Earlier text: GOD'S COMMANDS REQUIRE PERFECT OBEDIENCETHOUGHTS ON DANIEL.
By Uriah Smith
CHAPTER VIII.—THE RAM, HE-GOAT, AND LITTLE HORN.
"We now come once more," says Dr. Clarke, "to the Hebrew, the Chaldee part of the book being finished. As the Chaldeans had a particular interest both in the history and prophecies from chap. 2:4, to the end of Chap. 7, the whole is written in Chaldee; but as the prophecies which remain concern times posterior to the Chaldean monarchy, and principally relate to the church and people of God generally, they are written in the Hebrew language, this being the tongue in which God chose to reveal all his counsels given under the Old Testament relative to the New." Verse 1. In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar, a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. One prominent characteristic of the sacred writings, and one which should forever shield them from the charge of being works of fiction, is the frankness and freedom with which the writers state all the circumstances connected with that which they record. This verse states the time when the vision recorded in this chapter was given to Daniel. The first year of Belshazzar is set down as B. C. 555. His third year, in which this vision was given, would consequently be 553. If Daniel, as is supposed, was about twenty years of age when he was carried to Babylon, in the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, B. C. 606, he was at this time about seventy-three years of age. The vision he speaks of as the one "which appeared unto him at the first," is doubtless the vision of the seventh chapter, which he had in the first year of Belshazzar. Verse 2. And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. As verse 1 states the time when, this verse gives the place where, the vision was given. Shushan, as we learn from Prideaux, was the metropolis of the province of Elam. This was then in the hands of the Babylonians, and there the king of Babylon had a royal palace. Daniel, as minister of State, and employed about the king's business, was accordingly in that place. About three years after this time, Abradates, viceroy or prince of Shushan, revolted to Cyrus, and the province was joined to the Medes and Persians; so that according to the prophecy of Isaiah, 21:2, Elam went up with the Medes to besiege Babylon. Under the Medes and Persians it regained its liberties which it had been deprived of by the Babylonians, according to the prophecy of Jeremiah 49:39. Verse 3. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns; and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. 4. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beast might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great. In verse 20 an interpretation of this symbol is given in plain language: "The ram which thou sawest, having two horns, are the kings of Media and Persia." We have only therefore to consider how well the symbol answers to the power in question. The two horns represented the two nationalities of which the empire consisted. The higher came up last. This represented the Persian element, which, from being at first simply an ally of the Medes, came to be the leading division of the empire. The different directions in which the ram was seen pushing, denote the directions in which the Medes and Persians carried their conquests. No earthly powers could stand before them while they were marching up to the exalted position to which the providence of God had pointed them. And so successfully were their conquests prosecuted that in the days of Ahasuerus (Esth. 1:1), the Medo-Persian kingdom extended from India to Ethiopia, the extremities of the then known world, over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces. The prophecy almost seems to fall short of the facts as stated in history, when it simply says that this power did according to its will, and became great. Verse 5. And as I was considering, behold, he-goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. 6. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. 7. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him; and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. "As I was considering," says the prophet; and in this he sets an example for every lover of the truth, and all who have any regard for things higher than the objects of time and sense. When Moses saw the burning bush, he said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight." But how few are willing at the present time to turn aside from their pursuits of business or pleasure, to consider those important themes to which both the mercy and the providence of God are striving to call their attention. The symbol here introduced is also explained by the angel to Daniel. Verse 21: "And the rough goat is the king [or kingdom] of Grecia." Concerning the fitness of this symbol to the Grecian or Macedonian people, Bishop Newton observes that, "two hundred years before the time of Daniel, they were called Ægeadæ, the goats' people; the origin of which name is said to be as follows: 'Carnaus, their first king, going with a multitude of Greeks to seek a new habitation in Macedonia, was advised by an oracle to take the goats for his guide; and afterward, seeing a herd of goats flying from a violent storm, he followed them to Edessa, and there fixed the seat of his empire, and made the goats his ensigns or standards, and called the place Æge or Ægea, the goats' town, and the people Ægeadæ, the goats' people; names which are derived from aix, aigos, a goat. The city of Æge or Ægea, was the usual burying-place of the Macedonian kings; and in reference to this origin, Alexander called his son by Roxana, Alexander Ægus, Alexander the goat. All this shows the very great propriety of the symbol here used." The goat came from the west. Grecia lay west of Persia. "On the face of the whole earth." He covered all the ground as he passed; that is, he swept everything before him; he left nothing behind. He "touched not the ground." Such was the speed and celerity of his movements, that he did not seem to touch the ground, but to fly from point to point, with the speed of the wind; the same feature is brought to view by the four wings of the leopard in the vision of chapter 7. The notable horn between his eyes. This is explained in verse 21 to be the first king of the Macedonian Empire. This king was Alexander the Great. Verses 6 and 7 give a concise account of the overthrow of the Persian Empire by Alexander. The contests between the Greeks and Persians are said to have been exceedingly furious; and some of the scenes as recorded in history are vividly brought to mind by the words of the prophecy, a ram standing before the river, and the goat running unto him in the fury of his power. Alexander first vanquished the generals of Darius at the river Granicus in Phrygia; he next attacked and totally routed Darius, at the straits of Issus in Cilicia, and afterwards on the plains of Arbela in Syria. This battle occurred B. C. 331, and marks the conclusion of the Persian Empire; for by this event Alexander became complete master of the whole country. Bishop Newton quotes verse 6: "And he [the goat] came to the ram which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power," and adds: "One can hardly read these words, without having some image of Darius' army standing and guarding the river Granicus, and of Alexander on the other side, with his forces plunging in, swimming across the stream, and rushing on the enemy with all the fire and fury that can be imagined." Ptolemy begins the reign of Alexander B. C. 332, but it was not till the battle Arbela, the year following, that he became, according to Prideaux (i, p. 378), "absolute lord of that empire to the utmost extent in which it was ever possessed by the Persian kings." On the eve of this engagement, Darius sent ten of his chief relations to sue for peace; and upon their presenting their conditions to Alexander, he replied, "Tell your sovereign . . . that the world will not permit two suns nor two sovereigns!" The language of verse 7 sets forth the completeness of the subjection of Medo-Persia to Alexander. The two horns were broken, and the ram cast to the ground and stamped upon. Persia was subdued, the country ravaged, its armies cut to pieces and scattered, its cities plundered, and the royal city of Persepolis, the capital of the Persian Empire, and even in its ruins one of the wonders of the world to the present day, was sacked and burned. Thus the ram had no power to stand before the goat, and there was none that could deliver him out of his hand. Verse 8. Therefore the he-goat waxed very great; and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. The conqueror is greater than the conquered. The ram, Medo-Persia, became great; the goat, Grecia, became very great. And when he was strong, the great horn was broken. Human foresight and speculation would have said, When he becomes weak, his kingdom racked by rebellion, or paralyzed by luxury, then the horn will be broken and the kingdom shattered. But Daniel saw it broken in the very prime of its strength, and the height of its power, when every beholder would have exclaimed, Surely, the kingdom is established, and nothing can overthrow it. Thus it is often with the wicked: The horn of their strength is broken when they think they stand firm; but the righteous, even when they think themselves ready to perish, often find that, through the sustaining power of God, the bruised reed is not broken, and the smoking flax is not quenched. Alexander fell in the prime of life. See notes on verse 39 of chapter 2. After his death there arose much confusion among his followers respecting the succession. It was finally agreed, after seven days' contest, that his natural brother, Philip Aridæus, should be declared king. By him, and Alexander's sons, Alexander Ægus and Hercules, the name and show of the Macedonian Empire was for a time sustained; but all these persons were soon murdered; and the regal family being then extinct, the chief commanders of the army, who had gone into different parts of the empire as governors of the provinces, assumed the title of kings. They thereupon fell to leaguing and warring with each other, to such a degree that within the short space of fifteen years from Alexander's death, the number was reduced to—how many? Five? No. Three? No. Two? No. But four; just the number specified in the prophecy; for four notable horns were to come up toward the four winds of heaven, in place of the great horn that was broken. These were, 1. Seleucus, who had Syria and Babylon, and from whom came the line of kings known as the Seleucidæ, so famous in history. 2. Lysimachus, who had Asia Minor. 3. Ptolemy, son of Lagus, from whom sprang the Lagidæ; and 4. Cassander, who had Greece and the neighboring countries. These held dominion toward the four winds of heaven. Cassander had the western parts, Lysimachus had the northern regions, Ptolemy possessed the southern countries, and Seleucus had the eastern portions of the empire. These four horns may therefore be named Macedonia, Thrace (which then included Asia Minor, and those parts lying on the Hellespont and Bosporus), Syria, and Egypt. THE VALUE OF POSITIVE UTTERANCE.
THERE is great power of producing conviction in mere positiveness of utterance. Most people think very little for themselves, and are glad to have their thinking done for them. If the results of this second-hand thinking are presented to them with a positiveness of utterance, this very positiveness will ensure reception. They are not accustomed to weighing the pros and cons, but they believe that here is a man who has weighed them duly, and they accept his conclusions, merely because he himself seems so sure of them. Nobody is better aware of the value of positive utterance than the opponent of orthodox Christianity. Take the history of infidel thought from Celsus to Ingersoll, and you shall find this to be a chief element of power in anti-Christian polemics. Many of those who have written and spoken against the religion of Christ have been learned, subtle, witty, eloquent; but they have all been positive in utterance—all of them, we mean, who have had any influence in molding the thoughts of their own and of other generations. If there had been any doubt in their tone they would never have gained any following. As it takes a Luther to lead a Reformation, so it takes a Voltaire to lead the hosts of infidelity. Half-hearted convictions and half-hearted speech never forwarded any cause. Precisely because they are so well aware of the efficacy of this positiveness of utterance, the opponents of Christianity have always attempted to deprive Christians of the use of this weapon. Unable to meet their foes in fair fight, they have509 attempted a flank movement. Positive utterance is ridiculed, it is called hard names, it is denounced as “dogmatism” and “bigotry,” and what not. To such an extent have these tactics prevailed, that very many good Christian people have become afraid to speak out their convictions manfully, lest they be accused of dogmatism, of wishing to set up as popes, and so on. Among a wide circle of Christian people it is “the thing” to speak with studied moderation, with ample qualification, with an implication that after all one may be mistaken, and that while he rather thinks this is true, it may possibly be that just the contrary is true. This is to be moderate, to be philosophical, to be cultivated, to be liberal. But to speak with an accent that implies, “This is truth, and I believe all else to be error”—horrible! For that is to be narrow-minded, to be intolerant, to be dogmatic. Napoleon once declared that the essence of good generalship was to find out what the enemy least desires you to do, and then do just that. That is good tactics in the Christian warfare also. There is nothing that the unbeliever in Christianity so much dislikes as what he calls “dogmatism.” Very well; let us be “dogmatic” then. To his I say so and so, let us oppose the Thus saith the Lord. Let us declare the whole truth revealed in the Scriptures, as we are best able to understand it with honest and prayerful study, and we cannot fail to overcome. He would be a poor general, who permitted his enemy to dictate the plan of his campaign; and he is a poor soldier of Christ, who permits his opponents to dissuade him by ridicule from the use of his most effective weapon The skeptic is positive, dogmatic; the Christian must speak with no less positiveness, unless he would have the world question the genuineness of his belief. If mere positiveness of utterance can often gain acceptance of error, what can it not do for the truth?—Examiner and Chronicle. LESSON FOR PACIFIC COAST.—NOV. 26.
Luke 17:11-19; John 7:10-31.
LESSON COMMENTS.
"THE calm rebuke of John and James for their anger and revengeful spirit, and the return of good for evil in the sending forth of the seventy to preach the kingdom throughout the Samaritan region, had shown that the rudeness Christ had received had not ruffled his spirit. He was now to add another proof of his serene and loving nature. As they approached a border village, a dismal spectacle was presented. Ten men, hideous with leprosy, ranged themselves at a distance from the road, as similar sufferers still do, before their huts at the Zion Gate at Jerusalem. It was a law in Samaria that no leper could enter a town, and hence the unfortunate creatures accosted Jesus while he was still outside the village. Misery had broken down all prejudice of race or faith, and had brought together even Jew and Samaritan, as it still does in the leper haunts of Jerusalem and Nablous. The ten had heard of Jesus, and the wonderful cures he had performed on such as they, and no sooner saw him than they broke out with the common cry, 'Unclean, unclean! Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.' As they stood afar off, their lips covered with their abbas, like mourners for the dead—for they were smitten with a living death, which cut them off from intercourse with their fellows—the pity of Jesus was excited, and without even waiting to come near, sent hope to them in the words, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests.' They knew what the command meant, for no one who was not cleansed could approach a priest, and as they moved off, the disease left them. The Samaritan would have to show himself to a Samaritan priest; the nine Jews needed to go up to Jerusalem for an official certificate of health, at the temple; but it was the least either the one or the others could do, when they felt their cure, to return, if only for a moment, to thank their benefactor for a deliverance from worse than death. But the nine Jews were too much concentrated on themselves to think of this. Only one, the Samaritan, showed natural gratitude, and came back and threw himself at the feet of Jesus, in humble acknowledgement of the goodness shown him. 'Were there not ten cleansed?' asked Christ; 'where are the nine? The only one who has returned to give glory to God is this Samaritan, whom Jews call a heathen, and an alien from Israel. Arise, go thy way thy faith hath made thee whole.' The twelve had received another lesson of universal charity. "The Feast of Tabernacles was one of the three great feasts which every Jew was required to attend. It was held from the fifteenth of Tisri to the twenty-second, the first and last days being Sabbaths—the latter 'the great day of the feast.' It commemorated, in part, the tent-life of Israel in the wilderness, but was also, still more, a feast of thanks for the harvest, which was now ended even in the orchards and vineyards. Every one lived in booths of living twigs, branches of olive, myrtle, fir, and the like,—raised in the open courts of houses, on roofs, and in the streets and open places of the city. All carried in the left hand a citron, and in the right the lulab—a branch of palm woven round with willow and myrtle. On each of the seven feast days the priests went out with music and the choir of Levites, amidst the shouts of vast multitudes, to draw water in a golden vessel, from the spring of Siloah; to be poured out at the time of the morning offering as a libation, on the west side of the great altar, amidst great joy, singing and dancing, such as was not all the year besides. On the evening of the first day a grand illumination, from huge candelabra which shed light far and near over the city, began in the Court of the Women, and torch dances of men were kept up, in the court, with music and songs, till the Temple gates closed."—Geikie. "At the commencement of the Feast of Tabernacles, the absence of Jesus was commented upon. The Pharisees and rulers anxiously looked for him to come, hoping that they might have an opportunity to condemn him on account of something he might say or do. They anxiously inquired 'Where is he?' but no one knew. Presently a dispute rose among the people in regard to Jesus, many nobly defending him as one sent of God, while others bitterly accused him as a deceiver of the people. "In the midst of the feast, when the dispute concerning himself was at its height, Jesus walked calmly into the court of the temple, and stood before the crowd as one possessed of unquestionable authority. The sudden and unexpected appearance of one whom they believed would not dare to show himself among them in the presence of all the chief priests and rulers, astonished the people, so that a sudden hush succeeded the excited discussion in which they had been engaged. They were astonished at his dignified and courageous bearing in the midst of many powerful men who were thirsting for his life. . . . "His discourse showed that he was well acquainted with the law in all its bearings, and was a clear interpreter of the Scriptures. The question passes from one to another, 'How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?' Some, less acquainted with his former life, inquire among themselves in what school he has been instructed. Finally, the rulers recover their presence of mind sufficiently to demand by what authority he stands so boldly teaching the people. They seek to turn the attention of the multitude from Jesus to the question of heright to teach, and to their own importance and authority. But the voice of Jesus answers their queries with thrilling power:— "'My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory; but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.' Jesus here declares that his Heavenly Father is the source of all strength, and the foundation of all wisdom. No natural talent nor acquired learning can supply the place of a knowledge of the will of God. A willingness to obey the requirements of the Lord, opens the mind and heart to candid inquiry, and diligent searching for the doctrine of truth. "Jesus spoke upon the subject of the law. He was in the presence of the very men who were great sticklers for its exactions, yet failed to carry out its principles in their lives. These persons persecuted Jesus, who taught so pointedly the sanctity of God's statutes, and freed them from the senseless restrictions which had been attached to them. Since Jesus had healed the paralytic on the Sabbath day, the Pharisees had a determined purpose to compass his death, and were eagerly watching for an opportunity to accomplish their design. Jesus, penetrating their purposes, inquired of them:— "'Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?' This pointed accusation struck home to the guilty consciences of the Pharisees and rulers, but only increased their rage. That this humble man should stand up before the people and expose the hidden iniquity of their lives, seemed a presumption too great to be believed. But the rulers wished to conceal their evil purposes from the people, and evaded the words of Jesus, crying out, 'Thou hast a devil; who goeth about to kill thee?' In these words they would insinuate that all the wonderful works of Jesus were instigated by an evil spirit. They also wished to direct the minds of the people from the words of Jesus revealing their purpose of taking his life. "But 'Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers; and ye on the Sabbath-day circumcise a man.' Jesus referred to his act of healing the man on the Sabbath, and showed that it was in accordance with the Sabbath law. He alluded also to the custom among the Jews of circumcising on the Sabbath. If it was lawful to circumcise a man on the Sabbath, it must certainly be right to relieve the afflicted, to 'make a man every whit whole on the Sabbath-day.' The boldness with which Jesus defended himself, and interpreted the spirit of the law, silenced the rulers and led many of those who heard him, to say, 'Is not this he whom they seek to kill? But lo he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?' Many of those who lived at Jerusalem, and were not ignorant of the designs of the Sanhedrim council against Jesus, were charmed with the doctrine that he taught, and with his pure and dignified bearing, and were inclined to accept him as the Son of God. "Many had received the impression that Messiah would have no natural relationship to humanity, and it was not pleasant for them to think of him whom they had hoped would be a mighty king of Israel, as one who sprung from poverty and obscurity. Therefore they said among themselves, 'Howbeit we know this man whence he is; but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.' The minds of these men were closed to the prophecies, which pointed out how and when Christ was to come. "While their minds were balancing between doubt and faith, Jesus took up their thoughts and answered them thus: 'Ye both know me and ye know whence I am; and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him; for I am from him, and he hath sent me.' They claimed a knowledge of what the origin of Christ should be, while they were in reality utterly ignorant of it, and were locked in spiritual blindness. If they had lived in accordance with the will of the Father, they would have known his Son, when he was manifested to them."—Life of Christ, by Mrs. E. G. White. Verse 28. Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am]. Perhaps they should be read interrogatively; do ye both know me, and know whence I am? Our Lord takes them up on their own profession, and argues from it. Since you have got so much information concerning me, add this to it to make it complete; viz. that I am not come of myself; am no self-created or self-authorized prophet; I came from God—the testimony of John the Baptist, the descent of the Holy Ghost, the voice from Heaven, the purity and excellence of my doctrine, and the multitude of my miracles, sufficiently attest this. Now God is true, who has borne testimony to me; but ye know him not, therefore it is that this testimony is disregarded.—Clarke. Teaching God’s Commands to Children
"AND these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children; and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Ignorance of the Bible
By Editor
A CONFESSION of ignorance of a startling character was made the other day by a man of ripe years, who called at the Bible House and bought a New Testament. He said he wanted to compare it with the New Revision; he had never read either, and wanted to see which was the best. OUR WORK IN CALIFORNIA.
By Editor
ANOTHER Conference year is past, and we have opportunity to review the ground and note the progress made. We are so fully aware that we are not what and where we should be in such an important work, and in such a time as this, that we do not in the least feel like boasting of anything that has been done. But we believe that it is only giving honor to the providence of God, to whom this work belongs, to acknowledge the blessings and the prosperity which has been graciously granted to us. We have before noticed the manner in which $10,-000 were raised at the time of the camp-meeting, for the churches in Oakland and San Francisco. Not, however, for these churches alone; this sum was raised because this is mission ground, and these churches have a constant struggle to hold the ground, to place the truth before the tens of thousands around them, and to maintain their membership with such a constantly changing population. It was raised without any open effort, for no public call for money was made on the ground. This shows that the truth is taking deep hold of hearts in California, and that they are ready and willing to respond to its calls. Another item of interest in connection with the late meeting is that of the book sales. There were sold at the stand to the amount of $700—more than was ever sold at a camp-meeting before, except at a general meeting in Michigan where the ministers received their outfits. It is true that the sales in Sacramento were not all of our denominational books, but were these, with such other books as are kept on sale at the office, and used in Bible study, and Sabbath-school work. We have also noticed the success reported in ministerial work during the last year, and the increase of laborers. The number of persons who received credentials and licenses is larger than it was at any previous session of the Conference, with the prospect also that a larger per cent. will use the licenses granted to them. And, to the encouragement of all the friends of the cause, it was found that the condition of our finances was such that every claim was paid, and money was still left in the treasury. In the midst of these encouragements we stop to record a fear—the greatest fear we have in the case—that our people will be too well satisfied with past successes, and not keep humbly before the throne of grace, praying that God may be near to us, and constantly guide us by his Holy Spirit. We do not receive grace from God for our own benefit alone, but, that we may be better fitted to engage in his service and to labor for the salvation of our fellow-men. Past blessings are but the instruments of Providence placed in our hands; they are Heaven's method of opening the way for us to labor, that our efficiency may be increased. They do not release us from the necessity of earnest effort, but rather increase our obligation and our responsibility. Closely related to the success of the Conference work in this State, is the prosperity of the Publishing House in Oakland. And we are happy to say that never before was its prosperity so well assured. It is some time since the President and Vice-President of the Association were together at this office, and we have not had opportunity to speak advisedly as we do at present. The improvement in the preparation of the press-room and paper warehouse in the basement, has fully vindicated the present management of the institution. The benefit to the office of this change, together with the purchase of the large press, has been even greater than was promised. The amount of work done in the last six months is largely in excess of that which was done in any previous six months, without a corresponding increase of expenses. The increase of facilities has proved to be just what was needed. And, in proof that the work was safely calculated and well done, we can now say that the debt of the institution is decreasing, and confidence in the office is increasing, both with business men who deal with it and with our brethren throughout California. As of the work in the Conference, so we may say of this: it is no time to slack our hands in the midst of prosperity. It is our opportunity to work with renewed zeal and energy. The debt is decreased, but it is not removed. There is opportunity for all the friends of the cause to take part in the work. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be, also." If any want to have a real interest in this cause, let them sacrifice for it and they will find their hearts drawn out toward it in a wonderful manner. Especially should those who have embraced the truth of late years feel it a privilege to bear the burden with those who bore it when the cause was weak and its friends were few. At present we are compelled to do a very large outside work to keep up the establishment, to pay interest, and to decrease the debt. We hope not long hence to see a very large denominational work done here; much larger than is demanded or we are able to do under present circumstances. It is in view of the near coming of that time when our income from outside work must be lessened, that we invite the friends who are able, to still assist the office with their means. The necessity for this must be apparent to every one. Should we, to any great extent, close up on the outside work, our income would be so suddenly cut down that the office would be at once embarrassed. If we were even nearly free from debt we could control the work turning it largely to printing our denominational literature, without any fear of embarrassment. The more speedily the debt is removed or greatly lessened, and the burden of paying interest is taken off, the sooner we can branch out in our denominational work; the more we can do to send out our publications, through our missionary societies, to the ends of the earth. The means put into the office and the material gathered here is doing a noble work in establishing the reputation of the cause in which we are engaged. And it is only a question of time as to its being wanted for, and used in, the sole work of publishing the present truth. We are looking—we are longing for that day. We invite all to unite their interests with ours in hasting its coming. Now we walk by faith alone; soon we shall see that which will gladden our hearts in the success of this truth, and the triumph of the workers in the cause of God. We are sowing seed for eternity. "—Who will come,
To share in the glory of the harvest home?" IT is not customary with religious papers to notice anonymous letters, and if, at any time, we pass them by unnoticed, we shall not consider it necessary to make any apology. We have generally, however, answered questions coming in this manner, as we are more anxious to get the truth before the people than to stand upon formalities. "An Inquirer," in Oakland, writes:— "You teach that children should not be baptized because they do not understand it. God commanded the Jews to have their children circumcised the eighth day. I do not think that eight-day-old children could understand any better then than they can now. You keep the old Sabbath. Why not keep that law also?" 1. If that were the only objection to infant baptism the discussion would be brought into a very narrow compass compared to what it now is. It is sufficient to answer: That was a national arrangement, built up on natural descent, which the gospel is not. Consequently by a specific commandment parents were required to circumcise their children at the age of eight days. Circumcision was typical, but not of baptism. The two are in no wise related, and are not subject to the same laws. Baptism represents the burial of one who has died to sin; it is connected with repentance and is related to the remission of sin. It is always presented as a commandment to be obeyed—not as a blessing to be passively received. Not a single statement in the New Testament concerning baptism can be reasonably construed to make it apply to infants. 2. The second point is equally easy to answer. "The old Sabbath" is a very old institution, coming down from the time of the creation, when it was sanctified as the rest-day of the Creator. It is as ancient as marriage. If we were to ask Inquirer why the law of marriage comes down into the Christian dispensation and that of circumcision does not, he could readily find a reasonable answer. But marriage and the Sabbath originated together, in Eden before the fall of man; neither of them is subject to the law or the limitations of types, which were instituted because man had fallen. If man had never sinned, marriage and the Sabbath would always have been kept in a holy manner. But if man had not sinned, circumcision would never have existed. Cannot Inquirer understand this difference? If he had let us know his name and address we would put our pamphlet on Christian Baptism into his hands, where the subject of his question is answered fully. We should greatly marvel how, in this land of Bibles and churches, people can have such limited views of Bible truths and facts as not to discern the difference between a moral institution—one growing out of the will of God alone, before the fall of man, and a typical institution—one growing out of the fall of man, and existing only because of man's rebellion; we say we should marvel how this can be, only that we know that the Bible as a book of directions is greatly neglected, and often made the object of a blind dependence, rather than of careful study.