Earlier text: COLLEGE SECRET SOCIETIESIt is said that no person can walk straight in any direction unless he follows some path or mark, or is guided by some distant object, toward which he may direct his course. Let a man be blindfolded, and if he attempt to walk in a right line, he will invariably find himself describing a circle, as persons lost in forests, or on trackless wastes, usually travel round and round, sometimes wandering for days, and yet never going far from the point whence they started. The reason assigned for this is the unequal strength of the two sides of the human body, one foot walking a little faster than the other, and so turning the steps from a straight line to a circular course, and sending a man round and round in aimless and endless wanderings. Indeed, let any person be blindfolded and placed in a large field, and told to find his way to any distant point in the inclosure, and he will probably be utterly unable to direct his steps so as to reach the place which he desires. Nothing but sight can guide the steps; and the sight must be rightly directed, and steadily fixed upon some distant object, or the steps will unconsciously diverge from the desired course. A person looking carefully at his feet while walking through a field, will find his path is far from straight. He can only make a straight path by turning his eye away from his feet, and shaping his course toward some object afar off. The spiritual lesson illustrated by this fact is obvious. Men, blinded by the god of this world, wander round and round, without aim or end, and even when their eyes are opened to know the folly of their course, they either follow in a path which others have trodden, pursuing it in all its windings, and turning to and fro, or in passing over an untrodden way their feet unconsciously turn aside, and stray far from the course which they desired to pursue. One way alone remains. He who would make straight paths for his feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, who would, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation pursue a steadfast course, must fix his eye upon some mark toward which he may direct his steps with steady and unflagging zeal. “Wherefore, laying aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Taking him for our pattern, our guide, our beacon, our bright and morning star, we may walk boldly and confidently through this world of snares and cares, of errors and mistakes, assured that so long as our eye is fixed on Jesus, our feet can not go far from the narrow way. “Forgetting the things that are behind,” we may thus reach forward to the things that are before, and “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”—H. L. H. Parents Who Make a Golden Calf of Their Sons
MANY a rich man in bringing up his son seems ambitious of making what Aaron made—a golden calf. “In the government of our cities,” says Dr. Holland, “we could very well afford to get along without scholars, if we could have only modestly educated gentlemen. If the heavy-jawed, full-bellied, diamond-brooched bully, who now typifies the city politician, were put to his appropriate work of railroad building, or superintending gangs of ignorant workmen, and there could be put in his place good, quiet business men, of gentlemanly instincts, and of sound moral principle, we could get along very comfortably without the scholar, though there would not be the slightest objection to him. In brief, we want better men than we have, a great deal more than we want brighter or better educated men. Scholarship is secondary, rather than a primary consideration: the gentleman first, the scholar, if he is a gentleman, and not otherwise. If Christian gentlemen were in power, many of the questions that appeal to us for settlement would settle themselves. As long as notorious scamps, scholarly or otherwise, are in power, not much headway can be made in politics. Until we demand something more and something better in our politicians than knowledge or scholarship, until we demand that they shall be gentlemen, we shall take no step forward. George Washington got along very well as a politician on a limited capital of culture, and a very large one of patriotism and personal dignity. Aaron Burr was a scholar, whose lack of principle spoiled him for any good end in politics, and made his name a stench in the nostrils of his country.” Consequences of a Thoughtless Prank
In a country town many years ago, some children were met for a social evening at an old farm-house, and while the sport was at its height, a little boy thought it would be “funny” to draw a chair out from under a little girl, and let her sit down on the floor. He watched his opportunity, and made the attempt; but the little girl, seeing what he was doing, jumped back into the chair, and, striking her spine upon one of its projections, broke her back. For seven years, from fourteen to twenty-one, she lay upon her bed, and during all that time was carried from her chamber to the parlor but once. Thirty years have passed; I have just returned from a visit to her sick chamber. Thirty years of disability and pain as the consequence of a thoughtless deed by a little boy. A few strangers minister to her daily wants, without whose aid she would be sent to the “poor-house” or home for the wretched and homeless poor. Terrible consequences to follow a thoughtless act. Let boys be careful. Let all remember that consequences walk hand in hand with every deed and that “for all our deeds, God will bring us into judgment.”—Christian Era. I ASKED a student what three things he most wished? He said: “Give me books, health, and quiet, and I care for nothing more.” I asked a miser, and he cried, “Money—money—money!” I asked a pauper, and he faintly said, “Bread—bread—bread!” I asked a drunkard, and he loudly called, Strong drink. I asked the multitude around me, and they lifted up a confused cry, in which I heard the words, “Wealth, fame, and pleasure.” I asked a poor man, who had long borne the character of an experienced Christian: he replied, that all his wishes could be met in Christ. He spoke seriously, and I asked him to explain. He said, “I greatly desire these three things—first, that I may be found in Christ! secondly, that I may be like Christ! thirdly, that I may be with Christ.” The Interior on the Fallacy of Private Religious Discovery
The Interior meets a common fallacy in the following terms: “The frequent assumption that every man has the ability to settle all religious questions by examinations and discoveries of his own, is a cause of skepticism and shallowness of thought. Why not tell him that he should not use watches, reaping machines, and telegraphs invented by men of more genius than himself, until he has devised some of his own equally efficient? The fact is, that in earthly science and labor we are wisest when we make the best use of other men's studies and discoveries. To act upon the same rule in matters of religion is wisdom. It is common sense.” “They May Kill Me if They'll Love Jesus.”
Rev. J. M. Pendleton, in the Baptist Visitor, says: These words as spoken in a prayer-meeting by Rev. Mr. Johnson, returned missionary from China, made a deep impression. They are the words of a Chinese convert. With a heart full of love to Christ he went forth among his benighted countrymen, telling of the way of salvation, and begging them to give up their idols and receive the Lord Jesus. He met with ridicule, scorn, and persecution. Some threw mud at him, and others, stones. He returned whence he started with a disfigured face. There was mud sticking to it, made reddish by the blood that flowed from cuts made by the stones on his temples. Mr. Johnson said to him, “You have met with bad treatment to-day.” He smilingly replied, “They may kill me if they'll love Jesus.” If I reach Heaven, I hope to be permitted to see that convert. Amusements: Bishops' Counsel on Worldly Pleasures
The bishops of the M. E. church, in their letter to the people, have the following very sensible advice in regard to amusements:— We would call your attention to the subject of amusements. Some of our people may be tempted by worldly success to yield to popular and sinful pleasures. Great watchcare should be had against these dangerous fascinations. The church is separate from the world. “Come ye out from among them,” is a command of to day as much as in the time of Paul. Take no diversions except such as can be used in the name of the Lord Jesus, is a protection needed now as much as when John Wesley wrote it. “The world is too much with us.” Let it not weaken our love for the services of the church. Let your prayer and class-meetings still be your most beloved resorts. They are the true sources of church life. The solicitations of permitted enjoyments of a cultivated sort interfere sometimes with these claims. Yield not to any temptation that makes you neglect or dislike their holy communions. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together. Especially would we call your attention to the two-fold and kindred duties lying upon every minister and member—personal growth in grace, and seeking the salvation of souls. These duties are mutual. One cannot grow in holiness unless he labors for the salvation of sinners, nor can one work faithfully for the rescue of souls without increasing in his own love for his Saviour and in the graces of the Spirit. The church must become more and more like her Master, who revealed his God-head in his coming to seek and to save that which was lost. So should all his disciples prove their discipleship. Mere meditative or introspective piety is not scriptural or Methodistic. It is mystic; it is transcendental; it is fatal to the proper growth of the religious nature. Singing in the family adds greatly to the interests of devotional exercises, especially among children. It helps to make the family altar a pleasant place. The moral influence of vocal music, of a sanctified character, has always been pleasant in the extreme. Show us the family where good music is cultivated, where the parents and children are accustomed often to mingle their voices in song, and we will show you one, in almost every instance, where peace, harmony, and love, prevail, and where the base, gross vices have no dwelling place. Music, like an angel from the courts of Paradise, can throw around the soul a thousand heavenly influences, and charm it into the paths of virtue. Is it not to be regretted that good men—heads of families—who are regular in their morning and evening devotions, should omit singing? What more delightful scene this side of Heaven than parents, with their sons and daughters, united in the domestic circle devoutly mingling their voices in sacred song? Boston Bank Clerk Charged With Defaulting
A GENTLEMAN connected with a Boston bank as a clerk recently robbed the bank. They called him a “fellow” and other disreputable names at first, and some intimated that he was a thief—for they thought he had stolen only a few dollars; but it turns out that he took $85,000, and is not a thief at all, but a defaulter. He has been bailed out for the good of society. Unity of Action.
By John Nevins Andrews
To accomplish any work to advantage, those who engage in it need to be able to work in perfect union. Otherwise, the work will be marred and delayed, and the time and strength of the workmen will be wasted. We have no reason to believe that the apostles in their work thwarted one another, or labored at cross purposes. As they command us to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment, we may be certain that in their conduct they illustrated what they command in us. It was possible for them by the aid of the Spirit of God to act in unity in the work which God gave them to do. It is possible for us to act thus, if we have hearts as unselfish as theirs, and if we have the cementing influence of the Spirit of God to save us from alienation, and to give us unity of feeling. Our union is in God if it be a true and real union. His truth must be its basis; his Spirit, that which shall make it vital and endearing. The people who are thus united in the cause and work of God may certainly expect his help and guidance. In all past ages, God has helped his people at every important crisis, and has done this just in proportion as they have been true to him. He has performed this by raising up and qualifying men to fill places of great responsibility in his work, and he has clearly taught our duty toward those whom he has appointed to lead out and to bear rule in his work. It is here that the gifts of the Spirit of God are of the highest importance in the Christian church; for these will clearly determine the persons whom God chooses to fill the places of greatest responsibility in his work. In every important enterprise among men, it is necessary that they be able to act in harmony if they would insure success. This is equally important in the work of God. Shall we say that God cannot secure in his work what men are able to secure in theirs? Is God well pleased with confusion and disorder? Is there no alternative but a choice between confusion and tyranny? Is it not possible for God to be present with his work in all ages in the manner indicated by his appointment of the several gifts which he has placed in the church? Is it fanaticism to regard 1 Cor. 12 and Eph. 4 as designed to give us practical instruction with regard to the proper performance of the work God has given to his people, and with respect, also, to the unity of their work? In fact, can we be Bible Christians if we practically exclude and disregard such scriptures as the ones just named? Is it not the course of true wisdom to find the divine plan and then to follow it in all its parts? And have we not prospered in proportion as we have done this? J. N. A. The Preparation of the Sabbath History.
By John Nevins Andrews
It may be proper that I should make some statement respecting the second edition of the History of the Sabbath. The amount of labor expended upon this work has not been small. It was my original purpose to re-write the Biblical portion of this history. In accordance with this purpose I entered anew into the study of the Sabbath in the sacred record, and made considerable progress in a more thorough investigation of this part of its history. But before I had brought these labors to such a state of completeness as to be available for use in the present edition, I became satisfied that it was more necessary that the second division of the work, the secular part of the history, should have the benefit of all the labor and time that could be allowed me to expend upon it. I therefore laid aside my unfinished labor on the Biblical portion of my work, and with some small additions and a few verbal changes have committed part first again to the reader. I have attempted in part second to thoroughly acquaint myself with the record of the Sabbath since the time of the apostles. It has been my earnest desire, first, to learn the exact truth, and secondly, to state it with such care that the reader shall get a just idea of the facts in the case. The Biblical record of the Sabbath was written by observers of the seventh day. But the history of the Sabbath since the commencement of the great apostasy is written mainly by those strongly opposed to its observance. Even those portions of its history which were written by its friends prior to, or during, the Dark Ages, have all been exposed to the corrupting or destructive hands of Romanist enemies of the Sabbath. It was the settled policy of Rome in the Dark Ages to burn the records of the heretics, and Sabbath-keeping was a heretical observance peculiarly hateful to Rome. Another method of opposition to the truth and cause of God was to make their writings speak what their authors never intended; and still another was to fix upon them crimes which should cause them to be detested of mankind. The Bible record of the Sabbath is sufficient for the instruction of those who govern themselves by the testimony of inspiration. But men in general are so much under the influence of tradition and custom, and the example and teaching of great men, that it is not enough to show them that the seventh day is the Bible Sabbath and that no other day has any claim to that title. They are no sooner convinced out of the Scriptures respecting the Sabbath than they take refuge in the customs and traditions of the past which they have been taught came from the apostles. It is to help such persons that the records which cover the history of the great apostasy have been carefully examined, and the facts set forth in order that they may see the folly of making void the commandments of God to keep the traditions of men. Since men appeal to custom, tradition, and the fathers, to these they must go. I have therefore thought it duty to make a very thorough examination of the fathers, especially of those who lived prior to Constantine. To do this alone involved the careful searching of ten thousand pages. The result does not show a very great amount of matter, but it places the reader in possession of all the facts concerning the Sabbath and first-day in the earliest ages. I have given every expression in every one of the early fathers as to the kind of Sunday observance which then prevailed. The idea of abstinence from labor as a duty on Sunday never occurred to one of those writers, and they furnish decisive evidence that it was a day in which, according to their judgment, ordinary labor was not sinful. They also make it a church festival of the same rank with Easter and Whitsunday. I have also given in their own words every reason offered in every one of the early fathers for the respect which they showed to Sunday. Scarcely one of these is used by modern first-day writers. On the contrary, the reasons offered by the moderns for Sunday-keeping, such as the assertion that Christ changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week, had never been heard of by the early fathers, for they would certainly have mentioned such a reason as much as once, had they understood it to be a fact, instead of offering things that were merely trivial in its support; and they would not in such case have placed first-day observance on a level with the festivals of the church. I have given all their reasons, and they are certainly worthy of study by those who think that Christ changed the Sabbath, and that the fathers, living as they did so much nearer apostolic times than ourselves, must have had full knowledge of that fact. I have also given every reason for rejecting the Sabbath offered by that portion of them who rejected it, and have given these reasons in their own words. Those who think the early ages must have had very clear reasons for denying the Sabbath will do well to see what these reasons actually were. I have also given the testimony of such as teach the perpetuity of the decalogue, and of such as place the origin of the Sabbath at the creation, and of those who teach the perpetuity of the Sabbath. With this also are given the several allusions in the early fathers to the observance of the Sabbath. As the fathers are the invariable resort of those who write in behalf of Sunday as the Christian Sabbath, I have thought it advisable to fully investigate their teaching, and to show, from a full presentation of their doctrine in their own words, just what they actually teach. I invite the attention of all candid men to this part of the Sabbath History. It is, so far as the Sunday argument is concerned, a portion of vital importance. I have sought to ascertain the exact value of the historical argument in proof that Sunday is the Lord’s day of the Scriptures. Those who think that Sunday can be traced back to the apostles under the name of Lord’s day may see cause to change their minds on looking up the facts. The history of the Sunday festival is marked by extraordinary frauds. This, however, is not strange; for the claim of every usurper is necessarily founded in fraud. Truth will not sustain falsehood. Institutions which God never founded can only be made to appear as of divine origin by perverting the facts. Some of the very best testimonials for Sunday have been drawn from epistles falsely ascribed to early eminent ministers of Christ, or have been interpolated into their writings and palmed off as theirs. I have sought to faithfully copy all these, and at the same time have given weighty reasons for rejecting them as spurious or fraudulent. Nevertheless, these writings have a certain historical value; for the times when they were composed can be very nearly ascertained, and the degree of favor with which they were then held can be determined. We are therefore able by means of them to mark with considerable distinctness the progress of apostasy in the advancement of the Sunday festival and in the suppression of the Sabbath. The famous falsehood respecting the question, “Have you kept the Lord’s day?” which it is alleged was put to the martyrs as a test, having been revived by Gillfillan after Danville had thoroughly exposed it, has been shown up still further out of Baronius, Gillfillan’s own chosen authority, and Gillfillan himself convicted of inexcusable fraud. The history of the first five centuries is given, both out of the ancients and the moderns. From the facts presented, it can be seen that the work of suppressing the Sabbath and of elevating Sunday required ages for its accomplishment. The work of Constantine and of Sylvester is also very distinctly noted. The doctrine that Christ changed the Sabbath is shown to have been first asserted by Eusebius, and that he did this with evident intention to flatter Constantine. The numbering of the days of the week suggested by Clement of Alexandria, and seized upon by some first-day writers as a proof that Sunday is the Sabbath, or at least that it was considered such by Clement, is fully explained out of Philo, and shown to have no such bearing. The record of Sunday laws from the edicts of kings and emperors, popes and councils, during197 the Dark Ages, is very worthy of attention. The Sunday arguments of the Dark Ages are carefully stated in full. The history of the roll from Heaven, and the miracles which followed, is given out of the contemporary historians, and is in the highest degree worthy of the attention of those who keep Sunday because their ancestors did the same. They may here learn some of the means by which their ancestors became established in the first-day faith and observance. The history of Sabbath-keeping can be traced with difficulty through the Dark Ages, and is found principally in the records of those called heretics by the Romanists. But it can be traced, and there is no reason to doubt that God has always had witnesses to his Sabbath even in the densest darkness of the ages of papal triumph. Some interesting facts are given respecting the Culdees of Great Britain. Columba is shown to have probably been an observer of the seventh day. Interesting statements are given from various authors respecting the Waldenses. They are shown to have been dispersed through a large portion of the Russian Empire, and it is an important fact that one hundred years before the Protestant Reformation, Sabbath-keepers were numerous in Russia. Bohemia was, also, one of the countries of Central Europe in which the Waldenses resided, and at the time of the Reformation of the sixteenth century, Sabbath-keepers were found in Bohemia. The Christians of the East Indies and of Abyssinia are worthy of consideration from their connection with the Sabbath of the Lord. Some interesting facts are given concerning them. The suppression of the Sabbath has been mainly accomplished through papal influence, and where this has been feeble, or has not existed, the Sabbath of the Lord has not been extinguished. The position of the reformers on the subject of first-day and of seventh-day observance is worthy of study. None of them held the now prevalent doctrine of the change of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. The most of them kept Sunday as a festival, with greater or less strictness, and taught that the Sabbath was abolished. The history of Luther and Carlstadt, and of John Calvin, will be found very interesting in its bearing upon the subject of the Sabbath. There are some very important references to Sabbath-keepers in the sixteenth century. The history of English Sabbath-keepers is of very deep interest. The controversy between the Presbyterians and Episcopalians of England in the sixteenth century resulted in the establishment of the doctrine that the fourth commandment does not pertain simply to the seventh day from creation, but may equally well apply to the seventh day from the resurrection of Christ. And so, from that time forward, the fourth commandment has been used to enforce Sunday observance. The manner in which the Sabbath has been wounded in the house of its friends in England is full of solemn admonition. The planting of the Sabbath in America, and the early history of the institution in that country, is very worthy of notice. The Seventh-day Baptists have been highly honored of God as the depositaries of his law and Sabbath. The Seventh-day Adventists have arisen to proclaim the commandments and the Sabbath in connection with the doctrine of the near advent of Christ. The history of the Sabbath covers all these subjects, and it covers others not here enumerated. It has been the earnest endeavor of the writer to ascertain the truth just as it actually exists, and to state it with clearness and accuracy. He has carefully examined each of the historians quoted in this work, and has endeavored to do justice to them in the quotations made. In general, they are hostile to the seventh day as the Sabbath; but, though by no means willing witnesses, they do state the important facts relative to the Sabbath and first-day embodied in this work. I believe no man can justly accuse me of presenting these quotations in a false light. I ask the candid attention of all those who fear God. The Sabbath truth has been crushed to the earth, and trampled in the dust; but even thus it is infinitely preferable to error, even though the latter be exalted to the highest earthly dominion and glory. The Visit of Bro. and Sister White.
By Uriah Smith
WE make no apology for speaking in a personal manner on this subject; for a matter which has been of such interest to the church and brethren here, and such a signal blessing to the cause of truth, will be of interest to the readers of the REVIEW everywhere. If the special working of God’s providence was manifest in turning the minds of Bro. and sister W. this way at the present time, it has been no less so in what has transpired during their brief sojourn with us. Never was a visit more timely. The cheering advance that has been made on the part of many, to which their presence and words of good cheer have so largely contributed, is proof enough of this. A better understanding is to exist of the basis on which the cause and work of the third message rests. The good blessing of the Lord has been in the meetings. He has been reaching down his arm to our help; and it has seemed evident, as these servants of the Lord of whom we speak have many times felt impressed to declare, that the set time to favor Zion has come. We have been enabled to sing with a reality never before felt, the words of the familiar hymn, “Union, faith, and love abounding,
Bid the little flock rejoice.”
With gratitude we acknowledge the blessing of the Lord upon Bro. W. in sustaining his health during his manifold labors here at this time. Early and late he has given attention to the many interests that center in this place, which seemed to demand his care and labor, besides his earnest work in the meetings for the spiritual advancement of this people. All this has been a severe tax upon his strength. Yet he is able to report as good a physical condition as when he recently left the mountains of Colorado. The church here would be rejoiced to have him and sister W. remain for a longer season, and continue the meetings; but important duties call for their presence in California. As they go, may it be as it was with Ezra when he went up to Jerusalem, with the good hand of their God upon them, touched with new strength and vigor by the operation of his Spirit; and may they in due time return to find the fort here well kept, friends all true, and a still greater measure of the blessing of God awaiting them. Meetings at Battle Creek Since the Conference.
By John Nevins Andrews
The report of the Conference gave an account of the meetings for devotional purposes, which were held each day during its continuance. The interest in these meetings has been so deep that they have been continued each evening, with one or two exceptions, till the present time, and on several occasions have been held in the daytime. It has not been a period of excitement, though the meetings have been solemn and heart-searching. But they have been characterized by a general, united effort to seek God. On one occasion when an invitation was given to those who desired the prayers of the people of God, to come forward, the entire body seats of the house were filled by those who responded. It was a time of the deepest interest. A very large part of those who thus came forward were young persons. The blessing of God was granted in large measure, and many hearts were made partakers of its saving power. The meetings have largely related to the duties and the responsibilities of the Battle Creek church, and to the proper relation which it should sustain to the several institutions located in this place, and also to the relation which we should, as a people, sustain toward those whom God has called to bear the greatest responsibilities in this work. There has never been a time when these points have been so clearly seen as at the present time. It is also true that there never has been a time when such perfect unanimity of judgment and of action on these points has prevailed. The spirit of sacrifice and of consecration to the work, a love for reproof, and an earnest desire to save souls for whom Christ died, are getting a large place in the hearts of this people. It never seemed before so much like all taking hold to become workers for God as it now does. With clearer ideas of the best methods of working in the vineyard of the Lord, comes also a more perfect spirit of consecration to the work. Those who have been idlers in the work much of the time during their past experience, now feel like entering into the service of Christ with all their hearts. And these purposes do not seem to be mere transient thoughts, but deeply settled convictions, which will remain with them to govern their future lives. The meetings of yesterday (Sabbath) were such as will not soon be forgotten. The day was set apart for fasting and humiliation before God. After the services of the forenoon, at 12.30, the church convened for the election of officers. Although Bro. White is not expected to be a resident of this city, after a few days, for some months to come, he was, by unanimous vote, requested to assume the pastoral care of this church, and he acceded to the request. The elder of the church having removed from this city, Bro. U. Smith and H. Lindsay were chosen elders. Brethren M. J. Cornell and O. B. Jones were chosen deacons. Twelve persons were received into the church. After this, followed one of the most deeply interesting social meetings we have ever enjoyed. The church having entered into solemn covenant with the Lord and with each other to hold up the hands of those whom God has called to lead out in the work, and to stand in the forefront of the battle, and that they would faithfully regard reproof, and be true helpers in the work of God, Bro. Uriah Smith made some very impressive remarks proposing that the pen, the inkstand, and the paper to which they had attached their names, should be laid up together as a memorial before God. In the evening, the ordinances of the Lord's house were celebrated, some two hundred persons participating. The services were conducted by Bro. White, who made very interesting and instructive remarks. It was an excellent season. Bro. and sister White expect to leave immediately for California to spend a few months in the performance of important duties there. They will go with the prayers of many ascending to God in their behalf, and with our earnest desire that they may return in due season in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.