Earlier text: Do We Understand Correctly?What Are the Grounds of Their Expectations?
By G.
The American Messenger, a monthly journal published in the interest of the American Tract Society, publishes the following request and enjoins it upon its patrons: "An earnest Christian recommends that arrangements be made by missionary, clerical, and other religious bodies, for 'the appointment of a day and hour, by the common consent of Christians all over the world, on which all who bow at the name of Jesus shall be gathered together, each in concert with his fellow, to ask for the conversion of the world.' 'Undoubtedly,' he says, 'there must be a much more hearty and united movement of the church of God on this subject than there ever has been, before we can begin to realize what the Bible authorizes us to expect in regard to the coming era of glory.'" This is certainly a heavy embargo. The population of the globe at the present day is some more than ten hundred millions. Of those, over five hundred millions bow to "gods many and lords many," from the bright luminary in the heavens to the most disgusting fetish. The other five hundred millions are to a great extent wrangling and quarreling with each other about forms and relics and church creeds and ecclesiastical minutiæ, many of them Christians only in name, mere court-worshipers at God's great Temple of Truth, and still it is thought there are good reasons to believe that all mankind will yet become experimentally religious! This would require a prodigious stretch of faith, surely. May the "good Lord" pardon all such misguided zeal. To those who would like to see a "thus saith the Lord" on this subject, let them refer to the following chapters and verses : Luke xiii, 23, 24; Rev. vi, 12-17; Matt. xiii, 30, 39; Ps. ii, 8, 9; Rev. xix, 19, 20; 2 Tim. iii, 1-5, 13, &c., &c. It is impossible to persevere in the habit of meditating on Scripture without wearing down the edge of sin. Sin will either give distaste for the Bible, or, which God of his mercy grant, the Bible will, through the teaching of the Spirit, give you a disgust for sin.—Pinder. The Present Hour.
By G. W. A.
To the waiting, expectant child of God, and the diligent student of the prophetic word, the present is a period of unbounded interest. The moral, the social, and the political signs of the times, are but the infallible indexes of that era of future glory for which the saints of God for sixty long centuries have waited, and watched, and prayed. The four grand monarchies of the world have successively arisen, and for their allotted time borne universal sway, and each in its turn has crumbled and fallen, and been numbered with the things that were. To-day there is but a step between us and the rest that remains for the people of God. As we look about us, and like careful mariners on the ocean, take our bearings, we behold the most pleasing proof that our voyage is nearly finished, and we soon shall find our moorings in the haven of eternal rest. These things are the mighty consolation of the church, a comfort to God's children in the hour of their most poignant sorrow and keenest grief. The thought that it will be but a little while till He that shall come will come, and will not tarry, sweetens the bitterest cup, lightens the darkest moments, and the sorrowing saint becomes like a hart or roe upon the mountains of Bether. And well may the church rejoice, well may she take courage, for a Voice from Heaven has spoken good concerning Israel, and the time is near when "the glory of the Lord shall rise upon her," yea, that favored time when Zion shall be remembered, when her warfare shall be ended and her victory accomplished. Glorious thought! blessed fruition of all our labors, and toils, and cares, which we sustain here in the vineyard of the Lord for the Master's sake. As the poet says, “We are living, we are dwelling,
In a grand and awful time.”
Never was sentiment more truthfully embellished with verse than this. How many harbingers of that era of coming glory does the eye of faith now behold, and also how numerous are those terrible omens, the sure precursors of the gloomy hour of God's impending wrath. Already the sword of Divine justice is being furbished, and the mad surgings of angry nations, hitherto somewhat restrained, show their eagerness for the battle of the great day. A spirit of rebellion and innovation agitates society at large, which occasionally, like the pent fires of the volcano, breaks forth, then again it is smothered and there is a lull, all of which come before us as the lively types of that final conflict in Armageddon's field, when "every man's hand will be against his brother," and the "battle of the warrior will be with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood." Now is the time to work, to watch, to fight, and pray. No long ages of fabled peace and good, loom up before the mind, in which at our leisure we can investigate and compare, and so make our titles sure to the heavenly abode; but the interest and importance of an age are all compressed into a day. The Nobleman, after a long and dreary absence, is soon to return, and who shall be clad in the robe of the Lamb's righteousness is the great and exciting question now. As we look around on the earth, we behold disquiet and unrest; but "in me," the departing Saviour said, "ye have peace." Let us ever have suitable acknowledgments for this, that there is One that loves us, who does all things well, and who, out of confusion will bring forth order, and in the midst of the grossest darkness will cause his unerring light to shine.
G. W. A. Thoughts on the Resurrection.
By E. M. Crandall
“How are the dead raised up, and with what body do they come?”
1 Cor. xv, 35. THIS is a question frequently asked at the present day. And some answer that there is no resurrection of the body, but the spirit is freed from its clayey tenement and soars to regions far above the earth, to forever enjoy the bliss of those better climes. Others think that the body will be raised, and the spirit that has been enjoying the bliss of Heaven for hundreds of years, or the woes of the damned for the same length of time, will come back at the resurrection and inhabit the body again. Still another class think the identical body cannot be raised, for, say they, the dust of which the body is composed is diffused throughout the vegetable and animal creation, and such cannot see how it would be possible for God to gather the very identical dust again. But let us come to the apostle’s mode of deciding this question. In 1 Cor. xv, 36, he says, “That which thou sowest is not quickened except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or some other grain. But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.” Verses 36–38. In this argument of Paul’s, he has taken a very simple and plain illustration: that of sowing grain. When we sow our grain, we do not sow that body that shall be, but simply the bare wheat,—the seed. When we come to reap, we do not expect to reap the wheat that we sowed, which has died and gone into the earth; but we expect to get the same in kind that we sowed. If we sow fife wheat, we expect to reap fife; if club, then club. So in the resurrection. I do not think it necessary that the identical dust that composes the body of man should be brought together again. All that seems to me necessary is, that the elements of which man is composed should be brought together in the same proportion as they were before dissolution. I think God records in “his Book of remembrance” the elements of which every individual is composed, and it seems to me that the psalmist David so understood, when he said, “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect, and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” Ps. cxxxix, 16. But in the resurrection I suppose there is an advance, for the apostle says, “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” Verse 4. I understand that the resurrected bodies will be immortal, not subject to decay,—therefore spiritual. E. M. CRANDALL.
Utica, Dane Co., Wis. Effect of Taking a Decided Stand.
By R. F. Cottrell
“PERSONS openly committed to a truth are thereby much better fortified against apostasy, than those who, though they may be favorable to the truth, have never openly avowed their regard for it, or confessed their faith. “There are many persons who see truth, though not in its fullness, because they fear to commit themselves to its leadings till they have surveyed their surroundings, to see what effect will be likely to follow to them, from an open avowal of the truth. They look all around, on every side, to see how it will effect their influence, name, business, or standing in society, or church relation. By such a course, clouds obscure their vision, and they lose sight of the truth so far, that its charms fail to attract them; they left open a way to retreat before committing themselves, for fear they might find it too difficult to follow truth wheresoever it might lead. Such, therefore, may be expected to leave the truth to struggle on, by itself, till such times as it can make itself popular without their aid. If, however, a person commits himself openly to the truth at its first discovery, he is not in so much danger of forsaking it in time of trial, as one who is not thus committed; because the difficulties may be as great to go back as to struggle onward. Hence, the first step for security, to one who sees the truth, is openly to commit himself to it.” “Now is the time to make an open confession, and thus put up one barrier against apostasy when future trials arise. Who does not know how much easier it is to draw back on any doctrine, where no open acknowledgment has been made in its favor? Some persons always stand in this position of keeping the way open for a retreat when the battle rages too hot for them. ‘We never professed to believe it,’ say they, as they carefully hide themselves from the storm; while the thoroughly committed breast the howling tempest, and come out with an increase of confidence in God and in his truth. These have confessed Christ and his words, and he will confess and uphold them; while the others have undertaken to be their own keepers, and hence stumble and fall; they ‘loved the praise of men more than the praise of God;’ ‘verily they have their reward.’” The above extracts from the Bible Examiner, contain important truth which all the hesitating and wavering would do well to heed. When we learn the truth, no time should be lost in embracing it. Delay may prove a fatal mistake. It is dangerous, especially to delay obedience to a known duty. On the other hand, it is dangerous to plead for error. Striving to maintain a wrong position, only serves to confirm one in error. The more we seek for arguments in favor of error, the more we are inclined to believe it. And besides this, when we are publically committed in favor of a thing, it is hard for human nature to abandon it. For this reason, I would not ask a man to a public discussion, of whom I entertained a hope of his conversion to the truth. I always regret to see a man fight against his own convictions of truth. It is very dangerous; though some may have honesty of heart enough to abandon their position and embrace the truth. It is a fearful thing, however, to commit ourselves against the truth. John Wesley’s Preaching and Vigor
JOHN WESLEY preached, on an average, fifteen sermons a week. Instead of breaking down under this task, he wrote, when seventy-three years old, that he was far abler to preach than when three-and-twenty. His brow was then smooth, his complexion ruddy, and his voice strong and clear, so that an audience of thirty thousand could hear him without difficulty. This vigor he ascribed to continual travel, early rising, good sleep, and an even temper. About Doctors and Their Patients.
By J. CLARKE
THERE is a very curious doctrine extant in the world with regard to the sick, which somewhat resembles the Roman Catholic superstition. The Romanist would be alarmed at the thought of dying without absolution from the priest; so it is with the sick: they would think it dreadful to die without the doctor, and a table full of vials and bottles, and nice little doses of drugs wrapped up in white papers,—all to be given at just such hours, alternating with a spoonful of the liquid medicine in the bowl once in an hour. And to die without the usual amount of drugs in the patient’s stomach, and the usual number of vials and little papers of medicine, and the usual round of visits from the doctor, would be a perpetual disgrace to the family. A short time since, I was nursing for one night a sick man who had congestive chills. The doctor had left the usual hourly powders, &c., &c., wine, and stimulants, and I am satisfied the hydropathic nursing he had received from his family saved him in spite of the drugs and tonics. During the evening, a chicken was prepared for him (although he was hardly able to turn himself in bed, and the doctor encouraged him to eat freely), and three or four little ones sat up to have a nice lunch of the chicken. I told the lady of the house it was a bad practice, especially for children, to eat just previous to sleep. She thought a light supper would do no harm. The effect was, those children screamed most provokingly two-thirds of the night, and had I told them the cause, they would have smiled incredulously. There are a few questions I would like to propound to some one who is better posted than I am on medical matters: First, when a physician salivates a patient, what does he do it for? his own profit, or for the hurrying his patient along? Second, why does a physician tell his patient to eat, while he is giving him drugs to cleanse his system? This puts me in mind of what a friend relates, a circumstance which came under his observation: Dr. E.—settled in Northeastern Ohio, many years ago. He was a plain, frank man, well-informed in medicine and surgery. He sought the health and prosperity of his patients. He would inquire the symptoms of those who needed his aid, and if it was not necessary, would not make the expense of a trip, but would send a few pills, a dose of rhubarb, a vial of castor oil, or some little matter, and people were very healthy in his vicinity, and the little practice he had did not support his family, so he went to keeping tavern! Two new doctors came into the place; people got very sick, very low indeed. These skillful young physicians would raise up these sick people most miraculously; people extolled the new doctors, and old Dr. E. became very small in their sight. Dr. E. had been in the world some, knew the tricks of trade, and half-indignant, asserted that if that was what the people wanted, he could work at the same vocation too. The patients now grew very, very sick, and just as they were at death’s door, Dr. E. raised them up. His reputation was up again, and ever after, the three doctors thrived, where one hardly lived before. Report of the Late Marion Quarterly Meeting.
By H. E. Carver
BRO. WHITE: I esteem it a pleasant duty to give the church at large, through the Review, a report of our late Quarterly Meeting at Marion, Sept. 15–17. Notwithstanding the busy season of the year, there was a goodly delegation of brethren and sisters from Fairview, Lisbon, Tipton and Toledo; among them one of our Seventh-day Baptist brethren, who came out fully into the light of present truth recently under the labors of Bro. Snook. We were disappointed in not seeing or hearing from Bro. Ingraham. His absence placed the whole burden of preaching on Bro. Snook, who, considering his home duties, and also his peculiar connection with the Iowa Conference, felt himself to some extent disqualified to bear the burden; but it became evident from the first that the Lord did not mean he should bear it alone, but aided him in presenting some of the most heart-searching truths, both to believers and unbelievers, that I ever heard; and I verily believe that eternity will develop some good fruit resulting from this meeting. On the last evening our meeting-house was well filled, mostly with citizens of Marion, who listened with great interest to a long, but excellent argument on the perpetuity of the law of God, special reference being had to the fourth commandment; and we have heard of one citizen’s declaring that he will never violate another of the Lord’s Sabbaths, nor keep another Sunday. Others also we hope will see it duty to do the same. Our prayer and social meetings were seasons of special interest, the brethren and sisters all seeming to realize the presence of the Holy Spirit among us and in us, and testified to their unshaken faith in the great leading truths that distinguish us as a church. All, so far as I know, were strengthened and refreshed, and departed for their homes with renewed determinations to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, that at last we may be permitted to enter the pearly gates and walk the golden street of the New Jerusalem, and pluck the fruit of life’s fair tree. Let us continue faithful, my brethren and sisters, to the great truths of the third angel’s message, and at last our Lord will honor us with a place in his everlasting kingdom. We present the readers of the Review with the following, taken from "A Life of Trust," by Geo. Muller, a man who believed in effectual, fervent, and availing prayer. A. P. VH. You ask, How may I, a true believer, have my faith strengthened? The answer is this:— I. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."—James i, 17. As the increase of faith is a good gift, it must come from God, and therefore he ought to be asked for this blessing. II. The following means, however, ought to be used; 1. The careful reading of the word of God, combined with meditation on it. Through reading of the word of God, and especially through meditation on the word of God, the believer becomes more and more acquainted with the nature and character of God, and thus sees more and more, besides his holiness and justice, what a kind, loving, gracious, merciful, mighty, wise, and faithful being he is, and, therefore, in poverty, affliction of body, bereavement in his family, difficulty in his service, want of a situation, or employment, he will repose upon the ability of God to help him, because he has not only learned from his word that he is of almighty power and infinite wisdom, but he has also seen instance upon instance in the Holy Scriptures in which his almighty power and infinite wisdom have been actually exercised in helping and delivering his people; and he will repose upon the willingness of God to help him, because he has not only learned from the Scriptures what a kind, good, merciful, gracious, and faithful being God is, but because he has also seen in the word of God, how, in a great variety of instances, he has proved himself to be so. And the consideration of this, if God has become known to us through prayer and meditation on his own word, will lead us, in general, at least, with a measure of confidence to rely upon him: and thus the reading of the word of God, together with meditation on it, will be one especial means to strengthen our faith. 2. As, with reference to the growth of every grace of the Spirit, it is of the utmost importance that we seek to maintain an upright heart and a good conscience, and therefore, do not knowingly and habitually indulge in those things which are contrary to the mind of God, so it is also particularly the case with reference to the growth in faith. How can I possibly continue to act faith upon God, concerning anything, if I am habitually grieving him, and seek to detract from the glory and honor of Him in whom I profess to trust, upon whom I profess to depend? All my confidence towards God, all my leaning upon him in the hour of trial, will be gone, if I have a guilty conscience, and do not seek to put away this guilty conscience, but still continue to do the things which are contrary to the mind of God. And if, in any particular instance, I cannot trust in God, because of the guilty conscience, then my faith is weakened by that instance of distrust; for faith, with every fresh trial of it, either increases by trusting God, and thus getting help, or it decreases by not trusting him; and then there is less and less power of looking simply and directly to him, and a habit of self-dependence is begotten or encouraged. One or the other of these will always be the case in each particular instance. Either we trust in God, and in that case we neither trust in ourselves, nor in our fellow-men, nor in circumstances, nor in anything besides; or we do trust in one or more of these, and in that case do not trust in God. 3. If we, indeed, desire our faith to be strengthened, we should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried, and, therefore, through the trial, be strengthened. In our natural state we dislike dealing with God alone. Through our natural alienation from God, we shrink from him, and from eternal realities. This cleaves to us more or less, even after our regeneration. Hence it is that, more or less, even as believers, we have the same shrinking from standing with God alone, from depending upon him alone, from looking to him alone; and yet this is the very position in which we ought to be, if we wish our faith to be strengthened. The more I am in a position to be tried in faith with reference to my body, my family, my service for the Lord, my business, etc., the more shall I have opportunity of seeing God's help and deliverance; and every fresh instance in which he helps and delivers me will tend towards the increase of my faith. On this account, therefore, the believer should not shrink from situations, positions, or circumstances, in which his faith may be tried, but should cheerfully embrace them as opportunities where he may see the hand of God stretched out on his behalf, to help and deliver him, and whereby he may thus have his faith strengthened. 4. The last important point for the strengthening of our faith is, that we let God work for us when the hour of the trial of our faith comes, and do not work a deliverance of our own. Wherever God has given faith, it is given, among other reasons, for the very purpose of being tried. Yea, however weak our faith may be, God will try it; only with this restriction, that as, in every way, he leads us on gently, gradually, patiently; so also with reference to the trial of our faith. At first, our faith will be tried very little in comparison with what it may be afterward; for God never lays more upon us than he is willing to enable us to bear. Now, when the trial of our faith comes, we are naturally inclined to distrust God, and to trust rather in ourselves, or in our friends, or in circumstances. We will rather work a deliverance of our own, somehow or other, than simply look to God and wait for his help. But if we do not patiently wait for God's help, if we work a deliverance of our own, then at the next trial of our faith it will be thus again, we shall be again inclined to deliver ourselves; and thus, with every fresh instance of that kind, our faith will decrease; while, on the contrary, were we to stand still in order to see the salvation of God, to see his hand stretched out on our behalf, trusting in him alone, then our faith would be increased, and with every fresh case in which the hand of God is stretched out on our behalf in the hour of the trial of our faith, our faith would be increased yet more. Would the believer, therefore, have his faith strengthened, he must, especially, give time to God, who tries his faith in order to prove to his child, in the end, how willing he is to help and deliver him, the moment it is good for him. A Few Thoughts about Sin.
By John B. Tinker
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." 1 Tim. i, 15. "And thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins." Matt. i, 21. We inquire, first, what does the word save mean? It means "to rescue;" therefore when it stands connected with sinners, it means to rescue, or preserve them from the consequences of sin. This leads to the inquiry, What is our danger? The prophet answers: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezek. xviii, 4, 20. Not merely because we are descendants of Adam, is death entailed upon us, "but every one shall die for his own iniquity." Jer. xxxi, 30. Our own sins will cause our final destruction. We not only inherit from father Adam a mortal, dying nature, in consequence of sin, but we must die for our own sin. "For all have sinned." Rom. iii, 23. "All we, like sheep, have gone astray." Isa. liii, 6. "The wages of sin is death." Rom. vi, 23. "But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and workers of lewdness, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Rev. xxi, 8. (See also Ezek. xviii, 26.) "For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day cometh that shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." Mal. iv, 1. (See also Rev. xx, 9, 14; Ps. cxiv, 20.) Having now ascertained what our danger is, we inquire, What is the cause? Says the apostle, "Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom. v, 12. This leads us to inquire, What is sin? Says the apostle, "Transgression of the law." 1 John iii, 4. But what law? Answer. God's law. What is God's law? Answer. The ten commandments. Proof. "And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me in the mount and be there, and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law and commandments, which I have written." See Ex. xxiv, 12. "And the Lord spake unto you . . . And he declared unto you his covenant which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments, and he wrote them on two tables of stone." Deut. iv, 12, 13. "For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers." Ps. lxxviii, 5. Let us now turn to Ex. xx, commencing with the third verse, and read to the eighteenth. Here we learn what the great God spake as his law. It says: "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," &c. And as there is no dispute among Christians on any of the commandments except the fourth, we will offer some proof of its being a part of God's law! "Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things; they have put no difference between the holy and the profane, neither have they showed difference between the clean and the unclean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them." Ezek. xxii, 26. In giving the reason, the Lord says he gave it "that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or no." Again, when Israel went out to gather manna on the Sabbath, the Lord says, "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore he giveth you the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." Ex. xvi, 4, 28, 29. If the above does not prove the Sabbath commandment a part of God's law, then we cannot prove it. And as the ten commandments are found to be the rule to determine what sin is in the Old Testament, we shall find them the rule of the New Testament. Says Paul, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." Rom. vii, 7. "For by the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. iii, 20. Again, "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. . . . The law is spiritual," &c. See Rom. vii, 12, 14, 22. James ii, 8-12. But, says one, the ten commandments are done away. To this our blessed Lord replies, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matt. v, 17, 18. Lest any should say that sin is not the same, we will compare a few passages that speak of sin in both the Old and New Testaments. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they broke the first commandment, by choosing to obey the god of this world. Gen. iii, 1-8; 2 Cor. iv, 4. For says Paul, "Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." 1 Tim. ii, 14. To Cain the Lord said, "If thou doest not well, sin lieth at thy door." See Gen. iv, 7. The apostle speaks of him as of that wicked one. 1 John iii, 12. When Israel made and worshiped the golden calf, Moses said to them, "Ye have sinned a great sin," &c. Of this matter Paul says, "Neither be ye idolaters." 1 Cor. x, 7. He also warns us not to commit any of the sins of ancient Israel, such as covetousness, idolatry, and adultery. But, says one, "I do not doubt its being sin to break any of the commandments except the fourth; that belonged to the old system of types and shadows." The Sabbath a type! Instituted in Eden before the fall of man?! Pray, what is it a type of? The Sabbath a type! No, never. The Sabbath made for man, and the commandment that guards its sacredness, is the most important part of the law of God, for it alone143 points out the Creator of the heavens and earth. You think it done away, when Jesus says, I came not to destroy the law? But we have abundance of proof that it was and still is sin to transgress the fourth commandment. See Ex. xvi, 28, 29; Lev. xxvi; 2 Chron. xxxvi, 14, 15, 16, and 21; Ezek. xx, 12, 20; xxiii, 26; John ix, 16; Matt. xii, 2-12. But we have proved that the fourth commandment is a part of God's law, therefore it is sin to transgress it; for sin is the transgression of the law. We might stop and show that the Sabbath was kept this side of the death of our Redeemer, and was a day of public worship; that Jesus taught the disciples to pray that their flight be not on the Sabbath day, and that it will be kept in the new earth. Matt. xxiv, 20; Luke xxiii, 56; Acts xiii, 14, 42, 44; xvi, 13; xvii, 2; xviii, 4-11. The fact that God has ever had but one rule for the moral government of his creatures in all ages of the world, is not only rational and consistent, but as we have seen, is scriptural, and well comports with his character as a being of infinite justice and of an unchangeable nature. The violation of this rule has caused all our trouble. It has entailed sickness, sorrow, and pain in this life, and finally death; yes, the second death—destruction from which there is no reprieve. Man has no power to save us from this death. And as we see our lost, our hopeless condition in consequence of sin, we are led to exclaim, Oh! what boundless love the great God has shown to us in giving his Son to die for man. And how great our sins that God's Son must needs die in order to redeem us. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures." Christ hath also once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust. "So Christ once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Yes, Christ shed his blood to rescue us from the curse of the law. All who will accept of the conditions of his offered salvation may come to Christ and live. "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him, shall receive remission of sins." "Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ," constitute the ground of acceptance with God. Repent of what? Of your sins. Break off your sins by righteousness. Now while the last merciful warning is being given, hasten, oh hasten, sinner, to repent. By the help of the Lord, keep the commandments of God, that you may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Safe inside those pearly gates we are forever saved from sin, sorrow, pain and death. "Dear Saviour, thy promise is precious,
Thy guidance I evermore crave;
Oh help me to walk in thy footsteps,
And trust in thy power to save."
JOHN B. TINKER.
Allegan, Mich., Sept. 5, 1865. NOAH W. VINCENT
By Noah W. Vincent
Bro. WHITE: The word of faith, and the blood of sprinkling are exceeding precious to me. I receive Christ for my Saviour, my righteousness, and my glory. His blood purges our consciences from dead works to serve the living God. Let us praise the glory of God's grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the Beloved. I have been slothful and lukewarm; my sins are as scarlet. I confess them, and am sorry for them. I look to the Lamb of God. Oh, I believe his blood makes them white as snow. Let there be songs, even glory, to the righteous Emmanuel our Redeemer. I have been three years in the army. While there, God graciously heard my cry, and became my saving strength. I read the Bible there, and saw that "the Sabbath was made for man." I was blessed in trying to keep it holy. I learned that God's law and word are better than the fables and traditions of men; that the good fight of faith is the Christian's warfare, and that the reproach of Christ, and eternal life in his kingdom, are dearer than the praise of men, or any reward of unrighteousness. I praise Jesus, my blest deliverer from war, and error, and sin. I desire henceforth "perfect love." The time when we shall be like Christ is near. I pray that we may have the Spirit of Christ always, and endure to the end. Let us pray for each other. I long to meet you in our Saviour's kingdom. A Testimony in Favor of the Review
By Harriet I. Wescott
Bro. White: I esteem it a privilege to cast in my mite in favor of the Review and the holy truths it advocates. I hail its weekly visits with delight. It is truly meat in due season to my hungry soul. Being among the lonely ones, I should not know how to do without it. I love to read the cheering testimonies from the brethren and sisters with whom I hope soon to meet in the kingdom of immortal bliss. I have been a reader of the Review some over three years, and I have never seen anything but what I could respond to with yea and amen; and I can say truly I sympathize with Bro. White and family in his late affliction, and my prayer to God daily is, that he may be speedily restored to health and usefulness in sounding the last warning message of mercy to a sinful world. Oh, what fearful times we are living in. Truly Satan has come down with great wrath. My heart is wrung with anguish when I see friends and neighbors going blind-folded, as it were, to perdition, and oh, how far short I come of what I should be. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. I need on a double armor, living, as I do, where the message has been rejected, and all are on the watch. I am frequently told that I am getting worldly, and do not believe the world is coming to an end in my time; but I thank God that he has not altogether forsaken unworthy me. His mercy is still extended to wayward, sinful man. Jesus, that lovely Saviour, is still saying, "Father, spare them a little longer." Oh, how little do we appreciate a Saviour's love! Pray for your unworthy sister. Yours seeking for an immortal inheritance.
Harriet I. Wescott. New York State Inebriate Asylum.
Up to 1864, there had been 7,245 applications for places in this excellent institution at Binghamton, from every state in the Union, and from Europe, Mexico, and the British Provinces, 520 of whom were opium-eaters. There were 39 clergymen, 8 judges, 197 lawyers, 256 physicians, 340 merchants, 680 mechanics, 466 farmers, 240 gentlemen, and 805 women. One of the opium-eaters, a lawyer, who had filled a highly responsible office, in one year drank 3,200 bottles of McMunn's preparation of opium. In one day he drank twenty bottles, equal to ten thousand drops of laudanum. Patients at this asylum are received for not less than a year, are watched, controlled, and medically treated. The expectation is that at least seventy per cent. will be radically cured. The astounding fact was stated at the recent Temperance Convention at Saratoga, that the names of thirteen hundred rich men's daughters are on the list of applicants for admission to this asylum.—Am. Mes. A Short Sermon.
By M. J. Cottrill
I THEREFORE, a prisoner of the Lord,
Beseech you that ye walk with one accord
Worthy of the vocation wherewith ye
Are called, and that ye lowly be.
Ye must have meekness, gentleness, and love,
The bond of peace, if ye would reign above.
Grieve not the holy Spirit whereby ye
Are sealed unto the great redemption day;
Let wrath and anger, bitterness, and strife
Be put away. Be not with malice rife.
Let evil speaking never find a place;
Be kind, forgiving—as ye hope for grace.
Submit to one another in the fear
Of God; and while sojourning here
Let naught be done through strife or glory vain;
Be humble if the erring you'd reclaim.
Do all things without murm'rings, that ye may
Be blameless as ye tread the narrow way;
As sons of God your light should ever shine
To point this nation to the world divine.
Love not this world, its treasures fade away;
But Heavenly treasures ne'er will know decay.
So speak and do as they who are to be
Judged by God's perfect law of liberty. "Then they that feared the Lord, spake often one to another."
This department of the paper is designed for the brethren and sisters to freely and fully communicate with each other respecting their hopes and determinations, conflicts and victories, attainments and desires, in the heavenly journey. Seek first a living experience, and then record it, carefully and prayerfully, for the comfort and encouragement of the other members of the household of faith.