid spread and great influence could otherwise hardly be accounted for. But the enemy is working it, as the capitalist would say, for “all there is in it.” He is spreading it everywhere. It is one of the dangers and perils of the last days; and even some Seventh-day Adventists are falling into the snare. This seems indeed passing strange; for the Bible is most pointed in its declarations that now is the accepted time, and now is the day of salvation. And it has no promises that, if a man passes one whole life, spending it without accepting the offers of a future immortal existence,—spending it in rejecting all God’s invitations, and all his offers of grace,—another life will be granted in which to accept what was freely offered here and willfully rejected,—another period of time, in which all the mistakes made in this state of existence may be corrected—mistakes, too, made in the presence of constant light, and under repeated warnings. God puts no such premium on disobedience in this life.
On this point we find an unquestionable lesson, both in the types of the Old Testament and in the plain utterances of the New, not to deceive ourselves with the hope of a second probation after this life is passed.
Thus, in Heb. 10 : 1, we read: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices154which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.” The Levitical system could not present in all its particulars, the mediatorial work of Christ, which it was designed to prefigure; and in no respect could it accomplish its real efficacy; for none of the sacrifices that system had to offer could make men perfect; that is, they could not take away sin. They could take it away only in shadow. The term “year by year” being used, shows that the reference is to the annual services of the day of atonement; and if that atonement had taken away sin, and rendered the people thereafter free from sin, as the real atonement of Christ will do, then there would have been no need of further sacrifice, and then, as verse 2 (margin) says, “they would have ceased to be offered;” for thereafter the persons would have had no sin, and would have felt no consciousness of, nor any condemnation for, sin. But the fact that an atonement was made the next year for the very same persons showed what the apostle was claiming, and trying to prove, that the sacrifices they had to offer were not effectual to cleanse from sin. And the reason for this is given in the two verses that follow: “But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
The task that the apostle had to perform with reference to the Jews was to remove from their minds the conception, which had taken deep root therein, that their offerings were effectual to take away sin. This, if true, nullified the claim the apostles or any one might urge of the necessity for Christ to come to take away sin; for they believed that that was already done through the offerings they had presented to the priest. This idea must be removed before they would accept Christ. But they had lost sight of the significance of the ceremonial system, the medium through which they were to show their faith in a Redeemer who was to come. That system was a means, not an end; but they had reversed this order, and made it an end, and not a means. It is necessary to bear this fact continually in mind, if we would understand many things that Paul writes in regard to the relation of the Mosaic to the Christian dispensation.
The argument that he here uses to prove his point, that the repetition of their services showed the need of Christ, would have great weight with the Hebrew mind. It also has an important bearing on the point before us; for the obvious deduction from the whole argument is that when a sacrifice is entirely efficient for the purpose that God had in view, it is not to be repeated. The sacrifice of Christ was of such a nature; and as that is the only sacrifice for the world, there is no occasion for its being gone through with again; it will not be repeated. “By one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” Heb. 10 :14. And this day—the gospel day—is the one that he “limiteth” (Heb. 4 :7), that is, set apart, for the operation of this offering for the children of men. Those, therefore, who do not secure its benefits while it is in force, will forever lose it. There is no second offering, no second probation for them.
The sacrifices and offerings made by men were never designed by God to be the ultimate means of accomplishing the end in view; namely, the removal of sin and the sanctification of the sinner. It was in this respect that God had no pleasure in them; and when presented in this way, and with such an intention, they were not acceptable to him. The purpose of God was the incarnation of Christ, and his divine sacrifice; for which purpose he came in a human body into this world. “A body hast thou prepared me.” And sacrifices and offerings were acceptable to God, only when used in prefiguring that sublime event, the coming of Christ into this world, in the likeness of human flesh, to die for mankind.
In Ps. 40 : 8 we read: “Yea, thy law is within my heart.” Thus Christ came into the world, lived a sinless life, and gave himself a divine sacrifice for sin. He was the antitype of all the offerings and sacrifices that had gone before. This was the advanced stage in the development of the plan of salvation, which the men of Christ’s time had been privileged to witness. Under the new covenant we come to Christ, not through the medium of an earthly sacrifice and a human priesthood, but directly “to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.” Heb. 12 :24. And so the former system of sacrifices and offerings was taken away that the divine sacrifice, the Son of God, might appear as the antitype of all the sacrifices previously offered.
The one offering of Christ suffices for all his ministry; and when that has been offered to all men till all have accepted it who will do so, then there is no more offering to be made for sin. This one is forever. There is no further probation for those who will not accept of this. God accepted the sacrifice of his Son, and placed him at his right hand on his own throne (Rev. 3 : 21); and there he will remain as priest-king (Zech. 6 : 12, 13) till his foes are made his footstool. See Ps. 110 : 1. The Father puts all Christ’s foes under him (the Son). Christ occupies that throne to-day, and is waiting for the event that the Father has promised him, that his foes shall be made his footstool. This will be when Christ comes to dash the nations to pieces like a potter’s vessel. Ps. 2 : 8, 9. In Heb. 10 :12, 13, Paul plainly applies this situation to the present position of Christ. These foes include all who have ever lived who have not accepted him. He says, “He that is not with me is against me.” And there can be no plan consistently devised that will take those who, through one probation, have proved themselves incorrigible rebels, and place them so far back into favor as to set them upon a new probation, with nothing on their part to show that there has been a change in their dispositions which would promise a better result from another trial.
In Heb. 10 :16–19 the apostle dwells with great intensity upon the fact that there comes a time when there will be no more sacrifice for sins; and that must be when Christ has finished his work with that one sacrifice with which he has entered into the presence of the Father for us. When the ministry with this present sacrifice is finished, no other is provided. “There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” Then let no one neglect, or reject, the present opportunity; for we have no promise of any other. U. S.
THE TRUE HIGHER EDUCATION STANDS THE TEST IN BABYLON.
By William Warren Prescott
Daniel and his companions are now students in the schools of Babylon, but not by their own choice. In his providence the Lord has brought them to Babylon, that as loyal subjects of his kingdom they may impart the knowledge of him, the only true knowledge, to the heathen world. They have been chosen to be witnesses in their own experiences to the superiority of the kingdom of God over the kingdom of the world.
By the test through which they have passed in the matter of eating and drinking, convincing testimony has been borne that the provision which the King of heaven has made for imparting life and health to his children is better than that which the king of Babylon has substituted for it; and this experience has far-reaching consequences. Following the divine plan in their diet not only results in their appearing “fairer and fatter in flesh” than the others, but also in giving them clearness and power of mind.
When the system is nourished with simple food, and the brain is not beclouded with the poisons that are either introduced into the body or formed within it by a gross diet, then the way is prepared for the life of God to reveal itself unhindered in its own living temple, and thus to make manifest the divine attributes, the glory of God. Thus it was when “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” And as these young men recognized and maintained their standing in the kingdom of heaven although they were captives in the kingdom of Babylon, the King of heaven recognized them, and bestowed upon them the privileges of the kingdom.
“As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”
The divine way of imparting knowledge and wisdom is clearly set forth through the words of Solomon: “My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest for her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Prov. 2:1–6.
To be in direct communication with the source of all wisdom is not intended to be a substitute for earnest application, but rather an incentive to it. As in the natural world, so it is in the intellectual. “These all wait upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather.” Ps. 104:27, 28. But the gathering involves the preparation of the soil, the sowing and the care of the growing crop. It is a law of the kingdom that every result must grow out of some definite effort. It is thus that we co-operate with God in receiving that which he gives. There is no room for idlers in the kingdom of God. “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work,” said Jesus; and every true son of the King will bear the same testimony.
The knowledge that God gives is the knowledge of the truth, that which is real and enduring, as opposed to that which only appears to be, and soon passes away. In other words, he imparts a knowledge of the laws and principles of the heavenly and eternal kingdom, and makes known the reality, which lies behind all observed facts and phenomena.155This brings man into direct touch with the divine mind, and gives him a clear view of the great King as he administers the affairs of his universal kingdom. “For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity.” Rom. 1:20, R. V.
It is sin which has cast a shadow over the face of nature, and drawn a veil over the mind of man, so that he does not recognize the Master Workman in and through his works. But “blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Faith is therefore the key to all true knowledge, since it is through faith that the heart is purified (Acts 15:9), and “through faith we understand.” That same faith in God and the principles of his kingdom which was shown by Daniel and his companions in their test over the question of eating and drinking, prepared the way for them to receive the gift of knowledge, and is also the key that unlocks the treasure-house itself.
“Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.”
In the experience of these four children the gospel of the kingdom of God was being preached in the courts of Babylon. It was being clearly demonstrated that the principles of the heavenly kingdom are superior to those of the kingdom of the world. First it was the matter of diet: and those who followed God’s bill of fare, as given to man in the beginning, gave every evidence of being in better health than those who preferred the Babylonish diet.
Next it was the question of the best education and how to obtain it, and the king of Babylon was himself allowed to be the judge. This really resolved itself into a question between the true and the false religion; between the God of heaven and the gods of the heathen; for the magicians and the astrologers claimed to have communion with “the gods,” and thus to have access to a source of wisdom that was not available for ordinary mortals.
These Hebrew captives, being citizens of the heavenly kingdom, and recognizing God as their wisdom, were by his Spirit guided into all truth. Through their faithfulness to the commandments of the true God, they experienced the fulfillment of the words spoken so long before: “Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations.” Deut. 4:6. This wisdom is that righteousness by faith which enables one to do the right thing in the right way and at the right time. It is a practical wisdom, and applies to the whole conduct of life. And in this case, as always, it was found to be “ten times better” than the wisdom of this world.
Daniel and his fellows are now classed among “the wise men,” and stand before the king. The wisdom that comes from above, and the truth that makes free, have brought them to this position, that they may make known to the king the knowledge of the true God. The kingdom of God, which is within them, will reveal itself. It can not be hidden. Through them the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world for a witness.
Men are asking to-day, What is the true higher education? The answer is found in this experience in Babylon. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” “Therefore let no man glory in men.” That is the true higher education which imparts the knowledge of the Most High, and makes one familiar with the principles of the higher, the heavenly, kingdom. Such an education will stand the test of time and eternity. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.” This is the lesson from the experience of Daniel and his companions.
“And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.” The significance of this brief statement is appreciated when we consider the lesson of Daniel’s life. One question to be answered by the teaching of this book is, What kingdom will stand? It is answered by the facts of experience here recorded, and not by a theoretical deduction from an abstract statement of principles. Babylon was the outward kingdom, the visible, having universal dominion, and every prospect of enduring for ages. It had apparently triumphed over the kingdom of God; for Jerusalem had been conquered by it, and “part of the vessels of the house of God” had been brought to Babylon, and were displayed in triumph in the house of the god of the heathen king. But Jerusalem fell because the people had already fallen, and the kingdom of God was no longer within them. There were some faithful ones still left, however, and Daniel was among them. Although a captive in Babylon, he was a living representative of the kingdom of God. In his own experience was to be preached the everlasting gospel of the kingdom that “shall stand forever.” And so Babylon, “the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency,” fell to rise no more; but “Daniel continued.”
It will be seen, however, in the sequel, that although Babylon, the outward kingdom, passed away many centuries ago, the real Babylon is still here, and the same questions are pressing for a settlement. Who will yield to the principles of the kingdom of God as opposed to the kingdom of Babylon, acknowledge the kingdom of God to be within him, and so continue not merely “unto the first year of king Cyrus,” but to the first, the eternal, year of that One greater than Cyrus, and of whom Cyrus was a type. Isa. 44:28; Zech. 6:12, 13; Isa. 45:13; 49:24–26. “The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”
W. W. P.
A MISCHIEVOUS SCHEME.
Two years ago Mr. John Barrett was United States Minister to Siam. Since that he has been in the United States about a year. Here he seems to be a sort of general drummer-up of sympathy, and molder of public opinion, in favor of the policy of the United States in the East. February 22 he was the guest of honor at a banquet of the Southern Society of New York City, on which occasion he made a speech on America’s policy in the far East. He declared that the “open-door” victory of the United States in China must now be defended; and that she must not allow the other powers to “slam the door.” In order for the United States to make sure of her position there, he gave the following most dangerous advice:—
There remains, however, one highly strategic and effective move to be made on the chessboard of diplomacy before the United States and the world at large will be convinced that disguised efforts to discriminate against our products will be forever checkmated under those new agreements, and I think the government at Washington has the point well in mind. We must have a test case, and the sooner the better,— not a defiant attitude or effort to embroil our country in war, but a firm purpose, prompted by an honest desire to establish our rights by practical trial, like the test of the constitutionality of a new law that has just been enacted. Stated in other and brief terms: We must have a precedent now to prove that the door is opened and can not be closed. If an effort is made to shut it in our faces, either by a gradual movement or a slam, despite these new negotiations, our government, supported by the country at large, must resist such movement, and insist on our rights, with all the forces, moral and material, at our command.
And in view of all the circumstances, it is practically certain that this mischievous advice will be followed. Indeed, the danger is that the thing is already planned, and that this statement of the necessity is put forth as a feeler, and to pave the way for it. And with what a world of possible danger and calamity the suggestion is laden!
Lessons from Floating Logs and Trees.
By Stephen N. Haskell
The Mississippi River, in 1876, changed its course, cutting a new channel for itself, and leaving the city of Vicksburg two miles inland. As we were lying anchored at the Vicksburg landing, on the Mississippi, I was much interested in watching the floating logs and trees that were rapidly being taken down the stream for the benefit of the poor who live near the river, from Vicksburg to New Orleans. Around Vicksburg, and up the river and some of its tributaries, especially the Yazoo River, the country is heavily timbered; but below Vicksburg the wood becomes more and more scarce until finally poor persons can scarcely obtain sufficient wood for fuel. These logs and trees floating down the stream are fished out by the poor, and are used or sold.
This provision made by the Lord for the poor reminds me of the instruction that God gave to his people: “When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.” Deut. 24: 19–22.
It is evident that the Lord led his people to forget the sheaf in the field, in order that he might provide for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. He himself led them to miss now and then olives that were on the boughs of the tree, for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. This is also true in occasionally leaving grapes on the vine.
The Lord led them to miss certain clusters, and in this way God provided for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. So, in the thousands of logs left upon the river bank below high-water mark when the stream rises, the Lord’s providence may be seen to provide for the poor, the widow, and the fatherless, who have been bondmen in time past, and are destitute on account of circumstances under which they are now placed. S. N. H.