Earlier text: Question CornerThe Resurrection of Christ
By Ellen G. White
The priests who ministered before the altar had gloomy presentiments as they looked upon the veil, rent by unseen hands from top to bottom, and which there had not been time to replace or to repair fully. The uncovering of the sacred mysteries of the most holy place brought to them a shuddering dread of coming calamity. Many of the officiating priests were deeply convicted of the true character of Jesus; their searching of the prophecies had not been in vain, and after He was raised from the dead they acknowledged Him as the Son of God. During that memorable Passover, the scenes of the crucifixion were the theme of thought and the topic of conversation. Hundreds had brought with them to the Passover their afflicted relatives and friends, expecting to see Jesus and prevail upon Him to heal and save them. Great was their disappointment to find that He was not at the feast; and when they were told that He had been executed as a criminal, their indignation and grief knew no bounds. Multitudes Had Come to Be Healed
The multitudes of sufferers who had come with the expectation of being healed by the Saviour sank under their disappointment. The streets and the temple courts were filled with mourning. The sick were dying for want of the healing touch of Jesus of Nazareth. Physicians were consulted in vain; there was no skill like that of Him who lay in state in Joseph’s tomb. The afflicted who had long looked forward to this time as their only hope of relief, asked in vain for the Healer they had sought. The revenge which the priests thought would be so sweet had already become bitterness to them. They knew that they were meeting the severe censure of the people; they knew that the very persons whom they had influenced against Jesus were now horrified by their own shameful work. As they witnessed all these proofs of the divine influence of Jesus, they were more afraid of His dead body in the tomb than they had been of Him when He was living and among them. The possibility of His coming forth from the sepulcher filled their guilty souls with indescribable terror. They felt that Jesus might at any time stand before them, the accused to become the accuser, the condemned to condemn in turn, the slain to demand justice in the death of His murderers. Every preparation had been made at the sepulcher to prevent any surprise or fraud being perpetrated by the disciples. The night had worn slowly away, and the darkest hour before daybreak had come. The Roman guards were keeping their weary watch, the sentinels pacing to and fro before the sepulcher, while the remainder of the detachment of one hundred soldiers were reclining upon the ground in different positions, taking what rest they could. But angels were also guarding the sepulcher, one of whom could have stricken down the whole Roman army by the putting forth of his power. The Mighty Angel’s Mission
One of the most exalted order of angels is sent from heaven. His countenance is like the lightning, and his garments white as snow. He parts the darkness from his track, and the whole heavens are lit with his resplendent glory. The sleeping soldiers start simultaneously to their feet, and gaze with awe and wonder at the open, lighted heavens, and the vision of brightness which approaches. The earth trembles and heaves; soldiers, officers, and sentinels all fall as dead men prostrate upon the earth. The evil angels, who have triumphantly claimed the body of Christ, flee in terror from the place. One of the mighty, commanding angels who has, with his company, been keeping watch over the tomb of his Master, joins the powerful angel who comes from heaven; and together they advance directly to the sepulcher. The angelic commander laid hold of the great stone which had required many strong men to place in position, rolled it away, and took his seat upon it, while his companion entered the sepulcher and unwound the wrappings from the face and head of Jesus. Then the mighty angel, with a voice that caused the earth to quake, was heard: JESUS, THOU SON OF GOD, THY FATHER CALLS THEE! Then He who had earned the power to conquer death and the grave came forth, with the tread of a conqueror, from the sepulcher, amid the reeling of the earth, the flashing of lightning, and the roaring of thunder. An earthquake marked the hour when Christ laid down His life; and another earthquake signaled the moment when He took it up again in triumph. Jesus was the first-fruits of them that slept. When He came forth from the tomb, He called a multitude from the dead, thus settling forever the long-disputed question of the resurrection. In raising this multitude of captives from the dead, He gives evidence that there will be a final resurrection of those who sleep in Jesus. The believers in Christ thus receive the very light they want in regard to the future life of the pious dead. Satan was bitterly incensed that his angels had fled from the presence of the heavenly angels, and that Christ had conquered death, and shown by this act what His future power was to be. All the triumph that Satan had experienced in witnessing his own power over men, which had urged them on to insult and murder the Son of God, fled before this exhibition of the divine power of Christ. He had dared to hope that Jesus would not take up His life again; but his courage failed him when the Saviour came forth, having paid the full ransom of man, and enabled him to overcome Satan in his own behalf in the name of Christ, the Conqueror. The arch-enemy now knew that he must eventually die, and that his kingdom would have an end. In this scene of the resurrection of the Son of God is given a lively image of the glory that will be revealed at the general resurrection of the just at the second appearing of Christ in the clouds of heaven. Then the dead that are in their graves shall hear His voice and come forth to life; and not only the earth, but the heavens themselves, shall be shaken. A few graves were opened at the resurrection of Christ; but6 at His second coming all the precious dead, from righteous Abel to the last saint that dies, shall awake to glorious, immortal life. If the soldiers at the sepulcher were so filled with terror at the appearance of one angel clothed with heavenly light and strength, that they fell as dead men to the ground, how will His enemies stand before the Son of God, when He comes in power and great glory, accompanied by ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of angels from the courts of heaven? Then the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and be removed as a cottage. The elements shall be in flames, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll. The Glory of His Resurrection
At the death of Jesus the soldiers had beheld the earth wrapped in profound darkness at midday; but at the resurrection they saw the brightness of the angels illuminate the night, and heard the inhabitants of heaven singing with great joy and triumph: Thou hast vanquished Satan and the powers of darkness! Thou hast swallowed up death in victory! “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night.” The casting down of Satan as an accuser of the brethren in heaven was accomplished by the great work of Christ in giving up His life. Notwithstanding Satan’s persistent opposition, the plan of redemption was being carried out. Man was esteemed of sufficient value for Christ to sacrifice His life for him. Satan, knowing that the empire he had usurped would in the end be wrested from him, determined to spare no pains to destroy as many as possible of the creatures whom God had created in His image. He hated man because Christ had manifested for him such forgiving love and pity, and he now prepared to practise upon him every species of deception by which he might be lost. He pursued his course with more energy because of his own hopeless condition. Christ came to earth to vindicate the claims of His Father’s law, and His death shows the immutability of that law. But Satan thrusts upon man the fallacy that the law of God was abolished by the death of Christ, and he thus leads many professed Christians to transgress the Father’s commandments, while they assume devotion to His Son. The Sabbath
By E. L. Cardey
AND grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” The Holy Spirit is in the world to lead and instruct men, that they might be sealed. The word “sealed” suggests to the mind a finished work for the one who receives it. It also suggests an instrument used in the sealing. The Holy Spirit is the God-appointed agent to do the work of sealing; the sinner made righteous is the subject to be sealed; but what is the God-appointed seal used by the Holy Ghost? God has a seal that will be placed upon the foreheads of His people. Rev. 7:3. In civil matters, a seal is used to give authenticity to documents, no law being of force unless it is sealed by the one having power to make and give laws. Every civil seal must contain the name of the one who gives the document or law; it must also designate his office, and the territory over which he presides. Any document whose seal does not possess these qualities is rendered null and void. It has been necessary for the writer to secure United States passports a number of times when going to foreign countries. On the passport is the seal of the secretary of state. It bears the name of the secretary, and tells that he is secretary of state of the United States of America. When the Holy Ghost spoke through John the revelator about “the seal of the living God,” did He not wish to convey to our minds the fact that God’s law has been sealed, thus making it authentic? We believe He did. The Law Contains the Seal
The law of God has not only been sealed, but it contains the seal which may be placed upon the “foreheads” of His people. The Lord says, “Seal the law among My disciples.” Isa. 8:16. Few realize the important place the Ten Commandments, as spoken from Mount Sinai, occupy in the plan of salvation. The entire Bible is built upon them. How important, then, that the law should have been sealed by its Giver! If the commandments contain God’s seal—yes, if they are sealed—they must contain the name of God, and designate His work, and the territory over which He rules. Turn to Ex. 20:1-17, and review the Ten Commandments. The first three and the fifth contain only the name of God. The last five do not even mention His name. Excluding the fourth commandment, the Decalogue might have issued from Buddha, Confucius, or Mahomet. There are “gods many and lords many,” but only one Creator. His name is proclaimed in the fourth commandment. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work: . . . for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Here is declared also His work—Creator; and the infinite space He rules—the universe. No god or lord of earth can claim that title. The fourth commandment demands the observance of an institution—the seventh-day Sabbath. Separated from the institution, the commandment amounts to nothing. The Positive Scripture Statement
Having found that this particular commandment contains the three characteristics necessary for a seal, can we find in the Scriptures the positive statement that the seventh-day Sabbath is the sign, the mark, the seal, of God? An instrument used to seal documents, leaves a sign upon the paper when the document is sealed. Abraham “received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised.” Rom. 4:11. In other words, when he accepted the sign of circumcision in the flesh, God accounted him sealed to righteousness. The Sabbath also is a sign of an inward work of sealing. “Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” Ex. 31:13, 17. “Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.” “And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Eze. 20:12, 20. Here in four places the Sabbath is said to be the sign of God to His people. But it only becomes the sign of a sealed sanctification to the one who keeps the Sabbath. The Holy Spirit takes the instrument for sealing—the fourth commandment—and places it upon the forehead of him who obeys God and thereby grieves not the Spirit. The Fourth Commandment Seals the Law
From the foregoing, the reader can readily see that the fourth commandment is the one that seals the whole law. The seventh-day Sabbath has always been the “seal of God,” yet in the last days it is to be the special test of loyalty to God. This lawless generation needs a message that calls for obedience to law. John the revelator beheld such a message going to the world. Revelation 7. Every prophecy of the Bible makes clear the time when it is to apply. This chapter is no exception to all others. Revelation, chapters 5 and 6, deals with the book that was sealed with seven seals. Each seal, as the Lamb opened it, brought to view different periods of human events. Under the sixth seal the work of God is finished in behalf of sinners. “And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” Rev. 6:12, 13. This seal was fully opened with the falling of the stars in 1833. It is the last great sign of Jesus’ soon coming. Matt. 24:29, 30. Verses 14 to 17 of Revelation, chapter 6, deal with the events that take place at the time of Christ’s appearing (see also Rev. 16:18-21), and at this time the seventh seal is opened. “And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” Rev. 8:1. All the angels of heaven will be with Jesus when He comes to receive His saints. Matt. 25:31; 1 Thess. 4:16. The Father alone awaits in heaven the return of that triumphant throng; and upon their coming it will be said, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in.” Ps. 24:9. When the seventh seal opens, the night of sin has been ended. But in the days of the sixth seal, and just before the opening of the seventh, a message containing the seal7 of God is to be carried to all the world. “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand.” Rev. 7:1-4. The seal will be given to the 144,000 before the close of probation, while the angels are “holding the four winds of the earth.” This same company will be triumphant over sin; for John saw them in heaven, “on the Mount Sion,” having the “Father’s name written in their foreheads.” Rev. 14:1. Thus the company called the 144,000 are gathered out under the sixth seal, or after the year 1833—or thereabout—and before the close of probation. They are sealed with the “seal of the living God,” which has “the Father’s name.” The Sabbath commandment is the only one of the Decalogue which contains the name of the Father; it therefore becomes the “seal of the living God.” Nothing but a message of Sabbath reform could possibly fulfil the words of these prophecies. Then how can one receive the seal of God in his forehead unless he “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”? In previous articles we found that the seventh-day Sabbath will be exalted, in the last days, among His “remnant” people; how that message is now being sounded in nearly every land; and now comes the evidence that the Sabbath is God’s seal. With all this evidence before us, dare we say the Sabbath is of little importance? Can we expect to stand before the judgment, if we continue to trample underfoot that commandment? No generation since the days of Noah has been so regardless of all law as the present one. God’s authority, as found in His law, has been set aside. His seal has been forgotten, and trampled upon. On every hand we are seeing the consequences of this great insult to Jehovah. Justice and equity have fallen in the streets. The call of the hour to you, dear reader, is to return to the God who created the heavens and the earth, accept His authority, and yield obedience to His will as found in the fourth commandment, that you may be among the company called the 144,000, and receive His seal with them. Almost Home
By Mrs. M. C. Sollars
Long has the voyage been,
Fightings without, within,
Striving to free from sin;
Soon I'll be free. Welcome, those gates so fair,
Home free from sin and care;
Soon, soon will I be there.
Hail, happy day! City of glory bright,—
God is the Lamb, its light,
Sin nevermore can blight
Through all the years. Friends I have loved so dear,
Ever will they be near,
No death or partings fear;
Sweet victory! Pilot, O, pilot me!
Saviour, my refuge be,
Till safe at home with Thee,
I shall be free. We May Know When His Coming Is Near
1. May we know the exact day and hour of the second coming of Christ? “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Matt. 24: 36. 2. But may we know when the event is near? “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig-tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it [margin, “He”] is near, even at the doors.” Matt. 24: 30-33. NOTE.— In the previous verses of this twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew the Master has told of certain “signs” and prophecies that were to make known the approach of His second advent. Then He brings us on to the time when the sublime event actually occurs. Following this He asks us to learn a parable of the fig-tree. We “know” that summer is at hand when we see the tree with tender branch putting forth its leaves. This is the sure, the never-failing sign, that summer is right at hand. And in like manner are we to watch till we see “all these things” which He has given as tokens of His coming, and then we are to “know” that He is near, even at the doors. Observe that we are really to “know” when He is near. We are not left to speculate or to guess. 3. What exhortation does the apostle Peter give concerning the light of prophecy? “WE HAVE ALSO A MORE SURE WORD OF PROPHECY; WHEREUNTO YE DO WELL THAT YE TAKE HEED, AS UNTO A LIGHT THAT SHINETH IN A DARK PLACE, UNTIL THE DAY DAWN, AND THE DAY-STAR ARISE IN YOUR HEARTS.” 2 Peter 1:19. 4. In what words does Paul speak of the destruction that awaits those upon whom the day of the Lord comes as “a thief in the night”? “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” 1 Thess. 5:1-3. 5. While speaking of those who disregard the evidence, and upon whom the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night, what does the apostle, in the verses that immediately follow the last quotation, say of the “brethren”? “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” 1 Thess. 5: 4-6. The Endless Life
By Clara Edna Rosencrans
I sometimes think, when the way is rough,
And the world seems full of strife,
That I should not repine, since all is mine,
In the power of an endless life.
Tho my feet be worn, and the way be long,
And the path with perils is rife,
For the feet there's rest, for the heart a song,
In the power of an endless life. His word, I know, is true—is true—
And His “endless life” is mine.
Have you felt it throb in your heart, sad soul?
Come, take of His life divine. It is sweet to know, tho we give Him all
In our weakness and sorrow and pain,
In the power of His wondrous endless life
We may give, and give again.
And the joy is this,—tho we feel the rod,
And the briers wound sharp as a knife,
We shall one day be like the Christ of God,
In the power of an endless life. Desert Roses
By Delwin Rees Buchner
On swaying hump-knolls, dromedaries bear
Their freight of ivory and dates and plumes
O’er trackless wastes where nothing ever blooms,
Their hoofs high hurling, in the ambient air,
Sand-clouds as on they hasten, unaware
That, far away, where that gray mountain looms
Like one of Egypt’s monumental tombs,
Fierce nomad bandits chuckle in their lair. Sad desert, now in thy disheveled lap
Thou holdest only dust of man and beast;
But few unwept Decembers more will close
Ere in thy sky her wings the dove will clap,
While a sublimer sun within the east
Will magnify the colors of thy rose. Appeals Unheeded
By Roy Temple House
(By Roy Temple House, in “S. S. Times”) “And Lot went out, ... and said, Up, get you out of this place; for Jehovah will destroy the city. But he seemed ... as one that mocked.” Gen. 19:14. His God had blessed him with abundant store
Of this world's pleasant gifts, with friends and gold,
Had lingered near him, speaking in his ear
Low, precious words that might have led the way
To gold more golden and to dearer friends.
But when he called his sons, and named the Name
That might have left his lips a thousand times
In proud confession of his conscious debt,
The name came strangely from his skilless lips,
And speaking it, he seemed as one that mocked. O Father, we have told our joys and woes,—
Our loves and hates that touch this present day
And fade before another dawn,—in words
That glowed with earnestness, in words that burned.
But when we spoke to other men of Thee—
Ah, 'tis no wonder that we left them cold! How could they know we loved Thee, loving One? “As Gold”
By Flora E. Warren
“He knoweth the way that I take,” alway;
Sweet message from God to each child to-day:
And “when He hath tried me”—as gold, by fire—
No spot will remain—not a wrong desire!
Dross can not abide where God’s fires may burn;
Each heart is made pure that to Him will turn.
Refiner of souls—they whom He shall try
“Shall come forth as gold,” when He comes, by and by.
O, joyful the souls whom His fires make clean!
Nevermore will vile sin in their hearts be seen! The Bible in Public Schools by Law
THERE is a great demand, at the present time, for the Bible in the public schools. Many good people are behind the movement. They see the godlessness of the age, the growing depravity and irreverence among children and youth, and they are anxious to do something to help stay the overwhelming tide of infidelity. One of the helps to this end, they think, is the Bible in the public schools. A generation ago there were not the wide-spread signs of degeneracy which we see now, and the Bible was read in the schools, they argue. It will therefore have the same results if read now. Let us say that we believe the Bible to be the Book of books, that it is worthy of reading at all times, under all legitimate circumstances. It is the precious guide that God has given us from this world of sin to the better world. It is that which is able to change the heart of men, and mold them after the divine image; but to all its blessed precepts men must respond willingly and heartily. But listen. There are some things that may be said on the other side. 1. A generation ago, fathers and mothers generally were much more religious than now; the Bible was revered in the home, read at family prayers, believed to be true. This was a mighty influence for good, and its evanishment can never be offset by a few verses read from the Bible in public school. 2. The Bible is not believed or regarded now as it was then. When it was read at home, or in the family circle, it was regarded as the word of God. Now the “higher critics” have, in the eyes of many, taken away its sacredness, and it is no more than a common book, or, worse still, a mass of myths. What particular power would it have upon the children at school, if disregarded at home? 3. Many, very many of the teachers in the public schools have partaken of the spirit of “higher criticism,” are believers in evolution rather than in the creative power of God, and have little regard for the creative Book—the Bible. Of what moral worth is such a teacher’s reading of the Bible, when his whole influence is against it? 4. There may be Roman Catholics in the school, who object to the reading of the Protestant versions; there may be Jews, who object to the reading of the New Testament. The teacher may be a Catholic, who may feel bound to read the Douay Version and the authorized glosses of the church as prescribed by that church, to which Protestants would greatly object. There may be infidels who do not believe in the reading of any religious book whatsoever. Such conditions would be bound to breed trouble and neighborhood wars, instead of bringing peace. 5. Any one or all of these classes may object to being compelled to support public schools by taxation in order to teach some religion in which they do not believe. Would it be justice to demand that any one should help to support a religion contrary to his belief?9 All the great principles in the foundation of the American government are against this. Therefore, to teach the Bible in the public schools, contrary to such protest, is not only unjust, but it would stir up ill feelings which a mere perfunctory reading of the Scriptures would not cure. 6. The history of other countries where the Bible has been read in the school by law, clearly shows that they are not better morally, that communities are not better, that no better class of children is developed, than in lands where such things are not in operation. All these efforts to effect by civil laws, by mechanical means, will ever disappoint. They will never take the place of what parents and religious teachers themselves ought to do. 7. The training of the child in moral, religious, and godly life, rests, first of all, with the parents. Secondly, it rests with the religious teachers, the pastors, the superintendents in the Sabbath-schools, the Sabbath-school teachers. With these three classes the great burden of soul must rest, and it is soul-burden for souls that lifts men and brings them to the Lord Jesus. All these efforts to cure by mechanical means, or by legal means, will fail. They will be disappointing to the last extremity. And we want this understood as not against the Bible, but against that curtailing of human freedom, a freedom for which the Bible itself pleads. Exalt the Word, but do not exalt it through civil law. On Exposing Men’s Sins Publicly
By Editor
(S. S. Times, February 1, 1913) WHEN is it our duty to bring a fellow man’s sin into public view? Is it possible that we may have a duty toward the offender, and toward those whom he is injuring, which does not necessarily involve public exposure? This question is interestingly put forward in a letter from a reader in New York State, who writes concerning an editorial paragraph that appeared in the Sunday School Times of December 7, 1912. The point of that paragraph was a remark by an experienced minister, who said, as to the suggestion that another minister, who was not doing right, be publicly denounced: “When God gets ready to expose that man, He’ll do it with a minimum of harm to the church. If you and I expose him, we’ll do it with a maximum of harm.” The inquirer writes: “Some time since, you published a paragraph on your editorial page, of which the thought was that man should wait for God to expose wrong-doers. I have been honestly puzzled to know just what you meant. If you knew your bookkeeper was appropriating your money and juggling his accounts to cover the theft, would duty require you to wait for a supernatural exposure?” “A county clerk in a neighboring county so manipulated the jury list that favored lawyers were always able to try their cases before picked juries, and therefore win. Two subordinates in the office knew the condition, and kept still. Was it right?” “A certain law has been on the statute-books of our state for a year. Our mayor and chief of police have decided not to attempt any enforcement in the city. Have citizens who know of the law, which has been carefully kept quiet, any responsibility?” “A minister is discovered by some of his congregation to be leading a double life, and this fact is known by more outside the church than in, bringing discredit on all religion among those who find in it proof of their belief that Christians are largely hypocrites. What should be done?” “If your comment does not apply in these cases, just what does it mean?” It is one thing to put a stop to an injury that is being caused by a man’s sin, and another thing to expose the wrong-doer publicly. There are undoubtedly times when public exposure is our duty; but probably it is far oftener possible to accomplish all that is needed, and with less harm, by refraining from public exposure. If a business man finds that his bookkeeper is dishonest, it is not necessarily the employer’s duty to commit the case to the courts. That might mean the moral wrecking of a life, when dealing with the offender alone and in private might mean a soul won to Christ and a new creation in Christ. And the injury would be put a stop to quite as effectively by the latter method as by the former. So of a minister whose life is untrue to his profession. Surely the very first move to make in such a case is for some one filled with the Spirit and the love of Christ to go privately to this man and talk with him about the tragic wrong that is being done, and about the power of God in Christ to make life over again. If the minister should yield up his life wholly to God, in confession and surrender, the situation, even then, might be such that it would be best for him to resign his charge and start life over again elsewhere, either in the ministry or out of it. But if this is done quietly and without public exposure and exploitation, how much better for all concerned! In the case of public officials, such as the county clerk and mayor and chief of police who are cited, there would seem to be more need of the public exposure of wrongs that have been committed against the public. Yet even in such cases the principle already suggested may, under some circumstances, apply. It may be possible to point out the wrong to the individual and have it promptly stopped. Or this method may fail. If it is tried and does fail, then it may be the plain duty of the one who knows of the wrong-doing to expose the offenders publicly and seek thus to put a stop to the wrong. The minister’s remark which was quoted in the editorial paragraph was meant simply to suggest that men should not carelessly expose a fellow man; that when God was ready to have the exposure made, it would be done with less harm than if done ahead of time by men who were not acting in accordance with God’s will. It was not the intention to suggest that exposure must come only in supernatural ways; for God can use men to do His will in this, as in so much else. In general, is it not a safe principle to believe that the public exposure of men’s sins is not likely to be a duty unless it is plainly the only hopeful way of stopping an injury that is being done to others, or unless we, by silence, would ourselves be guilty of practical connivance in wrong-doing? In many a case there is no such reason for exposure. A loving observance of this principle, applying it also to ordinary conversation on the subject of others’ failings, would keep a vast amount of misery and bitterness and increased wrong-doing out of the world. AMONG the blessings pronounced by our Saviour was this: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” To hunger and thirst means more than simply to desire; it means to have that intense longing of soul so aptly expressed by the psalmist in these words: “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” Ps. 42:1, 2. This is the language of the most intense longing. The panting deer upon the sun-scorched and barren plain, has but one impulse, namely, to reach water. The famished traveler in the desert waste has but one thought,—O, that I might find water. And so must he feel who seeks God. When in sore distress, the patriarch Job exclaimed in the anguish of his soul: “O that I knew where I might find Him! that I might come even to His seat! I would order my cause before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments.” These scriptures give some idea of what the man feels who has real longings of soul for God and for the things that pertain to salvation. And he who has these controlling desires, these all-absorbing longings, will not be disappointed,—“he shall,” says the word of God, “be filled.”