Earlier text: Peculiarities of the First Day of TimeMen and Things.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
Alas! how sad and humiliating it is to learn by personal experience, that “to err, is human.” When a well-disposed soul has been betrayed into wrong, and has grievously sinned, what a terrible feeling of discouragement and despair comes over him! This is specially true of those who have time after time resolved to overcome and do right, and yet sometimes find that their strong tempers and passions have, in an unguarded moment, led them into wrong. Now the enemy tells them it is no use to try longer. They have always failed and they always will. They look with envy upon those who have such good tempers that they move along smoothly without falling into these great mistakes and trials. Such persons are really worthy of pity and of encouragement, and for the benefit of such, I copy the following from the Rev. A. M. Wylie. It did me good, and hence I think it may help others in the same condition:— “It is not the having of temper which does mischief, but the permitting of it to get the mastery. It is the super-heated steam outside the boiler which causes desolation and death; inside, its immense energy spends itself in the direction of good. “We take it that every man whose life is marked by a well-sustained purpose and energy, is a man of temper. Temper suppressed and worked off by rule, gives grit to a regulated life. And it is almost as important that a man should have grit, as that he should have grace. “No parent and no teacher will rule and instruct well, and enjoy success in his labor, unless he be a person possessed of more or less intensity of passion. Yet he may be known as one who is amiable and meek. Meekness is not a stagnant pond, but the calm produced by two opposing currents. Here is an intense power running in one direction, and here is an intense power running the opposite way; and the space where these meet is a region of placidity and calm. But, however amiable and meek that person may seem to lookers-on, he or she is a person whose affections, passions, and appetites, have force. “Just here we find the explanation of the admitted fact that very bad men, in truth, those who have been ringleaders in wickedness—who have been marked by boldness and bravery in sin—have become, after their conversion, eminent leaders in the aggressive work of God. It took a Saul to make a Paul. “Now, if you are a person of what is called temper—if you often lament this disposition, you have reason to be really encouraged. Rely upon it, the persons who overcome this wicked world, and tread it down beneath their feet, are not the loose-jointed, easy-going class, whose bones are all soft gristle.” It is a very sad and censurable thing to do wrong; but having done wrong, then the most noble thing that can be done is to frankly and fully confess the sin. Few hearts are so hard as to hold enmity against a person who will do this. But it must be done freely and without compulsion. A confession which is wrung out of a person is worthless. David sinned grievously; but see how humbly and fully he confessed it. Ps. 51:1–17; 32:5. Because of this, God pardoned him. See the ardent, impetuous Peter, one moment willing to die for his Master, the next moment denying him, cursing and swearing, and then bitterly repenting with weeping and tears! We pity and yet we love him; and so did his Lord. Peter was a very weak man in some respects, and yet a strong and noble soul in others. Probably these things kept him humble all through life, so that he felt his dependence on the Lord. Then his ardor and energy, being controlled by grace, became very useful in the Lord’s cause. If the Lord could forgive and love Peter, then he can also help us now who are troubled in the same manner. Our Home Monthly has the following:— “The clergymen cost the United States $12,000,000 annually; criminals, $40,000,000 annually; lawyers, $80,000,000; intoxicating drinks, $700,000,000.” Yet this claims to be a Christian nation, and ministers think there is evidence of the millennium near at hand! Are they blind, or mad? While the people of the United States pay one dollar for the proclamation of the gospel, they pay sixty-eight for criminals, lawsuits, and liquor! It reminds one of the days of Noah and Lot. Of late, the church has become simply a place for display of dress and finery. The Christian Union thus laments over it:— “There was a time when good taste demanded the use of the plainest clothes in the sanctuary, when the wealthiest were distinguished for their conspicuous absence of personal adornment, and sartorial display was a mark of vulgarity, at such times and places. But now-a-days, in the congregation, on the Sabbath, rich and poor alike seem on a desperate strain, the one to make some faint approximation to the other, in point of extravagant display, and the other to demonstrate to the one the utter hopelessness of the attempt. It would almost appear as if, whatever might be thought of the propriety of a modest garb in other places, the proper costume for the house of God, where, theoretically, we all go to be reminded of our common origin and destiny, were an agglomeration of all the jewelry, and all the chignons, and all the panniers, and all the feathers and furbelows in one’s wardrobe. The wearer is to carry all this piled agony to the sanctuary as to a fair—as if her errand were not so much to praise as to be appraised—and there employ the sacred time in envious comparison of her own mountain of millinery with the Himalayan triumphs of her neighbor.” It pleads for a reform; but the case is hopeless. D. M. CANRIGHT. The New Earth.
By Adolphus Smith
As we walk forth and view the beauties of nature, which have everywhere sprung into being at the bidding of the mellow light and genial warmth of the May-day sun; and as we listen to the sweet notes of the feathered songsters of the early morning, or, at evening, to the mingled mellow sounds that are borne to us on fragrant zephyrs, from hamlet, cot, and field; our minds revert, in comparison, from these sources and scenes of delight, to the pristine loveliness of this earth, and to the promised glory of the “new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.” The lilies of the field, like which, Jesus said, “Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed;” and the thousand species of flowers that deck the hills and dales, that blossom by the way-side, in the fields, beside the cottage, in the green house, or in the wood, whose individual existence is often unknown to man, except by the fragrance with which it burdens the air all around (fit emblem of the pure Christian life)—all are tokens of the Eden lost, and pledges of the immutability of the promise of God, that “the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” Isa. 35 : 1. But when nature is clothed in her most lovely attire, our eyes can scarcely rest upon a point where there are not also evidences of the destroyer’s presence. Beneath the wide-spreading tree in whose shade we enjoy a momentary retreat from the heat of the sun, lies the decaying trunk of a tree that was, in its time, as beautiful and vigorous as the one beneath whose boughs it now lies mouldering into dust. Near by a cradle-knoll witnesses to the mighty resistance offered by the vigorous roots of a gigantic tree to the sweeping gale, and serves as a monument over the dust of former greatness, no other vestige of which now remains. The flowers, though beautiful, are of short duration, quickly withering away. The useful and the beautiful things of this world are not always possessed by the most worthy. The wicked have a larger share of them than the righteous. This world is now in the possession of the enemy, and the rightful heirs are obliged to pay tribute. The rich of this world are fast absorbing the substance of the poor. Vast amounts of money are expended to support the governments of earth, to suppress the violence of the lawless, and to carry on wars both aggressive and defensive. This money might be expended in beautifying our homes, improving our country, and in rendering every man, woman, and child, on earth, happy in the possession of a competence of earth’s bounties. But the time is near when the glories of the world to come will be witnessed and enjoyed by those who walk as strangers amid the beauties and defects of this. Here, the flowers fade; but there they wither not. Here, miasmatic vapors, burdening the air, engender disease; there, the inhabitants shall never say, “I am sick.” Here, we plant, but another eats the fruit of our labor, build, but another inhabits; there the reverse of this will be true. Here decay and death are stamped upon all things; but there, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.” Reader, have you a clear title to a share in the future glories of that blessed land? or does this blighted, sin-burdened earth have a larger place in your heart. If the latter be true of you, I exhort you to cut loose therefrom, and set your affections on things above. “And Kept back Part of the Price.”
MANY after reading the account of Ananias and Sapphira, in Acts, fifth chapter, are ready to cry out against such hypocrisy as is here manifest, when perhaps should they examine their own hearts in the light of God’s word they would find themselves guilty of the same things for which they were condemned. The guilt in their case lay not so much in keeping back part of the price as in the deception which was practiced by them. Covetousness which had not been wholly eradicated from the heart led them to this act; and to hide this, deception must be used. Is it not the case that covetousness or some other sin equally great is working in the hearts of individuals at the present time, causing them to keep back part of the price, even after they have publicly professed to have given all for Christ? Are they not more guilty on this point in the sight of God than were Ananias and Sapphira? It was not required of them to dispose of their possessions and lay all at the feet of the apostles, but it is required of us that we present ourselves to the Lord, Rom. 12: 1, and not only our bodies, but all that belongs to us is to be sacrificed on the altar—time, talents, influence, reputation, friends, property, prospects, hopes, fears—all these are to be laid at Jesus’ feet. Who of all that profess to have given themselves to the Lord have paid the whole price? While we fully believe that Jesus will accept nothing short of a whole sacrifice, would it not be well to examine our hearts to see if all is on the altar. Suppose an individual of wealth enters the service of the Lord and only a part of that wealth is put on the altar, the rest reserved to draw upon if the promises of God shall fail, is not that person keeping back part of the price, and can he expect to have the favor of God here, and at last be received at the right hand of God, to enjoy glory and honor in his kingdom? Or suppose one who enlisted in the service of Christ has talents, and those talents are withheld from the Lord, is not that person keeping back part of the price? and can such individuals ever expect to hear it said, “Well done”? How often do we see and hear of individuals who have professed to have given all for Christ, who are not free, but are in bondage, being unwilling to spend their time, talents, and money, in his service. Calls for help come from all directions; but for fear of losing reputation, friends, or property, they are unheeded. Who of our readers are keeping back part of the price? Let each one ask the question, “Is it I?” Soon the servants will be called, and will be reckoned with, and shall we be cast one side with the wicked and slothful servants, to be cut off forever, or shall we be so happy as to hear the Master say, “Well done! thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord”? May this last be our position when the Master comes.—Woman and Her Work. A New Commandment.
By D. T. Bourdeau
“A NEW commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 13:34. This commandment is sometimes called a new commandment and “the eleventh commandment,” in the sense that it was not known before Christ. But this is a grand mistake. For instance, in Lev. 19:18, we find, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” The very principle of loving our neighbor grows out of immutable relations that man has ever sustained to his fellow-creatures. Again, John calls this commandment “an old commandment,” and “not a new commandment.” 1 John 2:7; 2 John 5. We readily see how this is an old commandment; but in what sense was it new in the days of Christ? We answer, in the same sense that the Sabbath truth is now new to the masses. It was new because it had been lost sight of, as it is at the present time, when in fulfillment of prophecy, men are “lovers of their own selves,” and as a consequence, the love that they owe to God and to man is waxing cold. 2 Tim. 3:2; Matt. 24:12. At no time in this world's history could the precept, “Love one another,” be more properly called new than at the present time. This precept appeared new in the days of Christ as luster shone upon it from his teachings, and especially from his example in loving our fallen race; and may we daily discover new beauties in this precept from these two prolific sources of inestimable knowledge. Potsherd's Striving.
By John Norton Loughborough
WHEN my attention was called a few days since to the article in the REVIEW on the propriety of entering into debates with spiritualists, I had just been reading testimonies from their writings in which they declare that there is no God, and especially one from a writer in Ohio who said, “Belief in a God is degrading, whatever character is ascribed to him. I can stand up and look your God in the face, and declare that I have a right to life and happiness, whether he is pleased to grant them to me or not. If I can beat your God in one case I can in a thousand, so it is his Godhead or my manhood that must succumb. So where is your God? He is nowhere, utterly routed.” Well, thought I, what is to be gained by discussing with such men?—no God, no law, no right, no wrong, no injustice, no justice, no light, no darkness, no evil, and of course no good, no anything; and when a man should come out of such a contest, he would feel very much as though he had been very successfully beating the “airy nothing,” without habitation or name. In the course of my meditations, Isaiah 45: 9, came to my mind, “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?” A potsherd was a piece of broken crockery which, though used sometimes to carry coals on, or to dip water, was considered an article of little value. A man that riseth up against his Maker is compared to such broken crockery; but what of a man that says his Maker does not exist? Instead of striving with such, he says, Let them strive with one another. Yea, brethren, “let the potsherd of the earth strive with the potsherds of the earth,” but let us faithfully, in the fear of God, do our duty, warning, instructing, trying to help all who will receive help; but when it comes to those who strive with their Maker, let them strive with one another. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH. THE STARLESS CROWN.
By Sel.
“They that turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever.”—Dan. 12: 2. WEARIED and worn with earthly cares, I yielded to repose,
And soon before my raptured sight, a glorious vision rose;
I thought, while slumbering on my couch in midnight’s solemn gloom,
I heard an angel’s silvery voice, and radiance filled my room. A gentle touch awakened me—a gentle whisper said:
“Arise, O sleeper, follow me;” and through the air we fled;
We left the earth so far away, that like a speck it seemed,
And heavenly glory, calm and pure, across our pathway streamed. Still on we went—my soul was wrapped in silent ecstasy;
I wondered what the end would be, what next should meet mine eye.
I knew not how we journeyed through the pathless field of light,
When suddenly a change was wrought, and I was clothed in white. We stood before a city’s walls most glorious to behold;
We passed through gates of glistening pearl, o’er streets of purest gold;
It needed not the sun by day, the silvery moon by night;
The glory of the Lord was there, the Lamb himself its light. Bright angels paced the shining streets, sweet music filled the air,
And white-robed saints with glittering crowns, from every clime were there;
And some whom I had loved on earth stood with them round the throne.
“All worthy is the Lamb,” they sang, “the glory his alone.” But fairer far than all besides, I saw my Saviour’s face;
And as I gazed he smiled on me with wondrous love and grace.
Lowly I bowed before his throne, o’erjoyed that I at last
Had gained the object of my hopes; that earth at length was past. And then in solemn tones he said, “Where is the diadem
That ought to sparkle on thy brow—adorned with many a gem?
I know thou hast believed on me, and life through me is thine,
But where are all thy radiant stars that in thy crown should shine?” Yonder thou seest a glorious throng, and stars on every brow;
For every soul they lead to me they wear a jewel now!
And such thy bright reward had been if such had been thy deed,
If thou had’st sought some wand’ring feet in paths of peace to lead,
I did not mean that thou should’st tread the way of life alone,
But the clear and shining light which round thy footsteps shone,
Should guide some other weary feet to my bright home of rest,
And thus, in blessing those around, thou had’st thyself been blest. The vision faded from my sight, the voice no longer spake,
A spell seemed brooding o’er my soul which long I feared to break,
And when at last I gazed around in morning’s glimmering light,
My spirit fell, o’erwhelmed beneath that vision’s awful might,
I rose and wept with chastened joy that yet I dwell below,
That yet another hour was mine my faith by works to show;
That yet some sinner I might tell of Jesus’ dying love,
And help to lead some weary soul to seek a home above. And now, while on the earth I stay, my motto this shall be,
“To live no longer to myself but Him who died for me!”
And graven on my inmost soul this word of truth divine,
“They that turn many to the Lord bright as the stars shall shine.” Mutual Obligation.
By James White
THE cause of present truth is one. Its work is a labor of love for God, and for souls. Wherever work may be done that will glorify God, and save men, whether it be in Maine, Minnesota, Michigan, California, or in Europe, all who love the work of God, and value the salvation of men, should feel an equal interest. We know of no people who manifest the missionary spirit as do Seventh-day Adventists. They do not settle their ministers over churches. In fact, their most efficient workers seldom labor in the same State more than two or three successive years. They do not suffer themselves to be turned from their missionary labors by the entreaties or the liberal offers of the people of any locality. They certainly should labor with this noble idea ever before them that the cause is the Lord’s, and is one. They should hold themselves ready to labor in that part of the field where Providence shall indicate their duty. We look upon our simple form of organization with great pleasure. Individual members are responsible to churches, churches to State Conferences, and our State Conferences to the General Conference. If sound upon the great subject of mutual obligation, this system will be viewed of vast importance, and truly beautiful. Our system unites the members of all our churches to the great cause everywhere, and is calculated to cultivate in the minds of all, broader feelings of noble interest for the good of the cause everywhere. But many do not see anything of the cause out of their own State. And some confine their interest for souls to their own immediate vicinity, and their own little church. These, however, may be greatly benefited by correct views of mutual obligation. God has made use of means to spread the truth, and all who have been benefited by these means, should hold themselves under the most sacred obligations to make proper returns. The work first started with a few penniless men in New England. With great sacrifices they let the light shine in Western New York, and in Michigan. Self-sacrificing men in these States helped nobly to push the cause still further west, and the results of the sacrificing toil of those early in the cause may now be clearly seen, east, west, north, and south. Only three years since a mission was instituted in California. A few liberal friends donated to purchase a tent, pay the expenses of the journey of missionaries to that distant State, and supported them there for only about one year, when the mission became self-sustaining. And now California invites more ministerial labor, offering not only support there, but to pay traveling expenses. We look back with no small degree of pleasure to the hour when we drew up the subscription paper in behalf of this mission, and headed it with $25.00. We regard that as a good investment. That capital stock is not for sale at any price. And shall this noble work of sacrificing, missionary work, stop here? Shall it not be extended to still more distant and destitute fields? And will not those who have had the precious truth brought to them with great sacrifice, feel that they are not only under obligation to help extend it to others, but, also, feel it their duty to sustain the worthy institutions which stand at the head of this great work? “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” should be the inquiry of every grateful heart. And the answer of the Psalmist should be their answer: “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.” Ps. 116: 12–14. But we see men of money, who have been blest with the labors and sacrifices of others, and who might help in the work if they had a heart to, sitting in idleness, so far as the cause of God is concerned, and hoarding their cash. These know nothing of the true spirit of this work; and unless they are converted, can be of no use to the cause. There are others who will do something, if it can be bestowed in their own immediate neighborhoods. These seem to forget that they are united to the great cause everywhere. They should take broader views. They should study well the question of mutual obligation. At a certain time, in the providence of God, our publishing interests were located at Battle Creek, Michigan. Our publications have proved to be the right arm of our strength. By reading only, without having a single sermon, very many who now stand united with us, embraced the unpopular views we hold. And beside this, when our ministers have broken new ground, our publications have done, to say the very least, one-half of the work. Without the living ministry to address and arouse the people, but little can be accomplished by the press. And without the press, the work would move very heavily and slowly. With a devoted, fervent, laboring ministry, and our periodicals and publications all aglow with heavenly light and truth, the cause will move forward. With our people, Battle Creek, the seat of our cherished institutions, becomes an important point. Here burdens have been borne, battles have been fought, and victories have been gained. And if we hold that Satan makes war on those who do and teach the commandments of God elsewhere, we shall certainly conclude that his special forces are brought to bear against those who stand at the very heart of the work. The nature of the case then demands picked men at Battle Creek. Veteran troops are needed at this important post. We do not hesitate to say that Battle Creek is a very hard place for unconsecrated, selfish men and women to live and professedly serve God. If there is any one position more than another calculated to test the moral worth and Christianity of men and women, it is a connection with the work at Battle Creek. Some fifty families of Sabbath-keepers have moved from Battle Creek during the past two years, and there are still others who can serve the cause of God better by occupying a less important post. And that which would most benefit the cause, not only in Battle Creek, but everywhere through the influence of our institutions, would be the removal to the immediate vicinity of Battle Creek, thirty or forty families of moral worth and godly life, such as can be a blessing to the cause anywhere. But those men of sufficient energy, calculation, and real worth, such as are needed at the very heart of the work, have acquired wealth, reputation, and friends, in the localities where they have made life a success, so that to remove them is like removing the sturdy oak by the roots. It has been found to be no small task to induce such to move to Battle Creek; while it has at the same time been difficult to keep away those who could sell out and pack up between sunset and dark, ready for a start to Battle Creek the next morning. It is admitted that during the change of administration in affairs at Battle Creek, grave mistakes were made. But probably the very ones who now draw back from sustaining our institutions because of these mistakes, would have made greater ones themselves had they stood in the position of those they now blame. We recommend to all that charity which will forgive past errors, thank God that they are fully corrected, and will take hold of the work with renewed confidence and zeal. No one has suffered for the errors of unconsecrated persons at Battle Creek, to the extent we have, unless it be Mrs. W. For all this we did not forsake the cause; but at the hazard of our lives we put ourselves into the gap, and have labored until the cause at Battle Creek, with the blessing of God, is on better footing than at any other period. The present is not the time to draw back the hand of liberality, but rather to open our hands wide to the cause of God, as the best way to overcome existing embarrassments. Those who truly love our Lord Jesus Christ, and have the cause at heart, will see in the history of changes at the head of the work for the last six years new evidences that the hand of God is in this work. These will come up to the work in faith and courage; while the unconsecrated and worldly will probably make these mistakes an excuse for being exceedingly careful in giving of their abundance to build up our institutions at Battle Creek. Admitting that the $32,000 raised for our Health Institute might have been laid out, and might have been managed, so that the property would be worth nearly twice its present value, what then? Shall we let our hands hang down in discouragement because of these comparatively trifling misfortunes? No; this would please the devil exceedingly in that he had gained his object in bringing around a state of things that had weakened the hands of the faithful, and had made the lovers of the things of this world still more fearful and stingy. Rather let us, with faith, courage, and hope in God, “come up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.” We put into the Health Reform Institute $1,000 as a donation. In consequence of bad management in the past, and the urgent demand of more room, making it necessary to purchase cottages, and enlarge the main building, the Institute needs $15,000 to place it on good footing, free from all just demands. Well, we decide to take stock as a matter of donation to the Institute to the amount of $500 more. This may be a little more than our proportion, according to the amount invested, of the property recklessly squandered. But we cheerfully make sure the full amount, and cherish feelings of gratitude that it is no worse. Probably there is nothing that Satan takes so great advantage of to dry up that which may remain of liberal feelings in the hearts of worldly members of the church, as a reckless use of means donated to charitable purposes. The disposal of such means is a sacred trust. And no man is worthy of it, unless he has the fear of God and the good of man ever before him. And he should know that the liberality of the people depends very much upon the manner in which he fulfills his office. In this matter, however, we design to disappoint the devil, and would be glad to shame those who have taken but twenty-five, or fifty, or one hundred dollars, in the Institute, quite out of their horrid temptations and trials because it was not all managed properly. If some of these very men should lose three times as much in some miserable patent right, they would console themselves with that good maxim, “It is no use to cry for spilt milk,” and then would go to work to make up the loss, may be, whistling to keep their courage up. While we have to admit that selfish men have for a time occupied responsible places at the head of the work, it is a pleasure to know that persons have stood in responsible places to whom the cause of truth was of more value than life. These have faithfully toiled, and suffered, and borne a plain testimony; and in return have suffered under the murmurings of the people, who desired to be taught by those who would not reprove them for their errors. And for a time the reprovers were silent, and many thanked God that a better state of things had come; but the better state of things that followed has been more than hinted at in this article. Did God give the murmuring house of Israel quails to eat to teach them that he knew best how to select their food? And was that sad lesson designed for the good of his people from that day to the present? So would he teach our people a similar lesson in the mistakes of those men among us who were the idols of the murmuring ones during the very period of their reckless career. If this sad lesson can cure the murmurers among us of their cruel murmuring, and convince them that God knows best how they should be led, it will prove of infinite value to the cause in the end. God delights to lead his people by lessons of love and prosperity. But if they will not be thus led, he sometimes instructs them by painful admonitions of judgments. It is most blessed to know that the hand of God leads and prospers; but it is a terrible thing to awake from deceptive slumbers to know and feel that the hand of God is stretched out to teach submission to his will by adversities. These sad things ever occurring in the history of God’s people, are the result of selfishness and unsanctified independence; and we recommend, as the best remedy, correct views and feelings upon the subject of mutual obligation. In it is seen the principle of love which lies at the foundation of God’s moral government, and binds the members of the entire body into one humble, holy, loving brotherhood. It leads directly to supreme love to God, and to love others as ourselves. To this happy state of things the apostle exhorts in these precious words:— “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Pet. 5:5–8. We have, perhaps, dwelt too long upon the disagreeable side of these matters in this article. There is a brighter side. God has ever blest his people when they have been true and faithful. And when the erring have returned with full purpose of heart, he has graciously restored to them the joys of his salvation. Our institutions at Battle Creek are prospering, and with the prompt support of all their friends, will overcome past misfortunes, and accomplish all that has been hoped of them. There need be no failure. They have strength within themselves to stand and grow, when free from embarrassments brought upon them by reckless management. And we are confident that the valuable, though painful experience of the past will prove a lamp to the feet of those who manage for the future. Already the fort at Battle Creek is being reinforced by veteran soldiers. And the scheme which constitutes a firm basis of hope for the future success of the Publishing Association and our Health Institute, is the removal of a liberal selection of best families from several States to headquarters. Their moral and religious influence is needed at this fort. Men of judgment and experience are needed here to act as trustees of the Publishing Association, directors of the Health Institute, and as counselors and helpers in the cause generally. And we know of no better locality to obtain a livelihood, and to enjoy health and prosperity, than Battle Creek and vicinity. We know of no more active and prosperous city, of its size, than Battle Creek, or of a more vigorous and flourishing farming country than Calhoun Co., Mich. For sixteen years Battle Creek has been the point where the hottest of the battle in defense of truth and the right has come. Some are worn and weary, and need succor. In the period of their activity and strength they held themselves under most sacred obligations to labor for the good of the cause everywhere. But obligations of this kind are not all on one side. They are mutual. Our people in the several States should now fulfill important obligations on their part, and send certain of their best families to help keep the fort at Battle Creek. When Is Victory Desirable?
By Uriah Smith
It depends upon the nature of the contest whether victory is desirable or not. In any work for the promotion of holiness and purity, for the spread of truth, the amelioration of suffering, the good of the race, and the elevation of mankind, a spirit of lawful emulation to surpass all other competitors in the work, is desirable and praiseworthy; and he who can do this, may well congratulate himself upon the success of his efforts. But in any work which tends to evil, in every path where infamy is the reward and destruction the end, he is victor who puts forth the least efforts and takes the fewest steps. Reasons have been given in late numbers of this paper why S. D. Adventists, or any person who has any vestige left of self-respect, cannot come down to hold a personal controversy with any spiritualist respecting the merits of spiritualism. A system, if it can be called a system, which acknowledges no standard of appeal, which takes off from the carnal heart the last thread of restraint, which tears from the human race everything they have heretofore held sacred, which dethrones God and his word, Christ and the Holy Spirit, which opens a bottomless pit of corruption, and leads to the wildest anarchy, and which, were it not for the laws of the land, would speedily bring society into this condition—such a system, and it is time every lover of decency took this position, cannot be allowed within the pale of honorable controversy. Spiritualists are very lavish of their boasts over this matter as though spiritualism was triumphant, and Adventists, by taking this position, were beating a cowardly retreat from the field. This we expected, as this is their only stock in trade, and their courage, after the terrible showing up their system has just received in this city, depends upon the violence with which they are now able to whistle. But what is their ground for boasting? Have they been able to establish any of their controverted claims? Not one. Have any of the positions which we hold been shown to be untenable, or a single point of our faith been disproved? Not one. There has been nothing of this kind. What then have they done? They have failed to induce us to come before the public with an admission either tacit or expressed, that the controversy was between Adventism, as such, and spiritualism, instead of between spiritualism and the great principles of our common Christianity, or that their system had claims to a respectful hearing equal with our own. In this they have failed and are chagrined. The best thing they5 can now do is to shout themselves hoarse over a claim of victory. But what in reality is their boast? It is a boast, that they have so succeeded in debauching their moral natures, have indorsed principles so iniquitous and vile, and are attempting to carry forward a movement so dishonoring to God, and so degrading to humanity, that decent people will not come within debating distance of their agglomerated mass of abominations. Whereupon they cry out lustily, Victory! we have the field! our opponents are afraid. They give up the contest. Of such a field, we propose to leave them in undisputed possession. In the directions here indicated we have no ambition for pre-eminence. In these respects, Adventism bears no comparison whatever to spiritualism. We yield them the palm entirely. They can have the whole field. Our preachers have rendered plausible excuses for declining personal controversy with them, to save as far as possible their feelings. These reasons were true so far as they went, but were not the ultimate. As they are disposed to treat these with ridicule alone, they may as well know the real grounds for refusal. We shall expose the work of spiritualism, showing it up in all its hideous deformity before the people. And for this work, the unrebutted corruptions of its own devotees, the admissions of its ablest exponents, and the scathing delineations of God's word, furnish us ample material. Duty requires this, but nothing more. We shall take high ground, giving them the widest possible berth in the filthy pool where they have chosen to wallow.