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Signs of the Times, Vol. 16, No. 22.

Christian Socialism and the Ballot

Signs of the Times

Jun 9, 1890

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 9, 1890

Christian Socialism and the Ballot

By Editor

THE editor of The Dawn, Rev. W. D. P. Bliss, of Boston, has recently been in Chicago, addressing large audiences on "Christian Socialism." As a remedy for existing evils, he advises a return to the early teachings of Christianity, and to the methods practiced by the early disciples of Christ; and as a step in this direction, he advocates Christian Socialism. The Union Signal quotes him thus: "We do not expect this to come in a day, nor in a year; but if you live the doctrines you profess, and vote as you think, the day is not far distant when the ballot will make this a nation of Christian Socialists."
With the advice to return to the early teachings of Christianity, we are most heartily in accord; but it is strange that the good men and women who are depending on the ballot for the accomplishment of needed reforms cannot think that the condition of things in the days of the apostles was not brought about by the ballot. That had nothing whatever to do with it. Moreover, there were but a few who followed the teachings of Christianity, and they composed a sect that was "everywhere spoken against." And further, these few earnest souls made no effort to advance the cause of Christianity by political methods, but "went everywhere preaching the word." Why should people think that different methods now will secure the same results? Christians cannot be made by vote.

"HE THAT HATH SEEN ME HATH SEEN THE FATHER."

By Mrs. E. G. White

THROUGH Jesus, the Son of God, the Father is more fully revealed to the world. Jesus said to his disciples: "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also; and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." The souls of thousands are crying out to-day, "Show us the Father, and we will be satisfied. We cannot claim God as our Father until we see him." Jesus says to every such soul, as he said to Philip: "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me? Have you seen my works, have you listened to my teachings, have you witnessed the miracles that I have wrought in my Father's name, and yet have you not understood the nature of God? I have prayed with you and for you, and yet can you not comprehend that I am the way, the truth, and the life, and that in my life I have unfolded to you the character of my Father? I am the brightness of my Father's glory, I am the express image of his person. Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
The time had come for Jesus to stand in contradiction to the work of Satan, to rebuke and oppose his power. At the beginning of his ministry, John was baptizing in the Jordan, and Christ came to him to receive the baptismal rite. As man's example he took the step in conversion requisite for the repenting, believing sinner; and the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him, and lo, a voice from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." He was consecrated to his office by God himself. He was anointed by the Spirit, invested with the authority, and endowed with the attributes, of God; and his mission was to reveal the Father to the world.
As Christ was to reveal the Father, so those who believe in Jesus are to reveal Christ to the world in spirit and character; they are to be good, and to do good. Wherever Jesus went, he taught his disciples concerning the kingdom of God; he turned every event into an occasion of usefulness, and his followers are to do the same.
After the ascension of Christ, his disciples were left to carry forward the work which he had been doing. They were to be the instruments through which the Lord should speak, and many were to believe on their word, and engage in the work that Jesus had done when he was upon earth. God's appointed agents are to study carefully the lessons which Christ taught his disciples. They are to contemplate his precious instruction, and to imitate the holy characteristics of his teachings; if they fail to do this, they fail to represent Christ as he represented the Father. There is need of fervent and frequent prayer that we may understand the import of his instruction, and carry forward the work he has given us to do. We are to bear in mind that it is only a small proportion of what Jesus taught and did that has been recorded.
That the disciples of Christ might be prepared for the great work which they were to do, Jesus had instructed them to tarry in Jerusalem until they should be endowed with power from on high. On the day of Pentecost, as they were assembled together, and with one accord were seeking for the fulfillment of his promise, the Spirit of God descended, and the hearts of those who believed were filled with the Holy Ghost. The most signal evidence of the power of God was manifested, and thousands were converted in a day. Our Saviour has provided that those who go forth to fulfill his commission of preaching the gospel to the world, shall not go without the divine unction. He has said, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." If men would come to God and make an entire surrender to him in full assurance of faith, they would have grace to do the great work committed to them.
When Moses was called out to lead the children of Israel, he prayed earnestly to the Lord, and said: "See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people; and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight; and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken; for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."
The Lord did not rebuke Moses as presumptuous because he asked greater and greater favors at his hand. Every laborer in the cause of God should have firm, earnest faith and determined purpose, that he may know that he has the favor and presence of God with him. Co-workers with God may obtain all that they ask for if they will but seek the Lord with faith. In the time of Christ, many of his disciples remained ignorant of the very thing that it was their privilege to know. Jesus sought to teach them of spiritual things. He reproached his disciples because of their dullness of comprehension. If it had been impossible for them to comprehend the things he uttered, he would not thus have reproved them. They might have exerted their mental powers to a greater extent, and stimulated their souls, by prayer and faith, and so have been enabled to understand the mysteries of godliness. Jesus saw that they did not lay hold of the real meaning of the great truths that he presented, and he compassionately promised that the Holy Spirit should recall these sayings to their minds, and revive in their remembrance many of the truths which they had lost. He tried to impress upon them the fact that he had opened before them great truths, the value of which they had failed to comprehend. After his resurrection, when he opened to them the scriptures concerning himself, he said unto them, "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you. . . . Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." Although Christ had been with them, and they had heard his exposition of the prophecies, they had failed to comprehend the great plan of the atonement, and they needed the power of the Spirit of God to make plain to their minds its deep significance.
When the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples of Christ, they saw their Saviour in a light in which they had never seen him before. Gladness and peace came to their souls. Jesus had told them what would be the result of the operation of the Holy Spirit. He had said, "He shall glorify me." Through the agency of the Holy Spirit, the soul is sanctified by obedience to the truth, and Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." He unfolded to man the important lesson that the sum of all science is to be found in the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. This knowledge can be incorporated into everyone's experience. The Scriptures declare, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
The knowledge of God and Christ lies at the foundation of all knowledge. Through the study of the Bible, moral power is developed; and while the mind is put to the task of comprehending its truths, the intellect expands; as the image of Christ, the Author of all truth, brightens to the vision, the understanding becomes enlarged to comprehend more fully the elevated character of the standard of perfection. Those who study the Bible in the right manner, drink from a fountain which is inexhaustible. The teaching of Christ is simple, and yet the greatest and best disciplined minds are charmed with his profound and comprehensive utterances. In all his lessons, Jesus presented to men the worthlessness of ceremonial obedience. He sought to impress men with the spirituality of the law, unveiling its vital principles, and making plain its eternal obligations. The righteousness of the law was presented to the world in the character of Christ, and the holy, benevolent, and paternal attributes of God were revealed in his dealings with mankind. He explained the solemn relation which existed between man and God, between man and his fellow-man. He taught the necessity of prayer, repentance, faith, virtue, and perfection of character.
Through Christ, moral power is brought to man that will change the entire affections, and enable man to work with a will for the cause of God. Where all the power of mind and body was before concentrated to work the works of evil, by the Spirit of God a revolution is brought about. The Holy Spirit enlightens, renews, and sanctifies the soul. Angels behold with inexpressible rapture the results of the working of the Holy Spirit in man. By the revelation of the attractive loveliness of Christ, by the knowledge of his love expressed to us while we were yet sinners, the stubborn heart is melted and subdued, and the sinner is transformed and becomes a child of God. Love is the agency which God uses to expel sin from the human soul. By it he changes pride into humility, enmity and unbelief into love and faith. He does not employ compulsory measures; Jesus is revealed to the soul, and if man will look in faith to the Lamb of God, he will live.
Jesus has given this invitation, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." In coming to Jesus, we reveal our faith. The law condemns the sinner, and by this condemnation he is led to see the necessity of a Saviour. He seeks refuge in Jesus, and the Son is glorified and exalted as the Redeemer of the world; he is the sinner's substitute and surety.
No man can keep the law of God apart from Christ, and God will not accept his unaided efforts. The nature of man is in opposition to the divine will, depraved, deformed, and wholly unlike the character of God expressed in his law. Man is accepted through the righteousness of Christ, through obedience to God's law. God imputes beauty, excellence, and perfection to man through the merits of his Son, and thus places the highest honor upon Christ by making him the pattern by which he works to fashion the character of all believers. Christ is presented to men that they may catch his temper, his perfection; and as the model is complete and perfect in every part, so, as man is conformed to the image of Christ, he is made complete in him; for aside from Christ there never can be righteousness in the human heart.
When the Spirit was poured out from on high, the church was flooded with light, but Christ was that light; the church was filled with joy, but Christ was the subject of that joy. When the Spirit is poured upon his people in this day, Christ's name will be upon every tongue, his love will fill every soul; and when the heart embraces Jesus, it will embrace God; for all the fullness of God dwells in Christ. When the beams of Christ's righteousness shine upon the soul, joy, adoration, and glory will be woven with the experience.

Christ’s Soon Coming

"Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22:12

The Christian Sabbath

THE following has been reported by the Methodist Episcopal General Conference (South) as a new clause in the Discipline:—
"The Christian Sabbath. How shall we more effectually guard the sanctity of the Lord's Day? 1. By avoiding all secular and worldly pursuits, all popular amusements on that day, and by devoting the day only to those duties and exercises that nourish and build up Christian life and character. 2. By preaching at least once in every year in every congregation upon the proper use of the holy day. 3. By employing all our influence, personal and official, against the profanation of the Christian Sabbath by unnecessary travel, Sunday excursions, Sunday publications, and the transportation of freight and merchandise."

Enduring Christian Disappointments

By Christian Advocate

THE sensitive natures of some persons cause untold trouble not only to themselves but to all with whom they are associated. Two elderly ladies are said to have left a Sunday-school recently because the class to which they belonged was moved twelve feet from the place it had formerly occupied. It is well for Christian people to have opinions of their own, and to be ready to express them on all proper occasions; but those who make so much of trifles are wanting both in grace and sense. How can one "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" if he cannot endure a little disappointment concerning the place the organ shall occupy in the church, or the color of the carpet, or the person who shall lead the singing, or the location of a Sunday-school class?—Christian Advocate.

Study the Gospel

By Editor

REV. H. GRATTAN GUINNESS, in a sermon on Rom. 1:16, 17, in this city recently, said some good things, among which was the following: "You ought to make the gospel more of a study. If you are saved, study it; if you are unsaved, study it. If you do not understand it, study it; if you understand it a little, study to understand it better." These words are true and to the point. Christians generally know many things of minor importance better than they know the word and will of God. Says the wise man: "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 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." Prov. 2:1-5. But it is a sad fact that the words of the Lord through the prophet are literally fulfilled in our day: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Hosea 4:6. "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found."

BELIEVE AND TRUST.

By John Greenleaf Whittier

BELIEVE and trust. Through stars and suns, Through life and death, through soul and sense, His wise, paternal purpose runs; The darkness of his providence Is star-lit with benign intents.
O joy supreme! I know the Voice, Like none beside on earth and sea; Yea, more, O soul of mine, rejoice! By all that He requires of me I know what God himself must be. —Whittier.

The Ballot and Christian Reform

HERE is a thought that should be kept before those who think to bring about a return to early Christian practices by means of the ballot. They themselves acknowledge that nobody can be made Christian by law. The only thing they want is, they say, that the people may all become Christian. Very good; but if they get that, there will be no need of voting in reforms, for all Christians will live them. When, then, does the ballot come in? Oh, in hastening along the time, by forcing people to act in a Christian-like manner, until they finally come to act so of their own accord. And thus it appears that, after all, the appeal to the ballot to bring about desired reforms grows out of the idea that men can be made Christian by law. And just to the extent that any such idea obtains, will men ignore the only true means of effecting reform, namely, the preaching of the word of God, accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit.

THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION SUPERNATURAL.

By J. H. Pettingell

THE manifest drift of the present age is towards a religion of science and philosophy, and away from the simple truths of the gospel. Many well-meaning but sophisticated minds are being led away by the delusion that these truths must be brought within the scope of natural laws. They would bring the facts and doctrines which it reveals to the test of reason and science, as though the Christian religion were one of the many forms of a natural religion, only more scientific, purer, and better. Here is the real source of the confusion and darkness and doubt of many who would become scientific and philosophical Christians—if Christians at all—forgetting that the first step in knowledge of divine things is to become little children at the feet of the Master. The supreme truths of the Christian religion are revealed, not to our reason, but to our faith. They do not come within the sphere or scope of natural science, or human philosophy. Its great facts are altogether divine and supernatural, and until this great fact is apprehended and allowed, no real progress can be made in the right direction. They are above nature, and cannot be explained by natural laws.
The creation of the world, in the beginning, was a supernatural act; and—whatever speculations one may entertain as to the mode of this creation—to deny its supernatural character, as though it could be explained by natural laws, is to be an atheist. The same is true of the creation of man. He is not the outcome of self-operating processes, but the special object of divine creation, which no law of progressive development can explain.
Sin itself is in opposition to all law, and nature provides no antidote to the death to which it inevitably leads, nor any way of recovery from its ruin. If there be any remedy or recovery from its fatal poison, it must be supernaturally provided. It is just here that we find the radical difference between our holy religion and all other systems of religion the world has ever seen. This is given from heaven. As for the others, they are, at best, but human devices, "broken cisterns that can hold no water."
The new birth, the resurrection from the dead, and the life everlasting, are not the orderly steps in any natural progress, as, alas! too many in this scientific age are endeavoring to show. They are truths beyond the reach of scientific discovery. There is no law of nature that can explain, or prove, or disprove them. They are specially and divinely revealed to our faith, and are to be received because they are revealed, and as they are revealed, if at all.—J. H. Pettingell.

SUFFERING NOT THE ESSENCE OF PUNISHMENT.

By E. Petavel, D.D.

BUT how are we to answer those sage objectors who, believing themselves wiser than the word of God, are scandalized at the leniency of punishment which does not consist in eternal tortures? Perhaps we may suggest that they are misled by the traditional notion of punishment. It is a mistake to think that punishment necessarily involves pain. Let a slight fine be inflicted upon a delinquent millionaire, and he will have been punished, although, instead of suffering, he may smile at the trifling loss. Pain may, or may not, accompany punishment, and in itself is often a blessing. Like a vigilant sentinel, it guards both the child in its cradle and the soldier on the battle-field. It rouses them, prompts a cry for help, and thus indirectly procures necessary aid. It is, at the same time, the rod of the Divine Shepherd and the providential tocsin which warns the sinner of impending danger. If any rash individual attempted to gaze at the sun, he would first experience intense pain in his eyeballs. Should he disregard the admonitory voice of suffering, and persevere, the pain would cease; but he would have become blind. The loss of sight would be his punishment, and not the temporary anguish that forewarned him of the consequences of his folly.
The utter destruction of the human being will doubtless be preceded by pain, which, in length and intensity, will be proportionate to his individual vitality. Greater and more protracted suffering must accompany the dissolution of a soul which is more richly endowed and possesses more vital strength than another. In this sense, "unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." But what we dispute is that suffering forms the main part of the punishment threatened in the Bible.
We must remember that Paul, the most dogmatic of the apostles, who affirms that he had not "shunned to declare all the counsel of God," never, in his most solemn warnings, uses any expression that might seem to imply the eternal torments of the lost. He appears carefully to avoid any simile that could afford the slightest ground for any such doctrine. He never speaks of hell but he has tears for the perishing ones, "whose end is destruction." 2 Cor. 4: 3, Greek; Phil. 3: 18, 19.—E. Petavel, D.D.

PRISONERS OF JESUS CHRIST.

By Theodore L. Cuyler, D.D.

The apostle Paul had a variety of signatures. Sometimes he signs himself "a servant of Christ," sometimes "an apostle," and sometimes "an ambassador in chains." One day he wrote a letter—short and sweet—to his Colossian friend Philemon about his poor brother Onesimus. He looks at the fetters on his wrist and at the Pretorian guard beside him, and begins his epistle with the brave, cheerful words, "Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ." He is not in bonds as an evil-doer, but for well-doing. He is the ambassador of a King infinitely greater than all Roman Cæsars, and, like John in Patmos, he is shut up in captivity for the testimony of Jesus. Therefore, as a brilliant preacher has truly said, "he wears his manacles as proudly as a bride might wear the bracelet which her husband had clasped on her arm." It is only his scarred and weather-beaten body that is bound; his imperial soul is free, and no happier man than he can be found within the gates of Rome.
Perhaps these lines may be read by many of God's people who are confined to their houses by chronic sickness or by the infirmities of old age. In my own flock are several devoted Christians who have not been able to enter the house of God for many years; some are too old to venture out, and others are suffering invalids. I am accustomed to call these the "prisoners of Christ;" and when I visit them, it is as much for the good they do to me as for any good that I can do to them. What eloquent sermons they preach to me on the beauty of submissive patience and on the supporting power of the "everlasting arm"! How often have I gone out of these rooms of sickness feeling utterly ashamed of myself that I ever murmur at anything, or ever indulge in any complainings at the providential dealings of a loving God! One of these chronic sufferers is a sweet, refined, and cultured young lady who for long years has never had any other "outing" than to be removed from one room to another in her father's house. But wherever her bed of pain is placed, the blessed Jesus is with her. The Shepherd knoweth all his flock, and just where each one of them is pastured; he calleth them all by name. Another of these prisoners of Christ has been kept from church for twenty years by intense rheumatic sufferings; yet the Lord of the sanctuary visits her, and feeds her with the sweetest of his heavenly manna. Sometimes when I quote some bright passage of consolation, or read some cheering psalm, a happy smile plays across her face, which is distorted by the agonies of protracted disease. What are any of my poor sermons in comparison with her eloquent and majestic hymn of patience? To speak for Christ or to work for Christ is easy and pleasant; but to bear for Christ either pain or poverty or reproach with courageous patience is a far higher triumph of godly achievement.
Just why the loving Master confines some of his choicest and best in rooms of suffering, and cripples others of them in body or in purse, we cannot always tell. One thing is very clear, and that is that he does not mean to cripple their usefulness. No portion of Paul's wonderful career was productive of more solid results than the years of his imprisonment at Rome. He preached the kingdom of God to those about him until there were many converts in "Cæsar's household." He wrote seven out of his thirteen undisputed epistles while he was the prison chaplain, under the eye of tyrant Nero's jailers; one of these was the letter to Philippi, which is the epistle of gratitude for divine mercies and of exultant joy under sharp afflictions. If the cages of birds are sometimes covered up in order to make them sing, then the old hero was caged to furnish to the world one of its most melodious epics of sublime faith in Jesus. Satan afterward clapped John Bunyan into a prison, and lo! out of the windows of Bedford Jail floated the transcendent allegory of "Pilgrim's Progress."
The service of Jesus Christ is not limited by any stress of circumstances. A sick-chamber has often been made a chosen spot for glorifying God. The celebrated Halyburton, of Scotland, welcomed scores of visitors to that room in St. Andrew's, where they stood around his bedside and listened to words that seemed to be inspired by a glimpse of heaven from the land of Beulah. None of his previous sermons equaled his discoursings from that bed of suffering. "This is the best pulpit," said he, "I was ever in. I am laid on this bed for this very end, that I may commend my Lord." After a night of agonizing pain he said to his wife: "Jesus came to me in the third watch of the night, walking upon the waters; and he said unto me, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and I have the keys of death. He stilled the tempest in my soul and there is a sweet calm. I have ripened fast under the bright Sun of Righteousness, and have had brave showers." After his voice failed him in the last moments, he continued to clap his hands in triumph.
It is not only by such joyful testimonies to the sustaining power of divine grace, or by cheerful patience, that the prisoners of Christ have preached and are preaching his precious gospel. There are many ways of doing good open to invalids. During the years that the wife of Mr. Spurgeon was confined to her room, she conceived the plan of providing commentaries and Bible-helps for poor ministers and village preachers. Last summer she told me that over one hundred thousand such volumes had been secured in response to her appeals. Charlotte Elliott composed her richest and sweetest hymns while she was one of Christ's prisoners. A large-hearted lady, shut in from her former activities out-of-doors, spends much of her time in folding and addressing little leaflets of awakening or of consoling truth to those who may be profited by them.
In many a house there is a room whose silent influence is felt all over the dwelling. The other members of the family come in there to inquire after the sick sufferer, to bring some choice fruit or pleasant gift, to read aloud or watch with her through the lonesome night. From that room steals forth an influence that makes everyone gentler and tenderer and more unselfish. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why God permits some of his children to suffer; they not only grow purer by the chastening, but become evangelists of blessings to others. Paul in his prison prompted many besides Onesiphorus to deeds of sympathy for him, and he evoked such gifts of kindness from his spiritual children at Philippi that he writes to them that their love "hath blossomed out afresh." That is the literal rendering of the message sent by the sunny-hearted old prisoner of Jesus Christ. Good friends, it matters little where we are, so long as our inner life is hid with Christ, and we keep it luminous with the joy of his presence.—Theodore L. Cuyler, D.D.

THE MASTER WANTS WORKERS.

By Rev. F. J. Stevens

The Master wants workers, his harvest is white; His command, "Go ye forth," is to all; Go, work with a will, and let not the dark night On an ungathered harvest-field fall. The Master wants workers, and calleth for you, There's work for the smallest and weakest to do.
The Master wants workers, and that which is right He will give at the end of the day; So thrust in thy sickle, and work with thy might; If not gathered, ripe grain will decay. The Master wants workers, then why will ye not Begin now to serve him? 'Tis not a hard lot.
The Master wants workers, each service he knows, Not one is too small to record; E'en he who a cup of cold water bestows In His name, shall not lose his reward. The Master wants workers, oh, why still delay? Begin in his service to labor to-day.
The Master wants workers, the night cometh soon, When the weary shall rest from all care; When those who have toiled through the heat of the noon Shall no longer its weariness bear. The Master wants workers. Think what he has borne That you might his crown of rejoicing adorn.
The Master wants workers, his harvest is great; 'Tis the world with its millions untaught, A multitude vast rushing on to their fate, Knowing not what their Saviour has wrought. The Master wants workers, a host of true men, To lead them to Jesus from hill, plain, and glen. —Rev. F. J. Stevens.

USEFULNESS.

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." In this sentence we find an epitome of wisdom, and he who looks upon life as a period of responsibility, a period wherein upright endeavor should be a principle of action, will see it as not only a divine command, but a divine benefaction.
It is gracious advice applied to any honest secular calling, or religious service, though sometimes there are circumstances which are so obscure to our mental vision that to us it hardly seems applicable.
The work that lies nearest is often so uninteresting and uninspiring that we see it "as through a glass darkly." It lacks the charm of distance which in this, as in other matters, "lends enchantment to the view."
We think if we had a larger field or different surroundings we could accomplish so much more; we think, perhaps, we have executive ability which could be developed for greater usefulness, and we murmur and chafe under the Lord's dealings, not realizing that he has put us "in our lot," and therefore our work lies there. These feelings often originate from a lack of true spirituality, in self-conceit, in ambition to be the head of a working body, or in a discontented disposition.
When even a weak desire is kindled in the heart to do something for Christ, we may be sure it is lighted by the Spirit, who would thus try us; and we should beware how we allow unhallowed motives to extinguish the flame which, if responded to with a cordial, "Here am I," will be breathed into heat and expansion that will not only bless others but our own souls also.
If we give this subject more thought henceforth, and look about us with more observant eyes, we will discover how much there is that might be done for others, how many interests will touch our hearts, how many opportunities for service lie around us. The work may be humble, may not attract attention, but it lies at our doors. Charles Kingsley said:—
"Do the work that's nearest, Though it's dull the whiles, Helping, when we meet them, Lame dogs over stiles; See in every hedge-row Marks of angels' feet, Epics in each pebble Underneath our feet."
"Do what you can, God will co-operate with you," said the quaint Thomas á Kempis. By giving ourselves in rich expenditure to the dying, sinning, suffering world, we shall prepare sublime benefactions for our own souls; we shall ennoble, enlarge, and vivify their powers for enjoyment in this life, and fruition in that which is beyond; and then, think of being co-workers with Christ. When he was on earth in guise, nothing was too insignificant to receive his gracious attention; thus he set us a perpetual example.
It may be that if we are faithful in little things we shall be advanced to larger opportunities of usefulness, and find the development which will give us what has been longed for,—great work for the Master.
There is infinite variety in the demands upon us for service, from that which finds its sphere in our own home and family duties to the broadest philanthropics, and there is an almost infinite capability in the human soul for this purpose.
Thought, judgment, experience, energy, courage form the mind; love, sympathy, hope form the heart; and these an irresistible union, which, if employed for the salvation of souls, the reformation of the fallen and vicious, the rescuing the neglected and comforting the suffering, will create innumerable benefactions for the human race, for whom Christ died. Let us then adopt these words so full of wisdom and promise for the accomplishment of great things for time and eternity, thus: "One rich handful, heaven and all," for our working motto, and frame it with these golden characters: "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God," "Lo, I am with you always," and hang it in the sanctuaries of our willing hearts.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."—Christian at Work.

A SPIRITUAL LAW.

By F. S. Schenck

THE first commandment directs the spirit in its relation to God, without mentioning a single outward act. In the following commands the spirit is directed in its outward acts, of worship of God, reverence for his name, observance of his Sabbath, and honoring his representatives. With the fifth command duty to man begins. The spirit is still the subject of the law, and is directed in its outward manifestations of honoring superiors, giving due regard to the sacredness of human life, of the right of property, of the relationship between man and woman, of truth to and about our neighbor, until in this last commandment the spirit emerges from all outward actions, and, as in the first commandment, is itself purely and simply the subject of the law, only now specially in its duty to its neighbor. "Thou shalt not covet!" The positive command under the prohibitory form of the first precept, as our Saviour teaches, is, "Love God supremely." This love is required by all the commandments of outward duty to God and man, until in this last precept, as Christ again teaches, its positive form is like unto the first, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Thus the whole law is seen to be spiritual. If any have thought that I have made too much of some of these commandments, if they will reflect carefully upon the spiritual nature of the law, they will soon share with me the conviction that I have not made and cannot make one-half enough of a single one of them. There is a depth and comprehensiveness about the law that cannot be fully measured. There is no virtue within the range of human duty but is comprehended here. There is no vice within the reach of human action but is directly forbidden here.
—Rev. F. S. Schenck, on the Tenth Commandment.

Reverence for Christ

By Lyman Abbott

The mistaken reverence which trusts to the hem of Christ's garment is better than the supercilious wisdom which rejects Christ himself.
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