Earlier text: VICTORY AT LASTCRUCIFIXION was a common method of punishment among several ancient nations, especially the Persians, Carthaginians, and Romans. It was according to its use with the latter people that the Jews became acquainted with it, and it was because he was put to death by Roman authority, that the Lord Jesus Christ was made to suffer its cruel torture. John 18:31, 32; 12:32-34. The cross was employed among the Romans as a punishment for robbers, assassins, and rebels. Slaves especially, when they were guilty of great offences, were put to death in this way. Hence, crucifixion was held to be the most shameful and degrading death which a man could suffer. The cross, in public opinion, had in it even more of disgrace and reproach than the gallows now has with us. It was, therefore, an exceeding humiliation which the blessed Redeemer, who thought it not robbery to be equal with God, consented to endure, when "being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death—even the death of the cross." Phil. 2:6-8; Heb. 12:2. So great was the degradation of such a death esteemed to be, universally, that a most powerful prejudice against the gospel was everywhere excited, on account of its author having suffered the shame of dying in this way. The Gentiles were ready to treat the apostles with contempt for preaching a religion that offered salvation by the death of a man that had been crucified; and it continued long after to be a taunting reproach cast upon Christians, that their leader, whom they worshiped as a God, had expired as a malefactor on the cross. The scandal of such a death was no less in the estimation of the Jews; and besides, they considered the person who suffered it to be accursed of God, according to the law in Deut. 21:23, which declares every one that is hanged upon a tree to be thus made a curse. Gal. 3:13. To trust in such an one as the great Messiah and Saviour, was therefore in their view the greatest madness and folly. 1 Cor. 1:23, 24. The apostles on the other hand, and all such as were led by the Spirit of God to lay hold of eternal life by faith, gloried in their Master's cross. What to others seemed shameful and vile, they esteemed most precious, and worthy of all admiration. In the face of the world, they counted all things but loss for the sake of Christ and him crucified. Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 2:1, 2. When the sentence, thou shalt go to the cross, was passed by the magistrate upon any one, the unhappy man was, in the first place, stripped of all his clothes, with only a single covering left around the loins, and severely scourged with rods or whips. So cruel was the scourging that death sometimes took place under it. After this treatment, which in a great measure took away his strength, he was compelled to carry the cross on which he was to be hung (and it was by no means a light burden) to the place of execution. This was commonly a hill near the public road, not far out of the city or town. As he passed along the way to this place, smarting with pain and ready to faint by reason of the dreadful stripes he had already received, and groaning under the weight of his own cross, the unfeeling rabble loaded him with insult, mockery, and wanton cruelty. Having reached the appointed spot, the infamous tree, as it was sometimes called, was taken from his shoulder and firmly fixed in the ground. It consisted of a piece of timber standing upright like a post, not generally more than ten feet high, and crossed by another considerably smaller, either altogether at the top, so as to resemble in its whole form the letter T, or only a little distance below it. The person to be crucified, having been presented with some kind of stupefying drink to deaden the sense of pain, was then lifted up, and nailed to the fatal wood by four large spikes, driven one through each hand and foot. The hands were fastened to the cross-piece, with the arms stretched out and raised somewhat above the head; the feet, to the upright beam, drawn toward the ground. To prevent the hands from being torn away from the nails by the weight of the body, there was a short piece of wood made to stick out from the middle of the beam just mentioned, for the sufferer to sit upon. Hence, he was sometimes said to ride upon the cross, or to rest upon the sharp cross. On the cross-piece directly over his head, as he hung thus exposed to the gazing multitude, an inscription or title was fixed, declaring in large letters the crime for which he was thus punished. In some cases the condemned person was nailed to the cross before it was set up, and so lifted up together with it when it was raised and fixed in its proper standing position. The first method, however, seems to have been the most common. The execution was performed by four soldiers, each of them driving one of the spikes, who it appears, had a right, on account of this service, to the garments of the man that was put to death. John 19:23, 24. In this awful situation the victim of the cross was left to suffer till death came to relieve him from its power. This, however, did not take place commonly till the third, and frequently till the fourth or fifth day. Mark 15:44. While any signs of life appeared, the cross was watched by a guard. After death, the body was often left hanging till it wasted away with corruption, or was devoured by birds of prey and ravenous beasts; for it was generally so low that these beasts could reach at least the lower part of it. In the province of Judea, however, it was allowed to depart from the general practice by way of indulgence to the Jews, with whom it was not lawful to leave a malefactor's body all night upon a tree or any sort of gibbet. Deut. 21:23. Among them, therefore, crucified persons were buried on the day of their crucifixion; and their death, on that account, was hastened by other means, such as kindling a fire under the cross, letting wild beasts loose upon them, or breaking their bones with a mallet. In the case of our Saviour no such means were necessary; he died in a few hours; but to be sure that he was really dead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear. John 19:31-35. Such was the manner of death which the Lord of glory humbled himself to endure when he laid down his life for a sinful and ruined world. His crucifixion was attended, while it lasted, with all the circumstances of indignity and horror that usually accompanied the punishment. But it was marked besides with peculiar and extraordinary inhumanity, such as common custom was not acquainted with. It was a scene of the most unfeeling insult and cruelty, from its commencement to its close. Jews and Gentiles joined to accomplish the work of shame and awful guilt. In the high priest's palace it began. There, we are told, the Son of God was treated with the most bitter hate and malicious scorn. They insulted him by spitting in his face; they buffeted him; they covered his eyes and then struck him with the palms of their hands, saying, in mockery of his claim to be the Messiah from Heaven, "Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee?" Matt. 26:67, 68. When sent to Herod, the proud prince with his men of war set him at naught and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe. Before Pilate's bar, the chief priests and elders accused him, in language of bitterness and reproach, of the worst crimes; charging him with sedition and blasphemy, and representing him to be a malefactor whose guilt cried loudly for the heaviest vengeance of the law. The multitude without, excited by their religious rulers, insisted with tumultuous and violent cry that he should be sentenced to the cross. The governor, though he had no doubt of his innocence, at length gave way to their importunity, and ordered him to be scourged as a preparatory step to his execution. The Roman soldiers then caused the work of wanton mockery to be renewed. In derision of him, as one that aspired to be a king, they stripped him and put on him an old robe of royal color; and when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand for a scepter; and they bowed the knee before him, saying, Hail, king of the Jews! Then they spit upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head, cruelly forcing the thorns to pierce it on every side. Thus arrayed, exhausted and torn with the stripes of the scourge, and disfigured with blood trickling from his temples and over his face, the governor brought him out before the people, hoping that they might yet be moved with pity by such a sight, and consent to his release. But the cry of priests and people was renewed with unrelenting rage, Crucify, crucify him! Away, away with him! And when he seemed determined to let him go on account of some new conversation which he had with him, a loud threat was sounded in his ears: "If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar's friend." John 19:1-12. This overcame his resolutions; he knew the emperor, Tiberias Cæsar, was a most suspicious and jealous prince, and ever ready to listen to charges of treason and opposition to his authority, that were brought against inferior rulers in the empire, and it was not at all unlikely that an accusation against himself, such as the Jews threatened, might, if carried to Rome, be enough to ruin him. Accordingly, for the sake of worldly interest, he resisted all the remonstrances of conscience, and ordered the execution to proceed. So they led him away to be crucified. Bearing his cross, and ready to sink under its weight, he went forth through the city toward the place of death, insulted, derided, and abused, no doubt, by the surrounding multitude, the whole way. His strength, however, was found before long to be so far taken away by his sufferings, that he could not possibly support his burden. As they came out of the gate of the city, therefore, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, that was coming from the country and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. When they had reached Calvary, they offered him the stupefying liquor (which he refused to drink), and nailed him to the dreadful tree, placing him between two malefactors, as if he was not only of the same infamous character, but vilest of the three. It was probably as they were driving the spikes through his hands and feet, that he lifted to Heaven that affecting prayer: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!" The four soldiers who fastened the nails, with cold-blooded indifference, took his raiment as their spoil, and parted it among them in his presence. While he hung, tortured with anguish through all his frame, he was assailed on every side, in the most hard-hearted manner, with taunting irony and scornful ridicule. "They that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it again in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross! Likewise, also, the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save! If he be the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver now, if he will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God." It was surely an awful spectacle, when the Holy and Just One was thus subjected to anguish and loaded with reproach by sinful mortals. The pain that was suffered in crucifixion was exceedingly severe. By reason of the scourging, the back was all torn with wounds, and these being exposed to the air, became, by their inflammation, a source of keen distress. Because the hands and feet abound particularly with nerves, which are the instruments of all feeling, nails driven through these parts could not fail to create the most lively anguish. The body was placed, moreover, in an unnatural position, the arms being stretched back, in order to be nailed to the cross-piece above, in such a manner as to produce an oppressive feeling of uneasiness and constraint through the whole breast, which became, in a short time, an occasion of indescribable misery. This position, of course, could not be altered in the smallest degree, and the least movement which the sufferer might be led to make, must have served only to provoke new torture from every wound. The cross, therefore, was full of cruelty as well as of shame, and might well be dreaded. But are we to suppose that the Lord Jesus Christ could not endure its horrors with as much ease as many of his followers, through the assistance of his grace, have been able to endure the same or similar anguish of body in their deaths? Whence then, that extreme anxiety and dismay with which he was filled in view of his last sufferings? What was the cross, the thought of which produced such agony in the garden of Gethsemane, when he prayed that if possible, it might pass from him, and sweat as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground? What was the cup which, when he was drinking it, wrung from his bosom that piercing cry of sorrow, "My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?" Ah! the terrors of the cross were but a feeble representation of the horror that compassed his soul from another quarter. There was wrath laid upon him by a righteous God, for the guilt of sin. It pleased the Lord to bruise him, and put him to grief, and to make his soul an offering for sin, because the great work of redemption which he had undertaken required it. "He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, and laid on him the iniquity of us all; therefore he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." Isa. 53:4-11; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:28; 10:4-13; 1 Peter 2:22-24. Having considered what it was literally to bear the cross, we may without much difficulty understand what it signifies figuratively. It can mean nothing less than to be ready to undergo the severest hardship, to face the most formidable danger, and to lay down even life itself if the sacrifice should be required. Such a cross-bearer every follower of Christ is commanded to be. Matt. 10:38; 16:24. And he may not dream that his faithfulness will not actually be brought into trial. The way to Heaven is through much self-denial, labor, and tribulation.—Biblical Antiquities. The Sabbath School.
By Ellen G. White
LESSON FOR PACIFIC COAST.—JULY 16.
After dismissing the multitude, Jesus and his disciples took ship for the other side of the sea, which was a desert in comparison with the shore that they were leaving; but for this very reason they hoped to find rest from the fatigue of their labors, being removed from the dwellings of men. However, as they were moving off, a number of boats loaded with people followed Jesus, desirous of learning more concerning the doctrine that he taught. The Saviour was wearied from his long and arduous labors, and being now for a time relieved from the claims of the multitude, he stretched himself upon the hard plank of the fishermen's boat and fell asleep. Soon after, the weather, which had been calm and pleasant, changed. The clouds gathered darkly over the sky, and a furious storm, such as frequently visited those parts, burst upon the sea. The sun had set, and the blackness of night settled down upon the water. The angry waves dashed against the ship, threatening every moment to engulf it. First tossed upon the crest of a mountain billow, and then as suddenly plunged into the trough of the sea, the ship was the plaything of the storm. Finally, it was discovered that it had sprung a leak and was fast filling with water. All was now hurry and confusion in the darkness and amid the roaring of the angry waves. The strong and courageous fishermen were skilled in managing their craft; but, experienced as they were to the changing moods of the sea, they knew not what to do in so terrible a gale, and their hearts filled with despair as they perceived that the boat was sinking. They had been so engaged in their efforts to save themselves and keep the ship afloat, that they had forgotten that Jesus was on board. But now, as their courage fails them, and they think themselves lost, they remember that it was he who commanded them to cross the sea. In their agony of fear they turn to him, remembering how he had once saved them in a like peril. They call, "Master! Master!" but the roaring of the tempest drowns their voices, and there is no reply. The waves break over them, and each one threatens them with destruction. They rush to him, and bending over his prostrate form, cry out reproachfully, "Master, Master, carest thou not that we perish?" This despairing cry arouses Jesus from his refreshing sleep. As the disciples rush to their oars, to make a last effort, Jesus rises to his feet. In divine majesty he stands in the humble vessel of the fishermen, amid the raging of the tempest, the lightning playing about his calm and fearless countenance. He lifts his hand, so often employed in deeds of mercy, and says to the angry sea, "Peace, be still." The storm ceases, the heaving billows sink to rest. The clouds roll away, and the stars shine forth; the boat sits motionless upon a quiet sea. Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus rebukes them, saying, "Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" A sudden hush crept over the disciples. Not a word was spoken; even impulsive Peter did not attempt to express the reverential awe that filled his heart. The boats that had set out to accompany Jesus had been in the same peril with that of the disciples. Fear, and finally despair, had seized their occupants; but the command of Jesus had brought quiet where but a moment before all was tumult. All fear was allayed, for the danger was over. The fury of the storm had driven the boats into close proximity, and all on board beheld the miracle of Jesus. In the hush that followed the stilling of the tempest, they whispered among themselves, "What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" Never was this impressive scene forgotten by those who witnessed it. Never will its wonderful majesty fail to inspire the children of God with reverence and awe.—Life of Christ, by Mrs. E. G. White. The boat had been driven to the southern end of the Lake, and Christ consequently landed in the territory of the city of Gadara, a half-heathen town on the table-land, twelve hundred feet above the shore, and at some distance from it. It was then in its glory, and lay round the top of the hill, looking far over the country. Long avenues of marble pillars lined its streets; fine buildings of squared stones abounded. Two great amphitheaters of black basalt adorned the west and north sides, and there was a third theater near its splendid public baths. It was the proud home of a great trading community, to whom life was bright and warm when Jesus landed that morning, on the shore beneath, and looked up towards its walls. The hill on which Gadara stands is of soft limestone, full, like the limestone of Palestine generally, of larger and smaller caves, many of which had been enlarged by the poorer classes and turned into dwelling places, for which they are used even yet, while others had been converted to tombs, with massy stone doors. The roadside is still strewn with a number of sarcophagi of basalt, sculptured with low reliefs of genii, garlands, wreaths of flowers, and human faces, in good preservation, though long emptied of their dead. Madness in every form has, in all ages, been treated by the rude therapeutics of the East as a supernatural visitation, with which it is unsafe to interfere more than is needed, and, hence, even at this day, furious and dangerous maniacs may, from time to time, be seen in the towns of Palestine, in some cases, absolutely naked. Others, equally furious, often betake themselves to the mountains, and sleep in tombs and caves. In their paroxysms they become terribly dangerous, for the mental excitement gives them prodigious strength, and hence, one is sometimes a terror to a whole neighborhood. Two such madmen, it seems, had taken up their abode in the caves and tombs, by the side of the road from the lake to Gadara, and the side made it almost impassable, from their fierceness. Jesus had hardly set his foot on shore before they sallied out towards him, shrieking amidst the wild howls of their frenzy, as they approached, in deprecation of his interference with them.—Geikie. When the disciples and the others saw these fearful creatures rushing toward them, they fled in terror. But presently they discovered that Jesus was not with them, and they turned to see what had been his fate. They beheld him standing calmly where they had left him. He who stilled the tempest, he who had met Satan before and conquered him, did not flee before these demons. When the men, gnashing their teeth, and foaming at the mouth, approached him within a few feet, Jesus raised that hand which had beckoned the waves to rest, and the men could come no nearer. They stood raging but helpless before him. In accents of authority he bade the unclean spirits come out of them. The words of Jesus penetrated the darkened minds of the men enough for them to dimly realize that One was near who could save them from the demons that tormented them. They fell at the feet of Jesus, worshiping him. But when they opened their mouths to entreat his mercy, the demons spoke through them and cried vehemently, "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God, I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not!" Jesus asked, "What is thy name?" and the answer was, "My name is Legion; for we are many." Using the afflicted men as mediums of communication between themselves and Jesus, they besought him not to send them away out of the country, but to let them enter into a herd of swine that was feeding near. Their request was granted; but no sooner did this occur than the swine rushed headlong down a steep precipice, and were drowned in the sea. Light dawned upon the minds of the restored lunatics. Their eyes beamed with an intelligence to which they had long been strangers. Their countenances, so long deformed into the image of Satan, became suddenly mild, the blood-stained hands were quiet, and the men praised the Lord for their deliverance from the bondage of demons. The design of Satan, in requesting that the demons might enter into the swine, was to hedge up the way of Jesus in that region. By causing the swine to be destroyed, considerable loss was brought upon their owners; and the enemy was not deceived in thinking that this circumstance would occasion Jesus to be held in disfavor throughout the country. The keepers of the swine had seen with amazement the whole transaction. They had seen the raving madmen suddenly become sane and calm; they had beheld the whole drove of swine instantly afterward charge recklessly into the sea where they were immediately drowned. They were obliged to account to the owners for their loss; and they immediately hurried to publish the news to their employers, and to all the people. This destruction of property seemed, to the owners, of far greater magnitude than the joyful fact that two lunatics had been restored to reason, and no longer endangered the people who came in their way, nor needed the restrictions of bolts and chains.—Life of Christ, by Mrs. E. G. White. If you come to us and say you are a praying man, we answer we are glad; but we would like to ask your wife and children what your praying is doing for you? If you say you daily read the Bible, that is right, but let us ask your partner in business how much of its teaching you practice. If you say you are a member of the church, we are glad of that, if you are a worthy member, if not—we are sorry for the church. But let us go on to the street to see whether the people you daily meet think you ought to be a church-member. So it comes to pass that a bundle of Christian duties may be dry and useless, or they may be the evidence of a sincere Christian life. Whether a man is a Christian or not depends entirely upon the principles which govern his daily life, and the harvest which the world is gathering from that life.—Golden Rule. THERE is no sweeter spirit than a yielding spirit, submitting to God, and saying, "Thy will be done." Earnestness and Greatness
WITHOUT earnestness no man is ever great, or does really great things. He may be the cleverest man; he may be brilliant, entertaining, popular, but he will want weight. No soul-moving picture was ever painted that had not in its depths a shadow. Prevent Debating in Teachers’ Meetings
By Our Bible Teacher
THERE is no more efficacious or certain way to ruin a teacher's meeting for the study of the lessons than to allow the meeting to become a debating club. There are some who are delighted with that method, and they will take much pains to sharpen their wits, and point their arguments. But the teachers who come to learn are disappointed, and nobody is profited. The same is true of classes. Kindly, but determinedly and effectually, the teacher must hold in check all tendencies in that direction. Heresy or manifestly false teaching or opinions must, of course, not pass unnoticed; but the class is not the place to debate the questions, and no teacher who has any right conception of his work or duty will permit it.—Our Bible Teacher. To gain the great end of teaching, the teacher should go to his class each Sabbath feeling that he has one important thought to impress that day upon each member of his class. He may teach, and will teach, more things than one, but he will make a sad mistake if he does not stamp one strong thought on the mind of each pupil. Nor will he be apt to do this without deciding before going to his class what that thought shall be. Thus let the teacher prayerfully scan the Scripture lesson of the day, get from it some one thought—above all others the thought needed by his charge—and go to them resolved, by God's aid, to have that thought firmly impressed upon each heart and conscience. Concentrate your efforts on that clearly defined purpose.—Westminster Teacher. NORTH PACIFIC CAMP-MEETING.
By J. H. W.
JUNE 23 the editor forwarded the following note:—
This meeting is pleasantly located about 80 rods from the R. R. depot in Cornelius, Oregon, at the edge of a grove of small timber—a mixture of oak and fir; 21 family tents are ensconced in the shade, and it seems marvelous to see them so nearly in a complete circle amid such a thick grove. The size of the meeting may probably be measured by the number of tents on the ground, as it has not been advertised except by a few small notices in the papers. No posters were put up. I cannot help thinking that this is a mistake, for it is as easy to speak to one thousand as to one hundred, and a diminutive camp-meeting does not justly represent our cause and work. A quite good state of feeling seems to exist, and the devotional exercises are mostly spirited, so far. Some of the business meetings are far from satisfactory, as some parts of the work have not been kept up. But we hope and trust that good will result from this effort, and that “a good meeting” will not be the only result, but that a marked improvement in the condition of the work may be seen in days to come. WE made an effort to have the same order carried out here that resulted so well in Dayton—to expedite the business so that the spiritual interests of the meeting might receive our undivided attention. But it was impossible. The brethren were not decided as to what was best to be done. One in whose hands had been intrusted their means had proved unfaithful, and confusion seemed ready to prevail. The business of the Conference was nearly completed on sixth-day; the officers were all elected, with Eld. Van Horn president. But when the nominating committee of the T. and M. Society reported, there was a “dead-lock.” The report contemplated important changes in the organization of the society. This I could not suffer to pass without an effort to have them work in harmony with the body of S. D. Adventists, and with their own Constitution. Their situation was unfortunate. The instruction which other States have received had never been given in this far-away Conference. The contemplated action here was but an effort on their part to remedy difficulties under which they labored, and which they knew not how to remedy. It was easy to see that their contemplated action would have proved a sad failure. After a meeting of two hours they adjourned without any action on the report. This brought us to the Sabbath, with a feeling of discouragement resting on the camp. On Sunday morning at the 8:30 meeting, Eld. Van Horn presented his resignation as President of the Conference. His inability to work during the present season, and give the needed attention to his wife in her feebleness, impelled him to do this. And this made it necessary to go back to the beginning of the business and make changes in the other officers of the Conference. The office of President was left vacant, letting the responsibility of Conference business rest on the Executive Committee until other help can be afforded. There is no disposition in this Conference to work out of harmony with the body, or contrary to the advice of the General Conference. At the next meeting of the T. and M. Society resolutions were adopted in which the General Conference is asked to give them needed assistance. One year ago it was resolved to raise a fund of $1000; but the books of the Treasurer affording no light as to the whereabouts of some $300 placed in his hands, caused so great distrust and consequent despondency, that nothing had been done toward raising the fund. This drying up of the fountain of their charities was even more disastrous to the cause, and to their individual experience, than the loss of money could be. After some instruction concerning the progress of our work, and the relation of our General Conference to all branches of our work, the nominating committee asked leave to withdraw their report, which was granted, and another was presented. A better state of feeling came into the meeting, and all seemed encouraged. After some remarks on their previous vote to raise a fund, and the failure to raise any part of it during the year, I appealed to them to start the work immediately, and to have a beginning so that some progress might be reported, and have something to work upon from this time forward. Pledges were then taken in a short time to the amount of $300. The announcement of the result was electrifying to the meeting. As it was queried how they should express their feeling of thankfulness, Bro. Dickinson sprang up, and raising his hand, cried out, “Sing, Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” In an instant all were on their feet, and the good old doxology was sung with a spirit which is not often thrown into it. Every heart was full; and all felt that the dawning of a better day for this Conference had come. From this time the meeting was encouraging in every respect, though we were far behind in the business. The last meeting of the Missionary Society was held after the preaching service on Monday night; and the last meeting of the Health and Temperance Association, which had barely had “a name to live” during the past year, was held after the closing social meeting on Tuesday morning, being the last work done on the ground. Bro. Colcord was present at this meeting and rendered valuable assistance. He and Bro. Van Horn exchanged services at the two camp-meetings. On Sunday, three times, and Monday night, the congregations were larger than we had expected. The best of attention was paid, and a good feeling prevailed. The social meetings were good, improving as the meeting advanced; the testimonies were cheering, and evinced a strong desire by all to see progress in the work of the message. A few words in regard to this great north-western field. Good courage was manifested by all at the close of the meeting at Dayton. But the improvement and settlement of the country is far outstripping the progress of the work in that Conference. Eastern Washington is fast filling up by a heavy tide of immigration, especially along the line of the N. P. railroad. Eastern Oregon is also fast improving as railroads are being built, by which they expect soon to be put in connection with the Union Pacific, and so have a direct outlet East. How earnestly should the believers in this field pray that the Lord of the harvest will give them laborers. Comprehensive plans and energetic work will alone meet the demands of this Conference. The North Pacific Conference field is also enlarging by immigration. The prospect for this field is good if the work is properly carried on. Much responsibility rests on the Executive Committee, one of whom is Secretary of the T. and M. Society. Every church needs to be put in proper working order, and the workers to be instructed and guided in their duties, that every branch of the work may prosper. One feature is especially gratifying. I never saw a meeting of the same size where there were so many young people who can work in some capacity, and who seemed so willing and anxious to work. If all these can be trained to the work, and shall keep humble, I predict a bright future for the N. P. Conference. “Courage in the Lord,” should now be the watchword of all. They have passed through an experience somewhat trying; but faith and patience will prove that it will work for their good through the over-ruling providence of God. THE “Companion to the Revised Version of the English New Testament,” with much other interesting information gives the following concerning the work of the American Committee. It proposed to give demon instead of devil in all cases where it was found in the original. The “Companion” says:— “The Bible knows only of one devil, but of a great many evil spirits. The English Revision acknowledges the distinction in the margin, but not in the text, which will continue to mislead the reader not acquainted with the Greek.” We found this fault with the Revision when first it fell into our hands. It is not sufficient to correct it in the margin, for none but such as are acquainted with the Greek can certainly know that the marginal read-ing is the better one. Where there is chance for a choice of renderings the preferable one should always have its place in the text; the second should be put in the margin. In this case the text is clearly wrong. It should be demon or demons, and devil should not even be put in the margin, as coming from this word. The “Companion” further says:— “The two Committees had a similar conflict about “hades” and “hell.” The American insisted on the start on the restoration of the important distinction between hades, i. e., the spirit-world or the realm of the dead, and gehenna, i. e., the state and place of torment or hell—a distinction which is obliterated in King James’ Version, so that the fearful word hell occurs twice as often in it as it does in the Greek Testament. The English Revisers, from conservative regard to old usage, opposed the insertion of “hades” and persistently retained “hell” until they reached the Apocalypse, when the American suggestion was adopted. Habit is strong, but truth is stronger and will prevail at last.” All who love the Bible and Bible truth can but be thankful for the part taken by the American Committee in bringing to the notice of all readers of the English New Testament the distinction between “hades” and “the place of torment.” Words so dissimilar in signification as hades and gehenna should not be translated by the same English word. In this respect King James’ Version has too long been the means of misleading the honest but uneducated reader. We might add that it has also been the means of aiding those who were not over scrupulous in their methods of sustaining unscriptural theories in regard to the nature and destiny of man.