"Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee."Deut. 32:18.
How is it that men soon forget the solid, the real, the substantial? What is it that delights men in spluttering rockets, in colored fountains, in lamps swinging upon trees that are offended by their presence? See the great seething crowd waiting for the colored fountains to spring up, and for all the little electric lamps confined in tinted globes to shine among the swaying branches! What exclamations of idiotic delight! How stunned is modern intelligence at the marvelous display of color! Who heeds the quiet moon that looks on with unutterable amazement, and that in her motherly heart is saying, Oh, that they were wise, that they were less given to toy worship and to playfulness of that kind! Here I have been shining ages upon ages—who heeds me? Which of all the sweltering, overfed throng turns a bleared eye to my course, to watch me in my gentle sovereignty? And the stars, too, look down upon the colored fountains without being moved to envy by their momentary blush and by their unheard splash! We forget the Rock so soon; we prefer the toy; we want something light, something that can be spoken trippingly on the tongue—an easy, fluent nothing. We do not care to bow down the head to study, to criticism, to the examination and estimation of evidence, and commit ourselves to the acceptance of sound conclusions. Can we go anywhere to see a colored fountain? Men who do not travel half a mile to the greatest pulpit in the world, or the greatest altar ever built to the God of Heaven, would put themselves and their families to any amount of inconvenience and expense to gaze with the admiration of idiocy upon a colored fountain! Blessed are they who love the permanent stars, the lamps of heaven, and who set their feet broadly and squarely on God's everlasting Rock. Let us turn to the real, to the substantial, to the very revelation of God's truth, and abide there; the colored fountain can only come now and again, but the eternal heavens are always full of light or rich with beauty.—Joseph Parker, D. D.
NEED OF PRAYER.
By Alexander McLaren
MARK'S Gospel gives special prominence to Christ's toilsome work. It is the gospel of the Son who is the Servant; and, just because of this point of view, it also makes very prominent the seasons of rest and solitude by which Jesus repaired his wearied energy and bathed his spirit in communion with the Father. That long, hard day in Capernaum needed some short, deep sleep, to restore his physical power. But it needed more solitary prayer; and so the first verses of this lesson tell of his stealing from the slumbering town, and seeking the loneliness of the hills behind Capernaum, to hold converse with God. The harder our work, the more we need solitude and prayer, without which work becomes mechanical and insincere. Preachers, revivalists, and all those whose Christian calling requires them to be much in public, and to handle sacred things for the good of others, must live much alone with God, and secure many an hour of still communion, if their words are to be anything better than sounding brass or tinkling cymbals. For want of that, many a man has talked away his religion, and never found out how little his words to others represented his real, indifferent self. Hence come all sorts of unrealities, vehement efforts to pretend to an earnestness which is not genuine. A Christian worker must either pray much or deteriorate into an actor. What Jesus needed, we cannot do without. To him solitude was blessed. He with whom God dwells is never less alone than when alone; for then he enjoys without interruption God in himself, and himself in God. Solitude is the mother country of the strong. The true "deepening of the spiritual life" is better sought in the desert-place than in "conventions."—Alexander McLaren, in S. S. Times.
THE REASON OF UNBELIEF.
By The Independent
JESUS, when in Jerusalem, in attendance upon the feast of the tabernacles, about six months before his crucifixion, said to the Jews in the temple: "And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." John 8: 45. In the same discussion with caviling Jews, Jesus had previously said: "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Verse 12.
Jesus, in both of these utterances, assumed to be an infallible truth teller, and so wise and competent in himself as to be "the light of the world." He was such, and such he was proved to be, not only by the wisdom with which he spake, but also by the miracles which he wrought as evidence that he had come forth from God. Nicodemus reasoned correctly when he said to him: "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." And yet the fact that Jesus spoke the truth, and that, too, with infallible certainty, is by him, in the first of the above-quoted passages, assigned as the reason why these Jews did not believe him: "Because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." It was the truth that offended them, and it was the truth which they refused to believe, because it was unwelcome. They did not love it, even if it were the truth. It rebuked and condemned their practice; and this was not pleasing to their feelings. Their own depravity stood in the way of faith, and made them cavilers against a ministry of truth to which the infallible God had annexed his seal. They treated that ministry as if it were false, and the words of Jesus as if they were idle tales. Their infidelity had its seat in their hearts. Light had come into the world in the person of Jesus; but they loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. A vast amount of the skepticism that exists among men is of the same character. One's reason in spiritual matters operates at an enormous disadvantage when it is turned aside by a deceived heart. His heart disrelishes the truth, and this fact shuts the eye of thought to what he ought to relish, and would relish but for his own perverseness. He who rejects the truth because it condemns him, is in a terrible predicament for himself.
An Every-Day Religion
An every-day religion—one that loves the duties of our common walk, one that makes an honest man, one that accomplishes an intellectual and moral growth in the subject, one that works in all weather, improves all opportunities—will best and most surely promote the growth of a church and the power of the gospel.—Selected.
The Spirit of Prayer
The spirit of prayer is the spiritual rain begun, but we may detain it, and increase the refreshing showers. We can lift up our voice to the clouds that abundance of water may cover us.
CONTINUE.
"But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them." Thus wrote the apostle Paul to his son Timothy. There are thousands of honest souls who would be well off if they would but heed that injunction. It would seem to be the most natural thing in the world to do, and yet there are few who do it. If a man has learned a thing, and is assured of it, it would seem as though he would cling to that under all circumstances; the more the clouds and mists gathered about him, the more that darkness covered his way, making it almost impossible to discern anything, the more closely should he cling to those things that he has been assured of.
Usually, however, the contrary is just the case. A person is as well assured of some things as he can possibly be of his own existence, but suddenly he is confronted by something which he does not know how to "harmonize" with what he already has. The new thing may be only a spectre, but it has proved sufficient to frighten him from all that is substantial.
There are a great many who can never become reconciled to the idea that they are not omniscient. They rest content for a while in the things that they are assured of, simply because those things bound their horizon. But when they become conscious that there are things that they do not know, and things that they with their finite minds cannot understand, they give up everything. They will know everything or nothing. Unfortunately, when they have thrown away those things that they know, and are the nearest to knowing nothing, they imagine that they are the nearest to knowing everything.
Henry Ward Beecher tells of a lesson which was once given him in regard to continuing in the things which he knew. When he was a boy, he had a very original teacher in mathematics. One day Henry was demonstrating a problem, when his teacher suddenly interrupted him with an emphatic No! This disconcerted him and he began again at the beginning, but was very soon interrupted by another emphatic contradiction of his statement. Wholly discouraged, he sat down, and the problem was given to another boy, who demonstrated it in the same manner and was met by the same contradictions on the part of the teacher. This boy, however, paid no heed to the interruptions, and completed his demonstration and was commended, "Why," said young Beecher, in an injured tone, "that's just the way I did it." "Yes," replied the teacher, "but you didn't stick to it."
That is the way with many Christians. They go along very smoothly so long as there is no breath of opposition; but as soon as they meet with a sharp contradiction, they don't know what to do. They act as though they thought that nothing can be true unless everybody believes it. It isn't, however, because the things that they are assured of are attacked, that they give up the truth, but because something else is declared or insinuated to be the truth, and they cannot harmonize the two. Doubts and fanciful theories are presented to them, and they straightway leave the solid ground of truth, to chase the will-of-the-wisp into the bogs of error. How much better off people would be if they would only heed the apostle's injunction to continue in the things that they are assured of. Is not that the only common sense way of doing?
It is only those who patiently continue in well-doing that God will reward with eternal life. Eternity in the kingdom of God will be continual progression in the truths which have been learned on earth. No man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is worthy of the kingdom of Heaven; because if he cannot continue for a few years in things that he has been assured of, how can he continue in the same things throughout eternity?
Happy is the man who continues instant in prayer, "watching thereunto with all perseverance," and is thus "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." Have you been assured of one thing? Then cling to it and continue in it, even though it be the only thing you know. Better be assured of one thing, than to be in doubt of every thing. Does somebody say, "Well, I don't know about that"? Then do you reply, "Well, I do know about it." Does somebody taunt you with your ignorance of many things? Tell them that your ignorance of many things shall not overthrow your knowledge of the one thing. Whatever is said and done, "continue thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of." Only by so doing can you hope to know any thing more.
Above all things continue in the knowledge of God. "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." Titus 3:8. Oh that all who profess faith in Christ might so know him whom they have believed that they would "be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head, even Christ."
A MISAPPLICATION.
By Editor
A Rev. Francis Rand, in the Christian Nation of January 9, says that Christianity "is the legitimate religion of the Republic." "It is impossible for America, in the line of her patriotic history, to be kept apart from Christianity in the cause of her liberty;" and then he quotes from W. E. Channing, as in harmony with what he says, as follows:—
"This at least we know, that equal rights and an impartial administration of justice, have never been enjoyed where this religion has not been understood. It favors free institutions, first, because its spirit is the very spirit of liberty; that is, a spirit of respect for the interests and rights of others. Christianity recognizes the essential equality of mankind."
Mr. Rand's statement, that "Christianity is the legitimate religion of the Republic," is essentially false. It is impossible for a republic to be religious. The Republic is not an entity; it is not a responsible individual. It has no soul to save. It cannot repent or believe. It is made up of the individuals of many nations and climes, of all beliefs and practices; and the infidel is just as much entitled to citizenship under the Constitution, other things being equal, as a Christian. The law of a nation may declare it to be Christian, but that does not alter its character. Facts are stubborn things.
Further, Dr. Channing's statement is not at all in harmony with Mr. Rand's. The understanding of the principles of the Christian religion, and the embodying of those principles in statute law, are two widely different things. And just as soon as this nation professes Christianity through law, it has passed that point where those who are responsible for such actions can have "respect for the interests and rights of others;" and it will not recognize "the essential equality of mankind." The difference between the meaning of Mr. Rand's words and those of Dr. Channing, which he quotes in his support, is the difference between tyranny and liberty. It is only one of the many misapplications for which National Reformers are noted.
"THE MODERN PREACHER."
By W.
A FEW weeks ago the San Francisco Chronicle had in its Sunday edition an editorial entitled, "The Modern Sermon," in which it gravely told the preachers what they ought to do in order to be useful; for the modern newspaper imagines that it is as competent to guide erring souls to Heaven as it is to unearth the details of the latest scandal. In the article there was the following paragraph:—
"The type of preacher who comes nearest to the modern ideal is the one who tells his hearers in substance:—
"You know who Christ was and is—that he died to save sinners. You have been taught that from childhood. You are acquainted with the plan of salvation, acknowledge the power of grace, and all that. Well, it is not necessary for me to preach that over to you every week to the end of the year, until you grow more sleepy Sabbath by Sabbath, and less interested in pulpit utterances. Now, I am going to talk to you about something that is near to your life; something with which your every-day human nature can sympathize; something which, in fact, will rouse your interest and enchain your attention, and with this I will mix enough of doctrinal truth and religious precept to point you toward Heaven and make your nature, for which I have a sympathetic feeling, better and purer and more charitable toward your fellow-creatures. You may not 'accept Christ' in the purely religious sense, but I will not consign you to perdition on that account."
Unfortunately, this picture is too much like the reality. The "modern" preacher has very largely come to understand what modern hearers want, and, unlike those ancient preachers, Noah, Elijah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Paul, he gives them, not what they ought to have, but what they want. It is this characteristic which endears him to the modern hearers. That such a picture as the above could be drawn, is an evidence of the fulfillment of the words of Paul, given as a reason why he should exhort, reprove, and rebuke his hearers. Said he:—
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Tim. 4:3, 4.
"The type of preacher who comes nearest to the modern ideal," is the one who is moulded by the people. The Lord speaks of the same thing when he says by the prophet: "They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. And there shall be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings." Hosea 4:8, 9. But a preacher who is made by the people, and who preaches the things that please the people, is an ambassador of the people, and not of Christ. People generally have such confidence in their own judgment that they think that whatever pleases them must be good, and their highest praise of a preacher is, "He preaches just what I have always believed;" but that may be the worst condemnation that he could receive.
It is not necessarily any disparagement to a preacher to have it said that the people do not like his preaching. Ahab did not like to hear Elijah, neither did Herod like to hear John. It is a good thing that there are preachers to-day who will heed the injunction to Ezekiel, and will preach the word, whether the people will hear, or whether they will forbear.—Eze. 2:7. Such ones will preach Christ, and will preach the absolute necessity of those believing on him, who would have eternal life. They will not consign any man to perdition because he does not believe, for that is not their office. That work has already been done by the Lord, who said: "He that believeth not is condemned already." But while the preacher of Christ will not consign anyone to perdition, he will not hesitate to declare the words of Christ, that "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned." He will not have so large congregations as the "modern" preacher, who yields to the demand to preach "smooth things," but out of the few who do hear him he will gather sheaves for the heavenly garner.
"By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name."
THIS verse is of course dependent on that which has preceded, and the antecedent of the pronouns "whom," and "his," is the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord." The apostle's statement is, that by Jesus Christ he has received the grace to be an apostle, for obedience to the faith among all nations. The grace which he says he has received, is more than the ordinary grace which is invoked upon all the saints, in the apostolic benediction. It is special grace for special work. In Eph. 1:7, 8, he expresses it thus:—
"Whereof [that is, the gospel] I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."
Grace was given to Paul in large measure, simply because he was called to a great work. God gives to every man strength according to his day. So far as grace to overcome sin is concerned, Paul had no more of it than any man may have. Heaven has no special favorites; "God is no respecter of persons." The patriarchs, prophets, and apostles were men of like passions with us, and had no more aid in overcoming any habit than we may have in overcoming the same. Enoch "walked with God;" but that is nothing more than God requires of every man. "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:8.
But the special point of the verse under consideration is the expression, "obedience to the faith." Notice that the margin has it, "the obedience of faith;" and this is the exact rendering of the original. The same expression occurs in Rom. 16:26, where Paul says that the mystery of God, namely, the gospel, "is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith."
A somewhat similar expression occurs in Acts 6:7, where it is said that "a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith." By some, these expressions are supposed to refer to a system of faith; but we cannot so generalize. Faith is a personal matter. Obedience to a system, would be simply a performance of the rites of that system; but that would amount to nothing without the exercise of personal faith. When Paul said, "I have kept the faith," he meant that he had kept in his heart that faith which enabled him to fight the good fight, even the good fight of faith. With this view in mind, we shall see that it matters little whether we say "obedience to the faith," or "the obedience of faith."
The great characteristic of faith is, that it works. We do not mean that works are attached to it, but works come from it. "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2:26. Faith "worketh by love," says Paul. There may be that which is called faith, but if no works proceed from it, it is not faith.
Obedience implies action; it is well-doing, when it is rendered to God. But what we wish to emphasize is, that there is no well-doing except that which springs, not from the individual himself, but from his faith. A few texts of Scripture will serve to show this. Read first, Hab. 2:4. "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith."
A just man is one who acts in harmony with the law of God. Therefore a just man is an obedient man. So we may understand the text as saying that an obedient man shall live (a life of obedience) by his faith. The obedience springs from his faith, and therefore there is no chance for him to be lifted up, since the act of obedience is not his personal action, but is the action of his faith, and credited to him as his own. The man whose soul is lifted up in him, is the man who thinks that he can of himself do all that is required, and who as a consequence does nothing. Thus, "pride goeth before destruction."
In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul said that his great desire was to win Christ, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Phil. 3:9. Faith itself brings righteousness, even the imputed righteousness of God through Christ, in the remission of sins. It is that righteousness which is "without the law, unto all and upon all them that believe." Rom. 3:21, 22. It is that righteousness which Abraham received, when he "believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Rom. 4:3. This righteousness is "imputed without works" (Rom. 4:6); it is bestowed as an act of God's free grace.
This imputed righteousness is simply "the remission of sins that are past," and may be called passive righteousness. The man is counted as though he had always been obedient, although he has never been obedient. The justice of this will be considered at another time. But following this there must be active righteousness through the remainder of life; for it is only to those who patiently continue in well-doing (righteousness) that God will render eternal life. Now this active righteousness is just as much the work of faith as is the other. This is shown by Phil. 3:9, already quoted, in which Paul says that he wants to be found not having his own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is by faith of Jesus Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.
The same is shown also by Paul's prayer, that the Philippians might be "filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ." Phil. 1:11. This is the righteousness, or the obedience, of faith. From these texts we are justified in saying that a man does good works, not in order that he may be righteous, but because he is righteous. His works will never bring righteousness, for the righteousness of God is only by the faith of Jesus Christ; and when he has once experienced that blessedness, he works because he cannot help it, unless he renounces his faith and his past experience. He works because the love of Christ constrains him. From this stand-point we can harmonize the obedience to the faith, with the obedience of faith.
This is not a mere theory; it is a practical truth. Because of a failure to comprehend it, thousands of professed Christians live most unsatisfactory lives. Like the ancient Jews, they follow after righteousness, yet they do not attain to it, because they seek it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. Not realizing that no righteousness whatever can come except through faith, they seek to get themselves "into a place where the Lord can bless" them. But God's blessing is manifested, through Christ, in turning men away from their iniquities. Acts 3:26. "By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil." Prov. 16:6.
Paul was not commissioned to preach a gospel of self-righteousness, but the obedience of faith. Such righteousness does not commend itself to the mass of mankind, because it involves pain, and shame, and humiliation. It involves a rating of self at the true value, which is nothing; an acknowledgment that we are so altogether sinful that we cannot even think that which is right; that if any good shall appear in us, it will be just as much the work of the Lord as were the steps taken by the impotent man, who was healed through the instrumentality of Peter. If men could buy righteousness and eternal life, or could earn it by hard labor, or even by undergoing torture, few would be without it; but because they can get it only by complete dependence on another, to whom all the honor must be given, their pride will not let them accept it.
Yet this obedience of faith, which is by Jesus Christ, is the only obedience which will gain for us an entrance through the gates into the eternal city of God. For in that day when a King, even the King of righteousness, shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth, in whose days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, the name whereby he shall be called is, "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Jer. 23:5, 6.
THE SABBATH OF THE LORD.
By M. C. W.
As noticed last week, the Sabbath question is one of the leading questions of the day; in fact, it is one of the crucial questions. And now, when men are clamoring in our legislative halls for laws which will compel the observance of a day of rest, it behooves all to enquire most earnestly, as well as honestly, as to what are the facts concerning the Sabbath. It is not what man may say, nor what men may have practiced. An opinion is not any better for being old. A counterfeit coin is no less counterfeit though it may have been passed by ten thousand good men as genuine. And when it comes to the ten thousand and first individual, its validity being questioned, it is his duty to ascertain, if possible, the truth as to its genuineness. If he does not do this, he is verily guilty. The innocency of the ten thousand before him will not vindicate him, when he knew that the coin was questioned on good authority.
It is just so in regard to religious questions. There are many counterfeit doctrines; there is but one genuine. That doctrine is to be found, not in the hoary tradition of the past, but in the Scriptures of truth. What does the Bible teach? will be the earnest inquiry of every true Protestant, and it should be of all. We purpose in this and future articles to examine the Sabbath question in the light of the Bible, under the following heads: 1. When was the Sabbath made? 2. How was it made? 3. By whom was it made? 4. For whom was it made? 5. For what purpose was it made? 6. Is it a definite day? 7. For how long was it made?
1. When was the Sabbath made? The Sabbath is of primeval institution. Like marriage, it was "from the beginning," before man's disobedience "brought death into the world, with all our woe." Therefore, to the record of the beginning we turn to learn what are the facts concerning it.72The first chapter of Genesis gives an account of the first six days' creation. These days were each composed of a dark and a light part,—evening and morning,—the day beginning with the evening. This is the divine method of beginning the day. The Bible knows no other. All of the six days' work the all-wise Creator pronounced "very good." After this record of the six days, we have the following record of the institution of the Sabbath:—
"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." Gen. 2:1-3.
At this time, in "the beginning," was the Sabbath instituted, founded upon the rest of the Creator himself. And right here we would notice an objection so often brought against the Sabbath, that it was a type of the heavenly Canaan, a type of the Christian dispensation, a type of Christ himself, or a type of the rest of faith. All these positions are taken, which certainly proves that sufficient evidence is wanting for any. Types point forward to something before, which is greater in some feature or features, than the things by which they are typified. They came in consequence of sin. God gave them to sinful man in order to cheer him in his pilgrimage, and confirm his hope for something better. They exist only in connection with the remedial scheme for fallen man's salvation. But the Sabbath antedates the fall of man, antedates the presentation of the remedial scheme, antedates the time of types. Therefore the Sabbath is not a type, but a commemorative institution founded of God at the very close of creation week. No amount of sophistry can evade the plain declaration of Scripture.
2. How was it made? This is a very important question. In an institution which seems to be demanded by the very nature of man, and of which we find more or less in nearly all the nations of earth, certainly God would mark it with that distinction which its prominence requires. And this he has done in its institution. In the wisdom of God, three acts were necessary to make the Sabbath.
(1.) God rested. That is, God kept Sabbath; for Sabbath means rest. God's resting upon that day made it his rest-day. But this was not enough.
(2.) God blessed that day. That made the seventh day God's blessed rest-day. That is, God distinguished that day above the others by placing his blessing upon it. Just the same as the Creator gave to man, who was created in his image, the pre-eminence above all other creatures, and declared him blessed (Gen. 1:28); so a pre-eminence was given to the day upon which the Creator rested, above all other days, and it was declared blessed; and whatever God blesses, yea, "it shall be blessed." Gen. 27:33. By this we do not mean that the day would be conscious of blessing, as would the man, but as man would prosper under the blessing of God, so the day upon which God places his blessing would be more fruitful of blessing to him who would truly observe it than any other day of the cycle would be.
(3.) God sanctified the day, because in it he had rested. Sanctify means, according to Worcester, "to ordain or set apart to sacred ends; to consecrate; to hallow." The original word rendered "sanctify," is defined by Young "to separate, set apart." Then when it says that God sanctified the day of the cycle upon which he rested, it means that he set it apart to a blessed use. His blessing lifted it above other days; his sanctification set it apart to a blessed or consecrated use. And this implies a command. In fact, nothing could be set apart unless there was a command concerning it. And this is evident from the use of the same original word elsewhere. We read in Joel 1:14: "Sanctify [that is, appoint or proclaim] ye a fast, call a solemn assembly." So we read in Josh. 20:7, "They appointed [sanctified] Kedesh in Galilee." That is, they commanded that Kedesh of Galilee should become a city of refuge. Again, in 2 Kings 10:20 we read, "And Jehu said, Proclaim [appoint or sanctify] a solemn assembly for Baal." And it is in this sense the word is used in Gen. 2:3. The passage could well read, And God blessed the seventh day and appointed it to be kept holy, or, proclaimed it as holy. The third verse of Genesis 2 is the record of a command of God for the setting apart of the Sabbath.
In this way was the Sabbath made. There was not one act too many, there was not one too few. Divine Wisdom could not err in either direction. But these acts on the part of the Creator were just enough; and they stamp the institution of the Sabbath with a prominence second to that of no institution mentioned in the word of God. And if such prominence is given to its origin, its institution, no less prominence ought to be given to any change or repeal which might afterward take place in reference to it. We desire our readers especially to note this point, and the importance which is given in the Bible to the origin of the Sabbath.
Most truly said Lange, the eminent German commentator, "If we had no other passage than this of Genesis 2:3, there would be no difficulty in deducing from it a precept for the universal observance of a Sabbath, or seventh day, to be devoted to God, as holy time, by all of that race for whom the earth and its nature were especially prepared. The first men must have known it. The words 'he hallowed [sanctified] it,' can have no meaning otherwise. They would be a blank, unless in reference to some who were required to keep it holy."
But we will consider the question further in our next.
TRUE BRAVERY.
"The old guard dies, but never surrenders," the famous saying attributed to Napoleon's trusted warriors, is considered by many almost sublime. It is the language of unswerving, uncompromising loyalty to a cause; and if that cause were true, the language would be sublime. It might be, however, the language of rashness and foolhardiness.
But there is a cause which has furnished greater examples of devotion and uncompromising loyalty than any cause of earth ever knew; and that is the cause of God. We will take two illustrations, not from the heat of battle, and the inspiration of martial music, but from those who stood alone.
The first is the reply of the three young Hebrews, when commanded by a king who had advanced them to posts of honor, to fall down and worship the golden image. They believed that God would deliver from the fiery furnace; "but," said they, "if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." Their faith, devotion, and loyalty were dominant in either life or death.
The second illustration is no less marked. It is that of an apostle who had been forewarned by a prophet that bonds awaited him at Jerusalem. His own brethren, who were very dear, endeavored to persuade him from going. Their strong appeals touch his heart, but they do not change his resolution nor swerve him from duty. Said he, "I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."
This is the loyalty of the true soldier of Christ in all his conflicts with the enemy, in all calls of duty. History abounds in numerous examples of such loyalty, beside which all mere human bravery pales into insignificance. This is the faith and loyalty demanded of the soldiers of Christ now.
A CHRISTMAS GLOBE.
By John Harvey Waggoner
If we should write of a Christmas tree, every reader would know at once to what we referred. But a Christmas globe may not be so well understood.
We must say that we are not believers in Christmas, because we do not believe that Christ was born on the 25th of December. There is not a particle of proof that he was; no, not even a probability. This day has not even the force of tradition in its favor, for the churches in the early centuries did not believe in it. There is no duty to observe any day as the birthday of Christ, for God has not, either by his word or in his providence, made known that day to us. Therefore its observance is not a religious matter, in the better sense of religious duty. But the 25th of December has been chosen for the natal day of our Saviour, and almost all nations observe it in some manner.
The popular method of celebrating this day is to have an evergreen tree, and to decorate it in the evening with candles, and with toys and gifts for the children. By this means it is made an occasion of merriment, and it often serves to gratify selfish feelings far more than to incite to reverence and love for the Saviour. As the day is generally celebrated, we doubt whether it is any benefit at all to the cause of Christianity.
The recognition of the day, however, has become so general that it was desired to have some exercise in our house of worship in Basel, and the officers of the church and the Sabbath-school turned it to good account. A large concave of blue was erected to represent the vault of the sky. This was sprinkled over with stars made of white cards. At the left stood a building to represent the birth-place of the Saviour in Bethlehem, and a small electric star gave a brilliant light over it. At the right stood a cross. In the center was a globe about five feet in diameter, slowly revolving by means of water power from below. On the globe were marked out the various countries and islands, with stars to mark the location of our various missions. A specially fine star pointed out Pitcairn Island, as the only place in the world where every inhabitant keeps the Sabbath of the Lord. Above the globe, in the vault of blue, were suspended three flying angels, with their messages, to represent Rev. 14:6-12.
Professor Kunz gave a brief sketch of the missions, and as he came to each one in order, a small boy came forward bearing a branch of evergreen, on which was a banner with the name of the mission plainly printed on it. A set of plainer banners indicated the great divisions of the world where we have no missions. There was also a Bible exercise for the children. Appropriate singing enlivened it all.
Altogether it was interesting and instructive. It gave a far better knowledge of our missionary work than could have been imparted in any other manner.
Contributions for our missions were taken by the boys bearing the mission banners. These amounted to 837 francs.
The attendance was large, some being present who were never before in our house of worship, and all were much interested. J. H. W.