Earlier text: Bishop Bickersteth upon the Second AdventThe Church and the Common People.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
[UNDER this heading, Rev. R. Cardley, in the Christian Union, states some important facts which should encourage us as a people in our work. Our converts are almost wholly from the common people. There is a significant fact in this. Read what this man says, and take courage. It is all so good that I give the whole of it.
D. M. C.] In estimating the value of Christian work, we are very apt to judge by a worldly standard. The elements of power in the world are thought to be the elements of power in the kingdom of God. So we come to measure a church as we would measure a business firm or a political party—by its wealth, and influence, and social standing. We are very apt to measure a revival by the standing of the converts. The mere conversion of a score of souls makes but little impression. But the conversion of a judge, or a leading merchant, or a member of Congress, brings the millennium perceptibly nearer. In the popular judgment, a soul converted is only a soul saved; while a fortune converted is a power for Christ. When we measure a man's Christian force we multiply his character by his bank account. A very indifferent sort of a Christian becomes quite effective when multiplied by fifty thousand dollars. Rich men come to think that very faint traces of grace are sufficient for them. They have such a long leverage that it is not necessary for them to lift very hard. In the language of a popular lecturer, “ten thousand dollars covers a multitude of sins, and fifty thousand dollars covers them all.” It is only carrying out this unexpressed popular sentiment when a church at the West is organized on a “joint stock basis,” and its members vote by “shares” instead of by the counting of hands. If money and position are the real Christian forces, by all means let them vote; but if individual Christian character is the power, then let individual Christians rule. It must have struck every reader of the New Testament as almost singular that this method of estimating Christian force is entirely absent there. Jesus preached mainly to the poor; and he never hinted that it was any disadvantage that his success was mainly among that class. The apostles pursued the same course, and the same results followed. It is mentioned as a fact, but not as a source of regret, that “not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” Neither Christ nor his disciples attempted to gather around them what we call the “elements of power” in society. They did not attempt to secure the influence of wealth or of social standing. I think the true significance of this fact has been entirely misunderstood. It is usually supposed that God intended thus to manifest his power, “that the glory might be of God, and not of men.” It is supposed that God determined to establish the gospel in the world, and save men, without the aid of the recognized social forces, reaching the world through its weakest and poorest people. But it is a question whether this process did not display the wisdom more than the power of God. Was not this, after all, the true way to reach the world? Did it not show a deeper knowledge of social forces than men ever exhibited? Was it not a wisdom which set at naught what men deem sources of influence, but which took hold of the real elements of social power after all? Men pursue the opposite order, and begin by securing the support of influential names. But is not this also a part of that “wisdom of this world which is foolishness with God?” Is not God's plan, of beginning with the common people, the true way of molding society? For immediate results, no doubt the human plan, of beginning with the influential, is the best. But for a movement that has “ages for its own,” the divine plan is undoubtedly the wisest. Society is in constant motion. The elements at the bottom are continually coming to the top. The rising men are the men of power. Even in so conservative a republic as ancient Rome the “new men” were a recognized force. The English aristocracy maintains its supremacy through the “new blood” it is continually receiving. Whence come all the great revolutions that transform society? Do they not all begin with the common people and are at first sneered at as plebeian and low, and do they not work themselves upward until they reach the sceptre? If we look over the men of power in our generation, in business or professional life, in politics or learning, we shall find the larger proportion of them have come from “poor but honest parentage.” The men who control affairs to-day are from families who had never been heard of fifty years ago. And of the names that were prominent fifty years ago, scarcely one now remains on the surface. Any one can verify this for himself who will take the trouble to look over the names of those who figured in public life half a century ago. And if he will look over the leading men of to-day—either the leading men of his own town or the leading men of the country—he will be equally astonished to notice how large a proportion of them are “new men” in the old Roman sense. In older and more established communities the process is slower. Fixed customs and laws of entailment and inheritance impede the operation of the principle. But the process goes on none the less, taking generations instead of years to complete the circuit. What is the plain inference? What has been, will be. The sentiments of the common people of to-day will be the ruling faith of fifty years to come. The faith that is lodged in the hearts of the poor of this generation will rise and seize the sceptre of the next generation. This was the wisdom of God when he sent the gospel to the poor. He knew the laws of social life and the constitution of human society. He worked in accordance with those laws, and not in defiance of them. When it was said of Jesus that “the common people heard him gladly,” it was prophetic of his success. It was not long before the whole social structure felt his power. He knew the nearest way to the heart of the world. We have all, no doubt, been surprised at the power of the Methodist church in our great cities. We had been accustomed to regard the Methodists as the church of the backwoods and the frontier. All at once we find them with large cultured congregations and magnificent churches in the very centers of wealth and refinement. Whence comes this change? The answer is simple and natural. The poor bare-footed boys who were converted in the mountains and backwoods twenty-five years ago are now the merchant princes, and money kings of the metropolis, building grand churches and endowing colleges and seminaries. When it is said, therefore, that the English churches have lost their hold on the laboring classes, it means a still darker and sadder picture half a century hence. The church of to-day that holds the hearts of the common people is the legitimate heir to the crown of the future, while the church that stands aloof from the poor has consented to its own death. PERSEVERANCE in faith is the surest evidence of its sincerity. THE following extract respecting the New Earth is from a Catholic work, published about 1776. It is valuable, as containing the opinions of some ancient writers. Rev. 21:1: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and first earth was gone, and the sea is now no more.” Here is a total change in our system of nature. The earth that was, the heaven or sky, with its atmosphere, its clouds, &c., had passed away and vanished; but now a “new heaven and a new earth” appear. The same we are taught by St. Peter: “We look for new heavens and a new earth, according to his promises in which justice dwelleth.” 2 Pet. 3:13. This new heaven and new earth are not of new creation, but the former heaven and earth, purified by fire, renewed by the hand of God, and made much more perfect, “not other heavens and another earth,” says St. Jerome, “but the former ones changed into better.” Isa. 45. And St. Gregory the Great, speaking of the same, says: “Others are not to be created, but these same renewed.” Lib. 17 Moral in Job, c. 2. This sentiment is founded on Scripture. The psalmist represents the heavens and the earth growing old and wearing away like a garment, and then to be changed. “In the beginning, O Lord, thou foundedst the earth: and the heavens are the works of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou remainest: and all of them shall grow old like a garment: and as a vesture thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed.” Ps. 101:26, &c. Solomon also seems to assure us that everything shall remain that has been created: “I have learned that all the works which God has made, continue for ever.” Eccl. 3:14. Upon which St. Gregory the Great’s comment is: “They will pass, as to their present figure or appearance, but as to their substance they will remain forever.” Lib. 17 Moral. in Job c. 5. St Austin tells us, that “by the change of things the world will not entirely perish or be annihilated. Its form or external appearance will be changed, but not its substance.” Lib. 20 de Civ. c. 14. And again more amply: “The figure of this world will pass away by the general conflagration. The qualities of the corruptible elements, of which our world is composed, which were proportioned to our corruptible bodies, will be entirely destroyed by the fire: and the substance of those elements will acquire new qualities which will be suitable to our immortal bodies: and thus the world, by becoming more perfect, will be proportioned to the then improved state of the human body.” Ibid. c. 16. After the same manner speak St. Justin, St. Basil, and other holy fathers. Hence we may conclude that our new world, as to its substance, will be the same as the old; but its qualities will be totally altered, so as to be no more pernicious to the human body, offensive to the senses, or obnoxious to unseasonable vicissitudes. Every part will then appear bright, glorious, pleasing to the senses, and inspiring happiness. They will form as it were a paradise. Whether the superior heavens, that contain the sun, moon, and stars, will undergo the same change, is uncertain; and the writers on this subject are divided in their opinions. The word Christian is found but three times in all the Scriptures. The places where it occurs are Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; and 1 Peter 4:15. These read as follows: “And the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf.” The chronology of some of the events recorded in the Acts is not entirely certain, but it seems pretty clear that the followers of our Lord were not called Christians till ten or twelve years after our Saviour’s ascension to Heaven. The Scripture Doctrine of Future Punishment.
By John Nevins Andrews
No doctrine is more clearly revealed in the Scriptures than this, that God shall punish every man that goes on in iniquity, and that he will do this according to every man’s measure of guilt. That this will be indescribably awful, many passages plainly teach. We have no disposition to represent this punishment as of momentary duration, or to compare it with even the most painful death that we witness in this world. Because we teach that God will inflict the second death upon all transgressors some have concluded that we hold this to be simply the equivalent of death as we now see it. But this is far from being the case. We fully credit all those scriptures which set forth the terrible nature of the second death. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” But we do assert that wicked men will not live in the fire of hell to all eternity, and that sin will not have an unending existence. We think many testimonies and many plain facts confirm this statement. We do not rely alone upon one class of texts, but upon the plain testimony of a great number of witnesses. The wicked shall die the second death; Rom. 6: 23; Rev. 21: 8; they shall be devoured; Ps. 21: 9; Rev. 20: 9; they shall be consumed; Ps. 37: 20; 59: 13; they shall perish; Ps. 73: 27; John 3: 15, 16; they shall be burned up root and branch; Mal. 4: 1–3; they shall be destroyed soul and body; Isa. 47: 14, margin; Matt. 10: 28; they shall be as though they had not been; Obadiah 16. We call attention to several great facts: 1. God shut out man from the tree of life that he should not live forever. 2. He gives an immortal existence to the righteous only, and that at the last trumpet. 3. The punishment of the wicked will be when God burns our earth. This great conflagration will constitute the lake of fire. 4. The earth will not burn to all eternity, for there will be a new earth created from the ashes of the old earth. 5. God will have a clean universe, and none but holy beings will then remain alive. One great fact is settled by the examination of the Bible concerning man’s state in death. Men are not rewarded nor punished till the judgment has first taken place. We cite a passage relative to the wicked because of its emphatic statement of this doctrine: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” 2 Pet. 2: 9. Let us now consider the foregoing propositions relative to the punishment of the wicked. 1. Is it true that God excluded man from the tree of life lest he should in his fallen state LIVE FOREVER? Here are the words of the Bible: “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil: and now lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and LIVE FOREVER; therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken.” Gen. 3: 22, 23. No one will deny that the words “LIVE FOREVER” are to be taken in their natural and obvious sense. God’s purpose is distinctly revealed in them. Man as a sinner is not to live forever. This great fact is thus announced at the very beginning of the Bible, and we may be sure that subsequent testimonies do not contradict it. 2. But is it also true that immortality does not belong to man by nature, and is the gift of God to the righteous only, and that not till the last trumpet? So the Scriptures do plainly teach. Thus Paul says: “Who will render to every man according to his deeds; to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil.” Rom. 2: 6–9. Immortality is therefore the gift of God to those only who seek it by patient continuance in well doing. It is certain therefore that man does not possess immortality by nature. Paul also fixes the time when God shall give immortality to his people: “Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Cor. 15: 51–53. This is the time, and this the manner, in which the righteous shall be made immortal. 3. Is it also the fact that the burning earth is to constitute the lake of fire wherein the wicked shall be punished? Solomon thus states the place of punishment: “Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner.” Prov. 11: 31. The righteous shall be recompensed in the new earth. And our earth which now is shall be dissolved with fervent heat when the time comes to make it new. This is the time and place for the perdition of ungodly men. “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3: 7. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” Verse 10. Our earth will not be burned till the day of Judgment. The wicked are not to be punished till that day. 2 Peter 2: 9. But when God melts the earth, then shall come the perdition of ungodly men. Malachi states this great fact in these words: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. . . . And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.” Mal. 4: 1, 3. Here is Peter’s burning day, and here also is the perdition of all the ungodly in the lake of fire. John, who speaks as emphatically concerning the lake of fire, plainly teaches that the place where the wicked shall be punished is our earth. For after the resurrection of the unjust, they come up on the breadth of the earth and surround the camp of the saints, and then fire from God out of heaven comes down and devours them. Rev. 20: 9. We have therefore fully proved that our earth is to be the place of the fire wherein the wicked shall be punished. 4. Is it true that this lake of fire, after consuming the wicked, and after melting the earth, shall cease to burn, and that there shall be a new earth that shall spring from the ashes of the old, wherein the just shall dwell? Malachi plainly teaches that the fire shall cease to burn after devouring the wicked, and that the very place where the wicked were burned shall become the abode of the saints. For he speaks of what shall follow the burning day: “And ye shall tread down the wicked: for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.” Mal. 4: 3. Peter affirms this when he says: “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Pet. 3: 12, 13. So that the fire shall sometime cease to burn, and then God shall create from the ashes of the old earth a new earth to be the abode of his people forever. And this also is Solomon’s doctrine when he says: “The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, much more the wicked and the sinner.” Prov. 11: 31. And John represents the creation of the new earth as an event that succeeds the lake of fire. Rev. 20: 14, 15; 21: 1. It is certain, therefore, that the fire in which the wicked are to be punished shall not burn to all eternity. 5. But is it certain that God shall again have a clean universe, and none but holy beings remain alive? He certainly had such once, for evil had no existence till Satan originated it. The psalmist prays: “Let the wicked be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more.” Ps. 104: 35. This prayer will most assuredly be answered, as the texts above quoted testify. When Balaam predicts the advent of Christ, and the destruction of the wicked, he cries out, “Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!” Num. 24: 17–24. And John tells us that “whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire,” and “this is the second death.” Rev. 20: 14, 15. He also sets forth the time when none but holy beings exist in the universe of God. Thus he says: “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” Rev. 5: 13. When these words shall have their fulfillment, the lake of fire shall have done its work upon the wicked, and none but holy beings remain alive. God is then all in all. And this time shall assuredly arrive, for God has spoken it. J. N. A. Science and Spiritualism.
By J. H. W.
THERE is one phase of the investigation of spiritualism which does injustice to the truth and to science. Whenever a scientific scholar embraces spiritualism, it is set down as a testimony from science in favor of spiritualism. This is not correct. No one has ever pretended to prove spiritualism by scientific tests, or on scientific grounds. The most that they can say is, that they cannot discover any collusion nor trace it to its origin. They admit its claims because they cannot determine its origin. Now it is evident that this is not the voice of science in favor of spiritualism. It is only a confession on their part that it does not fall within the range of scientific tests. Of course when it is removed from the field of scientific research it becomes, to them, a matter of conjecture as much as to the unlearned. Their testimony is entirely of a negative character. They admit its claims because they are not able to give any satisfactory solution of its mysteries. But this does not prove anything. It certainly does not prove that the claims of spiritualism are correct; it shows only that they do not know anything about it. Whether the testimony of scientists is of any value at all depends altogether on the thoroughness of their investigations. But it must be remembered that their investigations are phenomenal, not scientific; and therefore their conclusions are worth no more than are those of the unlearned who observe the phenomena with carelessness. No one has a right to affirm that a proposition is true because he does not know that it is not true. Where science and human reason fail, the Bible comes to our aid. The claims of spiritualism are based on certain phenomena or facts of occurrence. These occurrences are, by careful observation, determined to be of unknown origin, that is, their origin is not from anything natural; they are supernatural. But that which is supernatural is beyond the bounds of science and mere reasoning. It must be established by testimony above nature. Having arrived at this evident conclusion, we must either admit the claims of spiritualism on its own word, or take some other testimony which claims to be above nature. Such testimony we find in the Bible. It claims to be of divine origin; to establish its claims by the fulfillment of its prophecies, by the purity of its morality, by the harmony of its teachings, and by its vindication of divine justice even in dispensing mercy to the erring. In each of these points, spiritualism entirely fails to establish its claim to our acceptance. The teachings of the Bible are elevating; those of spiritualism are degrading. The Bible informs us that there were intelligences created before the creation of man. That they rejoiced in the creation of this world, and guarded the way of the tree of life after the fall of man. That some of them sinned, as man has sinned, and lost their “estate.” That, under the name of demons (devils), they carry on their deceptions, and their rebellions against God. And that they work miracles or “lying wonders” to turn men away from the truth. The mediums of spiritualism and their works are described in the Bible, and identified beyond all question. Their doctrines are called the doctrines of devils. Spiritualists prove the Bible true by denouncing it, by denying the authority of God, by denying Jesus Christ and all means of salvation outside of man's own nature, by denying a future judgment and human accountability, by denying that any action is morally wrong, and by affirming that the purest state of society and the highest morality can only be found in the abrogation of marriage and the unrestrained passionate attraction of the sexes! With these facts before us on every hand, why is it that men of education, of good reasoning ability, admit the claims of spiritualism and entirely ignore the testimony of the Bible? This question may be readily answered by any one who has observed the tendency of the schools of these degenerate times. The disposition has some time been growing among men to accept science as the highest possible source of knowledge, and to rule out the testimony of the Bible as of no real value. Indeed, they have been placed in opposition to each other, and that even by professed teachers of the Bible, and the testimony of science has been decided positive and determinate, and that of the Bible speculative and uncertain. The Bible has thus been caused to lose its hold upon the popular mind and heart. And when science is found to be at fault, when it fails to measure the supernatural, men are left without a compass, at the mercy of the winds of speculation. Having lost their reverence for the Bible, they have thrown off restraint; and now, when their dependence fails, they would rather float even into the vortex of a whirlpool than to return to the teachings of the Bible, which restrains their selfishness and requires humility. The apostle Paul speaks of “the oppositions of science falsely so called,” and says they are “vain babblings.” Much that is called science in this age will fall under this head. We often hear men flippantly talk of what “science proves” when not a single well-attested fact exists to support their assertions. Many are but reproducing what the apostle so graphically describes in Rom. 1: “Professing themselves to be wise they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man,” &c. “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator.” J. H. W. The Present Truth.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
“WHEREFORE I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” 2 Pet. 1: 12. The apostle here speaks of “the present truth.” There are some truths which have an especial application at one time, which do not apply at another. These truths, when applicable, are so important that a man's salvation depends upon receiving them. Such truths as that there is a living God, that man is a sinner, that he must be saved through faith, repentance, &c., are always equally true and important. But not so of other truths. For instance: God gave Noah a special message to the antediluvians. The Lord was in that message. While Noah was preaching it, that was present truth to the antediluvians. It was the important truth for that age. Those who rejected it were lost. Those who rejected, or even neglected, Noah's message could not have the favor of God. None will dispute this. But now suppose that for a hundred years after the flood was over, Noah had kept on preaching precisely what he had for a hundred years before the flood, would that have been true then? Certainly not. It would have been entirely out of place, and had no relevancy whatever. Indeed, it would have been a falsehood. So we see that in this case what was important present truth at one time, was not at all applicable at any other time. This has frequently been the case in the history of the church. We might cite many examples, but will give only one more. It is the case of John the Baptist. God especially raised him up to go before and herald in the coming of the Messiah. He had an especial message from Heaven to that generation. Could men neglect, or reject his message and still have the blessing of God? We know that they would not, for Jesus himself said that the Pharisees rejected the counsel of God against their own souls, in not being baptized by John, while the publicans and harlots justified God by believing John. Luke 7: 29. While John was preaching his message, it was the present truth for that time. Now suppose the same message precisely had been preached a hundred years after Christ's time, would it have been true? Certainly not. Or, if it had been preached a hundred years before that time, it would have been false; for the Messiah was not at hand. The same remarks are applicable to the time of Moses, the time of Lot, the time of Jonah, and to many other similar periods. Every generation has its special duties and29 dangers, and God gives each age especial light and warning, adapted to that time. This light and work must be heeded in order to secure the favor of God. This is what we understand by present truth. It is that special truth which is adapted to our time and no other. These remarks are designed to show the necessity of heeding the proclamation of the second advent which is now being given. Many persons reason like this: “Granting that the coming of the Lord is at hand, what difference does it make whether we believe it or not, provided we are prepared for death? If we only believe in Christ, is not that sufficient?” To many this seems to be sound logic. But we are prepared to show that it is not. What is the faith which God accepts? Is it simply a historical faith in God's work in the past? Many seem to entertain no higher ideas of faith than this. But this is a fatal mistake. A glance at God's dealings with his people in the past will settle this. In the time of Noah, his message was generally rejected by that generation, and he was set down as a false teacher. But passing down a few generations to Moses' time, all men had come to believe and acknowledge that Noah's work was of God. Now the Lord raises up Moses to do his especial work for that age, different from that of Noah's. But many doubted Moses' mission, and rejected his work. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and two hundred and fifty persons, with many of the people, rebelled against Moses. See Numbers 16. Had these men been asked if they believed that Noah's work was of God, they would all unhesitatingly have said, Yes. But when they came to God's work in their own day, they did not believe that, and for this unbelief they were destroyed. Passing on a few ages to Elijah's time, and all Israel had come to acknowledge Moses and his work as from Heaven. They were all very zealous in asserting their faith in him. Now God sends Elijah, another messenger, to them with a message of warning, especially adapted to their time. Him they hold in doubt, and finally reject. They had great faith in God's work in the past, but none at all in his work in their own time. So it was in the cases of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and nearly all the rest of God's servants. Nearly every one of them were martyred by the people to whom they brought their messages. But after they were dead, and that generation had passed away, everybody came to see and acknowledge that these men were the messengers of God. Then the children of those who had put them to death would go and gather up their bones, build them tombs, garnish their sepulchers, weep over their memories, and hold them in great esteem. Listen to what Christ said with regard to this: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.” Matt. 23: 29, 30. Probably our Lord was passing by, and saw them adorning the tombs of the old martyrs, planting evergreens, and shedding tears over the memory of their suffering. It seems, from his language, that they were talking among themselves, stating that if they had lived in the days of these prophets, they would not have persecuted them as did their fathers; but would have obeyed their warnings. Doubtless, they thought so; but now notice the remarkable fact that these very men turn right around from the sepulchers of the martyrs, and kill the Son of God himself! They had great faith in all of God's servants, and their work in the past. They could not talk too strongly concerning them. But when it came to the special work of God, in their own time, to the present truth, which was applicable, and important for them to receive, they had no faith in it. Will the reader carefully consider this question? Could their faith in God's work in the past serve them, while they rejected what he was doing in their own time? Certainly it could not. Faith, then, is not simply a belief in what God has done; but it is confidence in what God is doing in our own time. Let us look at the reason of this. After the battle for truth has been fought, the victory won, and the case decided, then it is a very easy matter to stand up for the victorious party, because it involves no risks, and requires no sacrifices. For instance, in the days of Elijah, if any man was known to favor him, he was hunted like a wild beast, and put to death. See 1 Kings 18: 1–13. But in the time of Christ, the tide had turned. Everybody acknowledged Elijah as a man of God. Then a man could confess faith in Elijah and not imperil his life, or his worldly prospects. Indeed, it required no sacrifice whatever on his part to make this confession. But let him confess that he believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah who was to come, and he would immediately be cast out of the synagogue. Dear reader, please carefully consider the principle here involved, viz.: That it seldom requires sacrifices to confess God's work which has already been accomplished in other ages, while it invariably requires the greatest sacrifice to confess and support the work of God at the time it is being done. Where will you find an exception to this? The faith, then, which God accepts, is not simply a belief of what God has done in other ages; but it is more especially and emphatically faith in what God is doing in our own time. We earnestly entreat the reader to carefully inquire what the signs of the times are, and what God's especial work is in our time. We solemnly believe that the last message of warning is now being heralded to the world, and that the scenes of the Judgment are right upon us. If these things are so, it is of the greatest importance that you give heed to them. May the Lord help you to discern the signs of the times, and obey the present truth.—D. M. CANRIGHT, in Signs of the Times. Lessons of Providence.
By R. F. COTTRELL
God teaches men by his providence. Happy is he who learns the lessons which God designs to teach. But, alas! how slow is fallen human nature to learn. All that we have is the Lord's. We are only stewards of the gracious gifts of God. We ourselves are not our own. Our being is of his bounty; and, besides this, after we had forfeited life, we were bought with a price. By sin we lost all claim to life and all its blessings. But these have been purchased by the blood of Christ; therefore we owe all to the favor of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Then it is, as the apostle says, “our reasonable service,” not only to hold the gifts of Providence as stewards, but “to present our persons a living sacrifice.” All that we have should be held upon the altar, ready to be used in the cause of God—the benevolent work of human salvation. But when the cause of God calls for means we are apt to say, We would like to help, but we cannot spare the means. We see no way that we could spare five or ten dollars, and meet the calls and just demands against us. But Providence, perhaps, soon demonstrates to us that we can spare ten times as much. Lightnings, tornadoes, and hail may burn or demolish our buildings, destroy our crops in the field, or our beasts. Sickness in our families may hold us from our labor and bring additional expenses. Other calamities may befall us. In such ways we may be taught that we can spare hundreds, instead of tens. Still we may live and want none of the blessings that are needful for us. The design of God's adverse providences is to teach us benevolence and liberality. Those are happy that learn the lesson and heed the instruction. But sad is the case of those upon whom it has the contrary effect.