Earlier text: The Duty of Christian ConferencesFIGHTING AGAINST GOD.
By R. F. Cottrell
It is an awful thing to be found fighting against God. And in no way can we more fully manifest our hostility against him, than by opposing the holy, just, and good law which he has given us. But open hostility and contempt of his law involves nothing like the awful responsibility of insidiously opposing it under the profession of friendship. The man who openly violates the law of God, setting it at defiance, throws away his own life; but he can have no influence to ensnare those who are disposed to be obedient. On the contrary, they shudder at his bold iniquity, and shun his example. But an awful responsibility rests upon the man who, professing to be a friend of God and a teacher of those who would know the way to his kingdom, yet would subvert his law by teaching that it has been abolished or changed. Such men shut the kingdom of heaven against men; they neither go in themselves, nor suffer those who would to enter. Hence the solemn warning of our Saviour against breaking the commandments, and teaching men so. Matt. 5:19. He was certainly speaking of a law already known, and published in the Hebrew language; and he as certainly teaches the perpetuity of every jot and tittle of that law in all coming time, down to the passing of the heavens and earth, and the coming of the kingdom of Heaven. And he makes the teaching and observance of that same pre-existing law a necessary qualification for entering into that kingdom. Verses 17–20. Yet men professing to be the servants of Christ, and to be looking for the kingdom promised to the faithful and obedient, can close their eyes to such plain, positive, and unequivocal testimonies of the Son of God, and teach men that God's law has been abolished or changed! And why? Because, that in consequence of the great apostasy, they find themselves observing a law which conflicts with the law of God, and which was invented by Satan to drown men in perdition. And to make void the law of God, and to establish that of the man of sin, behold their numberless turnings and twistings! If Paul's spirit was stirred within him when he saw the city of Athens wholly given to idolatry, what would be his feelings could he now see the professed Christian world, and witness their multifarious and discordant inventions to abolish, alter, and evade that holy, just, good, and spiritual law which he, the apostle to the Gentiles, declared was not made void, but was established by the faith of the gospel? How would he regard their wresting of his words, in other parts of his writings, to prove that what he said of the law in his epistle to the Romans was false? Could we bring together, and view at a glance, all the foolish theories that men have invented to justify themselves in the violation of the fourth commandment, it might excite the gravest to a smile. But there is another thought which should cause us to weep. We can but pity those who throw away their lives, and provoke the wrath of God, by these inventions. Could we but see them as angels do, we certainly should weep. If angels rejoice when a sinner repents, how must they feel when they see those that have loved God, thus give themselves up to be led by the devil, and wage an unequal warfare with the King of Heaven. “Did men but know it in their reckless strife,
They’re laboring hard to lose eternal life.”
I would beseech all to consider well whose wrath you dare, before you venture to assail the law of God. And on the other hand, remember the declaration of Jesus, that whosoever shall do and teach these commandments, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven. And to those who have already entered the field against the law of the Most High, I would say in the language of another, “Better ’twould be, ye fighters of the law,
If your own weakness, verily, ye saw;
If ye would hear the teachings of God’s word,
And live obedient to all ye heard.
Better ’twould be t’obey God’s holy will,
And own the Sabbath precept binding still,
Before ye make, in all ye do and say,
Such wretched work to have it done away.”
If God has a law, be assured that he will judge the world by it; and those who knowingly and willingly transgress it, will surely be condemned. And if the Bible is the word of God, the ten commandments are his law; for they constitute the only code of moral laws recorded in it. R. F. COTTRELL. JESUS THE ANOINTED SON OF GOD.
By William Robertson
ABOUT six days before the transfiguration of Christ, being near to a place called Cesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?" "They said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets." He then asked them, "But whom say ye that I am?" Peter, in the name of all the apostles, answered, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." With this answer our Lord was well pleased, and said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven." Well did Jesus know the infinite importance of this great fundamental truth of our religion, and the blessedness of those who receive it into good and honest hearts. A truth considered of such vast importance by the Son of God himself is well worthy our most profound and prayerful consideration. It was the great central truth in the teachings of Christ and of his apostles, and it is that from which all the other truths of our religion derive their trustworthiness. It is the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed Son of God, that made the sending of him to be our Saviour the grandest and most wonderful manifestation of divine love that has ever been given to the universe. Had God given the whole material universe for our salvation, that would have been a mere trifle when compared to the gift of his Son. Hence, when Jesus would represent the greatness of God's love to our fallen race, even his omniscient mind could think of nothing greater than this, that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It is this that gives an infinite value to Christ's atoning death, and which renders it consistent with the justice of God to give eternal life to all who believe on Jesus. "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." It is because he is "God's Son" that his precious blood has such infinite value; and it is for the same reason that he was enabled by his "one offering to perfect forever them that are sanctified."—Rev. Wm. Robertson, in United Presbyterian. NOAH'S FLOOD AND PETER'S FIRE.
By Dwight Lyman Moody
"The world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished; but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire [or, 'stored with fire,' margin], being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." 2 Pet. 3:6, 7, Revised Version. "Do you really think that that Book means what it says, and that Noah did build an ark, and that there was a flood which swept everything away?" I believe in Noah's ark and the flood just as much as I do in the cross and Jesus Christ. I would throw out the cross and Jesus Christ and his teaching just as soon as Noah and the flood. And I will tell you why: "As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man." They were marrying and giving in marriage until the flood came. Luke 17:26, 27. Christ has attached his own testimony to that. I have no doubt about this story, and I have no more doubt that the world is going to be burnt up at the appointed time than that I stand here to-night. God is going to deal shortly in judgment with this world. Men may laugh as much as they like, but I tell you God has said that this world is to be destroyed by fire, and all your unbelief and skepticism does not make it any the less true. Because those antediluvians did not believe God was going to destroy the earth by the flood, it made no difference; the world was destroyed; and the flood came and took them all away.—D. L. Moody. HEAVENLY-MINDEDNESS.
By Christian at Work
It is the part of wisdom to let worldly cares and enjoyments hang loosely about us, so that when "the inevitable hour" comes we may let them fall like a mantle, and take our departure unregretfully. Ripened fruit falls easily. So when the heart of the Christian is truly weaned from the world, death may come at any time and find him ready. It is possible to be in the world and yet not of it, to perform its proper tasks and allotted duties fully and bravely, while yet our supreme desires and affections are set on things above. If we allow worldly cares and perplexities to weave themselves about our hearts so firmly that they cannot rise above the level of our common life, then are we companioning ourselves with the beasts of the field, who live in the present only, and whose whole range of being is comprised within the circle of sensual gratification. Heavenly-mindedness comes from a contemplation of the things that are pure and right and holy, from a study of God's word, and an application of its precepts to our daily life. It is not possible to have this frame of mind except it be with a consciousness that we are accepted of God, and have received forgiveness of sins. While the windows of the soul are darkened by sin and unbelief, we cannot expect that the sunshine will pour in to cheer and lighten its innermost recesses, and draw its thoughts heavenward. The mind that is set on spiritual delights, that loves to commune with God, and find its chiefest joys in doing his service, will not be ruffled by every disappointment in life, or broken by its calamities, for these things it rightly regards as transitory, as of no account in comparison with things that come after, that are sure and eternal. Clothed in such serenity and peace, the soul may move through the midst of trials and griefs, such as come to all of us, like a great, strong ship whose course is not stayed by the buffeting of the winds and waves, because it has a certain port to gain, and a pilot who knows how to guide it there.—Christian at Work. Christ Our Standard of Excellence
THE life of Christ is the one great standard of excellence and perfection. "A WEIGHTY AND TIMELY UTTERANCE."
By Editor
Our good friend, the editor of the Herald of Truth (Baptist), has shown zeal in his efforts to uphold the Sunday-Sabbath, which would be commendable if it were in a better cause. He has ransacked the coast from Washington Territory to Southern California to find men who had skill in making assertions appear to be argument, and has had several different men try their hands at building under the Sunday institution a cobweb support which would look strong and beautiful if not examined too closely. It has been of slight importance that these men have differed materially in many of their statements, since they all agreed in one thing, namely, that Sunday is the Sabbath, and this conclusion would serve to satisfy people who are already convinced. It would seem, however, that their efforts have not fully satisfied the editor of the Herald, for of late he has been very earnest in his endeavor to have the State Legislature enact a law compelling all people to keep Sunday. From this it appears that he has not the utmost confidence in the power of the arguments of his correspondents to substantiate the claims of Sunday. The strongest argument for Sunday, namely, the law of the land, has been reserved for the last. We do not wonder that the editor of the Herald thinks it necessary to appeal to something besides theological arguments, when we read the last one that was offered before he began to work for the civil argument. It was written by one Gilbert S. Bailey, D. D., and although the editor said in regard to it, "It is not often that the Herald of Truth carries such a weighty and timely utterance of an honored Baptist, as in this number," we think that on second reading he must have revised his opinion. The article, however, was thought worthy of being put in tract form for extensive circulation, and we notice it, not because it contains anything which the SIGNS has not answered again and again, but chiefly that our readers may understand just what, among California Baptists at least, is considered "a weighty and timely utterance" in behalf of Sunday. After a paragraph of assertions, the Doctor states the following proposition, which he says he will prove:— "The disciples of Christ commenced the religious observance of the first day of the week immediately after the resurrection of Christ, and Christ himself was present with them and gave them his sanction and blessing." This proposition he considers under three heads: 1. The Scripture proof. 2. Proofs from church history. 3. Testimony of the Fathers. The first text which he quotes in proof of his proposition is John 20:19: "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and said unto them, Peace be unto you." On this text the Doctor says: "Four times on this day of his resurrection he appeared to his disciples, and this last time is particularly described." "Jesus imparted to his disciples the Holy Spirit, and gave the highest possible approval of their meeting, and appointed them as embassadors. They were thus endowed with the Holy Spirit to guide their own conduct, and to guide them in teaching others." In harmony with his statement that the disciples began the observance of the first day of the week immediately after the resurrection of Christ, the Doctor evidently means to convey the idea that the disciples were gathered together in a religious meeting in honor of Christ's resurrection. That this assumption has no foundation whatever in fact, may be seen by anyone who will take the trouble to read a few texts of Scripture. We will notice those texts which refer to the day of his resurrection. "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not." Mark 16:9-11. No comment is needed on this, and we will let the sacred historian proceed with his narrative: "After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue; neither believed they them." Verses 12, 13. This appearance to the two disciples who were going into the country is described in detail in Luke 24:13-25. There we learn that as they were walking along the road, Jesus joined them, but they did not recognize him. They had heard the story of the women to whom Jesus had appeared earlier in the day, but did not believe that Jesus was risen. And it was not until they sat down to supper that Jesus made himself known to them. Verses 30, 31. This was at the close of the day. Verse 29. They immediately arose and returned to Jerusalem, a distance of eight miles, and found the eleven gathered together, to whom they told the experience of the day. But as we have already learned from Mark 16:12, 13, the eleven did not believe them. This is made still more evident from Luke's account of the appearing of Christ to the eleven, for he says that when Jesus came into their midst and said, "Peace be unto you," they were terrified. Jesus, noticing their terror, showed them his hands and his feet to convince them that he was a real being and the one whom they had seen crucified. And even then, although the truth was beginning to force itself upon them, "they yet believed not for joy." Here, then, we have some of the particulars concerning the meeting spoken of in John 20:19, and we find that instead of having a meeting to commemorate Christ's resurrection, the disciples did not believe that he had risen. Thus the first text which the Doctor quotes in support of his proposition contradicts it. But this is not all. Mark tells what they were doing there together that evening. After having told how Jesus appeared to the two as they went into the country, and how they had told the eleven but had not been believed, he continues: "Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen." Mark 16:14. Thus we find that instead of holding a religious meeting on the evening of that first day, they were simply eating supper, and so Christ appeared to them and asked them for something to eat, in order that he might convince them that he was not a phantom but a real being. They had food ready at hand, "and they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of a honey-comb. And he took it, and did eat before them." Luke 24:42, 43. Now if the reader wishes to know how the disciples happened to be together that evening, he may read Acts 1:12, 13, where he will find that they all lived at the same place. From the time of the last Passover until the day of Pentecost the disciples had one dwelling-place. So, then, the idea that when Jesus met with the disciples on the evening of the resurrection they were holding a religious service in honor of his resurrection, is not merely an unwarranted assumption, but is a positive contradiction of the Scriptures. This is a fair specimen of these "weighty and timely utterances" in behalf of the Sunday. The editor of the Herald of Truth says that his paper is not often honored with such a "weighty and timely utterance" on the Sunday question as this of Mr. Bailey's. If that is so, he has cause to congratulate himself. But there is still another point. The Doctor quotes with great confidence the fact that Jesus said to the disciples, "Peace be unto you." He says: "Jesus imparted to his disciples his Holy Spirit and gave the highest possible approval of their meeting, and appointed them as embassadors. They were thus endowed with the Holy Spirit to guide their own conduct and to guide them in teaching others." But what has this to do with the sanctifying of Sunday? He said, "Peace be unto you," and not, "Blessed is this day." He endowed the disciples with the Holy Ghost, but imparted no sacredness to the day. First-day writers are wont to lay great stress on the fact that Jesus blessed his disciples one Sunday evening, as though that imparted any sacredness to the day. If they could show an instance where the day itself was blessed, it would be more to their purpose. Some may, however, think with Dr. Bailey, that by thus breathing on the disciples and imparting to them the Holy Spirit, he "gave the highest possible approval to their meeting;" but when they remember what we have already proved, that their meeting was simply a family gathering around the supper-table, they will hardly think that an every-day affair like that needed a special act of divine approval. If the reader will bear in mind that what Jesus said was to his disciples, and not about a day, they will be saved from jumping at a false conclusion. When Jesus said to his disciples, "Peace be unto you," it was without the slightest thought of specially sanctioning what they were doing, but because they were terrified at his appearance when they supposed that he was dead. John 20:19 would never be quoted as an argument for the sacredness of Sunday if that institution were not in desperate straits. An unprejudiced person who did not know that the Sunday must be maintained at all hazards, would read that text a thousand times and never got the idea that it could be used as an argument for Sunday. THE CURSE OF THE LAW.
By Editor
A BROTHER in the State of Minnesota asks the question, "What is the curse of the law?" and wishes an answer through the SIGNS. We could give a categorical answer in one word, and say, "Death," but this would not relieve the brother's difficulty, as he wants better authority than our unsupported word. We will therefore take a little more space and let the Bible answer. We cannot refrain, however, from expressing our astonishment that such a question should be asked, because a knowledge of what the curse of the law is almost necessarily precedes the acceptance of the gospel. The only place where the term "curse of the law" occurs in the Bible is Gal. 3:13, which reads as follows: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." The text itself contains the answer to the question asked. For since Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us, if we know what Christ suffered for us, we shall of course know what is the curse of the law. It is hardly necessary to quote Scripture to prove that Christ suffered death for us, yet in order to make the argument complete we will quote a few texts. Paul says (Rom. 4:25) that he "was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." Isaiah says (chap. 53:8), "He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people was he stricken." Again Paul says (Rom. 5:6-8): "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Death, then, is what Christ endured in order to redeem us, and that this is the curse which he suffered and from which he redeemed us, is plain from the last clause of Gal. 3:13: "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." This refers to Christ's death by crucifixion, as Peter says in Acts 5:30: "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree." The argument then71 stands thus: Men were under the curse of the law; Christ came to redeem them from this curse; in order to redeem them from this curse, he had to endure the same curse; what he endured was death; death, therefore, is the curse of the law. This is a sufficient answer, but we will give further Scripture evidence to prove the same thing. Paul says in Rom. 8:7 that "the carnal mind is enmity against God," for the reason that "it is not subject to the law of God." But "to be carnally minded is death" (verse 6), therefore we must conclude that death follows the violation of the law; and this is only what Paul expressly declares in Rom. 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Now in Deut. 30:15-20, death is expressly shown to be the curse which God pronounces against sinners. We quote verse 19: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." We read also (Rom. 5:12) that "by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Thus we know that death is the curse that follows sin. But "sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4); therefore death is the curse for transgression of the law; or, in other words, it is the curse of the law. Once more; Paul says that the doers of the law shall be justified; that is, if men never violated the law they would have the favor of God. But the favor of God is life (Ps. 30:5); therefore obedience to the law would secure life. Compare Matt. 19:17. But "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23), and "therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified." Rom. 3:20. This means that the law condemns everybody, since all have violated it; and since justification by the law means the favor of God and life, it follows that condemnation by the law means the wrath of God and death. And this argument is summed up in one sentence, thus: "The commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." Rom. 7:10. Scripture proofs on this point might be multiplied indefinitely, but we think these are sufficient to establish the almost self-evident fact that the curse of the law is death. ELSEWHERE in this paper the reader will find articles bearing on the present war preparations in Europe. Scarcely a day passes but that some new feature is not reported. For instance, "The German army possesses a new explosive called roburite. It is reported to be stronger than melinite. The method of its manufacture is a secret. It is exploded by intense heat." Again we learn that "the Austrian war budget is to be increased twenty-five million dollars." We are also told that the Austrian Landsturm will supply one million additional men, and that the rules which have just been published show that nothing except blindness, deafness, or dumbness, will exempt men from the service. All agree that no such war preparations have ever before been made in Europe, even when war had been declared, whereas now there is general peace. Some of the comments made by the daily papers concerning these things strike us as being decidedly strange. The S. F. Evening Bulletin says:— "Never in the history of Europe have war preparations been made on so large a scale. Yet who can say that these preparations may not tell in the interests of peace?" The Oakland Evening Tribune says:— "Everything portends war. A spark may ignite the combustible material at any moment. Such preparations for war have not been known in Europe for many years; but each nation being prepared may be the very cause of preventing war." We fail to see any promise of peace in preparations for war. The peaceable men of a community are not the ones who always go armed. Men do not carry weapons unless they expect to use them at some time. True, they may not have any definite hostile determination, but they go armed so that they may be "prepared" when any provocation is given. Men who never intend to fight, never carry arms. So with nations. Where there are warlike preparations, there is expectation of war. The nations of Europe are not members of any peace society. They have been known to fight when they had less strength and less confidence in their strength than they have now. They are extremely jealous of one another. The increased preparation of any one nation will not frighten the others into greater desires for peace, since they all are keeping equal pace in the work of arming. These preparations mean nothing else but war. It may not come for some time; the longer it is delayed the greater will be the preparation; and when at last the spark is dropped into the magazine, there will be such a commotion on the continent of Europe as the world has never seen. It will then be demonstrated whether or not the people of the United States can, as the Tribune says, look complacently on and profit by the struggle. It is now almost too soon to be so positive in regard to that matter. w. The prophet Isaiah exclaims, "Judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter." 59:14. We are not left in doubt as to when this is, for in immediate connection with these words is the statement that the Lord "put on the garments of vengeance for clothing," and this time is shown by Paul to be at his second coming: "To you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess. 1:7, 8. And Isaiah continues: "According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense." "And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord." Verses 18, 20. There can be no doubt therefore that the time to which Isaiah refers is the same to which Paul refers, and that the time is that which immediately precedes the second coming of the Lord. Hosea speaks of the same time, saying, "Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel; for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood." 4:1, 2. That the prophet in this perfectly describes the condition of things at the present time, can be proved by anyone who looks at any of the leading daily or weekly papers anywhere in all the land, or who to any extent moves about among men. Whole columns are filled with the reports of deeds of violence; with thievings and adulteries in high places and in low, and especially in the high places. Columns of iniquitous reports of adulterous proceedings are telegraphed at immense expense across the ocean and then across the continent in all directions, and the paper that bears the fullest account sells the best. Society is honeycombed with the canker of iniquity. Nor are we left in doubt as to whether these words of the prophet were meant to describe the times which now are. The next verse says, "Therefore shall the land mourn, and everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away." This time when the beasts of the field languish is definitely shown by Joel 1:15-20; 2:1. "Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. . . . The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. . . . The beasts of the field cry also unto thee; for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness. Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Said Hosea also, "The fishes of the sea also shall be taken away." The time when the fishes of the sea are taken away is in the time of the second of the seven last plagues. "The second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea." Rev. 16:3. When the seventh plague is poured out the voice of God declares the end of the world, and then comes the end of the world. Therefore by these evidences it is plain that the word of the Lord by Hosea, which we have quoted, describes the state of society at the time when the great day of the Lord and the end of the world are impending.72 Micah also says: "The good man is perished out of the earth; and there is none upright among men; they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire; so they wrap it up. The best of them is as a brier; the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge." And that this is in the last days is shown by the next clause, "The day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity." This is made positive by another verse in the same connection: "Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. . . . He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness." Micah 7:2-9. Habakkuk too, in vision, saw all this evil going on, and he cried out unto the Lord about it. He wanted to know how the Lord could stand it to see so much iniquity, when he hates iniquity; how he could bear to behold so much injustice when he is altogether just. He says, "O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me; and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth; for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth." "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity; wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?" 1:2-4, 13. After thus making his inquiries he waited for an answer, saying, "I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me. . . . And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith." Chap. 2:1-4. Now the Lord has made his own application of this text, and by reading that application there can be no mistake about the time to which the prophet refers when he speaks of this violence and failure of justice prevailing. Paul, in speaking of the coming of the Lord, quotes these words of Habakkuk, saying, "Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Heb. 10:36-38. The vision, therefore, which Habakkuk saw was concerning the times of the coming of the Lord, when his coming would be so near that whatever delay there should seem to be would be but a tarrying and that for but a little while, when he should surely come and would not tarry. But the vision was for an appointed time. It was to be written out and made plain upon tables, that he might run who should read it. The visions concerning the appointed time of the coming of the Lord have been written out; they have been, and are still being, made plain on tables, and many who read are running with the word to show to men that the appointed time is almost expired and that the coming of the Lord is at the doors. And he himself said, "Because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end the same shall be saved." Matt. 24:12, 13. Now the just shall live by faith, and there is no room for drawing back. For, says the Scripture, to draw back is to draw back unto perdition, and we must not be of such but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. All the evidences of the Bible are in perfect accord with words of the prophets which we have here presented. All show that the last days—the days in which we live—will be times of fearful iniquity and outbreaking sin; of violence and bloodshed; of blasphemy and impurity; of injustice and oppression. As quoted at the beginning of this article, they will be times when "judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey [is accounted mad, margin]." But to those who do depart from evil the Lord promises that the Redeemer shall come. Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die, O house of Israel. To "them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9:28.