Earlier text: SABBATH-KEEPERS IN CHINADANIEL'S AGE AND CHARACTER.
AFTER this, on the twenty-fourth day of that month, he saw the vision concerning the succession of the kings of Persia, the empire of the Macedonians and the conquests of the Romans, of which the last three chapters of his prophecies contain an account. And, by what is written in the conclusion of the last of them, he seems to have died soon after; and his great age makes it not likely that he could have survived much longer. For the third of Cyrus being the seventy-third year of his captivity, if he were eighteen years old at his carrying to Babylon (as I have shown before, is the least that can be supposed), he must have been in the ninety-first year of his age at this time; which was a length of years given to few in those days. He was a very extraordinary person, both in wisdom and piety, and was favored of God and honored of men beyond any that had lived in his time. His prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah, and other great events of after-times, are the clearest and fullest of all that we have in the holy Scriptures, insomuch that Porphyry, in his objections against them, saith, “They must have been written after the facts were done;” for it seems they rather appeared to him to be a narration of matters before transacted than a prediction of things to come; so great an agreement was there between the facts, when accomplished, and the prophecies which foretold them. But, notwithstanding all this, the Jews do not reckon him to be a prophet, and therefore place his prophecies only among the Hagiographa: and they serve the Psalms of David after the same rate. The reason which they give for it in respect of both is, that they lived not the prophetic manner of life, but the courtly; David in his own palace as king of Israel, and Daniel in the palace of the king of Babylon, as one of his chief counselors and ministers in the government of that empire. And, in respect of Daniel, they further add that, although he had divine revelations delivered unto him, yet it was not in the prophetic way, but by dreams and visions of the night, which they reckon to be the most imperfect manner of revelation and below the prophetic. But Josephus, who was one of the most ancient writers of that nation, reckons him among the greatest of the prophets, and says further of him that he had familiar converse with God, and did not only foretell future events as other prophets did, but also determined the time when they should come to pass; and that whereas other prophets only foretold evil things and thereby drew on themselves the ill-will both of princes and people, Daniel was a prophet of good things to come, and by the good report which his predictions carried with them on this account, reconciled to himself the good-will of all men. And the event of such of them as were accomplished, procured to the rest a thorough belief of their truth, and a general opinion that they came from God. But what makes most for this point with us against all that contradict it, our Saviour, Christ, acknowledgeth Daniel to be a prophet; for he so styles him in the gospel: and this is a sufficient decision of this matter.—Prideaux's Connection, vol. 1, p. 162. The Second Coming of Christ.
By Uriah Smith
HOW WILL IT AFFECT THE CASES OF THE WICKED?
Take heed, said Christ, that no man deceive you. And it was in reference to this very subject of his second coming that he uttered these words. Was it because he knew that, on this, the most momentous of all subjects, men would court deception? Be that as it may, it is a fact which challenges observation, that here people seem willing to be misled. By this event, understood as the Bible describes it, an issue is presented of such a nature that to meet it a preparation is required which cuts across all worldly desires, all carnal propensities; all earth-born purposes and pursuits. And rather than turn from these, and endure the crucifixion of the carnal mind, and walk the humble path of self-sacrifice, they shut their eyes to the event itself, or listen with complacency and pleasure to the deceiver’s words, while he falsifies God’s revelation in reference to the nature of Christ’s second coming, and the effects that will follow. 1. The effort is first made to deny the event itself. No such thing is literally to take place, it is claimed, as the second coming of Christ. This is all figurative. It has already taken place, or is daily taking place, or is to take place in the future, in some secret or hidden manner. 2. The plain word of God beating into the dust these false assumptions, the next effort made is to make it appear that, though such an event as the appearing of Christ in the clouds of heaven is really to take place, is it not of such a nature as to excite any alarm; for probation will still continue, and the sinner can still find salvation. We lay it down therefore as the first proposition that in connection with the coming of Christ probation ends. This will appear evident when we consider the change it involves in Christ’s position. He is revealed to us in the characters of prophet, priest, and king. His prophetic office he fulfilled while here upon the earth. His priestly office he maintains so long as he continues to occupy the position he assumed when he ascended up on high as intercessor for us before the Father. The whole work of salvation is summed up in the priesthood of Christ. Outside of this, including the types and symbols pointing to it, no salvation is offered to the guilty. But when Christ comes he does not come as a priest, but a king. When John in vision saw him coming in his glory, his attention was attracted by a peculiar inscription upon his vesture and upon his thigh. His vesture was dipped in blood, but it did not obscure the majestic title inscribed thereon. He looked, and behold it was written, “King of kings and Lord of lords!” Therefore when Christ comes, his priestly work has ended, and salvation is no longer offered to the impenitent. There is another scripture which is explicit upon this point: Rev. 22:11: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” This language certainly brings to view that moment into which is concentrated all the solemnity of the work of salvation for a lost world; when the character of everyone is unalterably fixed, and his case irrevocably decided for an endless eternity. And when is this? Just before the Lord appears; for the next sentence in the chapter reads, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Hence by what his works have been up to that time, and not by what they may be afterward, is every man’s eternal destiny decided. The second coming of Christ draws the line of final separation between the righteous and wicked. He shall separate them as a shepherd divideth his sheep from his goats. Matt. 25:32. Hence it is certain that there is no probation beyond. The announcement of Christ’s second coming is therefore the announcement of that solemn fact in human history, the end of probation for all that are living upon the earth at that time. Sinner, your only hope is to seek Christ and his salvation before that fearful hour; for then his work will be to judge and execute, and not, as now, to plead and pardon. The coming of Christ will put an end to all enterprises, and overturn every position, and abolish all situations, that are not founded upon his saving work. Kings then forget their kingly power; for one appears who is king over them. The rich men forget their wealth, or only remember it to throw it to the moles and bats in wild despair at the fact so suddenly revealed that their gold and silver cannot save them. The chief captains and mighty men change suddenly their lordly tones, and leave their haughty orders half unsaid, lost in anxiety for their own safety. And all, high and low, rich and poor, honorable and debased, business workers and pleasure seekers, flee from the face of a terror unknown to earth before; for they know that the Lamb’s great day of wrath is come. Conscious that they have willfully and wantonly despised his mercy, and insulted his power, they now plunge into the caves of the mountains, and the fissures of the convulsed and reeling earth, and implore the rocks to crush them, and the mountains to bury them from his incensed presence. Rev. 6:14-17. The coming of Christ destroys all the wicked living at that time. Paul in 2 Thess. 1:7-10, describes the revelation of the Lord Jesus in flaming fire, and says that it is to take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; and that they shall be punished with everlasting destruction from (or by) his presence and the glory of his power. In the parable, Luke 19:12-27, which illustrates the ascension of Christ to receive his kingdom, and his second coming after having received his kingdom, the fate of the wicked is set forth in verse 27: “But those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me.” Again in the vision of Rev. 19, where the second coming of Christ is represented by the figure of a conqueror riding forth upon a white horse. After the battle between the kings of the earth and him that sat upon the horse, we read: “And the remnant [all that were left] were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse.” Finally, at the coming of Christ, universal destruction is brought upon the face of nature, and the earth is reduced to its original condition of disorder and chaos. The prophet Isaiah describes it in forcible language (chapter 24) as made empty and waste and turned upside down; as mourning and languishing and fading away; as devoured by the curse and becoming desolate; as utterly broken down and dissolved, and reeling to and fro like a drunkard, and removed like a cottage. And John says that when the great day of wrath comes, the heavens depart as a scroll, and every mountain and island are moved out of their places. Rev. 6:14. And again he declares that when the great voice from the throne in the heavenly temple declares that all is finished, the islands flee away, the mountains are not found. Rev. 16:20. The earth is shaken by the voice of God; and that shaking, says Paul, Heb. 12:27, signifies its removal. The imagination cannot grasp the reality of that mighty convulsion which shall level every mountain, and unmoor every island. Jeremiah had a view of it when all this had transpired, and he says the heavens had no light, and lo! the earth was without form and void. Jer. 4:23. Such are some of the scenes attending the coming of the Son of man. Shall we say that they are of no consequence, and bid the sinner dream on his pleasing dream of peace and safety? No! but rather with all our power we warn him to flee, while yet he may, from the wrath that surely is to come. U. S. In Rev. 10:6, 7, an angel swears to the ending of the time, prophetic time, contained in the little book which was opened, in his hand. This was fulfilled by the first angel's message of Rev. 14:6, 7, proclaiming “the hour of his Judgment is come.” The Judgment of investigation and of decision of character is identical with the cleansing of the sanctuary; a work to take place at the end of the prophetic period of two thousand and three hundred days. Dan. 8:14. Rev. 10 closes with these words: “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” Without a full understanding of the fact that the time referred to in the oath of the angel is prophetic time, it would be natural to conclude that this oath announced the coming of Christ, and the end of the dispensation. And this was the view of those who gave the first message. They did not understand that the Judgment was to sit, and the sanctuary be cleansed, before the coming of the Lord. They fully believed that they were giving the first angel's message, and that, with the close of their message, time should be no longer. But “their eyes were holden,” that they did not see that two messages were to follow the one they were giving, and that the coming of the Lord is after the three are all given. The words of Rev. 10:11, are a prophecy of the third angel's message, and by this we learn that it is to go to “many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” Rev. 14:9, says the third angel proclaimed his message “with a loud voice.” Thus in these texts we learn two interesting and important truths: 1. This message is to go to the nations of the earth. 2. It is to go with a loud voice, or in mighty power. God's purposes of grace are worked out by instrumentalities. He has committed to man the work of proclaiming the gospel to his fellow-man. The responsibility of this message is upon us. Not as a burden, grievous to be borne, but as a privilege granted to us by infinite mercy, that we may be “workers together with God,” the highest honor that weak mortals can enjoy. This message must increase in extent and power. God's word has spoken it, and it cannot fail. But to fulfill this, those who proclaim it, who send it forth to the nations, must be clothed with power from on high. It is their privilege to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” As the message rises in power, God will clothe his servants with strength and power to rise with it. He will be “the health of our countenance,” if we put our trust in him. When Israel went out of Egypt they came to a point where they were hemmed in by the sea, the mountains, and the host of the Egyptians. At this point, with every avenue closed before them, the voice of the Lord is heard saying, “Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.” These things “were written for our learning.” Let us rise up and go forward. The sea, so dark and forbidding before us, will divide as we approach it, and soon we shall sing the song of victory on the other shore. J. H. W. All Along the Line.
By Stephen Nelson Haskell
No individual who reads our periodicals can fail to see that the cause of present truth is spreading more rapidly than at any period in its previous history. In every part of this country we hear of souls embracing the truth. Cheering reports are received from the most distant parts of the world. Individuals of every nationality are seen taking their stand upon the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Nothing is more clearly demonstrated to the believer in the “third angel’s message” of Rev. 14:9-12, than the fact that the Lord is preparing the way for the earth to be lightened with the glory of the “mighty angel,” of Rev. 18. Reference to the state of the cause in one of our Conferences will give us some idea of the condition of the work all over the field. Wherever a spirit of sacrificing labor has been continued for months or years, the fruit of it is now becoming apparent. Two years ago this spring, the brethren in Minnesota organized their Tract and Missionary Society. Their circumstances at that time were such that it required much sacrificing zeal to successfully start and carry through the organization. Paying up their delinquency on the periodicals, purchasing publications, and such expenses as would necessarily arise, taxed them pecuniarily. This they cheerfully met. Then circumstances made it necessary that their ministerial help, which the General Conference had sent them should go to other fields. Thus they were left to their own resources. When the call was made for 10,000 new subscribers for our periodicals on a trial volume one year ago last December, this Conference was among the first to fill its quota. Many of the brethren and sisters then began the missionary labor in earnest. Visiting families, and praying with them where it was proper, constituted a share of their missionary work. When lectures were given in a community they did not leave the few who embraced the truth for the devouring wolves to destroy before they had become established; but some brother of experience would visit them from house to house, assist them in erecting the family altar and set before them in a judicious manner the moral and physical effects of the use of tobacco, tea, coffee, &c. When one left, another visited them. This gave them a change of gifts, thus saving the work of God from bearing too much the stamp of individualism, and left those who could give lectures free to enter new fields. In this way a healthy tone is given to the new churches; and they partake of the same missionary spirit. The fruit of this course soon became manifest. Over one hundred have embraced the truth in this Conference since the camp-meeting; and an interest to read and hear upon these truths is more or less apparent all over the State. To illustrate the effect of this kind of labor we relate the following: One brother went out in a back settlement to canvass for The Voice of Truth. There were nineteen families in that vicinity in which the REVIEW had been read, and they were anxious to hear on these subjects. They eagerly subscribed for The Voice. But how did they become acquainted with the REVIEW? Some person unknown to the receiver had sent the trial volume last winter to one of these families and they had become interested in it; and when the subscription expired they felt that they could not do without the paper, and therefore renewed their subscription and loaned it to the other families. At another place where the REVIEW had been sent, an interest had been awakened in these truths. A brother passing through the neighborhood, left some tracts, and, by their urgent request, an appointment to speak to them. For some cause he failed to meet his engagement. The friends, however, came together. Having no minister, they appointed one of their number to read to them a Sabbath tract which he had left. A short time after this, some lectures were given, and now there are forty keeping the Sabbath who meet to worship God. About twenty-five miles from this place there is another company of forty that embraced the Sabbath under similar circumstances. A man and his wife came over forty miles to attend our meeting at Grove Lake. They had seen the appointment in the REVIEW. She had commenced to keep the Sabbath, but was not acquainted with the brethren and sisters. Before the meeting closed two others took their stand to keep the commandments of God. Bro. Grant, who is constantly traveling through the State, holding quarterly meetings with the various churches, says that it is not an uncommon thing for one or more to come to the meeting for the first time, having seen the notice in the REVIEW. In some instances the REVIEW is the only reading matter they have ever seen, and by reading it these persons have commenced to keep the Bible Sabbath, have erected the family altar,69 thrown away their tobacco, and commenced to serve the Lord. Thus it is where the missionary work has been carried forward with steady perseverance. A director writes in his report as follows: “A brother gave some tracts to a family in the city who promised to read, but after he left they were thrown out of the window into the street. A family who were moving picked up these tracts, read them, and are now rejoicing in the truth.” Similar instances are constantly coming to notice. What is the meaning of all this, if it be not that God is preparing honest hearts everywhere to receive his sacred truth? The Tract Societies in this State are making an effort to fill their quota of names. The sisters, as well as the brethren, are taking an active part in this work. One, who is a widow with three small children, took her little boy to drive the oxen (for this was all the team they had), visited her neighbors through the cold and snow, and in a short time secured forty paying subscribers for The Voice. Could all realize the importance of this work and of the time in which we live, there would not be a Conference nor a single district in a Conference, but would make every effort to procure readers for our periodicals and publications wherever their influence extends. God is preparing hearts all over the world to receive his truth. He has committed the work of imparting this light and truth to his church. Now is the time to work. Neglect the present golden moments, and we meet with an irreparable loss. “This life to toil is given;
And he improves it best
Who seeks by patient labor
To enter into rest.” The brethren in Minnesota Conference have some courage in God, and they assure us that we can count on them to fill their quota of names for The Voice of Truth and Health Reformer. They want the privilege of doing it. If they continue in the same sacrificing spirit of labor, and take unselfish and enlarged views of the work of God, they will grow strong, and be successful in spreading the light of God’s truth. We long for the time when more of this spirit will be diffused through all the ranks of our people, whether they are in Conference organizations or scattered in different parts of the world. S. N. HASKELL. The Trial of Faith.
By R. F. Cottrell
THAT we may know our motives and the strength of our faith, it is well to have something to test it. We might be deceived in respect to our love to God, his cause, and those for whom Christ died, had we nothing to test the strength of our love. Hence the trial is necessary; and if properly received and endured, will prove a precious benefit. Hence the utterance of the apostle: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold.” 1 Pet. 1:7 And James says, “Blessed is the man who sustains trial; for, becoming an approved person, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them who love him.” James 1:12.—Campbell. He further says, “Let no one who is tempted say, Certainly I am tempted by God; for God is incapable of being tempted by evil things, and he tempts no one.” He tempts no one to do evil; but he tries the sincerity of our faith and love; not merely because he has a right to do so, but for our good, that we may know ourselves and not be deceived, and consequently ruined. That which is intended only for our good should certainly be received, not only with composure, but thanksgiving. Hence he says, “Count it all joy, when ye fall into divers trials.” We are liable to deceive ourselves. We may think we are laboring for the cause of God and from a love of souls, while we labor for self, working for wages. If this is the case, a work of sacrifice—a work in which there is no hope of remuneration till the resurrection of the just—will do us good, since it will decide the question, whether we would “shut the doors” of the house of God or “kindle fire” upon his altar for nought. We should welcome all that the providence of God permits, knowing that trials rightly borne will work for the glory of God and our own salvation. God is testing his people in various ways. Who will prove true? He is giving us the opportunity to learn whether we are covetous, proud, and selfish, or not; and if we find, when brought to the test, that we are self-lovers, or money-lovers, he graciously gives us the opportunity to correct and overcome these faults. And all have an opportunity now to prove whether we have love enough for those for whom Christ died to put forth self-sacrificing efforts for their salvation. Those who do this will be permitted to see the fruit of their efforts, as the reward of their toil, and thus enter into the joy of their Lord; provided they endure to the end in patient continuance in well-doing. Loss and Gain.
By D. H. Lamson
Most men in the affairs of life mean to look well to the “main chance.” Mistakes are often made; but it is not to be supposed that failure is the thing determined. Those who make life a success are usually such as look beyond the present, and foresight is a necessity. It is true that there are sometimes great gains as a matter of chance, without any special train being laid to bring results; they are not, therefore, generally permanent in character, as another turn of the wheel may sweep them all away. A blind confidence may not always be misplaced; it is certainly the exception and not the rule if it is not, and the very dregs of bitterness and disappointment is almost the certain consequence. Better, then, to count the cost, to have the objective points always in view, the means well defined, and only such means used as point directly to the coveted goal. A railroad may be in process of construction through the land. Its principal points and terminations may be such that when built, it will be a road of great value. Its stock may have risen above par fifty per cent. An early investment in such an enterprise could hardly be called a venture. Another road is projected, which when completed will be its rival, and perhaps surpass it in its advantages; its shares will sell at but seventy-five dollars; the par value is one hundred. Who would not say that they, where financial acumen could grasp the fact, would not do well to transfer all their capital at the best possible moment to the new road. It cannot be doubted that the children of this world are wise in their generation. Are they wiser than the children of light? Between this world with all its sacrificing and toil, and the world to come, with its light and joy, there is to the Christian the widest possible contrast. To him it is a patent truth that the sorrow of this world worketh death, but a godly sorrow, repentance unto life. But multitudes, like Bunyan’s man with a muck rake, are looking down satisfied, with the alluring glitter of earthly treasures, forgetting to look up at the jeweled crown, and an eternal weight of glory, the sure reward of its possessor. The truth when presented contends with a variety of objections, which, when weighed, are lighter than vanity. Says one, How can I be so unlike others, much of happiness depends on associations. True, yet a happiness that is as a shadow, and associations that are formed but to be broken, can be of no permanent benefit. The end in view, if it be everlasting life, will not justify an improper use of the means at command, and the only means attainable is the time that God has given. It may be esteemed a pleasure to be a participant in folly; but it ceases to be a pleasure when consequences stare us in the face, small satisfaction will it be to know, when the bitter end is in full view, that the friendships which have been cherished will cease to be remembered in the darkness of eternal death, and even friends must share the bitter cup and be engulfed in the same ruin. It is a wise choice that makes Heaven the primary consideration, and all else be made subservient to the desired end. Looking at the Bible as the epitome of truth, and believing its denunciations of wrath certain, and its promises of mercy sure, the one upon the ungodly and the other to the good, it becomes a matter of painful regret that so many who know their duty, do it not. Ignorance may be a sin, but neglect of so great salvation as comes through the suffering of Christ, is crime too great for finite mind to measure. Yet by excuses that cannot be justified, life is frittered away, and hope recedes from view. “All men have not faith,” says the apostle; “but all men have desires.” Still with no reasonable expectation that such desires will ever be gratified, some have said, “I believe the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord;” but also say that conscience troubles when working on Sunday. The question now arises, Is conscience the educator? or is it to be educated? If conscience were the standard, and a perfect one, then all would think alike so far as its promptings were followed; for no man is without a degree of this element. The truth is, that an enlightened conscience is based upon reason, and reason only acts upon developed data; then revelation is a necessity, and that necessity is supplied. It is absolutely impossible to arrive at just conclusions be the reasoning ever so good, if the premises are improperly laid. Conscience being an essential in the development of true morality, it must necessarily be guided in its operation by established rules, and these rules emanate from the hand that is infinitely just and good. It cannot be doubted that the Hindoo mother, the worshiper of the Grand Lama, or the devotee at the shrine of Mohammed are led by conscience; but how blind the guide! Is it not to be supposed that disrespect to the faith of the one or the devotions of the other would be met with rebuke? or if by enlightenment such faith should be forsaken for a purer, that thought would not revert and memory cling to old associations? Would it therefore be wrong for these to yield a false hope for a true one, because conscience had all their life led them wrong? Who among Christians would not with welcoming hand and loving heart greet the courage that would make the transition. Once more the question rises, Is there any rule from a Bible standpoint for the observance of Sunday? If not, and there is none, then WHY should the mind be trammeled with the idea? If the Bible is the standard, and that does not say it is wrong to labor on that day, is it not therefore right? and should not conscience rest at this very point? If the word of God does not condemn, who shall fear condemnation? Would it not be better to say that the Bible points to the seventh day as the Sabbath of the Lord? Ex. 20:8-11, and the promise of life is to those who keep the commandments. Rev. 22:14; Matt. 19:17. If by breaking the command of God life will be lost, and by regarding it life is gained, which is the better course to pursue? Shall excuses, which will be of no avail in the Judgment, cause the way of life to be perverted? Eternal destinies hang upon the decisions of this hour. A few fleeting moments, and time is no more. It is time that the deepest earnestness should pervade all hearts. The Judge is at the door, and few are ready. A friend who claims to believe that the seventh day is the Sabbath, says, I do not wish to be seen when working upon Sunday; yet he does not admit that conscience is disturbed when laboring upon the Sabbath. The statement amounts to simply this, that the fear of God is less before the eyes than the fear of man. For against the one is the express command of God; and against the other, no command at all; eye-service as men-pleasers will count but very little at the bar of God. If men could only be brought to think that no one has a right to retain a conscience that is not in harmony with the word of God, it would be well. But alas! how unwilling is the natural heart to have one of its desires abated or held in check. Search will be made in vain for a single promise of blessing to the disobedient; but the righteous shall return with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads. “Say ye to the righteous, saith the Lord, it shall be well with him, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked; it shall be ill with him; for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” Reader; is it with you life or death? loss or gain? Armada, Mich., Feb. 12, 1875. Walking in Christ.
By J. O. Corliss
A LADY who has recently embraced the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, wrote to her sister in Wisconsin, stating her views, at the same time sending her a copy of the REVIEW. She received a note in reply, saying that, after reading the paper, the thought came to her, “Perhaps they are right after all,” which made her feel “uncomfortably.” So she went before the Lord to pray over the matter, and became satisfied that she was doing wrong in trying to understand the secrets of the Almighty. At the same time the Spirit assured her that “as she had received Christ Jesus the Lord, so she should walk in him.” A great many persons argue as above to relieve conscience after being convicted on the truth, and then settle into their old ways; and deceive themselves by trying to believe that they will be justified by pursuing a course directly contrary to that marked out by the Spirit of God. The reasons for doing so are various and palpable. One of the offices of the Holy Spirit is to convince of righteousness. The case of the apostle Paul furnishes us an example of the way in which we will walk when we have really received the Spirit of Christ into our hearts. When standing before Agrippa relating his life, he said: “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth;” Acts 26:9; yet he testifies that he did it all honestly and in harmony with the faith he professed, which made him very zealous toward God (chap. 22:3); and also gave him a hope in the resurrection of the dead. Acts 24:15. While journeying to Damascus in fulfillment of a supposed duty, he was arrested in his course by a light from heaven, showing the claims of God’s law upon him, and condemning him as its transgressor. This caused him to tremble, and without doubt he felt “uncomfortably;” for in relating his experience, he says, in Rom. 7:9: “I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” But he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, and instead of praying to be released from his obligation to obey the law, he said: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” showing the death of the old man, and a willingness to put on Christ and move in any direction indicated by him. The Spirit which is Christ’s representative in the earth (if it be the genuine Spirit), will agree with his word spoken while on the earth, which says: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7. Now to abide in Christ, as explained elsewhere, is to walk even as he walked. 1 John 2:6. Jesus says: “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” John 15:10. The same word also says, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39. Therefore, if we have a spirit which forbids searching his word, it cannot be the one that inspired the writing of that word; and if in searching the word, we find duties which have before been hidden from us, the Spirit, to be consistent with its office as a reprover would teach us to conform our lives to that word. The truth of God is ever progressive. The psalmist tells us that light is sown for the righteous. Ps. 97:11. Because a person is righteous so far as he knows, it is not evidence that he has learned all that God would have him know; he has only given proof that when further duties are presented to him, he will perform them with the same alacrity that he has those made known before. The case of Cornelius furnishes a notable example of this kind. He was a devout man, and one who feared God; one also who had given of his means for the benefit of his fellow-creatures, and had been constant at the throne of grace. His prayers were answered by the angel calling him by name, and saying: “Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God, and now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon whose surname is Peter . . . he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.” Although Cornelius had the evidence that what he had done was acceptable; the Spirit of God being the witness, yet there were other duties to be made known, and to be performed by him. He was himself to be conformed to the doctrine of Christ only in that way, and through those means, that God has ordained. God’s word is the channel through which he imparts instruction to us; but if we ignore its plain teachings, and take a course contrary to the one marked out, be it ever so congenial to our own inclinations, how can we expect to retain his Spirit in our hearts? Evidently we do not; but suffer another to usurp the place which God intends for his Spirit to occupy, and thus doing, deceive ourselves by thinking we are walking in Christ. Perhaps this class is referred to by our Saviour in Matt. 7:21-23, where he condemns those who say, Lord, Lord, but do not the things he has said; and to whom in the Judgment he will say, “I never knew you; depart from me, ye workers of iniquity;” or as some translations read: “I never acknowledged you.” Let us not deceive ourselves, but build upon the word of God, which is the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone. Faith Dependent on the Will.
By R. F. Cottrell
A MAN said to me, “I would not believe your doctrine if I knew it was true.” I am satisfied that faith is more dependent upon the will of a person than many think. It is true that faith must be founded on evidence; it comes by hearing; but the will may resist the evidence however strong it may be. Unbelief stubbornly refuses to accept the best testimony, and builds itself up on objections the most absurd and unreasonable. It closes the eyes to the plainest and most manifest truth, and hides under a refuge of lies too flimsy to afford protection; and then concludes, “If I am lost, I am lost in innocence; for the testimony is so weak, and the objections so strong that I cannot believe.” “Search the Scriptures; . . . they are they which testify of me. And ye WILL NOT come to me, that ye might have life.” It is the resistance of the will that keeps men from believing God and accepting the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. Sinners love sin and hate to part with it; therefore they search for objections to the truth to excuse themselves in their infidelity. It is sometimes said that false professors and false doctrines make infidels. These certainly foster infidelity, and help those who want an excuse for their rejection of the truth to find one which they think is valid; but which in the sight of sound reason is utterly fallacious. If Christians do not live as they ought, it is every man’s privilege to show the world how they ought to live. And if others falsify the doctrines of the Bible, all have the privilege of going to the fountain-head of truth for themselves. The difficulty is the want of a disposition to do these things. It seems more feasible to the carnal mind to find an excuse for unbelief and disobedience. Let the will be submitted to God, and faith will be the result. The carnal mind is not subject to the law of God. It always loves unbelief. But, “If any man WILL DO HIS WILL, he shall know of the doctrine.” God has revealed his will to man in the plainest terms. A willingness to keep the law of ten commandments as they are, is the best thing to enlighten the eyes of the understanding in the search after truth. Those who are unwilling to yield to God and keep his commandments will excuse themselves with some silly objection. Professing Christians who are unwilling to keep the Lord’s Sabbath, follow the same course, and, like the infidel, make some objection which casts the blame of their disobedience on the Law-giver. If men would yield the will to God, they would believe his word. But the man who will find objections, will find them, no matter how unreasonable, silly, and impious they may be. No matter if they impeach the wisdom and benevolence of the Almighty; if he can cast off blame from himself, it is no matter to him on whom it falls. How deep the depravity of the sinful heart; How much better to yield the will to God, and lovingly confide in his word. Charley's Faith in Prayer.—
“When I hear my mother pray like that, I know we are going to get through one more dark place, any way. I tell you, boy, she has prayed us through the narrowest spots you ever saw.”