Review and Herald, Vol. 25, No. 11. (2/7/1865)

Review and Herald

Feb 7, 1865

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 7, 1865

Religion.

By E. Goodrich

A DISCOURSE BY ELD. E. GOODRICH.

FRIENDS AND BRETHREN: The subject to which I would invite attention on this solemn and interesting occasion, is that of religion; Bible religion; divinely revealed religion. I do not propose to analyze and give to you a complete history of all the rites and qualities, the isms and schisms of the religious world. This would be endless. Neither can I expect even to discuss true religion in all its properties and relations, and all that it proposes to do. All that I may hope to do is to represent some of its more peculiar and prominent features and characteristics.

The scripture selected as the introduction of the subject is a part of the ninth and tenth verses of the second chapter of first Corinthians. It reads thus: "Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit."

I understand that the apostle is here treating upon principles, negative and positive principles. I understand him as teaching that it is not for eye to see, nor ears to hear, nor the heart of man in all its varied flights of imagination to conceive of the mysteries or joys of the kingdom of God, or world to come. This is the negative. And who is there that can join a successful issue with the apostle, and say that eye can see or that ears can hear or that the heart of man can conceive of the joys or sorrows of a future state? None. The history of this world is one complete and profound silence, touching all questions that pertain to a future existence.

The apostle next introduces the positive when he says, "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit." This brings us to the subject under consideration. And here is the broad and permanent platform upon which Christianity in all her faith and practice rests. But before remarking upon the text on the subject introduced, permit me to speak of the principles by which, and the manner in which, men gain knowledge, whether it be human or divine.

And first man gains knowledge by direct revelation, by being told or shown, or by receiving the testimony of some other person who has seen and heard. The knowledge that men gain in this way is very considerable; much more so than we would at first sight suppose. What would we know of this world either of its history or its relations, were it not for the eyes and ears and representations of other men? Verily next to nothing. Ask the little schoolboy how much of the earth's surface is land and how much water, and he will tell you about two thirds water and one third land. But how does he know? He was never five miles from home; and the largest body of water he ever saw is the little lake that lies down at the foot of the village. He knows because he is told. And that is just the way older people learn. They learn by receiving the testimony of others.

I apprehend that none will find fault with this principle applied to earthly things. Why should they when it is applied to divine things. If we receive the teaching of men when they speak of earthly events, why can we not believe them when they tell us of heavenly things.

The second principle by which men gain knowledge, is that of experience; or by experimenting. And here is a wide range for thought and remark; for almost all the knowledge that men have gained of this world, the arts and sciences of the day, are but the aggregate result of an infinite number of experiments. The world in all the departments of life has been cutting, and trying, scribing and marking until we have now many well-defined points and lines and many well-established rules of thought and actions, as above observed, the fruits of experimenting.

The third and last principle by which men gain knowledge is that of reason or by reasoning. Reason is simply a comparison between unknown things and things already known. And whenever a certain amount of known truth can be so arranged as to shed light on some unknown object, 'tis then, and only then, we can reason; so that the knowledge that we gain by reason is only of a secondary nature, and far more inconsiderable than we generally suppose. And as reason can only shed a borrowed light, she can neither furnish us with names dates nor distances. She can give us neither rule of action nor standard of faith. Indeed reason unaided by revelation and experience is blind, utterly blind. As a first cause, as a direct power or as a self-adjusting thing, reason is worthless; for she can neither move the least conceivable object nor discover the least imaginable secret.

But to the subject before us. The religion of the Bible, more properly the religion of the Scriptures.

The religion of the Scriptures is a divine religion; divine in all its elements and relations; divine in all its parts and principles; divine in all that it teaches and does; and divine in all that it proposes to do hereafter. And although we may, and should use a certain amount of reason, and also there is a great amount of experimental truth embraced in the same, yet the religion of the Scriptures is most plainly and positively a religion of revelation. It is a system of faith and action founded upon divine revelation.

And the first form of the Christian religion is that of a word, as a report or message; as, What word did he bring? Have you heard the report? Have you seen the messages? And those who are especially chosen to declare this word or make this report are properly called, preachers, reporters, messengers or ambassadors. And not unfrequently in reading the writings of the prophets and apostles, we find such passages of Scripture as the following: "Preach the word." 2 Tim. iv, 2. Again. "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" Isa. liii, 1. Again. "This, then, is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you." 1 John i, 5. And again. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God." 2 Cor. v, 20. Perhaps the most simple and comprehensive word that may be used to express these different offices is that of witness. The prophets, the apostles, the Lord Jesus, and all who have had the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, are properly called witnesses for the truth of divine revelation.

And here is a field of thought and remark far too extensive to be noticed in this connection. Suffice it to say that the principles set forth in the above, apply in the same manner to divine things as to earthly things. The little schoolboy as he studies geography for the purpose of gaining a knowledge of foreign countries and the world, relies upon the reports of others. And in the study of the sciences of the day, one man's experience becomes another man's example, which he follows, adding virtue to faith, until he is enabled to add knowledge to virtue by his own experience.

What does the scholar know of countries marked "unexplored regions?" What does the Botanist know of plants whose properties have never been tested? And what would men know of their origin, present relations, and final destiny, whether there is such a place as Heaven, such a condition as a future existence, or world to come, was it not for the principle of revelation? or for the "visions" and revelations of the Lord, as seen by, and made known to, the prophets, and our own individual experience in the things of the Spirit of God? And yet notwithstanding the manifest truth of the foregoing principles applied to heavenly, as well as to earthly things, the skeptic reasons that because he has not seen the sights that prophets profess to have seen, and because he has never experienced the joys that the humble Christian says he feels; therefore these things do not exist.

We might just as well reason in the same manner concerning earthly things, that we have never seen or experienced. Suppose one should write an essay on peaches, in which he discusses the peculiar excellence and flavor of some variety, as for instance, rare-ripe.

Could the man who has never eaten a peach in his life, appreciate the language of the essayist? Certainly not. But when he tastes them he exclaims, Oh, how luscious! The half never was told me. Can the man who has never tasted liquor, to get intoxicated, know the pleasure (?) there is in getting drunk? or the horrors of the man in his fit of delirium-tremens? No. Then why should we expect to reason correctly concerning, and to understand perfectly, the religion of the Scriptures when we reject both the principle of revelation and experience?

The text quoted reads, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit." It is hardly necessary to remark that such is the nature of the question stated, and such is the language used that all who reject not only prophecy, but every operation of the Spirit of God, are necessarily excluded from all knowledge of divine things; and we might quite as well suppose that the beasts of the field could take pleasure in intellectual pursuits, as to think that the sensualist and infidel, who live only for self and the present hour, can appreciate the love of God that passeth all understanding.

But again, the language of the apostle, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Cor. ii, 14, seems more positive and plain. And for the benefit of those who are actually wise in the things of this world, and who think themselves too wise to err in divine things, we may read such passages as the following: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." 1 Cor. i, 18.

And thus it is that all are brought upon an equal footing, by the beautiful and leveling principle of faith. And while the man who is wise to build houses, to plant vineyards, to raise grain, and to plan, and execute almost every earthly design, yet laughs to scorn the simplicity of faith, in the mouths of little children the praises of God are perfected.

But notwithstanding that the simplicity of faith is so great that it was a stumbling-block to the Jews, and is to the Gentiles foolishness, yet faith is never timid. And for sublimity of conception, for loftiness of thought, and for boldness of action and expression, there are no such words in the wisdom of this world, or volumes of reason, as those upon which faith rests, found in revelation. As we read in the Psalms concerning God, and the work of creation, "For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." Ps. xxxiii, 9.

But I fear I shall be tedious. Permit me to present a few examples illustrative of the language of scriptural revelation and I close. And the first instance to which attention is invited, is a short biographical sketch of the Psalmist David. It is found in Psalm lxxiii. And bearing in mind that the bitter yet interesting experience herein recorded, occurred before the chapter was written, it is easy to understand that the Psalmist began by declaring a conclusion—a conviction that had ripened in his own mind; and after carrying the mind back to the beginning, and after describing the dangers that he had so narrowly escaped, he ends just where he began. From the third to the sixteenth verse he gives us in very strong colors, a picture of the prosperity of the wicked. He then says, When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castest them down into destruction. The point to be noticed is that the change of the views and feelings of David resulted from being shown the end of the wicked.

Again: The prophets Enoch, Daniel, Isaiah, John and others have been shown in vision the history of this world, the final destiny of both the godly and ungodly; and the joys of "that bright world to come"—the things that are in reserve for them that love God. And the question is very plainly and beautifully stated by the Saviour in his words to Nicodemus, when he said, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness (or testimony) * And no man hath ascended up to Heaven, but he that came down from Heaven. John iii, 11-13.

Now as eyes cannot see, nor ears hear, nor the heart of man imagine the "eternal weight of glory" in store for the blessed, if we reject the testimony of what those who have been caught away and in rapturous vision, saw, and if we reject the witness of Jesus who came down from Heaven, if there is such a place as Heaven with all its immortal joys, certain it is, that there is no way of knowing it. I know not to what length these remarks might be extended, showing the necessity of faith; but I close praying for grace, mercy and peace upon all that do, or shall, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Edenboro, Pa.

We Are Waiting.

By S. Elmer

We are waiting to hear the trumpet sound, When the dead shall arise from the slumbering ground, To see the Lord of glory crowned, In that bright morn.

We are waiting to see the Saviour come, To take his ransomed children home, No more as pilgrims here to roam 'Mid toil and care.

We are waiting to see our friends again, Whom death, the enemy has slain, And range with them, the golden plain, In Heaven above.

We are waiting for joys that ne'er shall die, Where the tear is wiped from the mourner's eye, And crystal fountains never dry, 'Mid fadeless flowers.

We are waiting to meet the radiant throng, And join in the clear triumphant song, As it rolls through the blissful world along, Worthy the Lamb!

We are waiting, how cheering the thought, to know, How soon we'll leave this world of woe, And to those heavenly mansions go, And be at rest. S. ELMER. Ashfield, Mass.

How Is It with Thy Soul?

By R. V. Lawrence

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye workers of iniquity." Matt. vii, 21–23.

This is, to me, a very startling passage of Scripture. It takes hold of my inmost soul. It describes a judgment-scene, and everything pertaining to the judgment is startling to me—it may not be to all. * I presume it is not, for many act as though they had never heard any such word; but when you speak to me of the judgment you make an irresistible claim on my attention.

And this text refers to a judgment-scene, in which a condemned minister of the gospel, or at least a very prominent professor of religion, is the central figure. "Prophesied," "cast out devils," "did many wonderful works," and yet condemned! Should not that startle me? It is so, that a man may preach, even be the means of reforming many, do many wonderful works in saving men, pass through life respected as a Christian, and without alarm, and yet be met in the day of judgment, with the dreadful words from Jesus Christ, "Depart from me ye that work iniquity?" Well may my heart be stirred. We are also to consider that there will be many such cases in that great day, not simply a few, not only one here and there, but many will say in that day, "Lord, Lord," and be sternly turned away. Think of the disappointment! Here are souls that will go right up to the gate of Heaven, expecting to enter, and saying, "Lord, here we come; we have been prophesying, been casting out devils in thy name, been doing wonderful works for thee; open the gate Lord, let us enter, that we may receive our reward." But instead of opening the gate the Lord will say, "I never knew you, depart from me ye that work iniquity." O, my soul! art thou to meet with such a disappointment as that, in the day of God, after all my prayers and labors in the church? But,

I. Who are they that will be thus disappointed in this judgment-day?

1. Those who mistake conviction for conversion, and, resting there, never have a change of heart. And is it not to be feared that there are many such, in the churches at this day? Things "must be done decently and in order" now; the "strong crying and tears" of former times, the soul-searching altar-work, of other days, has, in too many instances, disappeared at the bidding of the so-called refinement of the times, which can be boisterous enough on change, in a sociable, or at a ball, but must preserve a death-like silence in the church. The proprieties of the times suffocate many a soul that might be born into the kingdom of God.

In these days of speculation, ill-gotten gains, extravagant building, equipage, and dress, it costs something to get a new heart, more than many are willing to pay. Restitution, self-denial, conformity in all things to the pattern given us in the Bible, many think a heavy sum to pay for a change of heart. Hence, many who are called Christians, know nothing experimentally about conversion. Such will be disappointed in the day of God.

2. Among the disappointed will be those who may have been converted, but afterwards failed to practice the self-denial, and to do the works enjoined by Christ. Let a person be converted, but fail to do the works of Christ, and yet all the while hold on to his profession, and keep his place in the church, and that man's spiritual life will die out of his soul so softly, that neither himself nor any one else will know that death has come. A mother had her child upon her arm, and they both slept sweetly, but in the night the child died, and so softly, that the mother knew it not until in the morning, when she awoke to caress it, she found it lifeless clay. So many a Christian lies down on the bosom of the church to take his ease, and then quietly dies.

May I tell you what is ruining souls very rapidly in these days? It is Religion made easy. Do you know what that is? You have read of "French made easy in six lessons," and "German made easy in six lessons?" Well they have "religion made easy" in one. A man goes to the altar, is converted, joins the church, communes, and pays his money to support the institutions of the gospel; yet never takes up a cross, or does anything unpleasant to the flesh; but imitates the world in eating, drinking, dressing, buying and selling, and seeking amusement. This is religion made easy—the gilded Antinomianism, that fills and curses the church of the present day. "Religion made easy!" My soul, that will not do for thee! A division of our army tried "war made easy" in the west near Shiloh. The soldiers were fatigued with hard marching: they crossed the Tennessee river, marched on two or three miles toward Corinth, and then encamped. The tents were pitched, and the picket line thrown out. Then the officers slept in their tents, the soldiers slept in the ranks, and the pickets slept on their posts. So war was made easy. But with the earliest dawn, the rebels came marching on, the pickets, without giving any alarm, fell into the hands of their enemies; many of the officers were bayoneted in their beds, and 5,000 of the soldiers were taken prisoners at once. This was war made easy—easy for the rebels, but hard for us, for they gained such an advantage in the early morn, that before night, they almost pushed our broken legions into the Tennessee, and it required all the indomitable energy of Grant, to overcome the disadvantage, and wrest victory from their grasp. War made easy will not do for the Union cause, nor will religion made easy do for my soul. Religion made easy will get its eyes open, in the day of judgment, just in time to see the frown of the Judge, as he says "Depart from me ye that work iniquity." Self-denial, cross-bearing, and good works will do better for thee, O my soul, than religion made easy.

3. Among those who are to be disappointed in the day of God, let me number those who take opposite extremes, and run their religion into works, but become void of spiritual life, and of that love without which one is but sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. They are active, they do many wonderful works, preaching the law, lecturing on morals, inducing men to reform, building churches, and devising liberal things for the cause of God, and yet all the time, void of that perfect love which casteth out fear, and which alone can prepare a soul for Heaven. Selfishness, ambition, desire of gain, love of popularity, and I know not how many other impure motives, may concur to impel a man to the performance of these works. I doubt not that there are many ministers, who were considered revivalists, preached eloquently, promoted reformation, did many wonderful things, yet their motive power was pride,—they were determined that their life should be a success,—or love of popularity, the spring of action with so many, and they will be driven away from the throne of God. The performance of all possible good works, can never set aside the absolute necessity of spiritual life and love as the preparation for the heavenly state. Is not the apostle very clear on this subject in the thirteenth of first Corinthians? Prophesying, faith, alms deeds, and good works, are there declared to be but sounding brass and tinkling cymbal, without God-given love. Love to God, and to

all mankind alone will do. And yet how deficient in this chief requisite of salvation, is the church of the present day? What bitterness of spirit, has Satan distributed through almost every society? What political hatred now rankles in thousands of so-called Christian hearts? And hatred toward the negro, is bearing myriads of souls right down to hell, though they are all the time entertaining a hope of Heaven. A minister of the New Jersey Conference, when about to take his missionary collection of last year, stated that increased liberality was demanded, by the fact that many freedmen were coming into our lines, and needed missionary laborers among them. A prominent Methodist, who had been giving fifteen or twenty dollars to missions, thereupon said, "I will not give anything now,—I'll not give to niggers," or words to that effect. And yet that man's Bible says that under the preaching of the gospel, Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands unto God. Does it seem that that man could have felt the first, the very first breathings, of the sweet spirit of Christian love upon his soul? And yet with all these dreadful deficiencies, distributed with Satanic liberality through the church, we call ourselves Christians, and all, apparently, are going on toward the day of general doom, in full expectation of being admitted into Heaven to dwell and sing in bliss forever? Many are to be doomed to sad and eternal disappointment. If you will give the Devil a little help, he will so effectually deceive you, that you will march right up to the mansions of bliss, when you are only fit to be shut up in the caverns of hell. And the very language of assurance, that we Methodists have been taught to use concerning our spiritual state, the Devil makes subservient to the deception of many. You are converted, you feel it all through your soul; you say so in plain language, and that is right, and the Devil is mad enough about it. But now you bear no crosses, do but few if any, of the works of God, or perhaps you perform works, but you indulge in bitterness against some who have injured you. Now you go to another experience meeting; it is your turn to speak, what will you say? that you are still a child of God? But what about your refusal to bear crosses, or denying self, or your bitter spirit? Are not these in the way? "But what," say you, "can these little things deprive me of my sonship? was I not clearly converted? I am a child of God." So though there is but little if any repentance, for your shortcomings, yet you confidently asseverate that you are an heir of God; and all this is done a hundred times over, until you come to fully believe the lie yourself. And at the same time you are brothered here and brothered there. Does not the church and the world too, consider you a Christian? O that old deceiver! How smoothly he carries on the work of destroying souls. You see that "many" are likely to be turned away in disappointment in "that day."

II. But some may ask, is it right, or does it seem right, for God thus to turn these characters away from the gate of Heaven, in the judgment, when it is too late for further preparation, seeing that they did many good works, and were indulged in hopes of eternal bliss? Yes, it must seem right to the thoughtful.

1. Has not God a right to lay down his own conditions for admission into Heaven? And has he not declared that nothing but purity can enter Heaven? And declared it so plainly that the Bible cannot be read without seeing it? And because men comply with a few of these requirements, is God to set others aside and admit them with half a fitness.

2. Can God permit Heaven to be destroyed? And what is essential to the very existence of Heaven? Harmony—the harmony of holiness and love. And would not the admission of one sinful disposition into Heaven, destroy that harmony, and so destroy Heaven? Are these characters referred to in the text, in force their way into that holy place to its destruction, just because they have done some things that the Christian should do?

3. Do you still think it hard that those who may expect to enter Heaven, should at the last be driven away in disappointment? It is hard and sad. But is God to blame? Does he not use most startling words in the Scriptures to arouse this very class and undeceive them before it is too late? Hear him, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven." "I would that ye were cold or hot: so then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candle-stick out of his place." What startling words! You also remember the case of the foolish virgins, and the stirring words of the text. Now if men will build hopes of Heaven upon the sand, when God's words are flashing light upon them, revealing most clearly the folly of their course, will they have any right to complain when the baseless fabric falls in ruin to the ground? If you let the Devil deceive you, the blame is your own, God has faithfully warned.

III. But is religion so uncertain as to its nature and evidence, that let one do the best he can, he may be mistaken at the last? No, blessed be God; the way of salvation is so plain that the wayfaring man, though a fool, shall not err therein.

1. Let no one who is interested about his soul ever cease seeking pardon until he is satisfied in his own heart that he is converted—that he is a child of God, having certainly passed from death unto life, and become a new creature.

2. Then add good works immediately. Take up the crosses as soon as they present themselves. Let no neglected duty cast a shade of condemnation on your soul. Beware, oh, beware of "religion made easy."

3. Give all diligence at once to "go on to perfection." Hear the first command to the newly converted—"Leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ—go on to perfection." Remember that good works without this going on, are in the eyes of God "sounding brass and tinkling cymbal." And is there not a great deal of "sounding" and "tinkling" in the church at this day? God help us.

4. Be careful to keep the conscience tender. Oh, how safely will your conscience guide you if you keep it tender. As quickly as the eye will warn you of the approach of evil, will a tender conscience warn you when on dangerous ground. Like a wise judge will it sit in judgment on your feelings, words and actions, to determine their character. But you may make your conscience a false guide. Omit a Christian duty now and then, give way a little here and there, trying to persuade yourself that no harm is done, and you will, or may get your conscience so blind, so numb, that it will give you no warning, no sign, and never wake up, until down from the throne roll these dreadful words, "Depart from me ye workers of iniquity!" Stimulate your conscience well, with the liniment of prayer, enliven it with the friction of well-doing, gratify it by listening to its faintest calls, and it will be a sleepless guide to your soul.

5. Make the Scriptures your guide in all things. Do not imitate and follow each other. And yet how many do that? Three vessels were sailing along the Jersey coast. The foremost missed her reckoning, and went ashore. The second without reckoning for herself followed the first, and the third in like manner followed the second, and soon all three of them were, within a few yards of each other, stranded, wrecked, ruined, and two of them because they blindly followed. So souls may be seen on every hand, following others down to hell. Blindly follow no man. Make the Bible your guide. Do not imagine that anyone in the church is wise enough, or great enough, or good enough, to alter the Bible here and there.

6. Frequently "examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith." Examine your spirit, for some "know not what manner of spirit they are of;" examine your motives, examine your words, examine your works. Demand of yourself the most exact compliance with the requirements of God's word. Show mercy in judging others, but be rigid with yourself. And if in the process of self-examination, you find the following qualities in your heart and life, you may thank God and take courage: faith, perfect love and good works. These can find no place in hell; but for them Jesus Christ will find a place in Heaven. The man who has these in his heart and life, need not say "Lord, Lord!"

to attract attention in "that day," but the Judge will hail the possessor of these qualities and graces, saying "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Reader, Reader, on what ground dost thou stand this day? Should the dead, both small and great, be called this day to stand before God, what words would roll down from the lips of the great Judge to thine ear—"Depart?" or "Come?"—R. V. Lawrence, in Earnest Christian.

A List of Precious Relics.

ThE following list of holy relics reads curiously in Paris in those unbelieving days. The catalogue is, however, authentic:—1. Portions of the Cross. The largest pieces are to be found in the Cathedral of Paris, in the Church of Sainte Croix at Jerusalem, and Rome. 2. The Inscription on the Cross. The plate on which the letters are inscribed is also in the Church of Sainte Croix at Jerusalem, which was built on purpose to receive the piece of the cross and the plate. 3. The Crown of Thorns is in the Cathedral of Paris, but deprived of the thorns, which have been distributed among a number of churches. 4. The Nails. The first was thrown into the Adriatic by St. Helena to calm the raging winds. The second was formed into the celebrated Iron Crown of the Kings of Italy; and the third is in the Cathedral of Paris. 5. The Sponge is preserved in the Church of St. John, at Rome. 6. The Spear is also at Rome. 7. The Shroud. The city of Turin asserts that it possesses this priceless relic. 8. The Winding-sheet of St. Veronica is at Rome. 9. The Holy Coat is to be found in the Church of St. Argenteuil, having originally been given by Charlemagne to the priory of that place, of which his sister was the abbess. 10. The Pillar of the Flagellation is in the Church of St. Prosćede at Rome, to which city it was carried at the commencement of the 18th century. Note to No. 4. If the first nail was thrown into the Adriatic, the second formed into the Iron Crown now at Monza, and the third preserved in the Cathedral of Paris, how is it that we find in that great authority, Murray, an account of a reliquary, containing one of the nails of the cross, suspended over the altar in the Duomo, at Milan, which annually, on the Feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross (the third of May) is exposed on the altar and carried in solemn procession through the city?—Correspondent of the Daily Telegraph.

What is in the Bedroom?

The importance of ventilating bedrooms is a fact which every body is vitally interested in and which few properly appreciate. We copy the following from an exchange, which shows the injurious effects which must arise from ill ventilated sleeping apartments: "If two persons are to occupy a bedroom during a night, let them step upon weighing scales as they retire, and then again in the morning, and they will find their actual weight is at least a pound less in the morning. Frequently there will be a loss of two or more pounds, and the average loss throughout the year will be more than one pound. That is, during the night there is a loss of a pound of matter which has gone off from their bodies, partly from the lungs, and partly through the pores of the skin. The escaped material is carbonic acid, and decayed animal matter, or poisonous exhalations. This is diffused through the air in part, and in part absorbed by the bedclothes. If a single ounce of wool or cotton be burned in a room it will so completely saturate the air with smoke that one can hardly breathe, though there can only be one ounce of foreign matter in the air. If an ounce of cotton be burned every half hour during the night, the air will be kept continually saturated with smoke, unless there be an open door or window for it to escape. Now, the sixteen ounces of smoke thus formed is far less poisonous than the sixteen ounces of exhalations from the lungs and bodies of the two persons who have lost a pound in weight during the eight hours of sleeping; for, while the dry smoke is mainly taken into the lungs, the damp odors from the body are absorbed both into the lungs and into the pores of the whole body. Need more be said to show the importance of having bedrooms well ventilated, and of thoroughly airing the sheets, coverlets, and mattresses in the morning, before packing them up in the form of a neatly-made bed?"

A Child's Happiness

A CHILD is never happy from having his own way. Decide for him, and he has but one thing to do; put him to please himself, and he is troubled with everything, and satisfied with nothing.

The Idle Man’s Complaint

An idle man always thinks he has a right to be affronted if a busy man does not devote to him just as much of his time as he himself has leisure to waste.

Exhort One Another.

By Editor

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together," says the apostle, Heb. x, 25, "as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching."

A correspondent inquires whether this scripture has reference to meetings of worship on the Sabbath, and what is meant by exhorting one another. We think the assembling has reference to public worship either on the Sabbath or at any other time. The language has its application at a time when some notable day is approaching. What day is this? Verse 27 speaks of a time of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries; and verse 37, looking forward to the same time says, "For yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come and will not tarry." The "day" referred to, then, is the day when Christ shall come and recompense indignation to his adversaries. And when this day is approaching or is near to come, we are counseled to especial diligence in reference to our religious assemblies and our exhortations one to another.

From verse 19, onward, the burden of the apostle seems to be an exhortation to steadfastness in the truth. At this time when the day of the Lord is approaching, the apostle intimates that there would be great danger of letting go the profession of our faith; hence he says, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith." And his language in verse 25, "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is," amounts to a direct declaration that some would forsake the truth; some who were accustomed to meet with the true people of God, becoming weary in looking for the day of his coming, and tired of the exhortations of the brethren and sisters, would cease meeting with them; and this would perhaps be the first open step in their apostasy. We understand this passage to teach the same as 1 Tim. iv, 1. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith." By the expression "the faith," here, we can only understand the true faith; and inasmuch as the error they turn to is "doctrines about devils," or as Wakefield has it, "doctrines about dead men," we may understand that some who have once received all the truth in regard to the unconscious state of the dead will turn away from it. In view of these scriptures, it should not surprise, much less discourage us, if some, in these last days of temptation and peril, should give up the truth and make shipwreck of their faith. Rather let us meet often together to comfort and encourage each other to continue in the good way, till the Lord shall appear for the salvation of his people.

Having learned what day is referred to as the day that is approaching, we may judge of the nature of the exhortations mentioned; for they are given in view of that day; and the nearer its approach, and the more vivid its signs, the more we are to exhort one another. The exhortations, then, are in reference to the approaching day of the Lord. The persons whom Paul addresses are watching for the great day that is approaching; and they speak often to each other exhorting to endurance, faithfulness, watchfulness, prayer and the whole work of preparation for that momentous hour.

And mark the positiveness of the apostle's language. He does not say Exhort one another, &c. when ye believe the day approaching, but when ye see it. When we see anything approaching us, as a train of cars upon the track, or a tempest in the heavens, that sight makes our knowledge perfect, and there is scarcely room for faith. So the apostle would represent the coming of the day of God. Its signs are so numerous and the evidences of its approach so plain, that there is hardly room for faith; knowledge has taken its place. Paul will not permit us to say that we believe the great day is near and approaching, but we know it, we see it. So evident indeed is it that the great day of the Lord is at hand. Deep will be the guilt of those who shut their eyes to so great a light, and infinite their loss if they fail to prepare.

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