Review and Herald, Vol. 32, No. 21.
THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, AND THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONYPage 1
THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, AND THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY.
By John Matteson
TEXT.— “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Rev. xii, 11. This portion of Scripture contains a graphic description of the means whereby Christians gain the victory, and also presents a prominent characteristic of the true followers of Jesus. 1. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb. The pronoun “they,” refers evidently to the brethren mentioned in verse 10. Mighty voices in Heaven sing of salvation, strength, and the kingdom of God, which has been purchased by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus has given his precious life. He has tasted death for every man. He has risen in triumph from the grave. He has ascended on high, and brought a multitude of captives with him to the Father’s throne. He has obtained for himself, a precious, royal diadem of living stones. They are his joy and crown of rejoicing. Out of these, four and twenty elders are made representatives of the whole ransomed host who are to people the new earth. They are represented in chap. xi, sitting before God on their seats, falling upon their faces before the great Majesty of Heaven. They worship him who liveth for ever and ever. They rejoice, “for the accuser of our brethren is cast down.” When they were on earth, they overcame by faith in the Son of God, and now they manifest the deepest interest in their brethren as they see them gaining victories over Satan, by faith in the atoning blood, that has been so freely shed for them. This song of salvation in Heaven is not a song that is sung once for all. It is not an animated strain that fills Heaven with rapture for a moment, and then dies away. No, no; again and again the mighty song of salvation fills the heavenly arches. The apostles and their contemporaries overcame the Devil by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony. They were persecuted, and many gave up their lives for Christ. A dark record appeared on earth: loss of property, friends, and life itself; tribulation, and scorn, and division; but a bright record in Heaven; joyful and triumphant songs there. Thousands of angels help to swell the chorus. Then come the dark ages, the great tribulation, the streams of blood from faithful martyrs, dying songs of praise from sisters and brethren who feed the flames. Thousands of golden, heavenly, eternal, crowns were thus gained; “for they loved not their lives unto the death.” Immortality was secured by the sacrifice of all in this world. Darkness covers the earth. Mighty billows of hatred, and envy, and murder, roll over the people of God. They are almost swallowed up in the flood from the mouth of the dragon. On earth, all is gloom, terror, and confusion. But hark! hear the mighty shouts of glory in Heaven. Hear the hallelujahs roll through Heaven’s high dome. Hear the heavenly strains of sweetest melody. Oh! how sweet. Our brethren overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony. They are sealed for Heaven. Soon they shall join us in the high praises of God. White robes are given them; but they must rest yet for a little season, until the number of their brethren, that shall be killed as they, shall be fulfilled. Then comes the time of the Reformation. New light shines on the pathway of God’s people. In Germany a rich harvest of souls is gathered. England is awakened. Men and women are dragged into prison, and executed for reading the Bible in their own language. France is marred with the blood of faithful souls; but the light of God’s holy word shines clearer and clearer. Thousands of precious souls that sit in darkness have seen the light appear. And is there no joy in Heaven? Yes, verily. Every orphan, every poor widow, every distressed soul that overcomes by the blood of the Lamb, shall reign with Jesus and wear the heavenly crown to all eternity, and over such there is joy in Heaven. This verse is also applicable to the remnant of God’s people. Our brethren in Heaven are no less interested in our present warfare and final overcoming than they have been in ages past. Brethren, we are living in a drowsy hour. The poisonous miasma from the stagnant waters of the stagnant pool of iniquity, has made us stupid. It works like opium. Let us shake ourselves from this deathlike stupor. Let us try to get a glimpse of the heavenly things. Behold what a cloud of witnesses we have around us. The great God himself is interested in our salvation. Christ and holy angels are deeply interested. Glorified brethren in Heaven wait to sing songs of our victories. Millions of saints will soon arise from their dusty beds, and join us, robed in immortality. Angels will carry us home to the mansions of light and glory. Jesus is still willing to plead his blood for us. We can overcome by the blood of the Lamb, as well as they, who have gone before us, have overcome. But it is no use to be discouraged, and stop trying. Let us confess, and turn away from our sins. Let us pray much to God for help. If something stands in the way of our prayer, so that we cannot exercise faith, let us stop and consider what that can be; and when we find the beam in our eye, let us calmly and carefully lay our plans, as God has directed in his word, so that we can resist the enemy. Let us not rest until we get that thing out of the way, which stands between us and God, whether it be the lust of the flesh, or the lust of the eye, or the pride of life. We can do it by the help of Jesus. The Devil is cunning; the world is mighty; the flesh has a strong influence over us; but Jesus is mightier than all these. He has gained a decided victory over them all. He can also help all that come unto him, and I know he will do it with the greatest pleasure; for of this he has given us assurance again and again. Let us then seek him diligently, and trust him, that we may also overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb. 2. They overcame him . . . by the word of their testimony. This testimony is called, in verse 17, “the testimony of Jesus Christ.” And in chap. xix, 10, it is explained to be “the spirit of prophecy.” In the Old Testament the ten commandments are called the testimony more than twenty times. But that was the testimony of God the Father. It is, in verse 17, called the commandments of God, and is distinct from the testimony of the Son. The testimony of Jesus, in its full sense, seems to signify the entire work and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, since Christ ascended to the Father. Rev. vi, 9; Acts xiv, 3; 1 Cor. i, 6; 2 Tim. i, 8; Rev. i, 2, 9. This Spirit came mightily upon the apostles, and every true follower of Jesus has a share in its operations more or less; for no one can be saved except they are sanctified and their bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit. But beside this work, common to the believers, there have been special gifts bestowed upon individuals, for the general good of the church. “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; . . . . . to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another prophecy;” &c. 1 Cor. xii. There were special manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the early church. And through these that church obtained the testimony of Jesus, by which they overcame. The same Spirit has worked with God’s people until this day. There are many professors who deny this, and of course know nothing about it; for as long as they disbelieve such manifestations they can never have them. We have but very little reliable history of the people of God through the dark ages; yet a few gleanings here and there tell us that God manifested himself to his people in the same manner during that period. And now as we have come down to the last days, and242 are numbered with the remnant of God’s people, we have reason to be truly thankful that God has remembered us in great mercy, and that we have the manifestations of the spirit of prophecy. I do not understand that “the word of their testimony” embraces anything more than the spirit of prophecy. But the visions and testimonies from the Lord, now given to us, as a people, form an important part of the testimony of Jesus. In the words of our text are evidently embraced all the means of grace which flow from these two great sources, Christ and the Spirit. The bleeding Lamb on Calvary who made reconciliation for the world, and placed us in a position where it was made possible for us to return unto God, and the living Spirit who has worked through the written and spoken word. “That Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest (pledge) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.” Eph. i. These are the two great moving forces whereby we are enabled to overcome. The sacrifice atones for our past sins, the Spirit creates a clean heart within, and leads on to perfection. We cannot be saved by either one of these operations alone. We must have both. Christ and the Comforter will go together. Justification and sanctification must go hand in hand. And although Christ now lives, and works for us in Heaven, yet he is not personally present with us upon earth. The Spirit is his representative, and holy angels his agents. When we grieve them we grieve Christ. When we drive them away from us, our hope in Christ is vain. The Lord has in mercy visited his people. Hundreds of personal testimonies are scattered among us, and general testimonies printed. These are of such a nature that they will prove a great blessing to all who regard and obey the warnings and instructions given. “As many as I love I rebuke and chasten.” The counsel of the faithful witness is, “Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see;” “And put away thy stains from thee,” the hymn reads. This certainly is the object of all the testimonies: that we may put away our sins. I have also been favored with instruction in that direction, for which I feel thankful to God. If followed out, it will lead me nearer to Jesus; if rejected, or laid aside, the enemy will gain upon me, and destroy my peace and final salvation. Brethren, the saints who have gone before us, overcame the Devil by the word of their testimony. We can also overcome by the same. And now, as the Lord graciously points out the way before us, let us try to love the narrow way. It leads to the kingdom. No other road leads there. There are many reasons why we should love it. Jesus has left his footprints all along the road. He gave up the riches of Heaven and became poor. Glory and honor he left behind, and was exposed to scorn and derision. Comfort and convenience he did not prefer, but was often without a shelter. This road is marked with the prints of his knees. Sometimes his face was bowed to the ground, in token of deepest humility. Is the servant above his Master? There, I see his tears, how they have fallen frequently all along the road. Yea, the warm blood from that loving heart has marked the narrow road. No jesting, no joking, no yielding to sin; but the deepest solemnity, often sobs, broken cries, and agonizing prayers. No selfish speculation, but the purest, most disinterested love ever flowing out to others. There, the road is marked by the cross; there hangs the sacrifice, the loving, bleeding Lamb of God. Then comes the grave, and finally the resurrection and glory. Is this the narrow road? Yes, this is the road that Jesus went, the only road that leads to glory. Glory is what I want; then this is the road I want to take: a road of self-denial, humility, living for others, laboring for others, turning away from every sin, a road of prayer, and tears, and agony. Yes, I want to go that road. Good-by honor, and riches, and pleasure, and vain friends. I am bound for the kingdom. I want Jesus. I look for him. I will wait and watch until he shall appear to give me the incorruptible inheritance. Patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and holy men of old, have walked in this road. Their deeds of faith are recorded. Monument after monument is raised along this route. They were flesh and blood as we are; yet they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Then we can also overcome by the same. Yes, take courage, brother, sister. Cheer up, lonely pilgrim. Lean on Jesus, aged father and mother. Youth and children, trust in God. Look at the crown, the harp, the tree of life, immortality in the kingdom of Jesus. We can have them. But it is the last watch. We must put on the whole armor of God. We must watch and pray. “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” 3. They loved not their lives unto the death. This means that they were willing to sacrifice their life in the cause of God. Some were not called upon to do so; but many did do it. Now we must have that same strong love to Jesus and his cause, that we can willingly lay down our life, if required to do so. This we can never do as long as we love the world, and the things that are in the world. If we get this strong, undying love to Jesus, we will not hesitate long to let a thousand dollars go [if we were men of property], and then another thousand, yes, and finally the last cent, when God shall require us to do so, and when it can be for his glory, and the advancement of his cause. What is our life? We may say our life is made up of our thoughts, and words, and actions. Then if we are willing to give our lives for Jesus, our words and actions must tell for the advancement of his cause. Otherwise we do not give our lives for the cause. And if I did not thus live, what would it profit the cause if I should give my life unto death for the truth’s sake? Nothing at all. Our lives must tell for Jesus, if our death should tell for him. “If I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits nothing.” Oh! for this pure and heavenly love to be the moving cause of all our actions. Oh! for the Spirit of God to search our hearts, that we may stand the test of the Judgment. Oh! for living faith and constant diligence that we may lay hold of all the means of grace, and finally overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony. “Thou hast made us for Thyself; and the heart never resteth till it findeth rest in thee.”—ST. AUGUSTINE. MADE for Thyself, O God!
Made for thy love, thy service, thy delight;
Made to show forth thy wisdom, grace, and might;
Made for thy praise, whom holy angels laud!
A joy to thee! Yet the heart turns away
From this grand destiny of bliss, and deems
'Twas made for its poor self, for passing dreams!
Chasing illusions melting day by day,
Till for ourselves we read on this world's best,
“This is not rest!” Nor can the vain toil cease
Till in the shadowy maze of life we meet
One, who can guide our aching, wayward feet,
To find Himself, our Way, our Life, our Peace.
In him the long unrest is soothed and stilled;
Our hearts are filled. O rest, so true, so sweet!
(Would it were shared by all the weary world!)
'Neath shadowing banner of His love unfurled,
We bend to kiss the Master's pierced feet;
Then lean our love upon his boundless breast,
And know God's rest! THE RESURRECTION OF SINNERS.
THE burden of the gospel is the way of salvation, and the blessedness of the saved. But this is not all; it also makes mention of the helplessness of man without the gospel, and the hopelessness of those who reject its claims. Ruin awaited man if Christ had not been offered; retribution awaits those by whom the great salvation is rejected, the crucified Redeemer trodden under foot, the blood of the everlasting covenant counted an unholy thing, and the Spirit of grace resisted and despised. Having considered the resurrection from the grave as the personal hope of the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles; having seen the resurrection of the just presented as the hope and heritage of all the faithful of the Lord; having considered the scriptures which declare that the children also “shall come again from the land of the enemy,” we are now led to remark that THE HOLY SCRIPTURES DIRECTLY ASSERT, OR EXPRESSLY IMPLY, THE RESURRECTION OF CERTAIN UNGODLY MEN WHO ARE MENTIONED BY NAME, OR IDENTIFIED BY THE ACTS WHICH THEY HAVE COMMITTED. I. BALAAM. Num. xxiv. 14–23. Hired of Balak to curse Israel for money, compelled of God to pronounce benedictions instead of maledictions, he “heard the words of God,” and “knew the knowledge of the Most High,” and “saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance with his eyes open,” this man,—so corrupt, so covetous and sinful, whose desire to “die the death of the righteous” without living their life, found its fitting response when he was slain by the sword of vengeance while fighting against Israel whom God had compelled him to bless;—and who is held up to all the age as an example to those who have “gone in the way of Balaam for a reward,” and coveted “the wages of unrighteousness,”—this man, about whose character there is no recorded virtue, and about whose death there is not one ray of hope, was yet compelled, by the Holy Ghost, to foretell the coming of Messiah, and to say, “I SHALL SEE HIM, but NOT NOW; I SHALL BEHOLD HIM, but NOT NIGH; there shall come a STAR out of Jacob, and a SCEPTER shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. . . . Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth in the city. . . . Amalek was the first of the nations, but his latter end shall be that he perish forever. . . . ALAS, WHO SHALL LIVE WHEN GOD DOETH THIS?” It is plain that Balaam predicted the rising of Bethlehem’s star; to view which, long after, wise men came from the regions of the East. It is also plain that Balaam died a godless, an unpardoned man, and has never yet seen Jesus Christ. But he “shall see him,—NOT NOW,” but when he comes to judge the world. He shall behold him,—NOT NOW,” but afar off, when he stands at the left hand, and hears the word, “depart,” and plunges into “the blackness of darkness for ever and ever.” Hence Balaam must arise from the grave in the Judgment day, to receive the doom that he has merited, and the wages of sin which he has earned. II. THE MEN OF NINEVEH who REPENTED, and the generation who heard Christ and did not repent, shall also arise. Luke xi, 29–32. Thus it is written: “When the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation, they seek a sign; and there shall be no sign given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. The queen of the South shall rise up in the Judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them; for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the Judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and, behold, a greater than Jonah is here.” Both classes are to be represented then. The believing queen of Sheba, who came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, shall rise up in the Judgment with the unbelieving Jews, who reject the wisdom of God in their midst. The penitent Ninevites who accepted Jonah’s message, shall rise up in the Judgment with the impenitent Jews who despised the gospel Jesus brought to man. Both shall rise, and both shall receive their deserts at the hand of “the Lord the righteous Judge.” III. THOSE who enjoyed Christ’s PERSONAL MINISTRY and yet CONTINUED IN SIN, shall rise. Luke xiii, 23–30. “As he was teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem, there said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the Master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are; then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.” What a day that will be! The Master waits long and patiently for the loitering guests. At length he rises and shuts the door. No one can enter then. Many will vainly seek admission when it is too late. They stand without, while they see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God. Then they plead for entrance: “We have eaten and drunk in thy presence; and thou hast taught in our streets.” No one can say this but those who lived and walked with Jesus when he was on the earth. Christ has not taught in any streets for eighteen hundred years, but in that day “workers of iniquity” who ate and drank with Christ, perhaps among the thousands that he fed, and who listened to his instructions and admonitions, shall plead for recognition and be thrust out from the glory which they shall behold the patriarchs and prophets enjoying, but which they shall never be permitted to partake.243 IV. THE PRIEST and COUNCIL who condemned the Lord Jesus. Matt. xxvi, 63, 64. When they had conspired for his betrayal, paid the price of Judas’ treachery, and Christ was arrested in his midnight agony, and brought into the Jewish Sanhedrim, the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death. But to all their lies and accusations he made no response; until at length the high priest and all the council most solemnly demanded an answer, saying, “I adjure thee by the living God that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ the Son of God. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said; nevertheless I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” The impious mockery went on; the Lord was crucified; those men mocked his dying agonies; sealed his tomb, and set a watch about the door; lied about his resurrection; whipped, persecuted, and murdered his witnesses; feared not God, and were contrary to all men; till wrath came upon them to the uttermost. But nevertheless those very men who judged, and mocked, and buffeted, the Son of God, must rise to see his face in the royal glory of his return when he shall come to judge the world and reign forevermore. V. THE MEN WHO CRUCIFIED CHRIST. Rev. i, 7. When priests and rulers had united to condemn and kill the Just, the soldiers led him out to Calvary. There, in fulfillment of prophecy, they pierced his hands, and pierced his feet with cruel nails, fastening him to the cross; and at last one of the soldiers took a spear and thrust it deep into his side. Thus Jesus died. But he lives again, and will come again in glory; and to that day the beloved disciples looked when he said, “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him; and they also which pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so; Amen.” Not only shall Balaam see him; not only shall the Jewish council see him; but “every eye shall see him.” The rough soldier that mocked and taunted him, and pierced his brow with thorns; the cruel crucifiers who pierced his hands and feet; and the soldier who pierced his side with a spear; “they also that pierced him” shall rise from death to see him in that day. The Scriptures teach the resurrection of individual sinners, as well as the resurrection of individual saints. Job says, “In my flesh shall I see God.” Balaam responds, “I shall see him, but not now.” Isaiah says to the waiting saint, “Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty.” But Jesus also said to the godless priests who judged him, “Ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” These words are true and faithful. Job and Balaam, Caiaphas and Paul, the queen of Sheba and the impenitent Jews; the men of Nineveh, and the men of Judea; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their ungodly descendants who refused the gospel call; those who pitied Jesus, and those who pierced him; all must hear his voice, and come to meet their Lord and Judge. And you and I, my reader, must behold them then; we must see his face, and hear his voice. The very oath of God declares that “every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess to God.” “Great God! what do I see and hear!
The end of things created!
The Judge of man I see appear,
On clouds of glory seated.
The trumpet sounds,—the graves restore
The dead which they contained before;
Prepare, my soul, to meet him.”
—The Christian. LOVE NOT THE WORLD.
By James Sawyer
“LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John ii, 15. Are there those who bear the name of Seventh-day Adventists, deeply in love with the world? Allow me to ask a few questions: When unbelieving friends call to visit you, do you make extra efforts to please their tastes, and set before them several dishes of which your own conscience forbids you to use freely, and sometimes forbids you to use at all? But, says one, I have friends who often call on me, and who cannot do without their tea, coffee, &c., and would not visit me unless I furnished such articles for the table. Are you not better off without frequent visits from such friends? Do you think of winning your friends to a love of the truth in this way? by pampering their appetites and getting their minds so beclouded that their moral and reasoning faculties cannot act upon the principles of divine truth? Now it is a conceded point, by all, that when alcohol is in, reason and religion are out; so when stimulants, which arouse the animality of the mind, are in, the conceptions of the beauties and excellences of sacred truth are out; so you may labor to convert your friends in this way, but before you are aware of it, they will have converted you. Would it not be exerting an immoral influence to provide wine that contains alcohol, or gin, for your visitors who are in the habit of using such stimulants, because it pleases their taste? Is not the same principle involved in either case? Now salt and the saline properties of butter are not very wholesome. When you are aware of this, and highly season your food as such visitors call upon you, thus inducing your own families to partake of such unhealthy food, is this in accordance with your faith? Do you love to mingle in the society of unbelievers, and now and then make a visit where they talk mostly about this one's faults or that one's calamities, this one's worldly success or that one's failure—cultivating your anxiety about the good things of this world? Can you often go where you must spend several hours in such company to whom it would be unwelcome to recommend the religion of your Master? Is the reform dress a dreadful cross to you, and while line upon line, and precept upon precept, have been given on this point, appealing to sisters to consider this matter and act upon it according to light, are you slighting this part of the reform by adopting just enough of it to destroy your influence entirely? How can you avoid paying some attention to this part of the work? Will not the Lord's remnant people seek to win souls to Christ wherever they go? While Jesus is pleading with his Father to spare his people, are you endeavoring to get a victory over your lower propensities of mind, those faculties which induce in you contention, revenge, faultfinding, covetousness, idolatry, &c.? Forty days were once spent by Jesus fasting in the wilderness to prepare him to withstand the strong temptation of Satan; and do you ever spend even a few hours in preparing to endure temptation when called to mingle in the busy throng, or in the society of those whose tables are loaded with such viands as are calculated to arouse the animal propensities, and cause you to say things which, otherwise, you would not. Do you think of overcoming easier than the Saviour did? Are you trying to get to Heaven without denying self? While temperance in all things is necessary to win an earthly crown, can you expect to gain an incorruptible one through the gratification of unrestrained, selfish desires? Are you tarrying in the plain? Are you looking behind you? Are you remembering Lot's wife? Are you the inconsiderate ones who are sleeping at their post? Are you living without prayer? What! no prevailing prayer with you at all? Are you drawing sap from the vine, or are you the branches that are almost ready to be broken off? There is plenty of knowledge and wisdom above. Have you asked for them? Have you sought for them with all your heart? There is plenty of mercy at the mercy-seat. Are you repenting so that the cherubic host may cry, Mercy, in your ears? Is not the day of reckoning at hand, in which the Lord will require his own with usury? Is your hope big with immortality? or is it such that you are likely to be miserable, even in this life? Are you wavering, unstable, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Why don't you make a decision, and come out from the world? Satan thinks he now has you safe, while you are admiring the baubles of earth. But look away, and get a glimpse of the coming kingdom. See the earth adorned with unfading beauty, anticipate your eternal home embellished with everlasting splendor, long for the mansions which Jesus has gone to prepare for you, agonize to subdue your carnal mind, so that you can yield to the mild scepter of our King, and Satan will leave you. Let us not love the world, nor the things that are in the world; for all that is in the world, such as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. ARCHBISHOP WHATELY.—On one occasion, he said to some of his young clergy, “My younger brethren, if at any time you find your preaching productive of good, and that your congregation value your exertions, beware of being puffed up and losing your balance! Self-respect is valuable and useful; but as there will be a sufficient growth each day, cut it close every morning. And when, through the goodness of God, you are successful in your ministry, enter into your closet, fall down on your knees before the throne, and to the Lamb ascribe all the praise, the honor, and the glory.” ONE of the preachers of the late Methodist Convention, held in this city, made confession to the fact, which he of course lamented after the customary manner, that true spiritual life was fast declining in the denomination, that the old spirit was rapidly dying out, that simplicity of faith and habit was no longer in the fashion, and that they were all come at length to a stand beyond which they could not pretend to see their future. It is by no means a hopeful look to take of matters. When the public preachers and the leaders of a religious organization boldly come before the assemblages of their followers, and state that the light and life is going out, and that they neither account for it nor advise how to prevent its total extinguishment, it may be reasonably inferred that there is a fundamental, interior cause for such a change of things, which it is well worth the while to ferret out, and bring to the surface. Nor do we entertain any great doubt that the cause is practically discerned by them, even while in the act of making the confession. It all means this: that they have pursued the form and lost sight of the substance; that there has been too much consideration paid to the outward organization, while the life itself has been left to take its chances; that the world has successfully prevailed against the spirit, and the love of power has crowded down the devotion to the truth in its simplicity; in fine, that the people have fed upon the husks when they should have had the kernel.— Banner of Light. Rev. Dr. Chapin writes as follows in the Liberal Christian: There has never been a time when the calls for philanthropic activity were so numerous and pressing as to-day. Our northern society is honey-combed with evils and vices. Turn which way we will, we are confronted with a pitfall, or a slough. Our streets are filled with beggars; truant and vagrant children, coarse, ragged, pale, meet us everywhere, asking us to buy that they may not starve. Men and women appeal to us for labor or aid to keep them from crime. Noble charities are suffering for want of funds to carry on beneficent operations; and as we go to see what can be done, a young man falls prostrate at our feet from intemperance, and in trying to relieve him we stumble into the mouth of hell, where Satan plays his game for souls, burning up the bodies of his victims to get the stakes he has won before the time. It seems as though the fountain springs of vice had overflowed and oozed down through a thousand invisible channels, and made the very ground beneath our feet one vast quagmire of sensuality, and corruption, and crime; and out of the morass come up the pleading voices of thousands and thousands to save them from sinking, and lift them back to the solid ground of virtue; here are many States filled with ignorance and vice, disorder and misery, opened to Christian charity. To say little and perform much is noble. The practice of attributing to the Scriptures a spiritual or hidden meaning, which has wrought such mischief in the theological world, dates, it seems, far back of the early Christian fathers, with whom it is generally supposed to have originated. Dr. W. Graham, of Bonn, claims that it sprang up with Jewish interpreters, while the Jewish nation was under the dominion of the Greeks. He thus speaks of them during that portion of their history:— “Bear in mind, also, three things which will help to throw some light on the condition of the Jews during these centuries of suffering and sorrow. 1. That only a small portion of the nation returned from Babylon; and those who did return and constitute the kingdom anew, never attained to independence. They knew, and felt, and confessed, their bondage, even after their restoration; Neh. ix, 36, 37. 2. They had no gift of prophecy any more; the Urim and Thummim were no more; the Shechinah had returned to the heavenly throne, and thus all direct intercourse with God, in the way of revelation, ceased. 3. They were no longer governed by the family of David. Zerubbabel, indeed, was a prince of the line of David, and Nehemiah is supposed by some to have been so; but after his death there was no individual governor appointed, but a kind of aristocracy, or general council, was entrusted with the affairs of the nation. This was the Sanhedrim over which the high priest presided; and thus gradually the whole power, civil and ecclesiastical, settled in the hands of the pontiffs. Bearing these things in mind, let us figure to our minds the condition of the nation in its relations to the Greek kingdoms of Egypt and Antioch. “During this period, in the absence of the heavenly guidance, sprang up the doctrines of the Cabala, which abandoned the letter of the law, and sought out hidden meanings, in points and letters and words, so that fancy and ingenuity could bring any signification out of any passage. These were the founders of the spiritualizing, or rationalistic, or mythical system of interpretation. Origen brought it into the church, and it has exercised, and is still exercising, a deadly influence on the interpretation of the word of God.” It is thus a singular and noteworthy fact that that system of interpretation which is called “spiritual,” whatever is meant by the term in such an application, originated at a time when the Spirit of God had left his professed people, and the heavenly guidance was wanting. How far, then, must such a method of interpretation lead us from the mind of the Spirit. Well does Dr. Graham call that influence “deadly” which it has exercised on the interpretation of the word of God.