Earlier text: Life and HealthFilled With the Fulness of God
By Ellen G. White
The themes of redemption are momentous themes, and only those who are spiritually minded can discern their depth and significance. It is our safety, our joy, to dwell upon the truths of the plan of salvation. Faith and prayer are necessary in order that we may behold the deep things of God. Our minds are so bound about by narrow ideas that we catch but limited views of the experience it is our privilege to have. How little do we comprehend what is meant by the apostle Paul when he says, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, . . . that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” Why is it that many who profess to have faith in Christ have no strength to stand against the temptations of the enemy?—It is because they are not strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. The apostle prays “that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” If we had this experience, we should know something of the cross of Calvary. We would know what it means to be partakers with Christ in his sufferings. The love of Christ would constrain us, and though we would not be able to explain how the love of Christ warmed our hearts, we would manifest his love in fervent devotion to his cause. Paul opens before the Ephesian church, in the most comprehensive language, the marvelous power and knowledge they might possess as sons and daughters of the Most High. It was theirs “to be strengthened with all might by his Spirit in the inner man,” to be “rooted and grounded in love,” to “comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.” But the prayer of the apostle reaches the climax of privilege when he prays that “ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Here are revealed the heights of attainment that we may reach through faith in the promises of our Heavenly Father, when we fulfil his requirements. Through the merits of Christ, we have access to the throne of infinite power. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” The Father gave his Spirit without measure to his Son, and we also may partake of its fulness. Jesus says: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” The Lord appeared of old to Abraham, and said, “I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” This is the reward of all who follow Christ. Jehovah Emmanuel—he in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge—to be brought into sympathy with him, to possess him, as the heart opens more and more to receive his attributes; to know his love and power, to possess the unsearchable riches of Christ, to comprehend more and more “what is the length, and breadth, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”—this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and “their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” The heart that has once tasted of the love of Christ, cries out continually for a deeper draft; and as you impart, you will receive in richer and more abundant measure. Every revelation of God to the soul increases the capacity to know and to love. The continual cry of the heart is, More of thee, and ever the Spirit’s answer is, Much more; for our God delights to do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” To Jesus, who emptied himself for the salvation of lost humanity, the Holy Spirit was given without measure. So it will be given to every follower of Christ when the whole heart is surrendered for his indwelling. Our Lord himself has given the command, “Be filled with the Spirit,” and this command is also a promise of its fulfilment. It was the good pleasure of the Father that in Christ should “all the fulness dwell;” and “in him ye are made full.” The life of Christ was a life charged with a divine message of the love of God, and he longed intensely to impart this love to others in rich measure. Compassion beamed from his countenance, and his conduct was characterized by grace and humility, love and truth. Every member of his church militant must manifest the same qualities, if he would join the church triumphant. The love of Christ is so broad, so full of glory, that in comparison to it, everything that man esteems so great dwindles into insignificance. When we obtain a view of it, we exclaim, O the depth of the riches of the love that God bestowed upon men in the gift of his only begotten Son! When we seek for appropriate language in which to describe the love of God, we find words too tame, too weak, too far beneath the theme, and we lay down our pen and say, “No, it can not be described.” We can only say, with the beloved disciple, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” It is the mystery of God in the flesh, God in Christ, divinity in humanity. Christ bowed down in unparalleled humility, that in his exaltation to the throne of God he might also exalt those who believe in him to a seat with him upon his throne. To all who are willing for self to be humbled are given God’s promises:— “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee.” “Call upon me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” “Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,” will be given unto us “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him,” that we may be able to “comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,” that we may be “filled with all the fulness of God.” “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love him.” Only through his Word can a knowledge of these things be gained; and even this affords but a partial revelation. But there every power will be developed, every capability increased. The grandest enterprises will be carried forward, and the highest ambitions realized. And still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of body and mind and soul. All8 the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s children. With unutterable delight we shall enter into the joys and the wisdom of unfallen beings. We shall share the treasures gained through ages and ages spent in contemplation of God’s handiwork. And the years of eternity, as they roll, will continue to bring more glorious revelations. “Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,” will be, forever and ever, the impartation of the gifts of God. The Judgment Message
By George I. Butler
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Rev. 14: 6, 7. The careful reader will notice that this message announces the beginning of the great judgment period. “He [God] hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness.” Acts 17:31. To appoint is defined by Webster: “To fix by a decree, order, command, resolve, decision, or mutual agreement; to prescribe; to fix the time or place of.” God, then, as declared by the great apostle, has fixed the time when the judgment will begin, by a decree, a command, a decision of his omnipotent word. This appointment had already been made when the apostle spoke that wonderful discourse to the Athenians. It was, then, settled more than eighteen centuries ago at what time the great heavenly assize should begin. And the time when it should begin was to be announced to the world. This first angel’s message itself is the announcement of it. The great judgment day is to settle the eternal destiny of every person, dead or alive. Paul uses the past tense, “hath appointed” the day, or period, when the judgment should begin. The judgment of mankind must occupy a period of time, a considerable period. “I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.” Eccl. 3:17. Preceding the day of Christ’s second coming, and occupying a sufficient period to fulfil the pleasure of the all-wise and omnipotent One, who himself presides over the sessions of this grandest assize of the universe, the books of record kept in the archives of heaven, written by the angels of God, will be examined, and a decision, made in every case for weal or woe, will be rendered before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to execute the decisions of the judgment. These decisions will be final, fixed to all eternity, because the Judge of all presides, whose word is ever true, and must be right. Reader, would you get a clear and comprehensive and soul-enlightening view of this greatest of supreme courts,—God the Father, the Son, and the innumerable host of heavenly angels in session? We will give it to you from the divine Word:— “And I beheld till thrones were placed, and One that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Dan. 7: 9, 10. It is not the purpose of this brief article to enter into a full elucidation of the subject of the judgment. Books on this subject can be obtained at any of our publishing offices or depositories. A few words will properly introduce the subject:— This wonderful description of the last judgment scene forms a part of one of the most remarkable lines of prophecy in the Bible. In Daniel 7, four great universal kingdoms are introduced in symbol,—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome,—successive in their work, leading us down in the history of the world from Daniel’s time to the last days. Each played its part in the great drama of the world’s history; but the prophecy gives more in detail the work of Rome, and especially the last division of that power, papal Rome, to the coming of Christ in glory. The great judgment scene is at the very close of this long line of prophecy. It is the last work of God and Christ preceding his coming to this earth, and preparatory to it. A careful study of this scripture will inevitably decide the question that the judgment scene going on in heaven takes place while the last generation is living on the earth. The first angel’s message demonstrates this beyond doubt; for it states, in the clearest language, that a grand proclamation must go to the world by the voice of the preacher, “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” announcing the grandest of all facts, “The hour [or period] of his judgment is come.” Eighteen centuries ago, Paul declared that God had “appointed a day” for this great assize to begin. The beloved John was instructed in holy vision to announce to the world the proclamation of a world-wide message, declaring the momentous fact that the period of his judgment had already come—“is come.” If this does not demonstrate that the period of the last judgment takes place in the heavenly courts while the last generation is living on the earth, to whom God’s messengers are preaching the grand truth that that judgment is actually in session, then we shall never be able to understand human language. Another consideration must settle the question, in the minds of all candid, intelligent persons, that the judgment of the last day takes place in heaven before our Saviour appears: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. Let the reader carefully note these facts: when the Lord comes, he appears in mid-heaven, with all his escort of mighty angels. All come with him. The righteous dead are raised immortal, and immediately arise to meet him in the air. All the living righteous ascend with the resurrected dead to meet him in mid-heaven. Other scriptures declare that he, with them, immediately goes up to the New Jerusalem in heaven, to reign a thousand years. Christ does not come down upon the earth at that time. The judgments of God in the seven last plagues and the glory of Christ’s advent destroy all the living wicked, and they lie upon the earth unburied and unlamented, and thus our earth lies desolate till the end of the thousand years, when the wicked dead are all raised to receive their final punishment. The one point we wish to impress upon every mind is this: at the coming of Christ, an eternal separation takes place between the righteous and the wicked. The righteous go to heaven with Christ, to inhabit those mansions which Jesus prepared for them before he came. John 14:1-3. The wicked are all left upon the earth, and are slain by the brightness of his coming. How could these indisputable facts be true unless it had been decided who were righteous, and who were wicked? This decision is the work of the great judgment day that the first angel’s message brings to view: “The hour of his judgment is come.” It is every way fitting, yea, absolutely necessary, when we consider the mercy and justice of God, that his intelligent creatures should be warned of this momentous event so important for every person to know; so the solemn message must be proclaimed to all mankind. Other considerations connected with this first last-day proclamation will be considered in our next article. The Overcomer
By E. C. JAEGER
THE Bible holds out the hope of a reward only to the overcomer. The man who has victoriously come off the field of battle is the one upon whom is placed the victor's crown. We admire those who through all circumstances ever battle upward and onward, and our Father looks with kindly approval upon those who, with unselfish desire and in his strength overcome “for Jesus' sake.” When what we do is done for him alone, we forget to pity ourselves, and are lost in the joy of serving Jesus. This is the only kind of service Jesus can accept.9 Not the least trace of self-serving or self-seeking will ever be admitted into heaven. Very much of our love is selfish, and is continued only so long as the object of that love “treats us well.” Such is not the love of heaven; God loved us when we were yet sinners, and in all our waywardness continued to call us unto that “inheritance which is incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.” If any of God's commands seem hard to perform, and we are inclined to murmur, it is wise to look for traces of selfishness,—for selfishness is surely there,—and then with fervent prayer seek God for the removal of that which is hindering cheerful obedience to his loving commands. He alone can remove these hindrances, and give strength to overcome. If we have striven hard, and yet seem unable to overcome, the probable reason is that we have depended too much upon our own strength; that we are not really in earnest; that we have, deep down in our hearts, just a little love for sin, for those idle words and unholy deeds which give pain to the Master. By continuing to indulge in such things, we are saying to Christ and this world, “I care not how I grieve my Lord.” By our unwillingness to do the will of God we have prolonged our Lord's period of suffering and sorrow. Long ago he ought to have been crowned Lord of lords and King of kings. Let us no longer, through our love of self and sin, hinder the work of God, and delay the day of his appearing. “Arise, shine for thy light is come.” A Bible Study on God's Law
By C. P. Odell
What does the Lord require of his children that they might have eternal life? “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.” Prov. 7:1, 2. When the law is received in the heart, what will it do? “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Ps. 19:7. Of what does the law convince one? “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” Rom. 3:20. What is the Scripture definition of sin? “Whoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. By what does Paul say that he became convinced of his sins? “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Rom. 7:7. How did the Lord present his law to us in the beginning? “And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.” Deut. 4:12, 13. What is God's law called? For what cause will many be finally rejected? “Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” 2 Thess. 2:10, 11. How does God regard the prayers of those who reject his holy law? “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” Prov. 28:9. What does God say of those who claim to know him, and at the same time excuse themselves from keeping his holy law? “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4. Where shall we all have to appear very soon? and for what purpose? “For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10. Who will stand before his judgment-seat justified? “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” Rom. 2:13. How will God answer those who claim to have been his representatives while refusing obedience to his law? “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matt. 7:22, 23. Iniquity is sin, and sin is the transgression of God's law. What have those learned who have been obedient to God's law? “Harken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law.” Isa. 51:7. They have learned to know what righteousness is. What does the Lord say of them? and in what way are they found walking? “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.” Ps. 119:1. What does this company delight in? and in what do they meditate continually? “They delight in the law of the Lord, and meditate in it day and night.” Ps. 1:2. To what are they likened? “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Ps. 1:3. What special blessing has the Lord promised to them that keep the fourth commandment of the decalogue? “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Isa. 58:13, 14. What special right and privilege will be granted to commandment-keepers? “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22:14. How often will they come together in the new earth to call on the name of the Lord and to worship him? “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.” Isa. 66:22, 23. Where will be the appointed place for meeting? “Be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people.” Isa. 65:18, 19. What is it said that they will do in the earth made new? “And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” Isa. 65:21, 22. God's Pitying Love
By T. E. Bowen
God loves his people. He is not watching to pick some flaw in their lives, on account of which to condemn them. This is Satan's work. Satan accuses the servants of Christ, and then tries to make us believe it is God who condemns. “It is Satan's work to fill men's hearts with doubt. He leads them to look upon God as a stern judge. He tempts them to sin, and then to regard themselves as too vile to approach their Heavenly Father, or to excite his pity. The Lord understands all this. Jesus assures his disciples of God's sympathy for them in their needs and weaknesses. Not a sigh is breathed, not a pain felt, not a grief pierces the soul, but the throb vibrates to the Father's heart.” “God is bending from his throne to hear the cry of the oppressed. To every sincere prayer he answers, ‘Here am I.’” As my eye caught these words in “Desire of Ages,” somehow they touched my heart with a new sense of God's wonderful love and tender interest in every one of us. Truly he loves his10 children. He desires us to know it, and to act as if we believed it. And what greater work do we have, after all, than manifesting to those about us the tender love which God has for souls that have been beguiled away from his love by the deceiver? God's special interest is here. He is interested in the salvation and welfare of every soul. We may not be versed in all the customs and ways of the people with whom we mingle; but if our hearts are filled with love for others, our broken sentences in a strange tongue, or our transgression of some custom, will be interpreted much as were the efforts of a missionary laboring in Peru—Mr. Newell, who laid down his life among that people—by a Peruvian girl, who, in speaking of his labors among them, said: “He not speak our language very well. He learn from little to little, but love make all things in him.” If love makes all the things in us, souls will respond to this call of heaven manifested through God's children, and many more will be adopted into the heavenly family. And it might safely be added that many who have already been brought in might be kept within the fold by the manifesting of a little more of God's tender love. A Letter From a Pioneer in This Message
By Washington Morse
DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS: I am happy to live to celebrate the sixty-fourth anniversary of the investigative judgment, which began Oct. 22, 1844. Strangely enough, the figures 1844 have been engraved upon the memory of this generation so deeply that the very mention of them brings to mind a tradition or an actual experience. Who has not heard of what was familiarly styled “the 1844 movement”? Who does not know that modern Adventism sprang into being there, and that in all the world the soon coming of Christ was preached with unparalleled power, and was emphasized by the thought that the judgment was at hand? Indeed, the Adventists of that time, with William Miller at their head, claimed to be giving that very message which is recorded in Rev. 14:6, 7: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” The Adventists of 1844 were right in assuming that the judgment had been reached. They were mistaken simply in their proposition that the Lord was to come at the beginning of the investigative judgment, instead of at its close. (When the great bells of heaven are rung, their echoes are heard upon the earth.) When so stupendous an event as the judgment is inaugurated in heaven, who can doubt that man, who is so deeply concerned in its result, will be apprised of what is taking place there? After the passing of the time in 1844, we reviewed the ground that we had passed over during the twelve previous years. We began with the sixty-nine weeks of Dan. 9:25. This period brought us to the autumn of A. D. 27, this being the end of the first 483 years of the 2300 of Dan. 8:14. At that time our Saviour was baptized, and was acknowledged to be Messiah the Prince. In the middle of the seventieth week, or four hundred ninetieth of the 2300 years of Dan. 8:14, Christ was cut off, or crucified (Dan. 9:26, 27), in the spring of A. D. 31, leaving three and one-half years for his apostles to fulfil the remainder of the seventy weeks. Dan. 9:26. This brought us to the autumn of A. D. 34; the remainder, 1810 years, brings us to the autumn of 1844. Within the last fifty years preceding, five of the most prominent prophetic periods of the Bible had terminated: the 1290 years ended in 1798; the 1260, beginning with the setting up of the papacy in A. D. 538, and ending in 1798, marked the beginning of the time of the end (Dan. 11:35); the 391 years and fifteen days of Rev. 9:15 came to an end, Aug. 11, 1840, marking the fall of the Ottoman empire; the 1335 ended in 1843. Here we saw a blessing was pronounced upon those who wait and come to the end of the 1335 years. (We had come to the end of the 1335 years, and to the end of all the prophetic periods.) We also saw that all our reckoning was correct. Here the light broke into our minds upon the This sanctuary subject (this was by far the greatest blessing that had come to God’s waiting people). All the past was made plain. We had done the will of God in preaching the time message, and it was said to us, in Rev. 10:11: “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples.” The Saviour said, “When ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors.” And we do know that we are soon to see our blessed Saviour. The Hope of the Resurrection
By Albert Carey
“Yes, I know in ’Melica, by and by, Jesus come and raise dear ones, and make happy again; but in China, have no Jesus.” These were the words of a dear Chinese youth who had only recently come from China. He had learned to say but a few broken words in English, and was sitting in his room one night, reading over and over again a letter just received from the home land, telling of the death of a dear brother. Ah Chang was tall, fair for a Chinese, and a fine specimen of the student class. His features were delicate, his eye kind and affectionate, just like your brother’s or mine; but the pathos of that bitter mourning could only be explained by his words, “In China, have no Jesus.” Often have these stirring words rung in my ears, but never more than the night we laid our sweet four-year-old baby to rest. How near the Saviour came to us then, as the “blessed hope” seemed to bring us face to face with our darling! But as we thought of the millions in China, and in other heathen lands, who have no hope at all to brighten death’s dark hour, our hearts were drawn anew toward them. The following lines present the truth as it appeared to us that night. Trusting they may stir some other hearts in behalf of the great dark lands, we pass them on:— Rest thou, our darling, so tender and fair;
Rest from earth’s turmoil, its burden and care.
Our memories of thee, how surpassingly sweet;
But sweeter to know that again we shall meet. Precious the smile that thou gavest us here;
Light amid sorrow; for sadness, sweet cheer;
But when Jesus comes to unlock the dark tomb,
That smile will brighten with immortal bloom. O, what consolation the Christian hope bears!
Each burden he lightens, each sorrow he shares;
For heaven is nearer when sorrow presides,
And death-pangs bring peace and comfort besides. But O, in dark China, no Jesus they know;
No Saviour to comfort, no balm for their woe.
There Death has a gloom all too sad to repeat;
Beyond its dark portals no loved ones can meet. They cling to their loved ones as we to our own,
But the hope of the gospel to them is unknown. “No Jesus in China!” O, Christian, can you
Rejoice in your comfort and let that be true? Speed on the glad tidings, till never one soul
Need comfortless come to life’s bittersome goal;
Thy skirts clear of blood, His message made plain,
He will bring thy beloved to thy bosom again. How gladly we’ll greet our departed ones then!
But gladder, if true to our trust we have been,
Will be the blest meeting with those who are there
Because of our sacrifice, labor, and prayer. Beware of Self-Exaltation
“BEWARE of those temptations which allure to heights God never intended us to occupy. When the devil tempted Christ, he took him to the pinnacle of the temple, and into an exceeding high mountain. It is possible he may seek to do the same to us. Let us beware of the pinnacle of self-exaltation. Danger lurks there.” Our Midday Meal
By Mrs. Edith E. Bruce
“WELL, ladies,” said Aunt Mary, “I believe we are to talk about a dinner menu to-day, and I want you to suggest the menu, and also to mention any difficulties you may encounter in preparing your midday meal. First of all, what are some of the important things to be considered in the preparation of any meal?” “The proper nourishment of the body,” suggested Mrs. Brown, who had been making rapid strides in her cooking and housekeeping since the formation of the Good Cooking and Housekeeping Club. “Yes,” said Aunt Mary, “that is true; and I am glad to see you putting into practise these most important principles.” “The first thing I always think of is what I can have for a proteid,” said Mrs. Murry, “and I sometimes find it quite a difficult problem since I do not use meat.” “I suppose,” said Mrs. Johnson, “that the first thing to put on our dinner menu is soup, and that is one thing that has bothered me when I do not have meat stock for a foundation for my soup. My family are fond of soup, but I am at sea to know how to make it without meat. If I can be helped out on this, I shall be very glad.” “Yes, indeed,” chorused the other ladies, “we all want to know your method of soup-making.” Some said that they seldom had soup, although their families were very fond of it. “As soup naturally comes first upon the dinner menu,” said Aunt Mary, “I think it will be quite appropriate to consider it first to-day. First let me say that soups can easily be made without the use of meat. Soup is an economical dish, and deserves a place upon our every-day bill of fare. When properly made, it is nutritious and appetizing. Some wise person has well said that ‘soup rejoices the stomach, and disposes it to receive and digest other food.’ Good soup can be prepared from grains, legumes, and vegetables, and is much more nutritious than that prepared from meat. Soups also offer an economical way of using left-overs, such as beans, peas, and rice.” “I would like to have you jot down a few principles to be remembered, and then I will give you a few simple recipes, which I am sure will make it possible for you to have soup every day for dinner without using meat:— “1. In preparing soups from grains and legumes, the material should be cooked in the usual way, with as little water as possible. “2. After thoroughly cooking, these grains or legumes should be put through the colander to remove the skins. “3. Do not throw things together in making soup, but follow the recipe in every particular. “4. Vegetables should be thoroughly cooked for the use of soup. “I will now give you some simple recipes from materials that we use every day in our cooking. “Put through the colander one quart of well-cooked beans. To this pulp add one cup of thin cream, salt to taste, and sufficient boiling water to make of the right consistency, and reheat. This is a good, plain soup, and to it may be added, if desired, a cup of well-cooked rice or barley, and the juice of an onion if its flavor is agreeable. Lentil soup may be made in the same way. Lentils are not so dark, and do not taste so strong, if parboiled before cooking. “Take one pint or a little less of mashed beans, and one pint of stewed tomatoes; rub together through a colander. Add salt, a cup of thin cream, one-half cup of nicely steamed rice, and sufficient hot water to make a soup of proper consistency. Reheat and serve. “For each quart of soup required, cook a pint of sliced potatoes. When tender, rub through a colander. Return to the fire, and add enough rich milk to make one quart in all. Salt to taste. When the soup has come to a boil, add a teaspoonful of flour rubbed to a paste in a little water. Boil a few minutes and serve. A stalk of celery or a slice of onion may be simmered in the soup a few minutes to give it a flavor, and then removed. “Heat two quarts of strained stewed tomatoes to boiling. Add four tablespoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. Let the tomatoes boil until thickened, and add salt to season. Have ready two cups of hot, rich milk. Add the milk slowly, and let all boil together for a minute before serving. “Take one can of green corn or its equivalent, mash thoroughly and put through the colander, and heat. To this add one quart of milk, salt to taste, and thicken a very little with cornstarch or flour. “The same recipe does nicely for canned peas. Pea soup is quickly made, and is very palatable. “These,” said Aunt Mary, “are only a few of the many delicious soups that can be made from the grains and vegetables, but we have not time to-day to talk of any more. Next week we will proceed with our dinner menu, and will talk about the preparation of vegetables and legumes.” SOFTLY, O softly! the years have swept by thee,
Touching thee lightly with tenderest care;
Sorrow and death they have often brought nigh thee,
Yet they have left thee but beauty to wear—
Growing old gracefully,
Gracefully fair. Far from the storms that are lashing the ocean,
Nearer each day to the pleasant home light;
Far from the waves that are big with commotion,
Under full sail and the harbor in sight—
Growing old gracefully,
Cheerful and bright. Past all the winds that were adverse and chilling,
Past all the islands that lured thee to rest,
Past all the currents that lured thee unwilling
Far from thy course to the land of the blest—
Growing old gracefully,
Peaceful and blest. Never a feeling of envy or sorrow
When the bright faces of children are seen;
Never a year from the young wouldst thou borrow—
Thou dost remember what lieth between—
Growing old willingly,
Thankful, serene. Rich in experience angels might covet,
Rich in a faith that hath grown with the years,
Rich in a love that grew from and above it,
Soothing thy sorrows and hushing thy fear—
Growing old wealthily,
Loving and dear. Hearts at the sound of thy coming are lightened,
Ready and willing thy hand to relieve;
Many a face at thy kind word has brightened,
“It is more blessed to give than receive”—
Growing old happily,
Ceasing to grieve. Eyes that grow dim to earth and its glory
Have a sweet recompense youth can not know;
Ears that grow dull to the world and its story,
Drink in the songs that from paradise flow—
Growing old graciously,
Purer than snow.