Earlier text: Roman PaganismLETTERS are received from those who are troubled on the subject of sanctification. From what we can gather, we judge that they do not possess a certain state of feeling which they consider necessary to the enjoyment of the favor of God. But that state of feeling which they so anxiously seek may be as far removed from a state of Scriptural sanctification as midnight is from noon. In that admirable little work called "Testimony for the Church"—No. 16, is an article on "Love," which is not excelled by anything in the English language. In it are the following words:— "Seek not for happiness; for it is never to be found by seeking for it. Go about your duty. Let faithfulness mark all your doings, and be clothed with humility." Now if you substitute "sanctification" for "happiness" in the above extract, it will be equally truthful and instructive. The prayer of the Saviour is that we may be sanctified through the truth; and Peter says to the brethren that they had purified their souls in obeying the truth. The modern method of being purified, or sanctified, is in answer to prayer, without reference to the truth or obedience to the truth. And then the individual refuses to listen to the truth, considering it unnecessary, because he has been sanctified without reference to it! Now our friends may protest that they do not believe in such a theory or practice. Very well, but are they not acting upon the same basis? Have not their views of sanctification been moulded by those who do follow that theory and practice? In so strongly desiring a certain state of feeling, aside from their obedience and service to God, are they not following in the wake of those who make feeling the sole test of a holy life or of acceptance with God? They cannot say, "Blessed are they that mourn;" for they have no idea of a blessing aside from a comfortable feeling. They cannot say, "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness;" for their only evidence of a blessing is that a person is riding on the high wave of self-satisfaction. Faith does not need to be fed on any particular state of feeling; fanaticism cannot live without it. Genuine faith is that which "—shines more bright and clear
When tempests rage without;
That when in danger knows no fear,
In darkness feels no doubt." Again we recommend the words from which we quoted. Seek not for happiness; forget self; go about your duty; let faithfulness mark all your doings, and be clothed with humility. Learn a lesson from Isa. 50:10, 11. Avoid the way of those who walk in the light of their own fire, and in sparks of their own kindling. And God shall add unto you that peace that flows as a river; not that which babbles as a brook which flows only after a rain. Sanctified Through the Truth
The Saviour prayed: "Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me." "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." John 17 : 11, 16, 17, 19, 20. "The Abiding Sabbath."
By A. T. J.
AS WE have shown, the author of the "Abiding Sabbath" fills up, with the heathen edict of Constantine for the partial observance of Sunday, the blank left by "the complete silence of the New Testament" so far as any command or rules on that subject are concerned; yet his system is not complete without the sanction of the Fathers. So, as is the custom of the advocates of Sunday observance, he gives to the Fathers, the Councils, the popes, and the Catholic saints, a large place in his five-hundred-dollar-prize argument for Sunday keeping. We have before cited one of the rules laid down by the Rev. Philetus Dobbs, D. D., for proving a thing when there is nothing with which to prove it, and have given an example from the "Abiding Sabbath" in illustration of the rule. We here present another of the Doctor's rules, and in Mr. Elliott's treatment of the Fathers, our readers can see its application. Says Dr. Dobbs:— "I regard, however, a judicious use of the Fathers as being, on the whole, the best reliance for any one who is in the situation of my querist. The advantages of the Fathers are two-fold: first, they carry a good deal of weight with the masses; and secondly, you can find whatever you want in the Fathers. I don't believe that any opinion could be advanced so foolish, so manifestly absurd, but that you can find passages to sustain it, on the pages of these venerable stagers. And to the common mind, one of these is just as good as another. If it happens that the point you want to prove is one that never chanced to occur to the Fathers, why, you can easily show that they would have taken your side, if they had only thought of the matter. And if, perchance, there is nothing bearing even remotely or constructively on the point, don't be discouraged; get a good strong quotation and put the name of the Fathers to it, and utter it with an air of triumph; it will be all just as well; nine-tenths of the people don't stop to ask whether a quotation bears on the matter in hand. Yes, my brother, the Fathers are your stronghold. They are Heaven's best gift to the man who has a cause that can't be sustained in any other way." The first of the Fathers to whom Mr. Elliott refers is Clement of Rome, who he says died about A. D. 100. From Clement he quotes a passage which says nothing about any particular day, much less does it say that Sunday is the Lord's day, or the "abiding Sabbath," and of it the author of the "Abiding Sabbath" says:— "This passage does not indeed refer by name to the Lord's day, but it proves conclusively the existence at that time of prescribed seasons of worship, and asserts their appointment by the Saviour himself."—P. 214. But for all it mentions no day, it is, says he, an "important link in the argument" that proves that Sunday is the Lord's day and of "perpetual obligation." An argument in which such a thing as that is counted "an important link," must be sorely pushed to find a connection that will hold it up.201 His next link is no better. This time he proposes a quotation from Ignatius, and of it says:— "The passage is obscure, and the text doubtless corrupt, but the trend of meaning is not indistinct."—P. 215, note. It seems to us that an institution that has to be supported by an argument that is dependent upon a "trend of meaning," drawn from an "obscure passage," in a "corrupt text," is certainly of most questionable authority. True, he says "the argument can do without it if necessary;" but it is particularly to be noticed that his argument does not do without it, and he deems it of sufficient importance to devote more than a page of his book to its consideration. We would remark also, that we have never yet seen nor heard an extended argument for the Sunday institution that did do without it. His next quotation is from a writing of about equal value with this of Ignatius. He says:— "Here may be introduced a quotation from the so-called Epistle of Barnabas. . . . The external evidence of the authorship of this writing would be convincing but for the discredit which its internal characters casts upon it."—Pp. 216, 217, note. That is to say, we might consider this epistle genuine if the writing itself did not show the contrary. And as if to make as strong as possible the doubt of its genuineness, he adds: "There is a very close relationship between this writing and the 'Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.'" And to the "Teaching" he refers by the doubting phrase "if genuine." Then after mention of Pliny's letter to Trajan, Justin Martyr, Melito, the "Teaching," and Irenæus, he comes to Clement of Alexandria, of whom he speaks as follows:— "Clement of Alexandria, A. D. 194, in a mystical exposition of the fourth commandment, in the midst of fanciful speculations on the religious signification of numbers, comes down long enough from the loftier flights of his spiritual arithmetic to tell us that the seventh day of the law has given place to the eighth day of the gospel. . . . Nobody, of course, can tell what far-fetched and unheard-of meanings may lie underneath the words of the good semi-Gnostic Father; but as far as his testimony goes, it helps to establish the fact that the first day of the week filled the same place in the minds of the church of that time, that the seventh day had occupied in the Jewish system."—P. 223. Certainly. It matters not what "mystical expositions," nor what "fanciful interpretations," nor what "far-fetched and unheard-of meanings" there may be, they all "help to establish" the heathen institution of Sunday, in the place of the day made holy and commanded by the Creator of the heavens and the earth. With just one more witness he closes the second century. And it is most fittingly done as follows:— "This century will be concluded with the mention of that most brilliant and erratic of all the ante-Nicene Christian writers, Tertullian, of Carthage. . . . This vehement writer fitly closes this list of evidences of the honored place filled by the Lord's day in the first two centuries of the Christian church."—Pp. 223, 224. Fitly, indeed, does this "vehement writer," and most erratic of all the ante-Nicene Fathers close the list of the first two centuries. But what a list! He gives us a list of ten witnesses to prove that Sunday is the Lord's day, and that it was observed as such in the first two centuries, and by his own words it is shown that the first one does not mention the day at all; the second is an obscure passage in a corrupt text; the third is doubtful; the fourth speaks only of a "stated day," without giving it any title at all; the fifth "calls it by its heathen name;" the seventh is doubtful; the ninth is so mystical, so fanciful, that "nobody can tell what far-fetched and unheard-of meanings may lie underneath his words;" the tenth is the "most brilliant and erratic [having no certain course; roaming about without a fixed destination] of all," and this "vehement ["furious; violent; impetuous; passionate; ardent; hot"] writer,"—we do not wonder that Dean Milman calls him "this fiery African"—this witness "fitly closes the list of evidences of the honored place filled by the Lord's day in the first two centuries!" Well we should say so. But what is a point worth that is "proved" by such evidences? It is worth all that the Sunday-sabbath is, that is proved by it, that is, just nothing at all. Yet these are the only witnesses that can be called, and false, doubtful, and untrustworthy though they be, they must be used or the Sunday institution will fail. But whether the failure would be any greater without such proofs than with them, we leave the reader to decide. And that is part of the argument for the obligation of Sunday, that was accounted worth a prize of five hundred dollars. We should like very much to see an argument on that question that that committee of award would consider to be worth nothing. After this array of five-hundred-dollar-prize witnesses for Sunday, we hope our readers will justify us in declining to follow Mr. Elliott through a further list, composed of Origen, and Athanasius, Theodosius the Great, and Emperor Leo the Thracian and a number of Catholic saints, such as Hilary, Ambrose, Augustine, "Chrysostom the golden-mouthed," and Jerome, whom Mosheim calls "the foul-mouthed" (Cent. 4, part 2, chap. 2, last par. but one); through the Councils of Nice, Sardica, Gangra, Antioch, First of Toledo, Fourth of Carthage and that of Laodicea, and so on down to the Synod of Dort, and the Westminster Assembly. Yet his work on this division of his subject would be incomplete, and out of harmony with his method of argument throughout, if he should not turn about and upset it all. Accordingly, therefore, he at once destroys the edifice which he has thus so laboriously erected. Among the dangers which threaten the Sunday institution of to-day he declares that:— "Dangerous is the substitution of the dictum of the church for the warrant of Holy Scripture. . . . To make the Lord's day only an ecclesiastical contrivance, is to give no assurance to the moral reason, and to lay no obligation upon a free conscience. The church cannot maintain this institution by its own edict. Council, assembly, convocation, and synod can impose a law on the conscience only when they are able to back their decree with 'thus saith the Lord.'"—P. 263. The only dictum that the author of the "Abiding Sabbath" has shown for the Sunday-sabbath is the dictum of the church. The only means by which he has fixed the day to be observed is "by a religious consensus of the Christian church" (P. 203). The only edicts which he had presented are the heathen edicts of Constantine, additional laws by Constantine and Theodosius the great, and the decree of Emperor Leo the Thracian. It is only in these, and the action of council, assembly, convocation, and synod that he obtains authority to impose the observance of Sunday, as a law upon the conscience. He has given no "Thus saith the Lord" for the institution, nor for its observance; but on the contrary has confessed the "complete silence of the New Testament," in regard to any command or rules for either the institution or its observance. Therefore, by his own argument, the observance of Sunday as the Sabbath is of "no obligation upon a free conscience." And that is the truth. Mr. Elliott devotes a chapter to argument against the seventh day as the Sabbath, which we shall notice next. A Remarkable "Conversion."
By Editor
IN its notices of revival meetings, the Independent gives an account of one where there was much opposition on the part of infidels. By request of one of the unbelievers, a visiting minister preached a sermon on the divinity of Christ, which shook the man's unbelief, so that he and his family publicly professed faith. "Addressing the church, the converted man said: 'Brothers and sisters, I feel proud to worship the great cause of my being, if it be God. Now if I have sinned against our Lord and Saviour, which I suppose I have, I humble myself here before this congregation to beg pardon and ask forgiveness.'" Conversion means a change from one thing to another. In the Bible it means a turning from a life of sin to a life of holiness through Christ. Before a man can become converted, he must acknowledge himself to be a sinner against God, must realize that sin is a hateful thing, and must believe that Jesus alone can save. The enormity of one's guilt, which can be seen only in contrast to the goodness and mercy of God, naturally leads to deep humility. When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, vividly pointing out the sins of the people, they were pricked in their hearts, and cried out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" And when Peter told them what to do, they repented and were converted. When the publican went to the temple to pray, he felt that he was a sinner. So great was his sense of sin that he seemed to himself to be the only sinner in the world, and so, filled with shame, he would not so much as lift his eyes unto Heaven, but "smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me the sinner." This man, says Christ, went down to his house justified. How different these Bible conversions from that reported in the Independent. "I feel proud to worship the cause of my being, if it be God." No humility, and only a hypothetical acknowledgment of the existence of God. And again, "If I have sinned against our Lord and Saviour, and I suppose I have." Undoubtedly he has, but he does not seem to more than half believe that he has done anything wrong. But if a man does not feel, not only dissatisfied, but really horrified at his present condition, it is certain that there cannot be a very vigorous "turning away" from that condition. We did not note this circumstance for the purpose of fixing attention upon this individual, but to show what is popularly accepted as conversion. That this man's testimony was accepted as an evidence of genuine conversion is shown by the statement that "when he sat down the immense audience clapped their hands for joy." When we read such things as this, we cannot feel very much elated over the reports of the multitudes of conversions. It is a sad fact that the law of God, which "is perfect, converting the soul," receives so little attention nowadays that it is almost lost sight of as a factor in genuine conversion. The apostle prophesied of this time when he said, "They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." An Era of Domestic Warfare
PROFESSOR ELY, of Johns Hopkins University, says that dynamite explosions are a "local manifestation of an international devil," and adds: "I believe we are just beginning to enter on a terrible era in the world's history,—an era of internal and domestic warfare such as has never been seen, and the end of which only the Almighty can foretell." Has Not God Gone before Us?
By Stephen N. Haskell
WE have sometimes thought that our friends might get tired of hearing so much about this country; but to us these colonies have become more and more interesting. We see the power of God accompanying his truth here in a manner which is truly encouraging. The labor put forth in New Zealand was small in comparison with what has been put forth in Australia; and of that work we have spoken fully. But we see much here to encourage the hearts of all who love present truth. The church here numbers fifty-five, and probably before another report reaches America, the number will be greatly increased. The tent has been pitched four times. In each place there has been much fruit seen, in souls brought to a knowledge of the truth. It is now in a suburb of Melbourne called South Yarra. The present prospect is better for a harvest of souls than in any other place where it has been pitched. The interest could not be better than it appears to be. The tent is filled much of the time to its utmost capacity with interested hearers; and there are generally as many, if not more, standing outside. But we are having pleasant weather, and everything is most favorable. The evenings are just cool enough to be comfortable. Last night a discourse was given on the signs of the times; and remarks like the following were heard as the people left the tent: "What wonderful things these men are telling us!" "Did you ever hear the like?" There are many clergymen in our congregations, and they as well as others appear to be much interested. Bibles are brought, texts are marked, and questions are asked. In this suburb the doctrine of the second coming of Christ has been preached more than in any other place in this section of the country. But the people have ideas of it so different from what we hold that, when they hear the word of God read, scripture after scripture, and see that some of the very positions taken by the popular clergy are signs of Christ's coming, and that the Saviour especially warned us against those who take such positions, they seem to be dumbfounded, having been taught to believe that the Bible is all right anyway. In Northern Australia the tent can be run in winter; also in Western and Southern Australia; so there will be no need of laying up the tent one day because of the weather. In some parts it rains but very little, and those parts are rapidly settling up. The influence of our missions has encircled the globe. There is no time in the year but in some parts of the world, tents are running; and there is no hour in the day but type is being set, letters are being written, papers are being mailed, and work is being done by the light of the sun to spread a knowledge of the solemn truths we profess. The friends here are as earnest in the missionary work as in any part of America. They have their tract and missionary society organized, and take about two hundred copies of the Echo for missionary work; and they pay for them the full price. Many are mailed to England as well as to different parts of the Colonies. We have seen no greater interest among children in the missionary work than we see here. Then the success of the work is truly remarkable, when compared to the success of past years; but is far from what we believe it is our privilege to see if we believe, and act out our faith in the matter. Almost daily we learn of individuals who are interested in the truth, and some are keeping the Sabbath who have heard only one sermon, and in some instances only a part of one sermon. But they secured our publications and read for themselves. In a few instances, we have found individuals who have never heard a sermon or read a single word on these subjects, and yet believe the truth from hearing about our work. Is not this as remarkable as it was in the time of Christ, when the Samaritans believed on the testimony of the woman who said, "Come, see a man which told me all things that ever I did; is not this the Christ?" Among those who have taken their stand on the truth, are high school teachers, Sunday-school superintendents, foremen of wholesale establishments, building contractors, those having charge of manufacturing establishments and flooring mills, and one entire printing company, who are now trying to sell their business that they may connect with our work. Most of these are individuals of influence, and, with a few exceptions, have not lost their situations for keeping the commandments. These contractors have jobs in various parts of the country, and with their hands, many of whom are Sabbath-keepers, hold Bible-readings and distribute reading matter where they go. This creates an interest in the truth; so that in many places at the present time there are special calls for labor. In some instances, meeting-houses are offered by country pastors, if we will only come or send some one to hold meetings. There is work here at the present time for twenty-five ministers if we only had them. Many of these openings are better than any we had when we first pitched our tent; for they are in the country. We are in the midst of a city of three hundred thousand people, including its suburbs. Everything here is on the rush and drive, while in the country it is different. A few small efforts have been put forth in the country; and in one instance, as near as we can learn, there are eight keeping the Sabbath202 of the Lord. There is no such thing as correctly estimating the extent of the work. But we can truthfully say, that in every place there are hearts that are all prepared to embrace the truth. A few Bible-readings are all that is wanted, or a little reading matter, or a sermon, and they will take their stand with us. It may seem strange to many of our brethren and sisters in America that in so short a time as we have been here we should report thus. But it cannot surprise the friends in America any more than it does ourselves. We can only say as Luther did in the close of his life, when speaking of the work of the reformation: "What have I done? I simply set the word to running, and then returned and took a chat with my lord Catherine [his wife]; and down came thrones and kingdoms the word impressing one to-day, and another tomorrow." It has been so here, and in a manner that God alone can take the glory. To his precious name be all the praise. One man of a respectable family who came to the tent meeting, after hearing, purchased some reading matter, and finally, with his wife, embraced the truth. His sister felt distressed over this matter, and sent her son, who is an educated young man, to talk with his uncle. Their first interview continued the greater part of the night, and resulted in the young man taking a stand with his uncle. This at first almost crushed his poor mother, and apparently broke her heart. But his labor for her and the other members of the family was untiring, and resulted in the entire family, except one brother who is a lawyer, embracing the truth. Ten of them now belong to the church. The young man is out doing missionary work. There are others who design to give themselves to the work as soon as they can arrange their affairs. Many of these had decided to go with us, and had commenced to observe the Sabbath before they had ever heard any preaching, or seen any of our people except this young man. Can we not conclude that the Lord has gone out before us? Many interesting items might be mentioned, but I have said enough to lead those who have felt an interest in this work and have given of their means to start this mission, to feel that their labor has not been in vain. It seems evident to us that within one year from the time this mission started, it will be self-supporting. Our friends here have acted a noble part. We hardly dare ask them to do anything; for as soon as they know that means is wanted, they at once do all that they can consistently. Our people here are in harmony with every point of present truth, and are as happy in serving God as any company that we have ever seen. We now expect to leave for New Zealand on the steamer which takes this letter, and one month later for America, and arrive there in season for the annual meeting of the Publishing Association at Oakland. We shall be glad to see all those who feel an interest in this mission. S. N. H. WILLIAM CAREY, the first English missionary, spent more than forty years in India, in earnest, self-sacrificing labor for the salvation of the heathen. His motto seems to have been, "Expect great things of God; attempt great things for God." In his life he illustrated the sentiment which he expresses in the following paragraph:— "A Christian minister is a person who in a peculiar sense is not his own; he is the servant of God, and therefore ought to be wholly devoted to him. By entering on that sacred office he solemnly undertakes to be always engaged, as much as possible, in the Lord's work, and not to choose his own pleasure or employment, or pursue the ministry as a something that is to subserve his own ends or interests, or as a kind of by-work. He engages to go where God pleases, and to do or endure what he sees fit to command, or call him to, in the exercise of his function. He virtually bids farewell to friends, pleasures, and comforts, and stands in readiness to endure the greatest sufferings in the work of his Lord and Master. It is inconsistent for ministers to please themselves with thoughts of a numerous auditory, cordial friends, a civilized country, legal protection, affluence, splendor, or even a competency. The slights and hatred of men, and even pretended friends, gloomy prisons and tortures, the society of barbarians of uncouth speech, miserable accommodations in wretched wildernesses, hunger, and thirst, nakedness, weariness, and painfulness, hard work, and but little worldly enjoyment, should rather be the objects of their expectation. Thus the apostles acted, in the primitive times, and endured hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ." The Commentary.
By A. T. Jones
NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSON.
JOHN the Baptist had now been preaching for about six months, calling the people to repentance, and to the "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins," saying to the people that they should believe on Him who should come after him. And there "went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan." And "the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. . . . And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water; but there standeth one among you whom ye know not; he is he, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose." WHEN the messengers from the highest authority in Jerusalem were communing with John in reference to his mission and work, he could have taken honor to himself, had he been so disposed. But he would not assume honors that did not belong to him. While conversing with the messengers, suddenly his eye kindled, and his countenance lighted up, and his whole being seemed stirred with deep emotion, as he discovered the person of Jesus in the concourse of people. He raised his hand, pointing to Christ, saying, There standeth One among ye whom ye know not. I have come to prepare the way before him whom ye now see. He is the Messiah. He it is who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me; for he was before me. And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not. But he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record, that this is the Son of God. AGAIN the next day after, John stood, and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? The disciples confessed that they were seeking Christ, and that they desired to become acquainted with him, and to be instructed by him at his home. These two disciples were charmed with the deeply impressive, yet simple and practical lessons of Christ. Their hearts had never been so moved before. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of these disciples. He was interested for his friends and relatives, and was anxious that they also should see Christ, and hear for themselves his precious lessons. Andrew went in search of his brother Simon, and with assurance claimed to have found Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. He brought his brother to Jesus, and as soon as Jesus looked upon him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jona; thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone.203 The next day Christ selected another disciple, Philip, and bade him follow him. Philip fully believed that Christ was the Messiah, and began to search for others to bring them to listen to the teachings of Christ, which had so charmed him. Then Philip found Nathanael. He was one of the number who heard John proclaim, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." He felt deeply convicted, and retired to a grove, concealed from every human eye, and there meditated upon the announcement of John, calling to his mind the prophecies relating to the coming of the Messiah and his mission. . . . He bowed before God and prayed that if the person whom John had declared to be the Redeemer of the world was indeed the promised deliverer, that it might be made known to him. The Spirit of the Lord rested upon Nathanael in such a special manner that he was convinced that Christ was the Messiah. While Nathanael was praying, he heard the voice of Philip calling him, saying, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and in the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth the son of Joseph." In these first few disciples the foundation of the Christian church was being laid by individual effort. John first directed two of his disciples to Christ. Then one of these finds a brother and brings him to Christ. He then calls Philip to follow him, and he went in search of Nathanael. Here is an instructive lesson for all the followers of Christ. It teaches them the importance of personal effort, making direct appeals to relatives, friends, and acquaintances. There are those who profess to be acquainted with Christ for a lifetime who never make personal effort to induce one soul to come to the Saviour. They have left all the work with the minister. He may be well qualified for his work; but he cannot do the work which God has left upon the members of the church. Very many excuse themselves from being interested in the salvation of those who are out of Christ, and are content to selfishly enjoy the benefits of the grace of God themselves, while they make no direct effort to bring others to Christ. In the vineyard of the Lord there is a work for all to do, and unselfish, interested, faithful workers will share largely of his grace here, and of the reward he will bestow hereafter. Faith is called into exercise by good works, and courage and hope are in accordance with working faith. The reason many professed followers of Christ have not a bright and living experience, is because they do nothing to gain it. If they would engage in the work which God would have them do, their faith would increase, and they would advance in the divine life. JESUS was pleased with the earnest faith of Nathanael that asked for no greater evidence than the few words he had spoken. And he looked forward with pleasure to the work he was to do in relieving the oppressed, healing the sick, and in breaking the bands of Satan. In view of these blessings which Christ came to bestow, he says to Nathanael, in the presence of the other disciples, "Hereafter ye shall see Heaven opened, and the angels of God, ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." CHRIST virtually says, On the bank of Jordan the heavens were opened before me, and the Spirit descended like a dove upon me. That scene at Jordan was but a token to evidence that I was the Son of God. If you believe in me as such, your faith shall be quickened, and you shall see that the heavens will be opened, and shall never be closed. I have opened them for you, and the angels of God, that are united with me in the reconciliation between earth and Heaven, uniting the believers on the earth with the Father above, will be ascending, bearing the prayers of the needy and distressed, from the earth to the Father above, and descending, bringing blessings of hope, courage, health and life, for the children of men. The angels of God are ever moving up and down from earth to Heaven, and from Heaven to earth. All the miracles of Christ performed for the afflicted and suffering were, by the power of God, through the ministration of angels. Christ condescended to take humanity, and thus he unites his interests with the fallen sons and daughters of Adam here below, while his divinity grasps the throne of God. And thus Christ opens the communication of man with God, and God with man. All the blessings from God to man are through the ministration of holy angels.—Great Controversy, by Mrs. E. G. White, pp. 63-68. A. T. J. Items of Progress.
By Editor
FROM the Review and Herald of March 16, we extract the following:— MICHIGAN.—"January 22, in company with Brother Richardson, I commenced meetings in Cleon, Manistee County. Have had a good attendance and an excellent interest from the first. Thirty-three discourses have been given. Twenty-two, all adults, have embraced the truth. Two of these were ministers of the gospel, one a Baptist, the other a Methodist; and, like Paul, as soon as the scales had fallen from their eyes, they were ready to commence the work of proclaiming God's truth to the world. One of them has now gone with Brother Richardson to fill a new call in Grand Traverse County, while the other remains with me to finish up the work here. These new brethren are laying aside 'every weight,' and are pressing into the work with earnestness and zeal. A good Sabbath-school of twenty-nine members, has been organized. A lecture was also given on health and temperance, which was well received.
"R. C. HORTON." FLORIDA.—"Having taken down the tent at Orlando, February 19 I went to what is ca'led the Terracea church. This company meet near the bay called Terracea, near the gulf coast. They number about twenty members, most of whom once belonged to Michigan churches. I remained with them five days, and held twelve meetings. Ten united with the church, six were baptized, and one was received subject to baptism. The Lord came very near, and the brethren felt they must stand where they could have his favor continually. They pledged $55 to the Florida Tent Fund, $25 being paid down. Tithes were paid to the amount of $31.78. I considered this quite good for this church, as none of them are rich in this world's goods.
"J. M. REES." D. B. OVIATT, writing from Wellsville, N. Y., says: "The work is still in a prosperous condition. About fifty have received the truth as the result of our efforts during the winter. A better interest is manifested in our missions than ever before since their establishment; and, with few exceptions, our people all seem to appreciate the magnitude and importance of the message more than heretofore." Washington, D. C., Mission.
By W. H. Saxby
WE are nicely located in the most desirable part of the city. Our house is new and all we could wish. Our company consists of four. We have worked, when the weather would permit, during the last five weeks, and as a result have taken eighty-eight orders for the SIGNS and “Sunshine;” fifty-six of these are for one year—ten of the latter were without the “Sunshine” as premium. I have taken orders and sold for cash $66.35 worth of books, and have held ninety Bible-readings. We can see a large field of usefulness opening up before us. W. H. SAXBY.
1831 Vermont Avenue.