Earlier text: Christianity and Earthly PowerCreation Is Singing.
By Flora E. Yergin
CREATION is singing a glad, new song
To welcome the new-born day;
Rejoicing with joy that is deep and strong
As the Heart where the joy first lay.
The praises are telling a wondrous tale
Of a birth of the long ago;
A wonderful love that will never fail,—
Of a stream that will ever flow.
Of life they are singing at dawning bright,
A life that is full and free;
Of the joyous song that the earth will sing
In the arms of Infinity.
They tell of a new and a joyous birth,
Thru the birth of the long ago;
They tell of a song which the ransomed sing
When is past the night of wo.
They're singing of love at the dawning fair,
And Heaven bends low to hear
The sweetest song that earth can sing,—
A song of God's love and cheer.
They sing—and the anthem has touched the chord
Of the harmony of Heaven:
The wonderful love of the blessed Lord,—
The love that to earth is given.
FLORA E. YERGIN. The Seal of God
By R. S. Owen
AND grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Eph. 4:30. By this text we see that there is a sealing work for every one who is a child of God; that the Holy Spirit is the agent by which this work is to be accomplished, and that there is danger of so treating this agent that the sealing work will be defeated by the loss of the presence of the power which alone can perform the work. God can not set His seal upon sin; hence, none but the overcomer can receive the seal of the living God. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we do not, under His direction, diligently prosecute the work of cleansing our hearts and lives from sin. “Sin is the transgression of the law.” Hence, a full and complete knowledge of the law is necessary to the work of complete overcoming, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The Sealed Company Is Seen.
In Rev. 14:12, a company is brought to view of whom it is stated, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God.” A people thus perfectly obedient to God must have His seal. The sealing of this company is brought to view in Revelation 7, where the statement is made that there are sealed 144,000 out of all the tribes of the children of Israel. That this is the true, or spiritual, Israel is apparent from the fact that in the list of names given there are omitted the names of the tribes of Ephraim and Dan because they were the seats of idolatry in Israel, and God was compelled, finally, to say of at least one of them, “Let him alone,” for he “is joined to idols.” Also it will be observed that this sealing work of Revelation 7 falls under the description of the sixth seal, which is given in the closing verses of the sixth chapter, the events of which are closely associated with the coming of our Lord. Thus this work is placed in our day. This company having the seal of the living God in their foreheads is again brought to view in the first verses of Revelation 14, where it is stated that they have the name of the Father written in their foreheads. God’s Name and Character.
God’s name is His character. “And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving-kindness and truth; keeping loving-kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty.” Ex. 34:5-7. The forehead is the seat of intelligence, or the mind. Thus, the members of this company have the character of God impressed upon their minds, and whatever is in the mind or heart will find expression in the life. But has God an outward sign of this inward sealing which He requires those who are sealed to keep in full view before the world, and which will be at once both the sign of this sealing work and also of His power and authority, and, if so, where is it brought to view? The seal of a government will always be found in connection with the laws it enacts. This seal must contain the name or distinctive title of the power, and also define the territory over which it has jurisdiction. This must also be true of God’s seal; hence, we read, “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples.” This text not only proves that the seal is found in God’s law, but it also proves that the law has been robbed of its seal among His disciples,—not robbed, in fact, for the same seal stands to-day, and always will stand where God placed it in His law; but, in the minds, and, consequently, in the practise of His people, the true seal has been taken away, and in this text He calls for its restoration among them. Let us now turn to His law, and see if we can find in it something which constitutes a sign of the true God which will set forth the distinguishing title of Jehovah, and which marks out the extent of His jurisdiction, and which has been lost sight of by His children. And now, my dear reader, take that law which God spake with His own voice from the top of Mount Sinai and wrote with His own finger upon two tables of stone, and caused to be placed under the guardianship of the covering cherubim which stood on either end of the ark, which was simply an earthly representation of God’s throne in heaven, and you will find in the following words, and in them only, the descriptive title of Jehovah: “For in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, wherefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” A study of God’s word will reveal the fact that whenever Bible writers have desired to point out the true God, and clearly distinguish Him from all false gods, they have used the language of the fourth commandment or something equivalent to it. Here, then, in the fourth commandment, we find the name of God (Jehovah); the extent of His territory (heaven and earth, sea, and all that in them is). Here we find the very elements which are required in a seal; to wit, the name and territory. Hence, here we have the seal of the living God, the outward sign of which is the Sabbath (the seventh day), blessed and sanctified as God’s memorial, but which has been lost sight of for generations by the people of God, but is being restored to its rightful place by the third angel’s message, under which it is said,7 “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” O, child of God, let us hasten to acquire the character of our Father; thus, we will have His name written in our foreheads, and when thus made holy we shall be able to fulfil the requirements of the fourth commandment which says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” None but a holy people can do this, but such a people there will be, hailing the Master with joy when He appears. The Divorce Evil.
By D. H. Kress
PROBABLY no social evil exists to-day more disastrous in its effects upon the race than the laxity pertaining to marriage and the marriage vow. This modern social plague is without doubt in great part responsible for the present existing physical and moral degeneracy which is becoming so apparent in our most highly civilized countries. Marriage, divorce, and remarriage is the order of the day. This successive polygamy sanctioned by law is threatening not only the future existence of the home and family life, but of national life itself. Marriage, by nearly all, both highly educated and illiterate, is regarded as a mere custom, convenience, or romance. In the selection of a partner, the question is not asked, Will this union increase our future usefulness? The only question considered is, Do we love? Principle and good sense are sacrificed upon the altar of what is termed love. That which prompts in ill-mated unions may be ignorance, blind impulse, or sentimentalism; it certainly is not true love. Perhaps the chief reason why divorces are common is that the true object and binding nature of marriage is not generally understood. Divorce was common among the Jewish race anciently. The same laxity existed at the time of Christ that exists to-day. To the question, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" Jesus answered, "Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." To this the Pharisees replied, "Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?" Jesus replied, "Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so." By those who contemplate marriage, the question should be asked, What motive have we in forming this union? Will this marriage make us more useful or will it increase the anxieties of either or both of us, thus crippling our future usefulness? Principle should govern in taking such a step in place of blind impulse. Many of the unions that are formed have not the approval of God's word, because they do not place men and women in a position better to glorify God. The modern lax and sentimental idea of marriage, and its results, is fully demonstrated in the life of Samson. The record tells us "Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman." "He came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, . . . Now therefore get her for me to wife." His parents tried to have him see that God's blessing could not attend such a union, but he urged, "Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well," and against his parents' wishes, "he went down, and talked with the woman; . . . and after a time he returned to take her." What a sad history is recorded of the future of this man who was "moved by the Spirit of the Lord at times!" The union was followed by a separation and "Samson's wife was given to his companion." "It came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman . . . whose name was Delilah." The same lack of principle was responsible for this second union. Thru this second union Samson was shorn of his favor with God, and when his enemies came upon him, this once mighty man found himself powerless, and a plaything in their hands. "He awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him." Love is of God; but that which Samson termed love was merely a delusive infatuation which had its origin with Satan and which he employed to cause the destruction of what might have been a prolonged life of usefulness. How many a useful life has been marred, or cut short, simply because men and women have followed impulse, inclination! If the first union proves a failure, a divorce is usually sought in order to be able to unite with some one that the imagination pictures as more desirable, but as a rule it results in disappointment and a repetition of Samson's experience. This weak link has proved the ruin of many an otherwise strong character that would have proved a blessing to humanity. These lax ideas concerning marriage are not confined to the world, they have gained a foothold in the church of Christ, which constitutes this one of the signs of the last days. "As it was in the days of Noah," "so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." Before the Flood no restraint was felt by men and women. Inclination was followed by the "sons of God," supposing it to be the voice of God. "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." What steps should be taken to minimize this evil? The world is flooded with a class of literature which tends to create and feed sentimental feelings. This literature is freely read by old and young. Educational efforts should be put forth to discourage and suppress these so-called love stories, many of which appear innocent and claim to have a good moral to them. Unconsciously men and women are changed by what they read. All that is needed in after life, are suitable conditions to reproduce or make manifest in the life that which the mind has been allowed to dwell upon. It should be understood and impressed upon all—first, that principle, not inclination or sentimental feelings, should control in entering into the contract of marriage; and, secondly, that the union formed is a union for life and not one that may be dissolved at will for any slight inconvenience, or in case perfect agreement does not exist between the united parties. Those who enter into such a union must be prepared to respect the rights of each other and to sacrifice many of their whims and ideas in order to maintain a spirit of unity. Education along these lines must be carried forward in the highways and hedges, among the rich and the poor, in the church, the home, and the school. Aside from this, laws should be enacted which will make it more difficult to obtain divorces. If these measures are carried out, men and women will be forced to at least think soberly before uniting in holy wedlock, and divorces will become much less common. The great secret of unity is to be united with Christ. It is impossible for man and wife to be at one with God without being at one with each other, and the chances are if the one is at one with God the other soon will be, and unity will be the result. Tell Your Neighbor.
By Max Hill
If a company of people go upon a pleasure trip thru a new country, no one of the company can hope to see all the interesting things along the way; but if all keep a careful watch for such scenes that will please and interest the others, and call attention to them, all may hope to enjoy them. At the end all will be well-informed concerning the entire journey. Christians are on a journey that is new to all. Not one has gone this way before, and not one knows what points of interest and instruction may appear at any turn of the way; but if every one is wide-awake to see, and ready to tell, the heavenward journey can not prove other than interesting and pleasant. The One who leads the way has been over the road, He knows what lies before; but all are expected to see for themselves and do for themselves as far as possible, that they may grow more and more proficient as Christian travelers and Christian guides. Everywhere it is the Christian's duty—indeed, it should be his supreme pleasure—to tell of the good things the Lord has given him, the blessings he enjoys, the encouragement he derives from the many tokens of the end of the journey. One of the best places in the world in which to tell our fellow travelers of these pleasant scenes along the way is the prayer-meeting. Make that meeting a place of good experiences, not a place of complaining and airing of private sorrows, and then all will be edified and built up. Try it, fellow pilgrim. Want of Care and Knowledge
WANT of care does us more damage than want of knowledge.—Benjamin Franklin. THERE are many voices calling in this world. Would you know the true?—Compare them all with the Voice of the Shepherd. If we do not, we shall go astray. It is not safe to follow inner voices or outer voices if they are contrary to God’s Voice. We know what that Voice uttered once—the holy law found in Ex. 20:1-17, known as the Decalogue, the Ten Words, the Ten Commandments. To the holiness and immutability of that law all Scripture attests. “All His commandments are sure; they stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.” Ps. 111:7, 8. “Concerning Thy testimonies, I have known of old that Thou hast founded them forever.” Ps. 119:152. “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” Luke 16:17. “I am Jehovah; I change not.” Mal. 3:6. “With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17. The strong attestations of God’s word regarding His law, together with His unchangeable character, has forced devout men and Christian teachers to affirm the same. John Wesley declared: “It was not the design of Christ to revoke any part of the law. It can not be broken. Every part of it remains in force upon all men in all ages. Neither time, place, nor circumstances make it liable to change.” And similarly many others. Jesus Christ kept the Decalogue. He was the Decalogue personified—the law of God in character. Thru Him God gave the law. John 1:1-3; 1 Cor. 8:6. His was the Voice, for God, which spoke from Sinai. He it was who died to demonstrate God’s love on the cross. All His life, in order to demonstrate the character of God, Jesus kept that law and abode in the Father’s love. John 15:10. In His character was wrought out in human form and demonstrated before humanity the righteousness of God. By that righteousness, wrought out in obedience to that law, is every sinner justified, and we are justified that we may keep the law. In the sinner that law condemns to death. In Christ it is “the law of the Spirit of life,” given to the believer as a positive force that the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in him (Rom. 8:1-4), so that the saved sinner may jubilantly declare, “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). To claim Christ while we reject the law, is to reject Christ. To reject the law from heart and life is to enthrone within “the lawless one,” who claims to come in Christ’s stead. Be not deceived. There is harmony with Christ and the word. He and His Father are one. We can not accept Him as the way or the life while we reject Him as the truth. His sheep hear His voice. The Sabbath.## The Mark—the Seal.
ONE of the great questions agitating the religious world at the present time is that of the Sabbath. Like Banquo's ghost, it "will not down." It can not be stilled. From the pew comes the question to the pulpit. From everywhere the query finds its way to the religious press. "What day is the Sabbath?" is the frequent question propounded; and it is answered in three different ways: (1) the seventh day is the Sabbath; (2) Sunday is the Sabbath, or takes the place of the Sabbath; (3) there is no Sabbath, except such as the majority of people or the powers that be fix upon. Ultimately the last-named will rally around the banner of the second. The first class have for their evidence of the seventh-day Sabbath day the harmonious testimony of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation that Book knows no weekly Sabbath, save that of the seventh day. Its foundation is laid in the great facts of creation. It is embodied in precept in the great, immutable law of the Ten Words. It is affirmed and honored by the teaching and practise of Christ and His apostles. To its identity and sacredness, history and language alike bear affirmative testimony. For the sacredness of Sunday, the Scriptures are silent. Only far-fetched inference is made to do service for it, testimony which would be utterly worthless to establish the day if so many were not now observing it. History presents to the Christian a very spotted and unsatisfactory record of the day as a sacred institution. Born in the ancient days of sun-worshiping heathenism, nourished and fostered by apostasy, upheld by church decree and episcopal anathema, it comes to us loaded with hoary tradition, and reeking with the odor of persecuting laws. Protestant Christianity has endeavored to invest it with the sanctity of the word, the laws which belong to the holy day of Jehovah, and the example of good men. But, tho well worn the counterfeit, it is counterfeit still, and lacks the inherent holiness either to make new friends or to hold many of its adherents. The Sabbath asks no support of human law, no federation of churches or societies to support it, no interference of political power or influence in its behalf. It is established on the rock of the word, and in its inherent strength and beauty stands forth as the seal of God's law, the sign of creative and redemptive power to a lost world. The Sunday stands ready to collapse in weakness under the burden of its numerous traditions. It can find no support in the Holy Scriptures, and hence in desperation its friends appeal to the civil power to support its unwarranted claims. That very appeal brands it as of human origin. As such it becomes the mark of apostasy, the mark of the beast, the divine term for the union of Church and State. Mark it: The Sabbath is the seal of God's law; but he who merely rests upon that day or nominally observes it has not the seal of God. Many seventh-day keepers may be found wanting, because their Sabbath-keeping is of form only and not of heart, a Pharisaic self-righteousness, not the living out of the righteousness and life of the great Sabbath-Author and Sabbath-Keeper. Mark again: Sunday as a sacred day, a Christian church day, a rival to God's Sabbath, is the mark of the beast—apostasy; but he who keeps Sunday from mere religious custom, he who believes he is obeying the Scriptures of truth has not the mark of the beast. Not till the issue is understood by the soul, not till the two rival institutions present their claims, the one of God, the other confessedly of men, not till the authority of human law born of apostasy and backed by force is accepted instead of the law of God backed by love, does that soul take upon him the mark of the beast. God warns that he may not do this (Rev. 14:9-11), and we plead, dear reader, that you may heed His warning and be found among those who "keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (verse 12). Under which banner will you be? Whose mark, or seal, will you bear? "As Thou Hast Loved Me."
HE seventeenth chapter of John is a prayer that Christ offered for His disciples. The prayer was offered shortly before the Master's betrayal and His agonies in the Garden. The prayer was for the disciples that were with Him, then He asked that the Father would strengthen and keep them thru the dark and trying days of His trial before the Jewish and Roman courts, and finally of His crucifixion and burial. The prayer, as already stated, was for the disciples then with Christ. But it was also in a special sense for all the followers of the Master, clear down to the end. For we find right in the prayer itself the earnest petition: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me thru their word. John 17:20.
Every believer in Christ since the time that prayer was uttered, down to the present moment, has believed —thru the words of Christ given to us by the inspired apostles of Christ. Therefore the believer of to-day has the privilege of knowing that the Master had him in mind when He prayed that prayer. Individuals will frequently ask others to pray for them. But here is the clear fact that the Lord Himself prays for us; for the prayer that He uttered then is a living prayer. That prayer is before the Father's throne to-day, and thru it in living tones the divine Son of God is interceding for you and for me. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me thru their word; that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. John 17: 20-23.
In the foregoing scripture we have not only the comforting truth that the Lord is praying for us, but we learn that a part of the burden of His prayer is that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. The Saviour would have us know that He loves us, and He would also have the world know that He loves us. But more than this, He would have the world know that the Father loves us even as He loves His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Can you get the force of the truth so plainly stated in the foregoing Bible text? You have understood and believed that the Father loved His own Son, the Saviour, with an infinite depth. But have you understood that the same Father loves you also as He loves His own Son? If such a great truth seems too much to be true, read the text again and again until you see that the Lord is actually praying, even now, that the world may see that the Father loves the children that are saved by His grace the same as He loves His only-begotten Son. This is indeed a soul-enrapturing truth. Since the Father loves us so deeply there can be no doubt about His saving all who will give themselves to Him. Who can find it in his heart to refuse to yield to such self-sacrificing and marvelous love? Here and Hereafter.
By H. W. Cottrell
IN this world we have time and temporal things. In the world to come, time will be swallowed up with eternity, and temporal things will give way to things eternal. In the beginning, God ”spake” and this world “was.” He said, “Let there be light; and there was light.” The animal kingdom was formed by the hand of the Almighty, and vegetation sprang forth at His word. All was beautiful and “very good.” But sin entered and marred the face of the time portion of the fair universe; and pain, sorrow, disappointment, heartache, weeping, decay, and death followed in its train. But Jehovah sent forth the message to the sin-marred and mangled subjects of His dominion, “Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Rev. 21:5. Our Father will therefore recreate both man and the earth. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Cor. 15:51-54. “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” Isa. 65:17. When the renewed creation is seen and experienced by its subjects in its fulness, there will be perfect surroundings. The prophet Isaiah presents a mental picture of this world, time, and sinful man, with all the effects of the curse resting upon him, in vivid contrast with the world to come, eternity, sinless man, with no curse and perfect, heaven-born environments. The comparison may be begun with Isa. 65:17, 18: “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth [the world to come]; and the former [the present world] shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem [the metropolis of the new world] a rejoicing, and her people a joy.” Her people will be the embodiment of joy. “Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.” Isa. 51:11. Said our heavenly Father, “I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” Isa. 65:19. What a contrast with the conditions in this world where the voice of weeping and wailing is constantly heard! “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days.” Verse 20. “There,” in eternity, “shall be no more thence an infant of days.” Here, in this world, people die in infancy, as stated in the text, “an infant of days.” Hereafter, in the world to come, its subjects will not grow old. Here, in this world, man ages and dies before he has “filled his days.” The man of a hundred years, or even nine hundred and sixty-nine years, is but a child, (Jewish version) “a lad,” when the life of time is contrasted with the life of eternity. See a parallel use of terms by Paul. “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment [lifetime], worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:17, 18. All the affliction of all the people of God, for all their temporal lifetime, is but a moment, and is not to be compared with the eternal things, but contrasted. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Rom. 8:18. Things which resemble each other may be compared, but those unlike must be contrasted. The child of this world,—the child of sin,—having his “understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God,” will meet “the day of vengeance of our God,” and “shall be accursed.” Eph. 4:18; Isa. 61:2; 65:20. The first half of verse 20 refers to the eternal world where time is not reckoned. The remaining portion has its fulfilment in this world prior to the second coming of Christ where limit of days is taken into account and sin and death reign. The language of this text must be thus divided and applied to fully appreciate the fulness of the inspired lesson. There is a parallel to the use made of this text, found in Christ’s use of Isa. 61:1, 2, the division of scripture being made in the middle of the second verse. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke says, “And He closed the Book, . . . and sat down.” Christ said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” He could not have made this statement had He read the entire verse, for the next clause was to be fulfilled in the future. The contrast between conditions here and hereafter is continued in Isaiah 65 in no less vivid a manner: “They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat; . . . they shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.” Verses 22, 23. Eternity is but a continuation of that glad day of reunion. “Neither can they die any more.” Luke 20:36. ONE of the religious fads of to-day—old in principle as the Fall—is the claim that Christ in our own nature, dwells within, that He is all in all, Guide, Counselor, etc., etc., and that faith is only the recognition of this claim. Yet those who make this claim deliberately set aside the law which Christ kept, the transgression of which is sin. You ask the devotees of this religion their standard, they will tell you it is Christ. You ask them if it is the Christ of the Bible, and they will tell you it is Christ in the heart, Christ reigning and ruling within.
But such is not Christ, it is only the imperfect human conception of Christ at the best. It is not the Christ of the word. It is a human standard, a human god, which may be one thing to-day and another to-morrow. It is purely heathen in origin, the outgrowth of that first falsehood, “Ye shall not surely die; . . . ye shall be as God.” We can not accept such a god. We prefer the great, eternal, unchangeable, merciful, righteous Jehovah. Consecration to God's Glory
CONSECRATION is going out into the world where God Almighty is, and using every power for His glory.—Henry Ward Beecher. A NOBLE cause doth ease much a grievous ease.—Sir Philip Sidney. Appreciating Sermon Points
\"It is easy to appreciate the points of a sermon when they are pricking the other fellow.\" Comfort as an Object
By E. P. Whipple
Comfort is the god of this world, but comfort it will never obtain by making it an object.—E. P. Whipple.