Earlier text: The Greatest of These Is CharityHow to Deal with the Erring
By Ellen G. White
In dealing with those who are in error, we are to treat them as Christ would, seeking, by a loving, unselfish interest in them, to win them to repentance. O, we need so much men who are wise in dealing with tempted souls! There are many prodigals, needing the welcome of the loving Father, not the cold repulse of the elder brother. Let us be afraid to be harsh and condemnatory. Before we speak, let us ask ourselves whether what we are about to say would be pleasing to Christ. There are angels hovering round these poor erring ones, seeking to lead them into safe paths. Let human beings keep their hands off, and give the tempted ones opportunity to recover themselves from the snare of the enemy. Among those who accuse, there are many who, by their manner of dealing, have set an example that has led others away from right doing. Their course is more offensive to God than is the course of those whom they condemn, because, while professing to be upright in their dealings, they have done a strange work, dishonoring to God. On one occasion the scribes and Pharisees brought to Christ a woman whom they accused of having violated the seventh commandment. “Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned,” they said; “but what sayest thou?” Jesus read their thoughts. He knew for what purpose this case had been brought to him. He knew that these would-be guardians of justice had themselves led their victim into sin, that they might lay a snare for Jesus. Giving no sign that he had heard their question, he stooped, and fixing his eyes upon the ground, began to write in the dust. Impatient at his delay, the accusers drew nearer, urging the matter upon his attention. But as their eyes, following his, fell upon the ground at his feet, their countenances changed. There, traced before them, were the guilty secrets of their own lives. The law specified that in punishment by stoning, the witnesses in the case should be the first to cast a stone. Rising, and fixing his eyes upon the plotting elders, Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her,” and stooping down, he continued writing on the ground. The accusers had been defeated. With their robe of pretended holiness torn from them, they stood, guilty and condemned, in the presence of infinite purity. They trembled lest the hidden iniquity of their lives should be laid open to the multitude; and one by one, with bowed heads and downcast eyes, they went away, leaving their victim with the pitying Saviour. Jesus arose, and looking at the woman, said, “Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?” She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more.” Were Christ on earth to-day, would he not hear many words of condemnation and harsh judgment? Would he not see men professing to be his followers crowding those who have erred into hard places, giving them no opportunity to recover themselves? Were he to say to them, as he said to the accusing Pharisees, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone,” would they not, even as did the Pharisees, go away, filled with shame? If one errs, and is brought to repentance, let all receive his confession with a sense of what it cost him, and welcome him back with heartfelt joy and gratitude that he has been enabled to obtain the victory. Let every tempted soul who has been weaving strange threads into the web of life, who has been doing that of which he would be ashamed could he see the result, remember that Christ is ready to pardon every one who comes to him. But the sin must be repented of, and restitution must be made. “Seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Conduct Toward the Young and Inexperienced
There are those who, though young men and young women in years, are but children in the knowledge of God. Weak in faith, inexperienced, they need the help of those whose opportunities for gaining knowledge have been greater than theirs. There are such youth as these connected with our institutions. Let those who have charge over them remember that they are to be patiently and kindly instructed. Show Christian forbearance in dealing with them. Let your hearts be filled with desire to place their feet in right paths. Do not speak to them as if they were slaves. Remember that they are inexperienced and ignorant, just as verily in need of wise guidance as is the little child just learning to walk. Remember that you yourselves are not faultless, that many times you are in need of help. Those in authority have many lessons to learn. Many of them have brought into their manhood and womanhood the faults of their childhood. Let them be guarded in their speech. Let them curb their hasty temper. Let them overcome the inclination to scold and criticise. Let them learn the value of self-control and sweetness of temper. Before they can expect to control others aright, they must learn to control themselves. Let them beware of prejudicing and hardening the youth with whom they are dealing, making it impossible for them to be won to Christ. Let the one who, grown to manhood, has brought into his life a loveless dignity, learn how to be kind and courteous. Only thus can he hope to win souls to Christ. The Word of God is our guide. By studying it carefully, we shall learn how to deal with the souls for whom Christ has died. By helping those who are in need of help, by speaking to them cheering, encouraging words, by revealing a Christlike spirit, we are to perfect our education. Let those who have any part to act in the training of the youth remember their own faults and mistakes, and strive earnestly to be what they wish the youth to become. In their treatment of them let them be wise, pitiful, and noble. Let them not forget that the youth in their care are in this life to be prepared for admittance into the royal family. They are in need of wholesome, encouraging words and unselfish deeds. Treat them as Christ’s children, whom he wants you to help in every time of need. They are very precious to him. He gave his life for them. Make friends of them. Bring Christlikeness into your dealing with them. Give them practical evidence of your unselfish interest. Help them over the hard places. Patiently, tenderly, strive to win them to Jesus. Let your words be loving and sympathetic, and8 the tones of your voice pleasant. Let the grace of Christ soften and subdue all that is harsh in your nature. Eternity alone will reveal the results of your earnest, unselfish efforts. The Real Land of Promise
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
The record of the taking of Jericho teaches a lesson that ought to be studied by every one who is in danger of being led to accept the theories of “Anglo-Israelites,” and to expect the return of all Jews to Palestine before the coming of the Lord. That victory at the very door of the land of Canaan, showed how alone the land which God has promised could really be possessed, and consequently the character of the inheritance. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down,” even as the children of Israel had crossed the Red Sea and the Jordan by faith. The land which they were to inherit, in fulfillment of the promise of God, was one that could be inherited only by faith — by a people full of faith, and living and moving only by faith. But faith means righteousness. “The just shall live by his faith.” We are made righteous by faith. Therefore the inheritance was to be one in which only righteous people can dwell; and for that we, according to God’s promise, still look, — “for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:13. This was in the promise from the beginning. When God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia, and said, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee” (Gen. 12:1), he said, “I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing, . . . and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Blessing means the removal of the curse: so the blessing upon all the families of the earth means the removal of the curse from all the earth. The blessing promised to Abraham is forgiveness of sins, the turning away from iniquities (Acts 3:25, 26; Rom. 4:6-9); it is also “life for evermore.” Ps. 133:3. Now the curse came upon the earth because of man’s sin, and therefore it follows that when all families of the earth are delivered from sin, the curse will be removed from it. Thus we read that Abraham and his faithful descendants gladly confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, even as King David at the height of his power did (1 Chron. 29:15), desiring “a better country, that is, an heavenly.” Heb. 11:16. And for this reason “God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” The promise of God to the seed of Abraham, extending even to us, was, “I will be their God.” “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” Gen. 17:7, 8. Compare with Heb. 8:10. The possession of God himself — “heirs of God” — is the essential part of the promise, the sum and substance of it. “I am . . . thy exceeding great reward.” Gen. 15:1. Having God, we have all things; “having no hope, and without God in the world,” we are “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise.” Eph. 2:12. The Israelites crossed the Jordan, and captured Jericho, by faith — the faith of Jesus — the faith that means the receiving of God, the divine Word. Their abiding in God was their surety of the possession of the land; without him, their being in the land, even as rulers, was as though they were in Egypt. In him we also obtain the same inheritance, and the Holy Spirit is the pledge of it. His abiding presence causes us to look with confidence and hope for the coming of Christ from heaven, at the time of the “restoration of all things, whereof God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began.” Acts 3:20, 21. God's Opportunity
By J. S. Washburn
WHEN hope is dead, when all earthly help has failed, when the bitter struggle ends in failure — there is God's opportunity; then God works. When the precious life slipped from the worn watcher's hands, when the loving sisters' anxious vigil closed with the death of their brother,— yes, even when the loved form was fast moldering back to dust,— there Christ displayed his divine power; then the Author of life called Lazarus from the darkness of death to the light of life. The raising of Lazarus from the dead is the seventh miracle recorded in the Gospel of John. Those recorded before seem to ascend step by step to this culminating point; for this crowning miracle is the most positive evidence of Christ's divine character. The cases of three persons whom Christ raised from the dead during his earthly ministry are given in detail: (1) the daughter of Jairus, immediately after her death, while still warm with life just departed. Luke 8:49–56; (2) the son of the widow of Nain, while those who were bearing him to his grave stood still in amazement. Luke 7:11–17; (3) Lazarus, who had lain in the grave four days already. John 11:17. For safety Jesus had gone to Bethabara, nearly sixty miles northeast of Bethany, where was the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus;” and yet when he heard that he was sick, “he abode two days still in the same place where he was.” Sending back to the pleading sisters the assurance, “This sickness is not unto death,” he who had the power to preserve from dying, apparently without any effort to help, left Lazarus to grapple alone with his grim enemy, death, and Mary and Martha to watch with straining, sleepless eyes the conflict that ended in the terrible quiet of the dreamless sleep. How often during their brother’s illness had the sisters said to each other, O, when will he come? Surely he will not slight our call. He alone can save the one who is so dear to us and to him. But the great Physician comes not. Too late now. How could he permit us to suffer this deepest sorrow, which he could so easily have prevented? Does he really love us, as until now we had firmly believed? With breaking hearts they follow their loved brother to the tomb. The door-stone closes upon him who sleeps cold and still. Farewell, till the morning breaks, till the day dawns, till the shadows flee away. During the dark days that follow, the home is occupied by professional mourners whose constant wailings and doleful, empty cries grate harshly on the ears of those whose sorrow is so terribly deep and real. Four days have passed. Christ appears in Bethany; Martha hastens to meet Jesus, leaving Mary still in the house. Her first pathetic words — “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” — seem almost to reproach Christ for his delay in coming. When Mary heard that the Master had come and called for her, these were her first words also. Many times, yes, constantly, during those dark days had these words been in the sisters’ minds, and often on their lips. Why come at all when his appearance brought to them only the painful memories of the “hope deferred” that had made the heart sick, the fatal delay that seemed so causeless and cruel? “Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” Why should he weep in apparent sorrow and sympathy over this death which he might have prevented? Words of worldly wisdom, cold, critical unbelief! Have you never heard this sentiment? have you never repressed it yourself? “Take ye away the stone.” Hastily Martha protests: Lord, four days he has been dead. By this time he is decaying, offensive. O, when you could have saved him from dying, why expose the one we loved to become an object of curiosity and of loathing? Why open the tomb that so mercifully guards from the eyes of the living the return of his loved dust to the common dust of earth? Believe, and thou shalt see the glory of God. Jesus lifts up his eyes to his Father, who is love and life. Divinity flashes forth. “Lazarus, come forth.” The resurrection trump, the word which is itself spirit and life, pierces the cold ear of the unconscious dead. There is a rustle, a stir in the dark cavern. With amazement, almost horror, all eyes are fixed upon the white form that now rises, ghastly in its graveclothes, and comes forth into the light. “Loose him, and let him go.” With joy he feels the mighty thrill of new life that flows, that throbs, in every9 fiber of his being. He who once was dead turns from the dark tomb toward the light of a new life, his face glowing with the flush of perfect health, of victory over death and the grave. O, then there were greetings, joy unutterable! Infinitely better and more glorious this marvelous victory over death, than the sisters’ wish that their brother should be healed. God’s way, God’s time, is best. Weary, tempted soul, fear not; trust to the end; say with Job, ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.’ Every moment he seems to tarry will but make all the more glorious his revelation at the last. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.’ Believe, and thou too ‘shalt see the glory of God.’ An Everlasting Foundation
THERE is one thing about a fact that many people never take into consideration in dealing with the Sabbath question, and that is that it can never cease to be a fact. The word is from the Latin facio, meaning to do, or to make, and is simply a shortened form of the perfect participle, so that a fact is a thing done or made. Now the characteristic of a fact, a thing done, which is so often lost sight of, is this, that although a thing done or made may be destroyed, the fact that it was once done or made can never be changed. Take some illustrations: A man builds a house; that house may be destroyed by fire or storm; yet it will always remain a fact that it was once built. A person goes to a certain place, and immediately returns; yet his returning does not do away with the fact that he went. One may tell us something, and then deny it; but the denial does not wipe out the fact that the thing was said. We have all sinned; our sins may be blotted out, so that they will have no existence any more, yet to all eternity the fact that we have sinned will remain. Our very songs of rejoicing over our redemption will emphasize this. In like manner it must always remain a fact that “the seventh day is the Sabbath.” How did it come to be so? “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Though the earth should be destroyed, so completely that no trace of it could ever be found, that would not undo the fact that it had once been made. To all eternity it must remain a fact that God created the heaven and the earth in six days, and rested on the seventh. God himself cannot abolish that fact. Even if he were to say that he did not do it, that would not abolish the fact. But he cannot say so, for he cannot lie; “he cannot deny himself.” The word “Sabbath” is the Hebrew word “rest.” It is a pure Hebrew word adopted into our language without translation. So instead of saying “Sabbath,” we may say “rest,” if we please, and the meaning is the same. Thus: “The seventh day is the rest of the Lord thy God.” God did rest on the seventh day; therefore it still remains, and must remain a truth to all eternity, that the seventh day is God’s rest day—God’s Sabbath day. The fact never can be altered or abolished. God himself cannot change it, any more than he can deny that he lives and is God. The only way to prove that the seventh day is not the Sabbath, is to show that God never rested on it from the work of creation,—that is, to deny the Bible from the beginning. But that is not all: To deny that God rested from creation, would be to deny that he created. So then, whoever says that the seventh day is not the Sabbath denies that God ever created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them; and the man’s own existence shows the folly of his assertion. It is evident, therefore, that all talk about the Sabbath being changed or abolished is the veriest nonsense. It is utter foolishness, and can be indulged in only through a disregard of the first principles of truth. It is no irreverence—no disparagement of God—to say that God himself cannot change the Sabbath day; on the contrary, it is a tribute to his unchangeability,—a recognition of the sure and solid foundation that is given us to build upon. If a fact could cease to be a fact, we should be living in a chance world; so if the Sabbath could be changed, there would not be one thing on which we could depend with any certainty. Let us, then, never hear any talk about the change of the Sabbath. It is a fact that men have departed from God’s rest day, and that they have adopted a rest day of their own in its stead, thus trying to make themselves God; but God’s rest endures undisturbed throughout eternity. Are you not glad of it? Think of it seriously, and say if you do not rejoice to know that God’s rest abides forever, and that you have the privilege of sharing it.—Present Truth. Family Worship
By Mrs. B. J. Cady
For some reason many children of Christian parents have a decided dislike for family worship, and are glad to find some excuse for being absent from it. Sometimes the parents themselves do not enjoy it, but neglect it day after day. When weeks go by, and the children never hear their parents pray or talk of spiritual things except in the Sabbath meetings, is it any wonder that they begin to think that religion is not of very much importance, and that an outward form of worship on the Sabbath is all that is necessary? Now we know that we must have a heart religion, and that we must be saved from sin every day of the week. So we need to seek the Lord every day for strength and grace; and we are also under obligations to teach the Word of God to our 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 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.” Deut. 6:6, 7. Though we are to improve every opportunity of teaching the things of God to those around us, making them the principal theme of our conversation as we sit in our homes or walk by the way, it is well to have regular times at the beginning and close of the day's work, when all work and care should be laid aside, and all the members of the household seek the Lord together. Family worship can and should be made interesting and attractive to the younger as well as to the older members of the family. But when the father does all the reading and praying, and the others have nothing to do but to attempt to keep the mind upon what is being said, the natural result is that the mind often wanders in forbidden paths, and the ears are deaf to that which they should hear. The longer the reading continues, the harder it is for the child to listen to it; so it is much more effectual to read a few verses or a short chapter than to read one long chapter, or two or three short ones at one time. I think that the practice of reading around is a most excellent one,—each child who is old enough to read having a Bible of his own, and taking his turn at reading in the family circle. Just the thought that he has a part in it increases his interest. Then, too, when we see a thing with our own eyes, it makes a deeper impression upon our minds; and this is especially so with children. It may take a few minutes longer than when one does the reading alone, but the little extra time it takes will not be lost. The children are not so liable to dread the hour of worship, and try to avoid it, but they learn to enjoy it. Even an older person who is desirous of getting all the good possible from the reading will prefer to take part himself. If the evening worship were not left till bedtime, it would be more enjoyable. For some time we have practiced having worship as soon after dark as we were all through with our work, and ready to sit down together for the evening. Our minds are then wide awake, and in a good condition to appreciate spiritual things, and children and all are present to take part. If left till late in the evening, some have gone to sleep, and all are liable to be too drowsy to get much benefit from the exercise. After the worship is finished, each one is free to spend the evening as he chooses, and can retire when he gets ready. We have found that this plan works well in our family, and so I mention it, that others may try it if they see fit. The Lord has given us some instruction in regard to his worship in our homes. He says, through the spirit of prophecy, “You have not zealously performed your duty to your children. You have not devoted sufficient time to family prayer, and you have not required the presence of the entire household.10 . . . The father is in one sense the priest of the household, laying upon the altar of God the morning and evening sacrifice. The wife and children should be encouraged to unite in this offering, and also to engage in the song of praise. Morning and evening, the father, as priest of the household, should confess to God the sins committed by himself and his children through the day. Those sins which have come to his knowledge, and also those which are secret, of which God's eye alone has taken cognizance, should be confessed. This rule of action, zealously carried out by the father when he is present, or by the mother when he is absent, will result in blessings to the family.”—Testimonies for the Church, Vol II, page 701. Notice that we should require the presence of the entire household at the family prayers. The little ones should not be allowed to run around outside and play while their parents are reading and praying, regardless of their children. This service is as much for the children as for the parents, and they must be taught of their Creator in the days of their youth, or how can they be expected to remember him? God's Secret Chambers
By A. T. Pierson
When a devout disciple takes God's Word in his hands, for studious and thoughtful meditation, he naturally lifts his heart to him who alone can unveil the eyes of his understanding to behold wondrous things out of his law. Ps. 119: 18. As he reads and searches, meditating therein, the same Spirit who first inspired the Word, illumines his mind. New light is thrown upon the sacred page, so that what was obscure or hidden, becomes visible and legible; and new clearness of sight and insight is given to the spiritual organ of vision, so that it becomes more capable of seeing, more keen-sighted and far-sighted. Let those who have felt this double effect of the Spirit's teaching bear witness to the marvelous result. The Bible becomes a transformed book. It was before the best of all books, but it is now the book of God,—a chamber of disclosed mysteries,—a house of many mansions, in which new doors constantly open into new apartments, massive and magnificent, God's art galleries, museums of curious things, treasuries of celestial gems. The devout student is filled with wonder, transported with delight. Words open with new meanings until we look through them into depths and heights, breadths and lengths, that are infinite. We are looking at a firmament which was before clouded; but the clouds are parting, and heavenly constellations are visible. Meanwhile the eye has become telescopic, and where before we saw a few scattered stars, and an indistinct nebulous cloud, everything is ablaze with the glories of countless and many colored lights. When the Author of the Word becomes instructor and interpreter of his own text-book, we read Heaven's great Classic with the notes and comments of the divine author himself. And so he who devoutly searches the Scriptures, finds in them both eternal life and the testimony of Jesus; the reverent, searching, prayerful study of the Word of God is the cure of all honest doubt as to its divine origin, and the all-convincing proof of its plenary inspiration. But, as the first Psalm teaches, he who would find such delight in the law of the Lord must meditate therein day and night. He must be a sort of sacramental tree of life, planted by the rivers of water. Mark the instructive, emphatic metaphor. The tree is permanently planted in the soil. Its roots are fixed organs of nutrition, constantly subordinate to the double purpose of growth and fruitfulness. Through the spongelets at their extremities, the tree takes up the moisture of the river into itself, transmuting the water into sap, which deposits woody fibers in the branches, and becomes juice in the fruit. The disciple is planted by the river of God,—the Word which goeth forth out of his mouth; he takes up into himself the very water of life, transmuting truth into character, and precepts and promises into practice. And so he who reads God's Word and, like the cattle that chew the cud, ruminates upon it, comes to know God through his Word, as we come to know men through their candid and self-revealing utterances. To meditate on God's Word introduces us to the secret chambers of God's thoughts, and imparts insight into God's character. He becomes sure there is a God, who sees him unveiled in the Scriptures, hears his still small voice in their audience chambers, traces his glorious footprints on their golden pavements; and in times of temptation, trial, sorrow, doubt, or any other need, God's words are so brought to his remembrance, and applied by the Spirit to his needs, that they become to such a reader, individually, God's words to him. He consults Holy Scripture as the oracles of God, and the oracles give answer. This is one of the closed mysteries, a stumbling-block of mysticism, or the foolishness of fanaticism, to the unbelieving; but, to him whose experience has been enriched by it, an open mystery, a fact as indisputable as anything in the realm of matter.—Dr. A. T. Pierson. How to Become a Successful Missionary
By Mrs. M. J. Bremner
MISSIONARY work must begin in the home, and in the life. A Spirit-filled life will manifest in the home all the tender attributes of Christ’s life. Then the reflection of this life will shine out to those around. Just as the water pipe, filled from the reservoir and drawn on for use, is constantly full, so it is with those who drink often and deep at the fountain head. Christ’s love will fill their hearts, and will flow out in blessing to others. Christ’s attributes will be seen, and will make their possessors true missionaries, true representatives of him. He left self and self-interest out of his labor here on earth. In quietness and confidence in his Father’s words was his strength. He was the living embodiment of the truth he represented. Love beautified his every action. He walked among men an example of spotless uprightness. So it will be with each one who lets the Spirit of God into his life. He will reflect some hue of God’s glory. All cannot be roses; if so, there would be no pinks or lilies. All are plants of God’s own planting, each filling the place that God wills. There may be flowery words or eloquent prayers at command, but they are as idle words when the daily life does not reflect the life of Christ. The fragrance of the life reveals who are the children of God. There is more power in example than many are aware. Only be resigned to the will of God, and by persevering effort you can be a successful missionary. David Livingston never weakened; for he was in harmony with the will of the Lord in all things; he was steady and persevering, therefore he was a successful missionary. The following remarkable experience in the life of Mr. Emmons T. Mockridge, who was president of the Philadelphia Medical Mission, was published in Dr. Gordon’s magazine:— “After a busy day, sitting in my counting-room in meditation, there came upon me an irresistible impulse to take the train and go to a distant city. After vainly trying to shake off the impression, I sent word to my family that they need not look for me that night, hastened to the cars without luggage, and at the end of a three or four hours’ journey found myself at my destination, heartily ashamed of having yielded to so unaccountable an impulse. Finding that the next train would not start for my home for some time, I strolled up into the town to pass away the time, amazed that I could have been so weak as to take a journey without any motive.” “As I passed a public office, a door opened, and there came forth a man whom I knew well, who, without expressing any surprise at my presence, asked me to walk with him, to which I consented. I noticed that he was under great suppressed emotion, and I tried to find the cause. He told me that the night before he had been badly treated by another, and that he was now on his way to take that man’s life. Of course I was horrified, and tried all sorts of argument and persuasion to induce him to desist from his purpose; but he was a man of singularly strong will, and had become almost insane by brooding on his wrongs. For perhaps two or three hours I followed him as he entered different places in search of his enemy, vainly seeking to deter him from his fell purpose, until at last at midnight I fell on my knees in the street, and cried to God to save him from committing the dreadful crime of murder.” “Immediately the answer came. He11 raised his pistol, fired it into the air, and said, ‘I yield to your entreaties, and forego my purpose.’ ‘Now take me home with you,’ I said. He consented, and when we came there, I knelt down, insisting that he should do the same, and prayed that he might not only forego his purpose of vengeance, but also forgive the offender. It was a long time before he yielded to my entreaties that he should forgive him; but every time he refused, I turned to God with fresh prayer, until finally he consented to forgive. I then asked him to pray for his own forgiveness, and to ask God to receive him into his family as his child.” “For a long time he refused my appeal, but I kept continually calling upon God for him, until finally, as the day broke, he made a full surrender, and as we both rose from our knees, we gave the glory to God, who had used me as his feeble instrument to save a soul from death, deliver him from the power of Satan, and bring him into Christ’s kingdom.” “More than a quarter of a century has passed since that eventful night, but the event was of God, who, when he begins a good work, carries it to the end; for that man has ever since lived a godly and sober life, exemplifying the mighty power of God to save, to keep from falling, and to present faultless before the holy Presence with exceeding joy.” L. F. TRUBEY
By L. F. Trubey
“But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” Isa. 43:1. To the one who reads and believes these words, God says that his people are redeemed, redeemed by precious blood, redeemed from sin. The time past of their lives may suffice to have lived in sin, or, as the Lord says, “Wrought the will of the Gentiles;” but from their regeneration, they are to live in righteousness and true holiness. God calls us through redemption out from all sin. We are then to dedicate ourselves to him, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. If, at our conversion, we did not have such an experience as this, we should have it now. Paul asked the Ephesian brethren, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” As, owing to lack of instruction, they did not receive the Holy Ghost when they first believed, they were more fully instructed; and then they definitely received him. If we wholly gave ourselves to God when we were converted, well and good. But if not, let us do so without delay; for, to my mind, redemption suggests consecration on the part of the one redeemed from the moment he is converted; and a perfect, growing life should be the normal state of the Christian. With many, no doubt, this is so; but with most people it is not the case. So, when the claims of Christ, “You are redeemed from all iniquity,” suddenly break upon them, it is necessary that they should come to the definite point of a full and complete surrender. There is danger now in delay. It is wholly unnecessary for any non-Catholic to enter into the arena, and take up a lance against the Roman Catholic Church, when such terse and vivid writers as Michael J. F. McCarthy, B. A., T. C. D., Barrister-at-Law, Dublin, are found in the bosom of the church itself, to lay bare its defects. In a recently published book, entitled “Priests and People in Ireland,” he sums up the case against the church in its relation to the Irish people, under four heads, saying that its aims are,— “1. Its own aggrandizement as a league, apart from the body politic in which it flourishes, but in alliance with an alien organization whose interests are not the interests of us, the Roman Catholic laity of Ireland. “2. Molding the ductile minds of our youth, so that their thoughts in manhood may run not in the direction of enlightenment and self-improvement, but in obedient channels converging to swell the tide of the priests’ prosperity. “3. Perplexing and interfering with our adult population in every sphere of secular affairs, estranging them from, and embittering them against, the majority of their fellow citizens in the United Kingdom, imbuing them with disloyalty to the commonwealth of which they are members, the result being that our people are the least prosperous—indeed, the only unprosperous—community in the British Isles. “4. Terrifying the enfeebled minds of the credulous, the invalid, and the aged, with the result that the savings of penurious thrift, the inheritance of parental industry, the competence of respectability, are all alike captured in their turn from expectant next-of-kin, and garnered into the sacerdotal treasury.” He shows that the effective Roman Catholic organization in Ireland outnumbers the services of the imperial and local governments combined, and that this organization is spreading, although the people are growing poorer, and the population diminishing. Others can see that this is the cause of the poverty. The question, “Who are the Irish priests?” he answers thus:— “I know several ecclesiastical students, in the diocese of Dublin, who are being ‘educated’ free for the home mission, both at Clonliffe Diocesan College and at Maynooth. The sons of professional men hardly ever become priests; the sons of the gentry never; even the sons of well-to-do shopkeepers and farmers will not become priests, unless they are enticed into an irretrievable step when very young. But the sons of licensed publicans frequently become priests,—perhaps as an act of reparation,—the connection between the priests and the publicans being very intimate. The sons of policemen, national teachers, local government officials, and others who owe their positions to sacerdotal patronage, and even laboring men’s sons, now supply the bulk of the Irish priests. All these people are respectable, and their children equally so; but they are nevertheless the class of priests’ Irishmen, who are out of touch with European civilization, and belong mainly to the submerged seven-tenths of our fellow religionists.” These are strong, and undoubtedly true, statements; yet however necessary it may be to make them, it must be remembered that they only lay bare the ulcer, but do not give the remedy. That cannot be expected; for reformation must come from without, from those who are armed with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Moreover, no hope need be entertained of reforming the church; the most that can be done is to save individuals out of it; and when some of them clearly see its condition, as does Mr. McCarthy, there is hope that they may listen to the call, “Come out of her.”—Present Truth. To Conquer Worrying
By Bishop Vincent
CONSIDER what must be involved in the truth that God is infinite, and that you are a part of his plan. Memorize some of the Scripture promises, and recall them when the temptation to worry returns. Cultivate a spirit of gratitude for daily mercies. Realize that worrying is an enemy which destroys your happiness. Realize that it can be cured by persistent effort. Attack it definitely, as something to be overcome. Realize that it has never done, and never can do, the least good. It wastes vitality and impairs the mental faculties. Help and comfort your neighbor. Forgive your enemies, and conquer your aversions. The world is what we make it. Forward, then! Forward in the power of faith, forward in the power of truth, forward in the power of friendship, forward in the power of freedom, forward in the power of hope, forward in the power of God!—Bishop Vincent.