Earlier text: THE ADVENTLOVE IN THE HOME.
By Minnie Hoyt Philpott
MRS. MINNIE HOYT PHILPOTT. It has been said that “love has greater power than anything else on earth.” If this be true, is there any one place where love should be manifested for one another more than in the home? We think not. Let us teach our little ones by precept and example the happiness that will come to them from cultivating a spirit of love, not only for those outside our home, but for those who are nearest and dearest to us. How often those who are dear to us are spoken to harshly and unkindly! And is it any wonder that many are desirous of finding a home elsewhere than under the parental roof? Some time ago, while living in part of a house occupied by a family consisting of a mother, three boys, and a little girl ten years of age, my heart was pained as I often heard harsh, bitter words spoken which were enough almost to crush out the spirit of love entirely. My heart ached to manifest affection and love toward the little girl when she occasionally came into my room; but she had been brought up under such a cold, chilly influence that I could do but little with her. I heard the mother say to her one day, “I have a notion to knock you in the head with a stick of wood,” and then between the sobs of the poor child I heard her say, “I don't care, I wish I was dead.” What a pity that a mother should speak so harshly to her own dear child whom she should love most tenderly. Love begets love; and if we would have children be kind and lovable, let us show love to them in kindly words and actions. Even though it may make us a little extra work and take some of our time, let us live with our children, and do all we can to make them happy while they are with us. And in most cases they will be glad to make our hearts happy. Encourage them to assist in the little duties of the home; for if we can keep their busy hands employed in some good way, Satan will not have as much advantage over them. If we show our appreciation of what they try to do, they will love to be helpful. Even if they make mistakes, which all children will do, let us see if we cannot find something for which we may commend them. Let us make our homes bright and cheerful, not by costly furniture and gorgeous display; but by order, neatness, and little acts of love one for another. These habits cultivated in the children will help them to develop a Christian character; and when they are grown to manhood and womanhood, they will be better qualified to go as missionaries into other homes, and so scatter the seeds of sunshine and loving-kindness which have blossomed out in their own characters. May God help us as mothers to sense the solemn responsibility that is resting upon us, and so to train up our children that they may be vessels of honor fit for the Master's use, ready at any time to go and labor in His vineyard at His bidding. And when our work is over, and we are laid away to rest, it may be said of us, as has been said of others, “She hath done what she could.” THE PRACTICAL USE OF THE BIBLE.
WHAT does the Bible tell you of yourself that you know to be true?—That you are imperfect and sinful and needy. What does the Bible tell you of God that you at once feel to be true?—That He is holy and merciful and responsive to your need. What does the Bible tell you to do and become that you at once perceive you ought to strive to do and to become?—That you should turn away from all evil-doing, and follow the light that shines in the words and face of Christ, and also in every heart that is open to God, and do good to all men, and live in the Spirit. Neither these questions nor the answers to them are speculative or theoretical; they are the same to all men; and they disclose the practical use of the sacred Scriptures, as experience demonstrates their practical and pre-eminent value. He who sincerely and persistently makes this use of the Bible will find it disclosing surprising and inexhaustible stores of inspiration, instruction, comfort, and delight. He will not worship the book as an idol, nor cast it aside as a fable; but he will treasure it as the window through which, dimmed and scarred though it be with human imperfection, streams the blessed, quickening light of God.—Selected. It was in my life's fair morning
That the Saviour called to me,
Just as, long ago, He whispered
To the fishers by the sea,—
“Leave the world and all its pleasure,
Give up all that thou wouldst be;
Mammon hath no lasting treasure.
Leave it now and follow me.” But my heart was still unyielding,
Many days of sin I'd trod,
Knowing not that He could lead me
To the blissful light of God.
Duty's path seemed cold and dreary,
But that still, small voice called on
Until I was sad and weary,
Helpless, hopeless, and undone. Then it was I grasped the promise
Which of all we love the best,
“Come to me, thou tired and lost one,
Come, and I will give thee rest.”
Then I listened to that pleading
In such gentle tones and low,
And I cast my care upon Him
Just as He had told me to. Now I rest upon His promise;
Nothing in the world I see
That would give the least enjoyment
Or a bit of rest to me.
And when He shall come in glory
With the vast angelic host,
I'll be ready then to meet Him,
And of all I'll love Him most. But and yet I still remember
Those dark days of sin and woe,
And the gentle way He led me
To the light which now I know;
And I can but love and thank Him
That a poor, lost child like me
Could be numbered ’mong His jewels,
And His Father's mansions see. Now in early blush of morning
I am thinking of Him still,
And at latest dew of evening
My desire's to do His will.
Wouldst thou know, O weary worldling,
What will give to thee most rest?
My poor language fails to tell it.
Go to Him; He'll tell thee best. Plainness in Dress and Modest Colors
By M. M.
PLAINNESS of dress does not always consist in the making. So let us ever be careful to avoid showy colors, especially red, also large figured or broad-striped materials. Stripes are especially adapted to stout women, making them appear taller. But let it always be a narrow stripe. Black, white, dark blue, and green, besides different shades of brown and gray, are modest colors. Also a combination of black and white or blue and white is always in favor. The majority of people are not personally acquainted with Adventists, and can judge only from appearances. M. M. A WOMAN'S WORK.
By Ella Grover
I wonder if any of the sisters missed the Home Circle as much as I did. I always read Sister White’s article first, and then turn to the Home Circle. I am an isolated Sabbath-keeper, and for the encouragement of such I will tell how I am helping give the last precious message. I have sold twenty copies of “Christ’s Object Lessons;” loaned “The Desire of Ages” twice, “Daniel and the Revelation” twice, and “Great Controversy” three times; and distributed hundreds of pages of tracts. I take five copies of our church paper, which I give away. As the Baptist minister here said, “She has scattered her literature everywhere for miles.” I dispose of from twenty-five to fifty copies of the special numbers of the Signs of the Times. By baking bread I earned one dollar for the Relief of the Schools, and one dollar for the Southern publishing work. I am indeed thankful that I am permitted to have a part in the grandest work God ever gave to mortals. Let us be faithful a little longer. Let us tell our experiences, for the encouragement of one another, through the REVIEW. Jesus is coming, and He will reward even a cup of cold water given in His name. A CANADIAN hunter tells this incident of how he once came face to face with his quarry and hadn't the heart to fire: “It wasn't a case of ‘buck fever,’ such as a novice might experience, for I had been a hunter for many years, and had killed a good many deer. This was a particularly fine buck that I had followed for three days. A strong man can run any deer to earth in time, and at last I had my prey tired out. From the top of a hill I sighted him a few miles away. He had given up the fight, and had stretched himself out on the snow. As I stalked him, he changed his position and took shelter behind a boulder, and, using the same boulder for a shelter, I came suddenly face to face with him. He didn't attempt to run away, but stood there, looking at me with the most piteous pair of eyes I ever saw. “Shoot? I could have no more shot him than I could have shot a child. Had the chance come from a distance of one hundred yards, I would have shot him down, and carried his antlers home in triumph, but once having looked into those eyes, it would have been nothing less than murder.”—Washington Post. Feudal Versus American Systems: Permission and Prohibition
In the feudal or European systems, no man may do anything unless he is permitted. In the democratic or American system, he may do anything unless he is forbidden.—Edward Everett Hale. BELIEVING AND HAVING.
By L. A. S.
THERE is a difference between believing that God’s word is true, and receiving the truth into your heart; between believing that God is able to do what He has promised in your behalf, and believing that the thing He has promised has been performed. And this difference is of more importance than we may think. It is a difference which will account for the failure of very many of us to receive the priceless blessings upon which our welfare for time and eternity depends. The Lord says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is the truth. But it is one thing to believe that this is the truth, and quite another thing to believe that our sins have been forgiven. It is one thing to believe that God is able to save us from sin, and quite another thing to believe that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me [us] free from the law of sin and death.” Rom. 8:2. The point is in appropriating the words of God. We fail because we do not go far enough. It may be illustrated like this: Suppose you are starving, and in this condition you come into a room where there is a table upon which is an abundant supply of nourishing food. You look at it and say, I believe that this is food. You are starving still. You go up to the table, take some of the food in your hand, and say, I believe this food will sustain my life. You are starving still; you are no better off than you were before. You will keep on starving till you eat the food. You go to the word of God and say, I believe this word is true. You are no better off than before; “the devils also believe, and tremble.” You say, further, I believe God is willing to forgive my sins. Still the blessing of forgiveness is not yours, even though you may have confessed your sins according to the Scripture injunction. Having confessed them, you must then believe not only that God is willing to forgive them, but that He has done it. And more than this; for it is not enough to provide for the sins of the past. There is the possibility of future sins, and God has provided for this. God has said, “Sin shall not have dominion over you,” and this provision must be appropriated the same as that for past transgressions. Without this, there will be new transgressions, and the Christian life would never get beyond a treadmill round of repentance and confession of sins. Jesus Christ is a Saviour from sin, and salvation from sin means more than the mere forgiveness of sin. It includes salvation from the power of temptation. So the transgressor must not only say, I believe my sins are forgiven, but also, “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death;” in other words, I believe that God has given me the power to keep from sinning. This is not presumption; it is strictly faith. It is only expressing belief in a complete salvation. “Thy words were found, and I did eat them.” Jer. 15:16. Do not fail to eat the word of God, the bread of life. Do not fail to appropriate the divine promises. “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24. L. A. S. WHY GOD DOESN’T DESTROY THE DEVIL.
By L. A. S.
This is a question that is frequently raised by objectors to the Bible doctrine concerning the existence of Satan, and by some others who cannot reconcile the existence of this great adversary of God and man with the existence of a God who is all-good, all-wise, and all-powerful. In the answer to this question lie some truths worth considering. It is proper to ask, in the first place, Why should God destroy the devil? That is to say, Why should God now destroy the devil, or why should God have destroyed him at any time in the past? For that God will finally destroy him there is no question if we believe the plain statements of Scripture. The very fact that God was all-wise and all-powerful, made it unnecessary for Him to destroy the devil to save mankind. To have done this would have been, apparently, a confession on the part of the Creator that He could not carry out His purposes without first getting the devil out of His way. But the fundamental truth to be borne in mind in considering this question is that the government of God is a free government,—so perfectly free that the consent of all those under it is necessary to all that is done. When Lucifer rebelled in heaven, God did not have the consent of the host of heaven to his destruction. It was necessary for them first to become acquainted with the nature and consequences of sin, before they could intelligently approve of the disposition God would make of the sinner. And this knowledge they did not fully possess until they beheld the Son of God hanging on the cross of Calvary. Then, when the Almighty pronounced sentence that Satan and all who ranged under his banner should be utterly consumed by fire, there was throughout heaven a universal response of “amen.” But the purpose of God in the creation of the earth had not at that time been fully realized. It remained that some must enter into the rest promised to His people, those first called having failed to enter in because of unbelief. Another day had been limited, or set, within which the people of the earth might hear His voice and heed the gospel invitation. So the gospel message is sounding to-day, and the great controversy between good and evil is not yet finished. But God is all-wise and all-powerful, and hence the destruction of the devil is not necessary to man’s salvation. The devil is permitted to tempt man, but he cannot decree the ruin of a single individual. Each man determines his destiny by his own choice. There are two ways of dealing with the problem of the devil’s menace to human welfare. One would be to destroy the devil, and thus take him away from man. But another and equally effective way is to take man away from the devil, and just this is done by the work of grace in the heart. Instead of destroying the devil, the Lord destroys the works and the power of the devil, and thus delivers man from the devil just as effectually as would be done by destroying the evil one himself. This the Lord does for every one who comes to Him in faith, and He will do it at any time. When the soul has been freed from the bondage of sin, it is freed from the power of the devil, and the language of the individual is that of Col. 1:12: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” The Christian has been crucified with Christ, and God “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2:6. There is no devil in the heavenly places, and he who sits there has consequently nothing to fear from his power. Why should God destroy the devil for the benefit of humanity when it is the privilege of every person to sit with Christ in the heavenly places, where the devil cannot come? Why should God destroy the devil to save man from his power when “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Thus there is no necessity for the devil’s destruction so far as the righteous are concerned, or to open the way for any wicked person to become righteous; and on the other hand, why should God destroy the devil for the sake of those who find the devil good company? The Lord usually lets an individual have what he desires. He allows people to choose their own society. The devil is finally to be destroyed, but not until every being who will live in the eternal kingdom has considered and approved the sentence. The Almighty will not execute His choice until it has been indicated as the choice of every righteous being. He has appointed a day of judgment in which He “will judge the world in righteousness.” This day of judgment is not for God’s benefit, but for the benefit of the people of His kingdom. God might execute judgment upon the wicked without any open investigation of their deeds, since He knows from the beginning all that the investigation will reveal; but He will not proceed without the approval of His people. His government is a “government of the people, by the people;” and not merely so in theory, but perfectly so in fact. It is this in order that there may not be in it the least interference with individual freedom. Thus the eternal purposes of God are conserved to-day, and have been through past ages, by allowing the devil to exist and exert his power against righteousness and truth; and it would be not only unnecessary, but would defeat these purposes, were the Almighty to perform the work of destruction before the appointed time. L. A. S. DISASTROUS DROUGHT.
By L. A. S.
A LARGE section of the country has suffered from a severe drought. In many places prayers for rain were offered, but the fierce heat still continued. A drought which destroys grain and pasturage is a calamity that is severely felt. But there is another drought that prevails in the land over as vast an area; not visible in the same way, but no less real. It is the drought that comes from the lack of spiritual moisture—the drought of the soul upon which no spiritual rain has fallen for months, or it may be, years. The consequences of this drought are even more disastrous than those lately experienced in the physical world. There is great need of prayer for the removal of this spiritual drought. It is a voluntary drought; it need never come upon any person anywhere, and its cause can be removed at any time. Drought in505 the natural world is unavoidable, but spiritual drought is so much more disastrous that God will never subject any person to it against his will. Especially should the Church to which God has committed the great world-message for this time, be aroused to untiring vigilance against such a calamity. A drought in this Church would be a drought in the district upon which depends the food supply of the world, and wholesale spiritual starvation might be the result. It is not a time of drought; it is a time of rain. Therefore, “ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain.” This is a prayer for rain that will not fail of an answer. L. A. S. NONE TOO WEAK TO YIELD.
By L. A. S.
If you are very weak in the service of God, the trouble is not with your weakness, but with your strength. You are not so weak that you cannot yield to the Lord; the trouble is that you have strength enough to resist Him — to bar Him out of your heart, so that He cannot come in. “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet . . . Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” The lilies have no strength to toil or to spin; but one thing they do — they yield themselves perfectly to God, so that He has full freedom to work in them; they have no strength at all to resist. The result is that the lilies glorify God; they do just that which they were created to do. You will do just what you were created to do if you will as fully yield to the Lord as do the lilies of the field. All that you need is to be weak enough to “submit yourself to the Lord;” then you can even “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Do not then plead your weakness as an excuse for the neglect of Christian duty. BE AN OPTIMIST.
By A. J. B.
That individual is a true optimist who looks at the bright side of life, and who believes that eventually everything will turn out for the best. His exact opposite is the person who sees nothing worth living for, whose continual reply is, “What is the use?” or, in other words, the pessimist. The terms “optimist” and “pessimist” are derived from the Latin superlatives optimus, meaning “the best,” and pessimus, meaning “the worst.” The optimist is always hopeful, though he does not ignore the seamy side of life. His eyes are riveted to the true, the honest, the just, the pure, the lovely things in life; to the things of good report. He is the aggressive man, the one who does things. He is ever full of hope, courage, and energy. While the pessimist consumes valuable time in trying to prove that a thing cannot possibly be done, or that, if done, it will not be worth the while, the optimist actually does that very thing, and glories in having accomplished something. The optimist works hard, and smiles. The pessimist does nothing, and scowls. Yet, of the two, the pessimist will die the sooner; for, in the words of George Macdonald, “It is not the cares of to-day, but the cares of to-morrow, that weigh a man down;” and, as Beecher well said: “It is not work that kills men. It is worry.” The pessimist is a great worrier. The optimist is a great worker. He has no time to worry; for he is hard at work, with an aim in view. Every true Christian is an optimist. He is an optimist, not because he believes that everything in this world is perfect, or just, or proper, but he is an optimist in spite of all the evils that surround him. The optimist is the salt of the earth. He is that essence which keeps what is about him from corrupting, from losing heart and being undone through lost hope. Jesus was the true optimist. The little children gladly flocked to Him because they found reflected in His face and manners their own spirit of buoyancy and good cheer. Had Jesus not been the optimist that He was, the children would have shunned Him. It was His lovable traits of character that attracted the little ones, and not any physical beauty which He possessed. For, speaking of Christ, the prophet Isaiah (chapter 53) says that He grew “as a root out of dry ground;” that He had no “form nor comeliness;” and that “when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” And yet how often, during His ministry, “Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them.” No pessimist could thus have won the hearts of the little ones. Pessimism is darkness, ennui, and despair. Optimism is light, activity, and hope. Jesus bids His followers to be children of the light. He says (John 12:46): “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” The last words of the farewell sermon of the Master to His disciples are the words of the true optimist: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER; I have overcome the world.” Homeless as He was in the world, and persecuted by those who should have been His friends, still He was an optimist: He was a fountain of good cheer to all about Him. Although He was “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,” yet His sorrow was not a selfish sorrow because of evil done to Him personally, but a pitiful sorrowing for the sinfulness of those who would not let Him save them. All the suicides recorded in our dailies may be traced to pessimism. In view of this, there is great need of Christian optimism, when so many are given to exaggerating, in thought, the evils of life. It is a great blessing that cheerfulness is as epidemic as melancholy; that joy is as contagious as this false sorrow that is put on. Imagine, for instance, the happy effect, upon a pessimistic neighborhood, of the extreme cheerfulness of Sydney Smith, who, though quite sick at one time, wrote: “I have gout, asthma, and seven other maladies, but am otherwise very well.” As an illustration of what Carlyle would call “the wondrous strength of cheerfulness,” it is related, by the editor of Success, that “a gentleman in Minneapolis owned a business block which was completely gutted by fire. The misfortune produced a melancholy that boded ill for his mind. In vain his friends tried to cheer him. Nothing could dispel the impenetrable gloom. He was almost on the point of suicide. He was away from home when the disaster occurred, and received the following letter from his little seven-year-old daughter:— “DEAR PAPA: I went down to see your store that was burned, and it looks very pretty all covered with ice. Love and kisses from ‘LILLIAN.’” So successful was this naive little letter from the little optimist, that “the father smiled as he read; and the man who had contemplated jumping from the train, laughed aloud. The spell that had overshadowed him was at last broken by this ray of sunshine.” Optimism had won the day, and saved a useful life. One great truth which may be deduced from the lesson Christ taught concerning the man who is constantly seeking for the mote in his brother’s eye, is the fact that this world is pretty much as one looks for it to be. In order to find the bird in the bush, the student of nature must first have the bird in his eye. If one is looking for the dark side of life, he will be sure to find it; while on the other hand, the world will be full of brightness to him who is looking for bright things. “But,” says a would-be Christian, “don’t you know that this world is very wicked—so wicked that it will soon be destroyed by fire? Don’t you know that the seven last plagues are about to fall? that pestilence is already abroad in the land? that wars and persecutions abound? and that the predicted ‘time of trouble’ is upon us?” To this we reply: Yes, my Christian brother. That is all true. But of what use is your Christianity if these things cause you to be apprehensive, which should trouble only the wicked? Where is your faith in God’s care and protection for His children? Are you not His child? Has He not warned you in time for you to make ample preparations to escape all these evils that are coming to pass? If you do not make Christianity of practical value, of what use can it possibly be to you? God will certainly destroy this world, even as it is written (2 Peter 3:7) that “the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” But why will God destroy this world?—Simply that He may show His love for His chosen ones by making out of it a much better world. It is essential for the Christian to remember God’s great LOVE as well as His eternal JUSTICE. God takes no delight in the death of any of His creatures,—not even in the death of the wicked (Eze. 33:11), His only desire being “that the wicked turn from his way and live.” The loving Father described in John 3:16, is the same God who lives to-day. He loves His creatures so much that, were it a possible thing for Him to do, He would even open the gates of paradise to every being He has made, good or wicked. He would gladly save, at His coming, many times one hundred and forty-four thousand, were it a thing consistent with His love and justice. If, as the Word says, but few will finally be saved, in proportion to the world’s population, it will not be the fault of our Father. The trouble with Christians who allow themselves to lapse into pessimism, is that they have lost their faith in the goodness of God. There are other reasons, however, why people become pessimists; and to mention the cause is to point out the remedy. A man’s mental and moral natures are governed, to a great extent, by his physical condition. Dr. Johnson has well said that “every man is a rascal when he is sick;” and William Mathews states the case correctly when he asserts that “a man of the kindliest impulses506 has only to feed upon indigestible food for a few days, and forthwith his liver is affected, and then his brain. His sensibilities are blunted; his uneasiness makes him waspish and fretful. He is like a hedgehog with the quills rolled in, and will do and say things from which in health he would have recoiled.” Inasmuch as the Word states that our bodies are the “temple of the Holy Ghost,” it becomes as much of a religious duty for the Christian to obliterate pessimism from his nature by reforming his diet and physical habits, as for him to read his Bible and to pray with zeal. On the contrary, if he refuses to eliminate his physical hindrances to becoming an optimist, his Bible reading and his prayers will avail nothing. There is one song which should be sung, at least once a day, and with a loud voice, by every family of pessimists in the United States, in England, and in their colonies. It should then be translated into every language spoken by pessimists. Its title is “Count Your Many Blessings.” Besides advising all to count their many blessings, the hymn further exhorts them to “name them one by one;” and the chorus concludes with the words, “Count your many blessings! See what God has done.” We advise that not only every pessimist should learn to sing it, but that every optimist should also learn it, that he may sing it to every pessimist he meets. Think, first, of the greatest of all your blessings—life itself, the gift of God to you each second. Then think of the disguised blessings that come to you in every evil that you escape. Think of the accidents that have never happened to you; of the number of days in which no disastrous storms have visited your neighborhood. Count the number of good crops you have had—the number of times you have NOT had bad crops! Think of the blessed assurance that “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap;” or, in other words, that harvest-time is sure to follow seed-time. Think also of God’s promise made to man immediately after the flood, and repeated to this hour in His countless rainbows, in language intelligible to all nations: “Neither shall ALL flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.” Gen. 9:11. At that time also the Lord decided that the first curse which had been placed upon the earth after the fall of man, was sufficient; for in the preceding chapter it is recorded that “the Lord said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; though the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.” How much consolation there is in the promise, to all who have the hope of eternal life! In it is predicted that some will escape the final destruction. Finally, how encouraging and full of cheer is the further promise of our Heavenly Father that “while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night SHALL NOT CEASE.” Then, in addition to these cheering promises assuring us of these temporal blessings so altogether necessary to man’s happiness, countless other promises are to be found in the Word, assuring the Christian of innumerable spiritual and temporal blessings for the future. Truly, in the words of David (Ps. 119:64) the earth itself is full of God’s mercy. Jesus taught His disciples to believe in the goodness of His Father, in His willingness to give good gifts to His children. He said (John 16): “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it you. . . . Ask, and ye shall receive, THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL.” As Jesus was about to be taken away from His disciples, and as He predicted their coming tribulations and sufferings for His sake, their hearts were made sad, and, to say the least, the prospect before them was not very cheering nor optimistic. But Jesus said to them (John 16): “Ye shall weep and lament; . . . ye shall be sorrowful, BUT YOUR SORROW SHALL BE TURNED INTO JOY. . . . Ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and YOUR JOY NO MAN TAKETH FROM YOU.” These words are also for the Christian of to-day. Are you inclined to be a pessimist? Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Are you becoming addicted to the long-faced habit? Start a counter-habit at once. Are the corners of your mouth down? Form the habit of turning them up, smile-fashion. Do you often have the “blues”? Read these promises over again. Jesus tells you that YOU ARE SAFE under His protecting hand, and under that of His Father—of YOUR Father. For, says He of His followers (John 10:28, 29): “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, NEITHER SHALL ANY MAN PLUCK THEM OUT OF MY HAND. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and NO MAN IS ABLE TO PLUCK THEM OUT OF MY FATHER’S HAND.” As you go through life, remember that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory:” that “we KNOW that ALL THINGS work together for GOOD to them that love God.” Never lose sight of the great and optimist-making truth, that “the Most High [not the devil] RULETH in the kingdom of men,” and that THE HAND OF GOD IS ON THE LEVER OF THE UNIVERSE. Do you wish to have your joy full? Be an optimist. A. J. B. THE SABBATH AND “CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP.”
By L. A. S.
Some Seventh-day Baptists of New Brunswick, N. J., have been trying to carry worldly patriotism along with their Christianity, and, naturally, have got into difficulty. What the trouble is appears from this item, printed in the New York Sun:— “New Brunswick, N. J., July 24.—The order of Col. Quincy O’M. Gilmore, directing Companies K and L of the Second Regiment, N. J. N. G., to go to the State camp at Sea Girt on Saturday next has stirred one of the State’s religious sects. In Company K, which was recently organized in Plainfield, are a number of Seventh-day Baptists, who observe Saturday instead of Sunday as a day of rest. When the order came to the company, the Seventh-day contingent protested. The New Jersey law makes provision for the Seventh-day Baptists as regards transaction of business on Sunday, but makes no mention of exemption from military duty. The Seventh-day observers of Company K intend to make a test case if the order to march to camp on Saturday is enforced.” If Seventh-day Baptists have imagined that conscience would be allowed to cut any figure in dictating conduct to a soldier in the army, they now have a good opportunity to learn their mistake. In the military service, the supreme will is not that of the soldier, nor that of God, but the will of the commanding officer. To him all must yield implicit and unquestioning obedience. When he says, Go out in order of battle, shoot, and kill, he must be obeyed, regardless of the Sixth Commandment. When he gives the order to work or to fight on the Sabbath day, no attention can be paid to what God says in the Fourth Commandment. The military commander stands in the place of God, and any attempt on the soldier’s part to treat him as occupying a different position would promptly result in such punishments as are in use in the army to preserve discipline. The individual who is not willing to put a man between himself and God must simply keep out of the army. Patriotic Seventh-day Baptists may as well make up their minds either to yield the Sabbath or to become patriots in another service from that of an earthly government, even the service of that country in which the Christian has his citizenship. Decline of Secret Orders and Fraternities
There is tremendous activity in the establishment of secret orders and lodges throughout the country; due, as one writer states, to the fact that “human vanity craves tinsel and show and high-sounding titles, and in a republic these are easy of attainment in the circles of the endless fraternities.” But these fraternities have now been multiplied to such an extent that some are languishing from lack of support, and as illustrating this, it is stated that the “Sons of Temperance,” who recently held their fifty-seventh annual session in Prince Edward Island, have fallen away from a membership of five hundred thousand in 1884 to about seventy-five thousand at present. And this is no doubt indicative of a sad decline in the cause of temperance. The Lord Is Near to Every Believer
THE Lord is not so far from any of us but that He can be touched by the hand that is reached out in faith.