Earlier text: CULTIVATION OF THE VOICECONSISTENT, OR INCONSISTENT?
By E. Lanphear
Dr. Cuyler preached upon the Sabbath question a few weeks ago, from the text, “The Sabbath was made for man.” The sermon was published under the heading, “The Foundation to be Maintained.” He said:— “If the foundation of an edifice were undermined, its fall would be only a question of time. The Bible is the foundation of our faith, and its enemies most pertinaciously assail it. [Correct.] The enemies of the gospel are, however, still numerous, and their chief point of attack is now the Sabbath. That, however, is another foundation of our religion which we cannot allow to be undermined. [Correct.] There is the same reason for maintaining the binding force of the fourth commandment as that of the seventh or eighth, and the Sabbath of the decalogue is no more a Jewish institution than chastity or honesty. All experience shows that a great blessing follows the observance of the Sabbath law, as is the case with all other divine laws. May God forbid that our Sabbath should ever become a day of sports and drinking, as it is on the continent of Europe.” This is sensible doctrine thus far, surely. Could a Seventh-day Baptist or a Seventh-day Adventist ask for anything sounder? But does Dr. Cuyler realize his position, and that he is condemning his own consistency by his inconsistency in observing Sunday, the first day of the week, in place of the seventh day, the Sabbath that God made for man? And does he realize that he is joining with the infidel and the idolatrous in treading under foot the law of God,—“Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God”? Has the Creator ever changed his law, or authorized it to be changed? Would Dr. Cuyler make God a changeable being, and allow men to change times and laws? Would that be consistent for the God of the universe? and would it accord with the Doctor’s statements, as quoted above from his discourse? But how strange that men of ability, and ministers at that, should take such a position in relation to the law of God. “If the blind lead the blind,” shall they not both “fall into the ditch”? The preacher says in his sermon, “I honor the Daily Witness, because it stands up for the fourth commandment, and obeys it in its office arrangements.” This office runs on the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath that God made for man, as on other working days, and observes Sunday, the heathen’s day of the sun, calling that the Sabbath of the Lord; and the Doctor honors it in so doing. Consistent or inconsistent—which? Speaking of the change of the day from the seventh to the first day of the week, the latter, he said, “was more appropriate, as the one commemorated the completion of creation, and the other commemorated the completion of the work of redemption.” We ask for the Doctor’s authority on this point. Are not the Lord’s supper and baptism satisfactory as memorials of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, without interfering with the Sabbath and the law of God? Again he says, “The apostles met on the first day of the week, and Jesus met with them.” Did he not meet with them on other days? John 21:1; Luke 24:50. And was it not their custom to meet on the Sabbath? Did they or any one of the sacred writers ever apply the word “Sabbath” to the first day of the week? We have failed to find it. But the preacher said that “St. John, in the book of Revelation, called it the Lord’s day.” Again we ask for Scripture authority for such an application. He says, “The Son of God is Lord of the Sabbath. The day belongs to him, and he has given it to man as a great boon in this world of toil and care.” Did the Son of God give the Sabbath to man? or did God make it for man, and make his Son Lord of it, as to what should be done upon it? It seems to us that this is a more correct, Scriptural view of the subject. Let the reader carefully study to learn the truth of the gospel on this subject, and learn consistency as touching the law of God. ACUTE DISEASES AND THEIR REMEDY.
By J. E. Homans
THE following article from the Christian Weekly, republished in the Advance (Chicago) is very interesting, as it shows the view, not of the unthinking class, that are swayed with every gust of public opinion, but of those who read, observe, calmly compare, and think. Their opinions are entitled to weight. The papers in which the article appears are among the leading ones of our country, and no one accuses them, or the able writer of the article, Rev. J. E. Homans, of fanaticism. Neither is this an isolated article; plenty more of the same sort are published in the leading journals. Why is there an undertone of such deep concern? Is it not because we are living in the times when our Saviour said the hearts of men should fail them for fear, and for looking after those things that shall come upon the earth? An old New York physician calling upon Dr. Harris, the distinguished statistician, some months ago, was led to the following line of remark. Observing the pigeon-holes all around the office filled with reports of sanitary matters from all parts of the world, he said,— “How remarkable it is, Dr. Harris, that from every quarter there comes the same story of the prevalence and fatal character of acute diseases.” “Yes,” was the reply, “we have the same report from lands civilized and uncivilized, from Africa and Asia, as well as Europe and this country. Such diseases as pneumonia and diphtheria are everywhere increasing, and increasingly fatal.” “Well, how do you account for the fact that they yield so much less easily to medical treatment?” “You know that we physicians have been compelled during the past twenty years to change our entire course of administration. It has not been change of theory merely, but compulsory change of practice. Twenty years ago, if a man had an attack of pneumonia, we bled him and took away his strength, and in most cases, even after this process of depletion, he would rally and recover. But now, we, from the outset of the attack, must stimulate and build up his strength, and still in most cases, if at all severe, he gives way and dies. Now what has brought about this great change? If the altered state of things were confined to civilized lands alone, we might look for some cause in the changed habits of this generation, or the use of gases and furnaces, or other enfeebling luxuries of domestic living; but the same facts existing in savage and uncivilized countries, show that the85 cause lies outside of these influences. Now for a universal evil there must be a universal cause. My opinion is that some cause has been in operation affecting the whole world, and the constitution of the race. Whether it be atmospheric or planetary, or whatever the source, there has been some agency which has gradually but surely been lowering the tone of the human system, and making it more difficult to rally it from the attacks of violent disease. This, the testimony of all medical men everywhere will most surely corroborate.” These remarks, which were in substance related to me by the able physician who made them, are not only suggestive of thought, in connection with the physical condition of men in general, they point to an analogous state of things in the spiritual world as well. It cannot be denied that in the moral and religious tone of society at large all the world over, there has been a deterioration and a failure to respond to former remedies, of increasing and notable character. The average Christian conscience has lost much of its tenderness, and does not hesitate to act upon principles which even a generation since would have been accepted with great hesitation. The lines of Christian conformity to the maxims of amusements of the world, are much more loosely drawn. The participation in theatrical and operatic exhibitions, the mingling in dances, the Sabbath indulgences of reading and riding and neglect of the service of God, were very differently regarded then by most professors of religion. And as the evil has extended, the old remedies of religious warning and instruction have greatly failed of their former effects. There is less closet study and reading of the word, less private prayer, less exaltation of self-denial, and of strict integrity in all the relations of life. And this relaxation and moral feebleness appear to be of universal prevalence and obstinacy. Is there, then, some general cause which is affecting the world morally and spiritually, as well as physically? Are we drawing nigh to the “last days,” when “perilous times shall come”? “For men shall,” then the apostle tells us, “be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” Truly these are acute diseases of the soul. And what is the remedy? Must we stimulate with the exhilarating tonics which many sensational preachers and teachers now adopt? Must we substitute entertainments for gospel simplicity and earnest truths? Some seem to think so. But will it be found in the end, that these human devices will result, as in the corresponding medical treatment, in failure and death in most cases so treated? In any event, let us recognize the facts as they exist, and use the means which God has always blessed, and which alone can meet the acute diseases of sin as manifested in the age in which we live. EXPERIENCE, TOBACCO.
By Roswell F. Cottrell
Yesterday, Jan. 13, I visited a brother who is in the eighty-ninth year of his age. He embraced the Sabbath between fifteen and twenty years ago; but has been isolated from Sabbath-keepers most of the time, seldom having the opportunity of meeting with our people, and never uniting with any church. He told me that from early life he had used tobacco; that his father used to tell him it was a sin, but he did not heed it. Recently he was reflecting on his spiritual state. He felt convicted that he was in a backslidden state, or that he was at the best lukewarm, and remembered that the Lord said that he would spew such out of his mouth. He began to examine himself, and to pray earnestly that the Lord would show him his faults, that he might put them away, and again feel that he enjoyed his favor. And it seemed to him that the Lord was present, entering into conversation with him. The text was presented to him that bids us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. That, he told the Lord, he wanted to do. The Lord reminded him of what had been done for him, and asked him what he was willing to do in return. He replied, “I will give up all, and make any sacrifice, that I may please thee.” He had not yet even thought of his tobacco. But the question then came to him, “Will you give up your tobacco?” He replied, “I will, by thy assisting grace;” and he spit it out of his mouth, determined to use no more. He had tried a number of times before to quit its use; but it always made him sick. Now that he had promised before God, he felt he must keep his vow; and he pleaded earnestly with God for help. His prayer was heard. This was over a month ago; and he has not tasted tobacco since, nor felt the least desire for it. He is happy in the love of God, and joyful in hope; and feels that he is ready now to depart in peace. This is the substance of his experience, as nearly as I can relate it in brief, as he related it to me. It may help some soul to see the evil of the filthy habit as it is in the sight of a holy God; and at the same time to learn that there is help in God for those who will, by his grace, abandon it forever. DANCING
By Daniel T. Bourdeau
Is dancing, in the common acceptation of that term, approved or condemned by the Scriptures? Some argue, from certain cases in which dancing is mentioned in the Bible, that it is justifiable. For instance, they present the case of David’s dancing before the ark (2 Sam. 6:14); that of the women of Israel following Miriam with timbrels and with dances, when Pharaoh and his host had been destroyed in the Red Sea, Ex. 15:20; that of the rejoicing and dancing on the occasion of the prodigal son’s return, etc. They also quote such expressions as this, used by David: “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing.” Ps. 30:11. Now I claim that not one of these cases proves that common dancing is justifiable. The dancing of David, or his leaping with all his might (French translation), was not common dancing to a jig, associated with levity and vain words and actions. It was not an exercise in which self was the great center of attraction, and praise the great object of pursuit. It was a leaping for joy under the influence of God’s Spirit, under a true sense of the sacredness of the ark and of the holy law it contained, which condemns vanity and self-worship, and with devout gratitude to the Majesty of Heaven for the privilege of following so precious a treasure, with the hope of having it in his own city. Would to God there was more of this kind of dancing. Then surely there would be less of the profane kind. So of the case of the women at the Red Sea. There were no musicians there, playing profane songs which were responded to, in the manner of the world. The women were playing on timbrels, singing and dancing, or leaping for joy, at the same time; and the nature of their singing is indicated by these words: “And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” Ex. 15:21. Such was the nature of the singing and dancing of the women who met David when he had, with the help of God, gained victories over the Philistines, etc. According to the French version, Ps. 30:11 reads: “Thou hast changed my mourning into joy.” Nor does the dancing on the occasion of the return of the prodigal son (Luke 15), prove that it is lawful to practice the kind of dancing under consideration even on the supposition that this dancing is the kind that was indulged in on that joyful occasion. The case of the prodigal son is introduced in a parable, and we should be very careful not to wrench from every incident in a parable distinct and specific meaning, especially when the great question of duty is considered. The great object of parables should be borne in mind, else they cease to be parables, and become literal narrations, so far, at least, as the impressions made on the mind are concerned; in which case great confusion must necessarily follow. Take as an illustration a few cases in symbolic prophecy, which is made up of parables. Take the lion with two wings, the leopard with four wings and four heads, and the fourth beast introduced in Dan. 7, which had iron teeth and brazen nails and a little horn speaking great words. Try to make a literal application of all the specifications of these symbols, and you make the Holy One a liar! For there never were lions and leopards with wings, leopards with four heads, and dreadful, living beasts with iron teeth, etc. Take again the parable of the unjust steward in the chapter following the one containing the parable of the prodigal son. He was about to be turned out of his office, and robbed his lord by favoring his debtors, that when he lost his position, they (the debtors) should receive him into their houses. “And the lord commended” this man, and the Saviour, making his application, says, “For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” Did this master and the Saviour approve the course of the steward in stealing? No; but they commended his prudence. So in the case before us. The Saviour does not approve of dancing. And it remains to be proved that there were, even from the standpoint of the parable, more than simple demonstrations of joy, expressed with a heart full of gratitude for the restoration of one who had been lost, but was found. Common dancing and its accompaniments are sinful, because they lead, not to a separation from the world, but a union with the world, and a separation from God, his truth and his people. When worldly pleasure excites and occupies the mind, and fills the heart, it becomes the god that is worshiped, and the worship of God and the pleasures growing out of his service, of communion with him and with the saints, become insipid to the spiritual taste; backsliding is taking place, and ruin is near. The only remedy is to heartily repent, and resolutely walk up the narrow road ascending the hill of holiness. It is certainly a sure evidence of falling away to see members of various denominations unite with the world in dancing and in parties of worldly pleasure; and such a course places upon many the prophetic appellation, “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” The apostle immediately adds, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” 2 Tim. 3:4, 5. A palpable proof of the evil tendency of dancing is seen in the fact that the dancing of Herodias cost the life of the greatest of prophets. The spirit accompanying the enjoyment of worldly pleasure must, if cherished in the blazing light of present truth, lead to a hatred of the humble followers of Jesus Christ. We cannot love the world and its sinful pleasures, and still be the followers of Christ. We are called to even abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22); how much more, then, should we abstain from this great evil! great in the light of proofs already presented, great because, on the supposition that it is not evil of itself, it is made an open and inviting door to the world, to sin and ruin. If Paul could abstain from eating flesh as long as he lived, lest he offend his weak brethren and lead them into idolatry, should we not, even from this standpoint, abstain from the practice under consideration? Let the lovers of this practice answer the following questions, as in the sight of God and as Judgment-bound:— 1. If Christ were on earth as in the days of his flesh, would he engage in this practice? And should I go where Christ would not go, unless it was to reprove? 2. Would Christ, who when upon earth said, “Woe unto you that laugh now! [in the enjoyment of worldly pleasure]; for ye shall mourn and weep,” now approve of that joy that is sought in such amusements? 3. If those who advocate the practice we are combating, were to meet the Lord in the very act of dancing and in the enjoyment of hilarity and glee, would they be prepared to say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us; . . . we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation”? Isa. 25:9. There are genuine pleasures and solid joys in the service of God. “Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.” Ps. 119:35. “As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing.” “Rejoice evermore.” “In everything give thanks.” 2 Cor. 6:10; 1 Thess. 5:16, 18. OLD SABBATH-KEEPERS.
By Mrs. M. E. Steward
God has highly honored those who have been long connected with his truth. The knowledge and experience they have gained are valuable, and vastly increase their obligations and responsibilities. But are we wanting as a people? So says the message to the Laodiceans. But when Jesus “sups” in the heart (Rev. 3:20) divine strength is the result. When the “word” (which is always a fruitful scion) is truly “engrafted” (James 1:21) it grows and is productive of much good; but, simply held in the hand (though full of life in itself) it is barren and profitless. The Lord has come near to us of late, in the view given of the Judgment. What more can he do for us than he has done? There is nothing left but for us to act (God cannot do this for us), with our whole hearts in the work, and that not for a day, but, in the grace of God, to walk and work constantly in him. “Eternity’s years will tell for our faithfulness now;” yet with the strength of inward evil tendencies, and the great wrath and power of Satan, there is the greatest danger of failure. Through persevering watchfulness and prayer, and trust in the dear Saviour, we can and shall overcome! For he who has undertaken for us is able to save to the uttermost. Has he not given us renewed evidence of his interest in us? Oh, for grace to even yet bring him home for our daily and eternal salvation. God Honors Those Who Stand by Him
WHEREVER you can find a man who stands by God, God will stand by him; if you honor him, he will honor you. Talmage's Lions and Wall Street Bears
Dr. Talmage assumes that the power that kept the lions from hurting Daniel will save the virtuous young man from the “bears” in Wall street. On which the New York Herald pertinently asks, “But where would the preacher have got his simile had Daniel gone of his own will into that Persian menagerie and played ‘bull?’” A very necessary and very desirable quality, if one would be useful and popular in society, is that which the little word tact defines. What is it? It is easy to say what it is not. It is not insincerity. It is not mere policy. It is not a habit of hollow politeness. It is not a varnish of compliment which is always at hand to soothe hurt sensibilities. It is not fashionable conventionality, nor superficial elegance. So much for the negative. Now for the affirmative. It is a delicate and suitable gift, almost like a sixth sense, which enables its possessor to grasp a situation, and say and do the best thing, in the best manner, at the right moment. It never rushes in too soon, nor arrives on the ground too late. It is never off guard. It never offends by that bluntness which is allied to rudeness. It is not brusque nor harsh. It never gives a cold “Thank you” for a kind wish, nor turns its cheek to be kissed when a friend offers the lips. It is quick, sensitive, tender, merry, affectionate and sympathetic. It does not tell blithe stories to those who mourn, and weary aching hearts by laughter and frolic. It does not carry a tearful face to the wedding, nor prophesy sad things over the baby’s cradle. The woman who has tact may have no beauty, no grace, no learning and no wealth, but she will be charming, and everybody will own her charm. Let her enter what company she may, all will be glad to see her. Let her entertain guests, and they will go away declaring her praises. She will, as with a diviner’s wand, call forth the best that is in everybody, and all will feel happier for her influence. Do not think that the person who has tact is not a person of truth. The finest tact cannot exist except in the soul and in the manner of one who is true and pure and tender, through and through. Do not fancy, either, that it is a gift of nature and not a trait which can be cultivated. It is susceptible of culture, as almost all good and noble things are. If you are deficient in it, set to work at once to see how and why, and to look for a remedy. Remember that the people noted for tact—real, beautiful, unerring tact—are always unselfish people. They are not set upon having their own rights first of all. They are not touchy. They are not haughty, and given to cherishing their own dignity. They are not easily affronted. They do not alienate hearts which love them by suspicions and jealousies and envies and misunderstandings. The tact which blossoms into the loveliest living has its root at the Cross. Every day the dews of Heaven water it. Every day God’s sunbeams fall on it, and it grows like a flower in the light of Heaven. “Do you like Dr. S—— as well as ever?” was the question once addressed to a member of the A—— Street Church. “Oh, yes; his sermons are roast beef and plum pudding to us for a whole week.” This was high praise, surely, and bespoke a full larder, as well as no small skill in setting out the feast. It gives us at once an idea of the man, and of his sermons, and of the study, too, whence such sermons came. We catch a glimpse of a quiet room, better stocked with standard works than with the literature of Tupper and Gilfillan—of a patient, prayerful man, rising from his knees to adjust his manuscripts for the day; and of an open Bible on the study table. The hat and cane are laid aside, for he has already paid a visit to the suffering family in the adjoining alley, or to the sick bed of a dying parishioner; and “it is well before preaching to look over the verge.” While such a man writes, let no one needlessly intrude, for the robbery of his hour is the plundering of a whole congregation. In a minister’s study-hours, the “talk of the lips tendeth to penury.” Of the discourses of Dr. S——, on which such a savory encomium was pronounced, we had no personal knowledge; but we can easily conjecture some of the qualities which made them so nutritious. 1. They must have had a great deal of Bible in them. Not an occasional scrap, or a dainty passage culled out to beautify a sentence and round off a period, but wholly saturated with the word of God. Hamilton tells us that Dr. Chalmers’ discourses “held the Bible in solution.” The strong meat is found in the Scriptures alone. The preacher who never “wears out,” or wears his people out either, is he who delves daily in gold mines of revelation. 2. These nutritious discourses must have had a great deal of prayer over them. There are other men besides the staid Quakers who believe that he who preaches aright must preach “as the Spirit moves him.” And through Divine aid comes down the invisible ladder by which the prayer of faith ascended to the heavenly Intercessor. McCheyne never wrote a line without previous petition to God. Holy John Welch rose at night, and spent hours in pleading87 for the celestial baptism. “I am convinced,” writes an eminent clergyman, “that even æsthetically considered, one hour of prayer is a better preparation for sermon-writing than a whole day of study.” 3. They had a great deal of every-day religion in them. They were practical. There is a painful lack, with many ministers, of knowledge of human nature in its daily actings. They are not ignorant men. They are tolerably familiar with John Owen, and Matthew Poole, and Francis Turretin, know all about the Council of Trent, and many even aspire to an acquaintance with the Magdeburg Centuriators. But to the living, acting, laughing, weeping, tempted, and sinning world around them, they are well nigh strangers. During the week their parishioners have been driving a plough, or hammering a lapstone, or pleading a cause, or have been “up to their eyes” in cotton bales and sugar casks. When the Sabbath comes, these parishioners bring to the sanctuary their every-day wants and trials, as citizens, as men of business, as parents, as husbands, or as children. They want preaching that shall tell them how to live as well as what to believe. They want plain instruction. They want doctrine, but doctrine made portable and practical. They hunger for truth, but truth simplified, and purged of scholastic technicalities. We once heard a young licentiate of great promise preach a sermon in which he talked about the “governmental theory of the atonement,” and garnished his discourse with such words as “predicate,” and “potential,” and “subjective.” The whole discourse smelled strongly of the class-room, and had probably been “sat upon” by an inquest of theological students during the author’s senior year. We would like to have whispered into the brother’s ear, “You will burn that sermon up before you have been in the ministry twelve months.” The Sabbath teachings which are carried into the week are those which treat of every-day wants and every-day duties—which meet the Christian, and tell him how to grow in grace and holy living—which soothe the afflicted with gospel consolations—which tell the young how to shun daily temptation, and the aged how to prepare for death—which point the anxious inquirer to that cross beneath which he may quiet his aching heart. And the simpler these teachings, the better. A discourse which a minister would not be willing to read to his children and domestics, with a good hope that they would understand it, is not usually a safe sermon to take into the pulpit. “It takes all our learning,” said Archbishop Usher, “to make truth simple.” 4. Another excellence of the preacher, of whom I am writing, probably was that he seldom went beyond his “thirdly.” Neither will we; so we will close with the remark once made to Dr. Green by a poor woman of his parish. “Mr. Green,” said she, “what do you think is the great business of the shepherd?” “To feed the flock, madam!” was his reply. “That is my notion, too, sir, and therefore I think he shouldn’t hold the hay up so high that the sheep cannot reach it.” THOUGHTS OF HOME.
By E. H. Morton
I've known a land all fair and bright,
I've loved its verdant hills;
And I can ne'er forget its vales,
Its thousand sparkling rills.
I've known the joys of "home, sweet home;"
I've felt the soft caress
Of mother's hand upon my brow,
With gentle tenderness. The joyous dream is past and gone,
Strange faces meet my eye,
And lo! within a stranger land
Strange forms go flitting by.
The aching void within my heart,
The longings wild, the pain,
The great cold world can never know;
To ask it is in vain. Perchance the friends far, far away
I ne'er again shall see;
Familiar tones of filial love
May never comfort me.
And thus I sit and sadly muse,
And ponder o'er the past,
When every hour was rich with love,
Too sweet, by far, to last. And to my troubled, weary soul
There comes a whisper low,
"Like beaten gold" thy faith is tried;
Look up and this thing know,—
If faithful, gentle, loving, true,
Thy words, thy acts, will be
Sweet blossoms out of which will grow
A long eternity. The never-setting Sun will rise,
And endless beauty shed
O'er all the earth, a radiance soft
From Christ, the fountain-head;
The fellowship of perfect love,
The gladness and the song,
The "hills of home," the morning light,
Will be for thee ere long. A GOOD woman, searching out the children of want, one cold day last winter tried to open a door in the third story of a wretched house, when she heard a little voice say, “Pull the string up high! Pull the string up high!” She looked up and saw a string, which, on being pulled, lifted a latch; and she opened the door upon two little half-naked children, all alone. Very cold and pitiful they looked. “Do you take care of yourselves, little ones?” asked the good woman. “God takes care of us,” said the oldest. “And are you not very cold? No fire on a day like this!” “Oh, when we are very cold, we creep under the quilt, and I put my arms around Tommy, and Tommy puts his arms around me, and we say, ‘Now I lay me;’ then we get warm,” said the little girl. “And what have you to eat, pray?” “When granny comes home, she fetches us something. Granny says God has got enough. Granny calls us God’s sparrows; and we say ‘Our Father’ and ‘daily bread’ every day. God is our Father.” Tears came into the good woman’s eyes. She had a mistrusting spirit herself; but these two little “sparrows,” perched in that cold upper chamber, taught her a sweet lesson of faith and trust, which she will never forget,—Selected. A timid traveler, whose route lay across the higher Alps, on a path, that, no broader than a mule’s foothold, skirted a dizzy precipice, where the foaming river far below seemed diminished to a silver thread, found it safest to shut her eyes, nor attempt to guide the course, or touch the bridle, where a touch might have been fatal, throwing both horse and rider over, to bound from shelf to shelf, and be dashed to pieces in the valley below. And there are times and circumstances when, to be saved from falling into blank despair, the believer must, if we may so say, shut his eyes, and, committing his way to God, let the bridle lie on the neck of Providence, and walk not by sight, but faith, determining to “trust in the Lord, and stay ourselves on God.”—Selected. Winter Evenings and the Choice of Useful Living
—In the case of thousands, the evenings of this very winter may decide whether, with all their opportunities and aids, life shall be useful and noble, or paltry and corrupting.—Congregationalist. WE are happy to hear from one (Sister J. S. Olive, of Prescott, Wis.) who has commenced the course of reading recommended by the Conference. It seems the reading was commenced in this family before the special meeting of Dec. 21; but we would call attention to two points, (1.) The plan of reading early in the evening, when the family are alone and uninterrupted; (2.) The testimony that it makes every evening seem like a Sabbath evening. How can a family help growing in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, when a portion of each evening is devoted to the solemn worship of God and to learning his will? Is not this just what each family ought to do? Are others benefited? Let us hear from them. Sister O. says:— We began reading “Spirit of Prophecy” in November, and have finished the first and second volumes. Since that, we have read the most of Testimony No. 29. Our plan has been to read the first thing after the family assemble at lamp-lighting; we read a chapter and then have family prayers. Then if any one comes in, or any of us wish to go out in the evening, we do not miss the reading or prayers. At first some of the younger ones seemed to get tired and impatient; but we insisted on having the youngest read two pages to begin with, though that is a trial to the rest; and I think we all read and hear with increasing interest, and the influence seems good. To me it makes every evening seem like a Sabbath evening, and the reading seems almost as good as a sermon. I had before read the greater part of the books aloud to the family, which detracts somewhat from the interest of the reading; but they are of sufficient importance to be re-read. WHAT BABYLON CONTRIBUTES TO OUR AGE.
It appears from the following that old Babylon left “footprints on the sands of time,” which, after so many centuries, still appear among the most familiar objects of to-day:— We have only to look at our watches to see that we are Babylonian. Why is our hour divided into sixty minutes, our minutes into sixty seconds? Would not a division of the hour into ten, or fifty, or one hundred minutes have been more natural? We have sixty divisions on the dials of our watches simply because the Greek astronomer Hipparchus, who lived in the second century B. C., accepted the Babylonian system of reckoning time, that system being sexagesimal. The Babylonians knew the decimal system, but, for practical purposes, they counted by sossi and sari, the sossos representing sixty, the saros 60x60, or 3,600. From Hipparchus that system found its way into the works of Ptolemy, about one hundred and fifty A. D., and thence it was carried down the stream of civilization, finding its last resting-place in the dial-plates of our clocks. And why are there twenty shillings to our sovereign? Again the real reason lies in Babylon. The Greeks learned from the Babylonians the art of dividing gold and silver for the purpose of trade. It has been proved that the current gold-piece of Western Asia was exactly the sixtieth part of a Babylonian mona or mina. It was nearly equal to our sovereign. The difficult problem of the relative value of gold and silver in a bi-monetary currency had been solved to a certain extent in the ancient Mesopotamian kingdom, the proportion between gold and silver being fixed at one to thirteen and one-third. The silver shekel current in Babylon was heavier than the gold shekel in the proportion of thirteen and one-third to ten, and had, therefore, the value of one-tenth of a gold shekel; and the half silver shekel, called by the Greeks a drachma, was worth one-twentieth of a gold shekel. The drachma, or half silver shekel, may therefore be looked upon as the most ancient type of our own silver shilling in its relation of one-twentieth of our gold sovereign.—Max Muller, in Contemporary Review. THE CHILDREN.
By Cora Wright
The little ones! how we all love them, and how we should enjoy working for them. Jesus is a lover of children, and how tender are his words spoken in behalf of innocent childhood. When here upon earth, he took them in his arms, and put his hands upon them, and blessed them. When the disciples saw the fond parents so eagerly taking their little ones to receive Christ’s blessing, they rebuked them; but the loving Saviour tenderly said, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of Heaven.” Yes, Christ in all his glory loves even the children, and his precious blood was shed for them, as well as for the older members of his family. Though he has ascended to Heaven, his great eye of love watches over them, and his ear is ever open to their little prayers. If we love him as we ought, we will enjoy laboring for those whom he loves. When children are young, before they have cultivated wrong modes of thought, it is comparatively easy to direct their minds in proper channels, to teach them to contemplate the greatness and wisdom of God. This is the time to teach lessons of truth and right; for the education in childhood has a bearing upon the whole after-life. At this season the affections are the most ardent, the heart most easily reached; and they can easily be led to venerate and fear their Maker. If rightly instructed, they will see his wisdom and benevolence in everything that his hand has created; and this will call forth from them deep gratitude. After they become older, and mingle more or less with the wicked world, their hearts become hardened, and their love for God is often lost. When their minds are once thus influenced, when evil seed has been sown, and wrong habits formed, it is almost impossible to mold the character anew. In view of this, how carefully ought we to perform every duty toward them, however humble it may be. We cannot expect to instill right principles into the minds of those under our influence, unless our own hearts are in the proper condition. To secure this we must put forth every effort, and if we work with the right motive, we know that there is One who will ever lend a helping hand to the weakest of his earth-children. Our compassionate Redeemer is looking down in love and sympathy, ready to hear our heartfelt prayers, and to render needed assistance. Then let us trust fully in him, and remember that we are dealing with minds,—working not only for the present, but for eternity. “What now you do, you know not,
But shall hereafter know,
When the seed which you are sowing
To a ripened field shall grow.
’Tis a rich young soil you’re tilling,
Then scatter the good seed well;
Of the wealth of the golden harvest,
Eternity will tell.”