Earlier text: The Change and Restoration of the SabbathNon-Combatants.
By James White
THEIR DUTY IN REFERENCE TO THE PRESENT WAR.
"I EXHORT therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." 1 Tim. ii, 1-4. The sacred Scriptures teach that Christians have duties to perform which relate to both earth and Heaven. And while the Bible dwells particularly upon the great danger of neglecting heavenly things, it does not fail to point out the Christian's duty relative to the affairs of this world. "Render therefore," said Christ, Matt. xxii, 21, "unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's." The Apostle very definitely states the duty of Christians to pray for civil rulers, that important results may follow— 1. He exhorts that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for them. 2. He gives this duty prominence. "First of all," says he, let this be done. 3. The burden of prayer is stated to be, "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." 4. The result "is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." The great object then of the prayer which should go up to the throne of grace from every Christian heart, is that men may be brought to a saving knowledge of the truth. The Apostle does not here teach that prayer should be made for the conversion of all kings and all those that are in authority. Their conversion is not the great object he now has in view. But he exhorts that prayer should be made for them, that those who have enlisted under the Prince of Peace may lead quiet and peaceable lives. War is not in harmony with the spirit which the New Testament especially teaches should be manifested by the disciples of the meek and lowly Saviour. The spirit of war overruns the spirit of true piety, and hinders the progress of Christian truth and holiness in any country where both exist. And unless the especial providence of God favors the cause of non-combatants, in case of drafting men for the service, they are liable to be brought where military law will demand of them what they regard a violation of the Higher Law. These, doubtless, are some of the reasons why the Apostle makes it the first duty of Christians to pray that they may be able to lead quiet and peaceable lives, and not be hindered in their efforts to bring men to a saving knowledge of the truth. Bible history presents instances where humiliation, fasting and prayer, have moved the arm of Omnipotence to dispose the hearts of those in authority to favor the cause of the just. The prophet addresses his captive people in Babylon, as recorded in Jer. xxix, 7, thus—"Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace." Jesus taught his disciples the duty of prayer relative to their escape from Jerusalem, at the time of its destruction. "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." Matt. xxiv, 20. And is it not possible that the impressive petition of the angel, Rev. vii, 3,—"Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads,"—symbolizes earnest prayer on the part of God's loyal people, at the present period of this dreadful American war? To this point we would call particular attention. If the present be the period for the message to go forth which bears upon its very front the Seal of the Living God; if the four angels have at this time, been losing their hold of the winds of political strife and war, so that they are now blowing, and if the ascending angel with the Seal of God, symbolizes the rising, spreading message of the third angel, which has taken a strong hold upon the hearts of thousands of men and women at this time, then may we not conclude that the earnest petition of the ascending angel represents the united prayer of all interested in the message, for God, in the execution of justice and judgment upon our nation for the high crime of slavery, to so manifest his power, as to speedily bring to a close this terrible war. Upon this point we wish to speak with becoming modesty, but cannot leave it without stating that the foregoing suggestions are our settled convictions. We certainly think it worthy of the immediate attention of all our people. The present condition of our country calls for fervent prayer from all those who, like Jacob, have power with God, through faith, to prevail in prayer. Can those who are striving to be loyal to the Constitution and Laws of High Heaven come nearest to the throne of grace? then let them, in the name of Jesus our merciful High Priest, come with humble boldness and fervency in this time of the nation's agony. Hundreds of thousands of brave men have entered the service, and have suffered, and bled and died upon the field of battle, in hospitals, and in southern prisons. Oh! the sum total of human agony which has been wrung from the nation! This causeless rebellion of those whose hands were stained with the sin of slavery, has caused this tide of woe to flow onward for nearly four years! Great God! when will it cease? "The weapons of our warfare," says the Apostle, 2 Cor. x, 4, "are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." But no American Christian, however spiritual may be the weapon of his warfare, should feel that he has no other interest in this war than to clear himself from its responsibilities and liabilities by only paying a trifling sum into a safety insurance treasury. He has really as much interest in this old world as any man. Although it has been sadly changed from its primeval glory by the curse, and by the flood, and has been rent by inward commotion, and has waxed old like a tattered garment, and has been crimsoned by war and bloodshed, and everywhere is seen resting upon it the blight and mildew of sin, yet here he must stay and act his part until the Prince of Peace shall come and reign. Seventh-day Adventists believe that they have committed to them a message that is yet to shake the world, and bring out of it a consecrated people, loyal and true to the God of Heaven. The triumphant closing of this grand work, they believe is symbolized by the angel of Rev. xviii, 1, 2, "having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory." To be permitted, in the providence of God, to lead quiet and peaceable lives in this time which is marked in prophecy as a special period of war, and act a part for God in the promulgation of his burning truth, attended with power and glory, is an exalted privilege. For this let every believer most fervently pray. God rules and reigns in Heaven and on earth. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever he will." Proverbs xxi, 1. The apostle exhorts that "giving of thanks" also, be made for those "that are in authority," as well as "supplications, prayers, and intercessions." Every Christian citizen of the free North can thank God that he lives under the best government in this revolted and sin-cursed world. It is true that we suffer the terrible results of war. And how far government is responsible for many wrongs connected with the present war is a point we do not now propose to discuss. But in our opinion, it would be about as unreasonable to charge the war in Heaven at the time of the revolt of Satan and the angels who fell with him, upon Michael and the loyal angels, as to charge this war upon the present administration. It is also true to the history of this war, that very many of the most terrible and heart-rending disasters and sufferings of the North have resulted from the conduct of Northern pro-slavery traitors. Christian citizens of the free North can give thanks to God for religious freedom secured to them by the government. Christ's first ministers were slain for preaching and believing Christ, and the resurrection of the dead. The millions of holy martyrs sealed77 their testimony with their blood. Christian friends, we should gratefully compare the present with the past, and let our fervent thanks go up to Heaven. As a denomination of non-combatants, Seventh-day Adventists should give thanks to God for the provision made by government for the exemption of non-combatants from bearing carnal weapons, on conditions specified by law. In view of the foregoing, we recommend to our people that prayer and giving of thanks for those in authority constitute a proper portion of their Sabbath and other seasons of public worship, and, also, of family and private devotions. And beside this, we recommend that the second Sabbath in each month be especially set apart to fasting and prayer in view of the present terrible war, and the peculiar relations which non-combatants sustain to the government, that they may still enjoy liberty of conscience, and lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty. From the Grave to Immortality.
Was Moses raised from the dead? This is a question which has occasioned some discussion, and on which there exists, even now, among different classes of religionists, a difference of opinion. Those who object to the view that he was raised, rest their objection on the ground that Christ was to be the first who should be raised from the dead. And when the cases of those are called to mind who were raised from the dead before the resurrection of Christ, of which we have at least six different examples, the distinction at once suggests itself, naturally enough, perhaps at first thought, that Christ was the first to be raised to immortality, the others being raised only to mortal life; whereas if Moses was raised, and appeared literally on the mount of transfiguration, he was raised to immortality. With the argument thus put, the whole question turns upon the bestowal of immortality; for we can conceive of no other difference between a person raised simply, and one raised to immortality, except the gift of immortality, bestowed upon the latter. But so far as immortality is concerned would there be any difference between bestowing it upon a person raised from the dead, and upon one living in this mortal state? If not, the objector to make good his objection, should be able to show that no individual of our race was ever made immortal previous to the resurrection of Christ. But we have in the cases of Enoch and Elijah two notable instances of persons' receiving immortality previous to the resurrection of Christ. Put these cases with those of the persons who were raised from the dead, and what do we have? A plain path, it seems to us, in the old dispensation, from the grave to immortality. Thus we have persons raised from the grave to this mortal life: and second, persons raised from this mortal life to immortality. From the grave to this life; from this life to immortality. And though these results were accomplished in different individuals, where would have been the difference, had they all been accomplished in one? That is, would there be any difference between raising a person from the grave to this life, and then the same person to immortality, or raising one to this life, and another from this life to immortality? Then again, where would be the difference between raising a person to this mortal state, and then to immortality and raising him from the grave to immortality at one change? In short, would the resurrection of Moses to immortality, be really anything more than those cases of which we have an explicit record in the Old Testament? If not, the objection to the resurrection of Moses based on the ground that Christ should be the first to rise to immortality cannot stand; for though we have no direct statement that Moses was raised, yet we have the experience of individuals, in which everything was accomplished, that would need to have been accomplished in the resurrection of Moses. We offer these thoughts merely as supplementary to the main arguments on this question, which show that the dispute between Michael and the Devil, as mentioned in Jude 9, being solely about the body of Moses, could have reference to nothing else but his resurrection; and that consequently he must have been raised, unless we concede that Michael has not power to carry out his purposes over the opposition of the Devil: and second, that such expressions as that Christ should be the first to rise from the dead, the first begotten, first born, &c. have reference not to priority in time, but to pre-eminence in importance and position. ONLY those who have thoughts like lightning deserve to have a voice like thunder to utter them. It is a beautiful thought of Bossuet that of all our riches we can carry with us to the next world only that portion which we have given away in this. The Discussion at Manchester, N. H.
By John Norton Loughborough
A FEW days since, the following statement in the World's Crisis of Nov. 1, 1864, relative to the discussion at Manchester, came under my notice, and as I consider it demands a few remarks, I give it below. "We have been earnestly requested to state whether the report of our discussion on the Sabbath question, with M. E. Cornell, at Manchester, N. H., as published by the friends at Battle Creek, Mich., is 'a true representation?'
"We would not charge the author of the report with untruth; but it will be noticed that our speeches, as reported, are only from one half to about one fourth as long as those of our opponent. It is well known that a person may truthfully report a part of what another said, and make him appear in very bad light; when, if he had only reported the rest that he said, the scales would be turned the other way. We claim that such was the case in the report of that discussion."
Eld. Grant says he will not charge us with untruth. That sounds clever. But, if we are guilty of what he says, namely, suppressing the truth to put him in a "bad light" before the people, it is in reality the worst kind of untruth. We would ask Eld. Grant to show what positions he took in that discussion which are suppressed, rather than make such a wholesale charge that what he said that was not reported would turn the scale the other way. Again. If it is so easy to turn the scales "the other way" by what he said in that discussion that is not reported, why was it that he let the matter rest about eight months without endeavoring to show that he has been misrepresented? And why was it when he made the above statement that it was called forth by earnest request? We will refer to a statement in the preface to the report of the discussion for a reason why Eld. Grant's speeches are so short: "My object was to take the principal arguments advanced, and the scriptures used on both sides, and to state the propositions and arguments, as far as I went, in the words of the speakers; and where authors were quoted, to state in the words of the authors the real point for which they were quoted. Many of the authors quoted by Eld. Grant, I had not access to in making the report, and could only give in the report of these authors, such statements as were taken at the time he was speaking. But in each case I have taken the statements that were considered as having a direct bearing on the question. The authors quoted by Eld. Cornell I have access to, and their statements are generally in full. "I have endeavored to avoid repetition as much as possible, although there was, as is usual in discussions, much repetition. I have only repeated where the arguments were repeated for the sake of advancing some new idea upon them. These facts, with the consideration that Eld. Cornell is a more rapid speaker than Eld. Grant, will explain why some of Eld. Grant's speeches appear in the report so much shorter than his opponent's. I have labored, however, to state all his arguments, scriptures, and proofs accurately." I would say still further in relation to the repetition, that Eld. Grant came to Bro. Cornell after the second evening of the debate, and wished the discussion to stop. He said if it continued any longer it would only be repetition as his principal arguments were out. It proved to be a fact, for in the third evening of the debate he repeated his argument entire on the covenants, scarcely advancing a new idea; and in his last speech of the discussion he only occupied ten of his thirty minutes. If the Elder thinks some of his arguments have been suppressed which would turn the scale, it may be well for him to repeat them in the Crisis, and thereby convince some of his own brethren in Manchester, who attended the discussion and said he did not succeed in maintaining his position. We promise him that the said arguments, when produced, shall have a place in the Review. If he really wishes the readers of the Crisis to know just how this matter stands, I presume he can have an opportunity to discuss it over again, either through the Crisis and Review, or else have a verbal discussion reported verbatim for the Crisis and Review. Then all will be prepared to judge how easily the arguments for the Sabbath are overturned. New Shoreham, R. I. Jan. 15, 1865. “Peace and Safety.”
By M. E. Cornell
“WHEN they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them,” &c. 1 Thess. v, 3. This prophetic testimony describes the tendency of the present age exactly. Popular men, are representative men. If they cry “peace,” this will be the popular sentiment. The temporal millennium doctrine has blinded the masses so that they are constantly dreaming of better days and a Golden Age. The New York Tribune of November 1860 said, “We are happy to assure you that there can be no chance for disunion.” That popular journal confidently assured its readers that the expectations of Adventists, and the dissolution of the union, were two “very remote and dubious contingencies.” When the South seceded, and seventy-five thousand men were called for, many of the leading men supposed that to put down the rebellion, would only be a “breakfast spell!” But oh, how sadly mistaken! Truly they have cried, “Peace,” when there was no peace. Mr. Henry Ward Beecher is said to be the most popular minister in America. In the fall of 1860, he ridiculed the idea that there could be a revolution and war in the United States. He prophesied, “Peace,” loud and long. The following specimen of a “Peace and safety cry,” is found in Mr. Beecher's sermon in the New York Tribune, Nov. 10, 1860. “I will tell you what will happen—nothing. You may depend upon one thing—that all the barking will be done before voting, and that there will be no biting afterward. If there be one thing that is certain, it is this: that cowardice and essential injustice go together, and that there will be no reaction against virtue, and truth, and justice, and righteousness, that can avail for one hour. Therefore, if any man has made up his mind to emigrate—if any man has made up his mind to melt down his plate, that in the confusion of affairs he shall save some wealth; if any of you propose to convert his property into jewels as most portable and marketable, I would simply pray you to wait a week longer, and it may be you will change your mind. Do not melt all your plate! Do not be too eager to be frightened! Union disolved? A great evil, surely, but not to the North. Revolution and war? There will be neither! You ought to be more manly than to be played upon by such foolish appeals. Or, if you insist upon being scared, you should go home and get into your cradles, that your grandmothers may sing you to sleep! Now, for a baby to be afraid of wolves, for a baby to be afraid of black Douglas, for a baby to be afraid of witch stories and tales, is natural; but for a full-grown man—a free citizen—to be afraid of these things, is not pitiable only—it is contemptible!” Why don't these men confess their mistake? It seems that the poor Adventists are the only ones that become base and contemptible before the people, because they are sometimes mistaken in regard to events. In 1843, some of the most popular theologians admitted that Miller was right in his time, but claimed that the true event to be looked for was the “world's conversion.” Instead, however, of the church's converting the world since 1843, the world has converted the church. The increase of crime, according to the most reliable statistics, has been nearly ten-fold faster than the proportionate increase of population. After the great disappointment, the Adventists were called upon to confess their mistake and give up the doctrine! No confessions to be made on the other side, because the majority never confess! If they were mistaken, there was no occasion to confess it, because it was popular! And the question with the masses is not, what is true and consistent, but what is popular and fashionable. To be unpopular now, is the greatest cause of shame that can be thought of. “The wise will understand.” They will learn by prophecy, and passing events, but the popular men of this age, it is to be feared, will continue to cry “Peace and safety” until sudden destruction comes, and they find no way of escape. But while they cry, Peace, the true watchmen will sound an alarm. “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” Joel ii, 1. It is often the case that men, for the sake of getting a living, forget to live. Meetings in Vermont.
By Albert Stone; A. C. Bourdeau
BRO. WHITE: Agreeably to our appointments, we have held meetings in Northern Vermont and Canada East; and we are happy to say that the present state of the cause, when compared with the past, is very interesting where we have been. Dec. 28, we met with the few believers in Berkshire, Vt., and we were glad to find those who are young in the faith, still holding on to the truth whereunto they have attained. Several outsiders were present and gave good attention to a discourse from the last clause of Matt. xxviii, 20. Dec. 31, and Jan. 1, we met with the Sabbath-keepers in North Sutton, C. E. The brethren and sisters spared no pains in attending these meetings. The Lord gave us liberty in enforcing our present position. The cause there is recovering from the effects of those influences which in the past have had a tendency to dishearten the true friends of the cause. Three or four more have embraced the Sabbath, and we have reason to believe that the time is near when church order should be established among the believers in Sutton. Monday evening, Jan. 2, we held an interesting meeting at the house of Bro. Ruiter's, in Cowansville. There had been no preaching on the present truth in that place. Some of the neighbors came in to hear our views for the first time, and gave good attention to the word spoken. On Wednesday, Jan. 4, we traveled forty miles through intense cold, and reached Melbourne, C. E., at 6 P. M., and held a meeting in the Advent Chapel. The friends which came in to hear, listened attentively to a discourse on the gospel of the kingdom. The day following we had a pleasant visit with Bro. Wales and family. They are the only ones in the place who are fully with us in the truth, and they do not often have the privilege of meeting with those of like precious faith. From Melbourne we came in company with Bro. W. and family to the Conference in Westbury, C. E. The true friends of the cause in that vicinity, are few and scattered, and their religious privileges are limited. But they are zealous for the truth, and are endeavoring to keep pace with the people of God. The meetings commenced and progressed with increasing interest to the close. After these meetings, we visited in Eaton and Compton, and Jan. 10, had an agreeable visit with Bro. Steele and family, in Derby, Vt. These aged friends received us very kindly, and manifested a strong attachment to the truth, and to the people of God. ALBERT STONE.
A. C. BOURDEAU. North Troy, Vt., Jan. 11, 1865. P. S. On account of deep snow and bad traveling, we are not able to visit as extensively as we had intended, and this morning Bro. Stone starts for home, while I go to hold a meeting with the church at Richford on my way home. Report from Bro. Cornell.
By M. E. Cornell
WHEN I last reported we were in the midst of our afflictions at Topsham. My wife has now so far recovered, that she is able to attend meetings and help in the singing. As soon as she was able to sit up part of the time, I commenced to hold meetings, leaving her with kind friends. I have preached up to this time fifty-seven discourses, as follows: thirteen at Topsham and Brunswick, twenty-three at North Berwick, and twenty-one at Portland. At Berwick, there was a very good interest, books were taken freely and sixteen subscribed for the Review. Brn. Davis and Prescott had held some meetings in the place, a few had embraced the truth and others were interested. Several of these were confirmed by our lectures, and some others decided for the truth. I gave three discourses on the gifts and Bible order, with good effect. I sold several of Sr. White's bound volumes which are being read with great interest by some. At Portland, our meetings were held under very unfavorable circumstances. The attractions of the holidays, frequent storms, and mountains of prejudice, all combined, kept many from hearing the truth, still the brethren say there was a better attendance and a more encouraging result than our cause ever received in Portland, in any former effort. Eight subscribers were obtained for our papers, and a good supply of books were taken, and some I learn have decided to keep all the commandments. But the most important result of these meetings has been the opportunity they afforded to correct the many misapprehensions existing in regard to the faith and practice of Seventh-day Adventists. Six or seven at Portland, and ten or twelve at Berwick, who have been more or less affected by the course of S. C. Hancock, G. Cranmer and others, have had their minds disabused and now they express a desire to go with the body. After spending about five weeks in Portland, and Berwick, I can speak understandingly in regard to the position of all Sabbath-keepers in both places. And I can safely say there are not a half dozen left in both places, who are still in sympathy with Hancock and others, in their efforts to build up and maintain a separate party of Sabbath-keepers. Some candid, honest persons have been deceived by false reports, put in circulation by designing persons for want of better arguments. Several times, during the last twelve years I have met some of these reports against Bro. and sister White, and the faith of our people. And I have often wished I could go to the places where these things were said to have transpired that I might learn the facts for myself. And now having been on the ground and had opportunity to make a thorough investigation of the matter, I wish to say, I have made diligent inquiries of those who have been acquainted with Bro. and sister White from the first of their experience in the Advent messages, and I cannot learn from either friends or foes that there is any foundation for said reports. I find that most of these reports started in Portland and vicinity, and mainly from those who have so very enviable reputation for truth and veracity. When closely questioned, one of them admitted before several witnesses that he never supposed there was anything immoral in the deportment of Bro. and sister White, but from what he had heard, he had thought there might have been some imprudences, about twenty years ago! In some cases I have found that things reported against Bro. and sister White, were really the transactions of others, for whom Bro. and sister W. had no fellowship whatever. I have also ascertained that in some instances those who are most officious in circulating twenty-year-old reports, would find plenty of business for a time, in correcting their own inconsistencies of a much more recent date. This statement may not be deemed necessary, and indeed it is not, for the sake of the cause in the West, where Bro. and sister White have been best known for the last fourteen years, but there are other places where it may serve the cause. North Jay, Me., Jan. 10, 1865. Report from Bro. Sanborn.
By Isaac Sanborn
Pursuant to appointment, I commenced meetings at Brodhead, Wis., the second of Dec. I gave about ten lectures, then commenced a discussion with the Methodist Elder, on the following propositions: 1. Does the Bible teach that man has an immortal soul and is conscious between death and the resurrection? 2. Does the Bible teach that the Seventh-day Sabbath was made at creation and is binding in the Christian dispensation? We were to occupy three evenings on each proposition. There being an Age-to-come man in the place who hates everything connected with the third angel's message, and knowing that the Elder engaged would make a poor defence against the Sabbath, sent for J. M. Stephenson, who came to the third session of the discussion keeping himself out of sight, and using Eld. Chadegan as a tool to get me to accept a substitute in his place to discuss the second proposition; but he would not tell who the substitute was. The Methodists were all anxious for me to accept Mr. Stephenson; said they would endorse him, but Elder C. said they could not quite claim him as a member of their church. Here I could scarcely keep from thinking of the prophecy, "Her prophets are light and treacherous persons." Eld. C. and I finally went on with the discussion of the second proposition two evenings, which carried us to Friday evening. He then said he could not discuss any more till Monday evening, as he must have Saturday evening to himself to prepare for his Sunday duties. He then wanted me to let Mr. Stephenson have the hall to preach in, till that time, which I refused to do, as the Methodists had a large meeting-house into which they would not let their own preacher and myself go with the discussion; and as they endorsed Mr. S. I succeeded in driving them back into their own house where he preached three times, Eld. C. having time to hear him Saturday evening. Mr. S. in his raid against the law, and Sabbath, and visions, took their darling Sunday away, and said it was nothing but a custom established by the people. The Methodist Elder tried to follow Stephenson in the last part of our discussion. I continued the meetings one week longer. One was baptized. Some ten or twelve decided that the seventh-day is the Sabbath, and I hope they will keep it with all the rest of the commandments, and the requirements of the gospel, that they may escape the wrath of God that is soon coming on the opposers of God's holy law. In Mr. Stephenson's second sermon which was against our views on the two-horned beast, I was reminded of the scripture, where God says that he taketh the wise in their own craftiness and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. Job v, 13. He said that William Miller did not preach the first message of Rev. xiv, because he did not preach it in every nation under heaven. But we showed that the angel symbolized a class of people including Miller, who preached that message in every nation at the same time. See "Three Messages," published at the Review Office. He said the two-horned beast of Rev. xiv, could not symbolize the United States because catholicism had not previously ruled it. I showed that the two-horned beast was to perform his wonders in the sight (presence) of the other beast. Mr. S. did not pretend to know what government it did symbolize. He said it might be England. He then said the first message would be fulfilled in connection with the cleansing of the sanctuary or earth, which would take place at the end of the 2300 days, the seventy weeks reaching to the destruction of Jerusalem. He said that the Lord would come and bind the Devil, then the first message would be preached and the nations converted. Then the second and third messages would follow. The second angel says, Babylon is fallen and is become the habitation of devils; and notwithstanding he told us the Devil was chained, the third angel says, If any man worship the beast and his image; and S. says that all this takes place after the nations are converted, which will be after the Lord comes. But Paul says that the man of sin (that is the beast) shall be consumed with the spirit of Christ's mouth, and destroyed by the brightness of his coming. Yet Mr. S. teaches that the world will be converted when the Lord comes, and the two-horned beast which represents England or some other nation, will cause men to worship Catholicism. How surely has God taken him in his own craftiness and carried his counsel headlong. May others take warning and walk while they have the light, lest darkness come upon them also, and they know not where they go. Our Quarterly Meeting at Johnstown Center, has just closed. It has been quite a refreshing to the church here. Bro. Matteson was with us and assisted in preaching. Brethren attended from Little Prairie, and Oakland. Our social meetings were not so spirited and lively as we have had on former occasions. One was added to the church, while others were convinced of their duty. May God bless them and lead them to obey is our prayer. Report from Bro. Hutchins.
By A. S. Hutchins
BRO. WHITE: I want to say that I feel truly thankful for the visit which you and sister White and Bro. Loughborough made us when in Vermont; also for the meetings which I enjoyed with you. These privileges I call to mind with lively satisfaction. Unfavorable as was the weather and traveling at the time you were here, I am confident your labors proved a blessing to the cause in Northern Vermont. Since parting with you at Enosburgh, I have attended meetings as follows. Sabbath, Nov. 5, I met with the brethren and sisters in Eden, and spoke with freedom twice. Sabbath, the 12th, met with the church in Sutton, and spoke in the forenoon and afternoon. In the evening we were refreshed and strengthened while attending the ordinances of the Lord's house. Sabbath, the 19th, preached at Brownington. The people of the Lord seemed strengthened from this day's opportunity. Nov. 24, preached a funeral sermon in Potton, C. E. Sabbath, 26th, met with the brethren in Quarterly Meeting at East Richford, and spoke once. God's servants were free in speaking and the church not a little comforted. Sabbath, Dec. 3, met with a few brethren and friends in Potton, C. E., and spoke to them about two hours, on the messages. I learn there was a general turnout the next day expecting there would be preaching at the school-house. But being unexpectedly called to South Troy, some sixteen miles, to attend a funeral, I could not stop to hold meetings as I had thought I might. Dec. 7, I went to Wolcott, 24 miles, to visit the sick in Bro. S. H. Peck's family. Remained here several days. Preached twice on the Sabbath. Sabbath, 17th, held a meeting with the church in Brownington. On the 18th, the Irasburgh and Charleston churches met to renew their pledges on s. B. The brethren took hold of the work in good earnest. Nearly all raised their figures, (some more than fifty per cent. above last year), for 1865, and assured each other that they felt better immediately for this advance. Sabbath, Dec. 31, attended the Quarterly Meeting at Wolcott, and spoke twice. In the evening we met to commemorate the dying love of the dear Saviour. Some matters of difficulty were adjusted, after which the solemn and yet impressive ordinances of the church were attended. It was a refreshing season. As the past year was numbered among the things that were, and we entered upon 1865, we felt to enter anew into the work of the Lord, and to seek a closer walk with him, and in the future bear a more convincing evidence to the world that we are seeking to lay up treasure in Heaven. As the earth groans under its heavy load of sin, and is fast fading away, oh may we each earnestly seek to secure "an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." Barton Landing, Vt., Jan. 1865. THE poor man's purse may be empty, but he has as much gold in the sunset, and as much silver in the moon, as anybody. Courage to Possess the Inheritance
By E. Macomber
Bro. White: I esteem it a privilege to receive intelligence through the Review and Herald from my brethren and sisters, scattered abroad as they are, and think it quite encouraging that there are so many decided to keep the commandments of God and speak so zealously of the goodly land. They manifest a spirit like Caleb and Joshua of old, and are bold to say like them, "The land is a goodly land, and we are well able to go up and possess it." Although foes surround and threaten destruction, still there is courage manifested which I am led to believe is imparted to them from the Captain of the Lord's host. I can say with you my brethren, we are well able through Christ Jesus our Lord to possess the inheritance, prepared from the foundation of the world for us. Are there any in our ranks that are cold or lukewarm? If so, there is a cause for it. Let us awake to righteousness and sin not. Has an enemy been permitted to entangle you in his net of unbelief? If so, struggle mightily in the name of Jesus. He will relieve you. We may be deceived or blinded by the god of this world, if we neglect to employ the talent committed to us, whether it be wealth or any other thing, according to the will of God. Dear reader, is this the case with you? May the Lord help you to break loose from these fetters of Satan, and be found on the Lord's side. The great day of the Lord hasteth greatly. This generation is fast drawing to a close. We are almost home, brethren. Let us discharge every duty cheerfully, be found oft at the feet of Jesus, humbling ourselves under his mighty hand, and we shall be exalted in due time. New Shoreham, R. I., Jan. 10, 1865.