Earlier text: Jurisdiction of the LawThe Commentary.
By A. T. J.
NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSON.
(February 21.—Ezra 1:1-4; 3:8-13.)
THE glorious kingdom of Babylon had fallen, and the kingdom of the Medes and Persians had taken its place. The captivity of Babylon that was laid upon Judah was now to be broken. The great Nebuchadnezzar had carried away all the people of the land, except a few of the very poorest, to Babylon, “where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years.” One hundred and six years before they were carried to Babylon, Isaiah had not only said that they should be carried away, but had also said that they should return, and that the temple and Jerusalem should be rebuilt. One hundred and seventy-four years before the feast of Belshazzar and the fall of Babylon, Isaiah had written of both, and of Cyrus in his capture of the city. Thus he called Cyrus by name more than a hundred years before he was born. Then it was that the prophet wrote: “That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” “He shall build my city, and he shall91 let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord.” Isa. 44:28; 45:1, 13. ALTHOUGH Isaiah had prophesied the captivity, he had not said how long it should be. Jeremiah told that it should be seventy years. In the year 606 B. C., the first captivity was made, when among those taken was Daniel. Then, exactly when the seventy years ended—B. C. 536—Cyrus issues his proclamation for the return of the captives to their own land, to build the temple of the Lord. And this is a copy of the proclamation: “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of Heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (he is the God), which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the free-will offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” “THE Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.” How did the Lord do this? By his angels. In Daniel 10, we read of a time in the third year of Cyrus, when Daniel was greatly concerned about something in connection with the cause of God, and he fasted and mourned and prayed “three full weeks.” At the end of the three weeks, as he was by the River Tigris, a glorious angel stood before him and said, “Fear not, Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.” If, then, Daniel's words were heard the first day, what could have delayed the angel “three full weeks”? He tells: “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days;” exactly the length of time Daniel had been seeking the knowledge which the angel was to give him. That is, the king of Persia was to have some part in the answer to Daniel's prayers; and the angel had to go to the court of Cyrus, and, by exerting his holy influence there, to bring about the events through which Daniel's prayer could be answered. And when the angel was to leave Daniel, he said, “Now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia.” Read the tenth chapter of Daniel entire. CYRUS, however, was not the first king of the Medo-Persian power after the fall of Babylon. In Dan. 5:30, it is said: “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Mede took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.” And in Dan. 11:1, the same angel of the tenth chapter says: “Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I stood to confirm and to strengthen him.” Darius reigned two years, when he died, and Cyrus succeeded to the kingdom; and as the angel stood with Darius the Mede; and with Cyrus in his third year, to influence him so that Daniel's prayer could be answered, it is certain that it was by the influence of his holy angel that the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to let go the captive people of God. “HE hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem.” How did Cyrus learn that God had charged him to do this? Daniel was in the court of the kingdom of Babylon during the whole of the captivity; and when Babylon had fallen, and Darius the Mede had taken the kingdom, he says: “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign I understood by books the number of the years whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” Dan. 9:1, 2. Then when Cyrus came to the throne in 536, at the expiration of the seventy years, it is certain that Daniel showed him the word of God by Isaiah saying: “Thus saith the Lord to Cyrus whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him,” “He shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives.” Thus Cyrus knew that God had charged him to build him a house. IN answer to the proclamation made by Cyrus, there were 42,360 people, besides their servants and their maids that numbered 7,337, and 200 singing men and singing women—49,897 in the whole company—who returned to Jerusalem. Joshua the son of Jozadak was high priest and Zerubbabel was appointed governor. When they reached Jerusalem, they immediately set up “the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon.” “From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.” THEN the chief of the fathers “offered freely for the house of God, to set it up in his place. They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work.” The amount of these gifts was about $500,000, an average of ten dollars for each person—man, woman, child, servant, and maid—in the whole company. But the merit of the service was that they gave it “freely” and of “their ability,” and the blessing of the Lord, in abundance, came upon both their gifts and them. “For God loveth a cheerful giver,” and “if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” 2 Cor. 8:12; 9:7. WE do not wonder that “when the builders laid the foundation of the temple,” “the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.” They had given freely, of their ability, and they had a right to rejoice. When the first temple was to be built, the people offered willingly. “Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord; and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.” 1 Chron. 29:9. If there were more, and more cheerful, more willing, giving to the cause of God, there would be more genuine rejoicing in God and in his truth. Try it. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” God does “love a cheerful giver.” Lincoln, Nebraska.
By A. J. Cudney
IN accordance with the resolution passed at the recent General Conference concerning the establishment of city missions in the various Conferences, we have started a mission, on a small scale, in this city. Very pleasant rooms have been rented in a central part of the city, which serve, not only as living and study rooms for the workers, but also afford a convenient place for Sabbath meetings. We find no difficulty in making appointments for all the Bible-readings we can possibly give; and if there were twice as many workers, none would need to be idle. We try to follow the plan adopted by the Chicago and other city missions, and those recommended in the pamphlet entitled, “Helps to the Study of the Bible.” There are some special features connected with this Bible work, that have made a deep impression upon my mind. 1. We can, in this way, carry the truth to the homes of those who could not be induced to attend our meetings. 2. Persons can engage in this work who would probably never preach. 3. Those who are led to embrace the truth in this way, not only do so understandingly, but they become thoroughly acquainted with their Bibles, and are thus prepared to give to those who ask them, a reason of the hope that is in them. 4. Those embracing the truth as a result of this kind of work, are the ones most likely to imbibe the true missionary spirit themselves and work for the salvation of others. 5. This kind of work affords an excellent opportunity for selling books and tracts, which should be improved by all who engage in the work. I fully believe this work to be of God, and I long to see, among our brethren, some in every church who will study to prepare themselves for this work, and then spend all the time they can, in connection with other duties, laboring for the salvation of their neighbors and those around them. May the Lord put this mind in many hearts, is my prayer.
A. J. CUDNEY.
Jan. 25, 1886. Hawaiian Islands.
By William M. Healey
I left San Francisco, December 20, in the mail steamer Mariposa. About one hundred miles from San Francisco, we met a storm and heavy gale of wind, which lasted four days. The waves rolled over the main deck of the steamer for hours at a time, and frequently dashed entirely over the ship. The officers said it was the roughest sea they had encountered for years. Nearly all on board were sick, not excepting the doctor. We reached Honolulu in seven days. The city is built along the water’s edge, for two miles or more, and reaches back from one-half, to three miles, toward green hills which rise several hundred feet above the sea. As one looks upon the city thus beautifully located, and nestling in a dense growth of tropical foliage, he may well be reminded of the familiar line in the missionary hymn, “Though every prospect pleases.” But he needs only to land and walk along some of the streets to feel the force of the following line, “And only man is vile.” Honolulu has about twelve thousand inhabitants, about two-thirds being Chinese and natives. There are many Roman Catholics here, especially among the natives. The Congregationalists are the only organized Protestant society here. They have two churches for English-speaking people, one for the natives and one for the Chinese. Brethren Scott and LaRue have circulated reading matter quite thoroughly through the city, and already see some fruit of their labor. Since our arrival, we have moved the mission to another house, near by, but more convenient than the former one. A house of five or six rooms rents for from $20 to $30 per month. A hall such as would rent in the United States for from one to five dollars a night, here costs from $10 to $30 per night, if one can be obtained at all. We have held meetings in the mission rooms on Sabbaths and Sundays; but these rooms are not large enough to permit us to accommodate more than thirty or forty persons at the most. Therefore we have not made any public announcement of these meetings. We spent several days searching for a suitable lot on which to pitch the tent, and found lots scarce and hard to obtain. But we fully believed it was the will of God that a tent should be pitched in this city, and so prayed for him to open the way for us, and continued to seek for the way, that we might see it when it should be opened, as it finally was. We have obtained a beautiful lot in a central location, and expect to pitch the tent and begin meetings this week. We see no cause of discouragement sufficient to dishearten us, although opposition is already manifest against the truth. But we believe God has some souls here to be sealed with the “seal of God,” and there are others who must be warned that they may be without excuse in the Judgment. We shall expect our people to pray for the cause here, and shall be encouraged thereby. The mail comes regularly from San Francisco each month, and a special mail between the regular Australian boats; so that we expect mail about every two weeks. Our address is Honolulu, H. I.
W. M. HEALEY.
Jan. 11, 1886. The Importance of Secret Prayer
SECRET prayer is to the Christian what winding is to the clock. Oh, how many Christians run down! THE SANCTUARY, ITS SERVICE, ETC.
The Cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary.
(Lesson 7.—Sabbath, February 20.) 1. WHAT were the closing acts of the earthly priest in the yearly round of service? 2. Of what did this cleansing consist? 3. What were the people required to do on the day of atonement? 4. Was an offering made on that day besides the atonement offering? Num. 29:7-11. 5. Will the "true tabernacle," or heavenly sanctuary, be cleansed? "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the Heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Heb. 9 : 23. 6. From what was the earthly sanctuary cleansed? "For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord." "And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests and for all the people of the congregation." Lev. 16:30, 33. 7. How did the earthly sanctuary stand related to the heavenly? "Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience." Heb. 9:9. 8. Then from what will the heavenly sanctuary be cleansed? "For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Verse 26. 10. How do our sins get into the heavenly sanctuary? Christ, our great sin-offering, takes them upon himself, and bears them into the sanctuary. 11. Are sins recorded in Heaven? "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Rev. 20:12. 12. How did ancient Israel receive forgiveness of their sins? Num. 15:24-26. 13. How do we receive forgiveness of our sins? "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Col. 1:14. 14. Anciently, when sins were forgiven, were they removed from the sanctuary? "And this shall be a statute forever unto you, that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you; for on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord." "And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses." Lev. 16:29, 30, 34. 16. What was this removing of sins?—Cleansing the sanctuary. See Lev. 16:30, 33. 17. How does our Saviour show that our sins are not blotted out when they are forgiven? Matt. 18:23-35. 18. Since the heavenly sanctuary is to be cleansed from sin, what must be done with the sins recorded there? "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19. 19. The removal of sins from the earthly sanctuary by the high priest corresponded to what act of our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary? 20. To what, then, is the blotting out of sins equivalent? "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the Heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Heb. 9:23. 21. When does the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary begin? "And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Dan. 8:14. How EASY is the thought, in certain moods, of the loveliest, most unselfish devotion! How hard is the doing of the thought in the face of a thousand unlovely difficulties.—Sel. A Daughter Worth Having.
By Mrs. Annie A. Preston
"HARVEY MILLS has failed!" said Mrs. Smithson, one chilly spring evening, as she ran in to see her next-door neighbor and intimate friend, Mrs. James. "My husband just came home, and he says that what we supposed to be a rumor only, is a sad fact; the assignment was made yesterday. I threw on a shawl, and ran right over to tell you. They are to keep the house under some sort of an arrangement; but they have discharged all their servants, and what in the world the Mills will do, Mrs. James, with Mrs. Mills's invalid habits, and Miss Helena with her dainty ways and refined bringing up, is more than I know," and pretty, shallow Mrs. Smithson looked at her nerve-loving friend and neighbor with the air of an epicure regarding some favorite dish. "I heard all about it late last evening," said Mrs. James, adjusting the pink ribbons at the throat of her black silk dinner-dress, "and this morning I presumed upon our cousinship so far as to drive over and see how they were getting along. And really, Mrs. Smithson, you will be surprised when I tell you that, although I expected to find the family in great confusion and distress, I never saw them in such a comfortable way and in such good spirits. The worst was over, of course, and they had all settled into the new order of things as naturally as could be. My cousin, Mrs. Mills, was sitting as calm as you please, up there in her sunny morning room, looking so fresh and dainty as she ate her crisp toast and sipped her coffee. "Our comfortable and cosey appearance is all due to Helena," said she. "That dear child has taken the helm. I never dreamed she had so much executive ability. We were quite broken down at first; but she made her father go over all the details of his business with her, and they found that by disposing of Helena's grand piano, the paintings, and slabs, and costly bric-a-brac her father had always indulged her in buying, we could pay dollar for dollar, and so keep the house. My husband's old friend, Mr. Bartlett, who keeps the art store, you know, and who has always taken a great interest in Helena, bought back the paintings, statuary, vases, etc., at a small discount; and Barker, who sold us the piano a year ago or so, and who is another old friend, and knew, of course, just how we were situated, took it back, deducting only twenty-five dollars. "Helena has just gone into the kitchen. What she will do there I don't know; but she says she needs the exercise, that she has not attended the cooking-school here in the city for nothing, and that so long as the meals are served regularly and properly, and the house is kept in good order, her father and I are not to worry." After she told me that, I drew my call to a close, and ran down into my cousin's kitchen to see her dainty daughter there. And what do you think? I found that girl at the sink, with her sleeves rolled up, an immense water-proof apron on, washing a kettle! "Washing a kettle!" repeated Mrs. Smithson, holding up both her soft, white hands in unmeasured astonishment. "Yes, Mrs. Smithson, washing a great, black, greasy iron kettle that meat had been boiled in, and that had been left unwashed and gummy when the cook left. And, do you know? she was laughing over it all, and saying to her youngest brother, who stood near by, that she really liked it; for she now felt she was making herself useful." "The idea! Liking to wash kettles!" and the two fine ladies looked at each other in open-eyed wonder. "It seems to me as if Helena Mills was trying to make the best of her father's altered fortunes, and was simply doing her duty in the premises," spoke Miss Carlton, Ida James's new drawing-teacher, who was that evening engaged in giving her pupil a lesson on the opposite side of the center table. She spoke earnestly and yet in a modest way, and it being the vogue in New City just then to patronize Miss Carlton, the pretty and accomplished graduate from Vassar, the two ladies looked at her amiably, and she went on— "Somebody must wash the kettles; and it is always best, when one has a disagreeable duty to perform, to do it not only at once, but cheerfully." "Yes, perhaps," replied Mrs. Smithson; "but how could a young girl of real native refinement [both sides of the Smithson family were of the 'old stock'] take so kindly to washing pots and kettles? The fact of it is, people have been mistaken in Helena Mills. She never possessed that innate gentility she has had credit for. But every one finds her level sooner or later—he, he!" These two women having thus summarily disposed of Helena Mills socially, they repeated their belief that the lovely and dutiful young girl had now found her proper level over and over in their set until it was the common talk in New City. Miss Carlton, in her round of professional calls among the so-called elite, was entertained in nearly every household with the information that Helena Mills had given up her studies even, and gone into the kitchen to work—"and, if you'll believe it, she likes it!" Then would follow reflections upon the natural ability and bias of mind of a young woman who was "fond of washing dishes." This sensible, accomplished little drawing-teacher was the only one to be found, who mingled in the "upper circles" of New City, who said a word either in praise or defense of Helena Mills's new vocation. Miss Carlton always and everywhere protested that the young girl's course was not only praiseworthy, but beautiful. She maintained that every woman, young or old, high or low, who takes upon herself the labor of elevating the much abused as well as despised vocation of housework—upon which the comfort of every home depends—to a fine art, is a public benefactor. Miss Carlton's friends all listened and laughed, and then went on with their senseless and malicious tirade. She was heartily glad when her engagements in New City were ended, and she was no more obliged to move in such "select" society, whose ideas were always a mere echo of opinions—no matter how trivial and foolish—which had been expressed by a few of its more wealthy members. Mrs. Dr. Forbes, nee Miss Carlton, had heard very little about New City society for five years. But having occasion to pass through the place on the cars lately, she treated herself to a little gossipy chat with the conductor, whom she had known in New City. "There is no particular news, Mrs. Forbes," said he, "unless it is the engagement of Helena Mills to young lawyer Bartlett, son of Col. James Bartlett, you remember, owner of the big corner art store. A capital choice the young squire has made, too. She's as good as gold, and everybody says she's the best girl in the city. She's a perfect lady, withal, and treats everybody well. Not a bit of nonsense or shoddy about her. Why, bless you, Mrs. Forbes, when her father failed in '75, she took entire charge of the family, and she has managed the house ever since. "Her father is now in business again for himself, and employs more men than ever. Her mother, who had been an invalid for years, was forced by Helena's example to try to exert herself so as to share her daughter's burden to some extent. As a result of the new, active life she has followed, she has lost all her ailments, and is now a happy, hearty, healthy woman. Helena's brothers have grown up to be fine, manly, helpful fellows, and the whole family are better off every way than ever before. As things were going on before Mr. Mills's failure, the whole family were in danger of being spoiled by too much luxury. "There was a great deal of talk at first among the bigbugs about Helena's 'pots and kettles,' and they used to say she had found her true 'level.' I always thought there was a spice of malice in their talk; for the girls of her set envied her beauty and accomplishments. I am rather fond of telling them now that Helena Mills has found her 'level' in the richest, most influential, and just the best family in New City."—Mrs. Annie A. Preston, in Christian at Work. Mandalay, the Burmese Capital.
MANDALAY, or Mandalé, the capital of Burmah, lies about three miles from the Irrawaddy River, on rising ground below Mandalé Hill. The present capital of the land of Ava was founded about 1853 by the father of the present king of Burmah, the ancient capital being Ava, situated twenty miles below Mandalay. The city consists of two concentric fortified squares, the outer being defended by high brick walls, and earth-works thrown up on the inside. Four gates give admittance into the city, over each of which rises a tower with seven gilded roofs, similar though smaller towers adorning the wall at intervals. The houses of the inhabitants are all in separate inclosures, bordering on broad, well-kept streets, along which is the “king's fence,” a latticed palisade, behind which the Burmese hide themselves when the king passes. The central or royal square is surrounded by an outer stockade of teak timber, twelve feet high, and an inner wall. Two gates opposite each other are the entrances into this inclosure, which contains the Government offices and the royal mint on one side. On the other is another wall and a cage gateway opening into the palace inclosure. Passing through this gateway, a large open area is seen, and on the opposite side arises a building crowned by nine roofs richly gilded and surmounted by a golden htee, an umbrella adorned with a coronal of tinkling bells. This marks the audience hall; and the royal abode being considered sacred, all entering that apartment are required to take off their shoes. To the left can be seen the abode of the “white” elephant; this animal being scarcely distinguishable from any other93 elephant, except that the skin of the head is of a slightly paler hue than the rest of the body. The royal gardens and the palace buildings are situated in the rear of the central hall, the former being both grand and picturesque.—Sel. HE wrapped it up neatly in paper white—
The very best weed he could get—
"I'll try it; it surely can do me no harm,
It's only a cigarette. "It costs but the veriest trifle, you know,
About two for a cent you can get;"
But he couldn't see that meant dollars a year,
'Twas "only a cigarette." His face was fair and his young step light,
And his black eyes shone like jet;
But listless he grew, and the doctor said,
It was "only the cigarette." He came to a clerkship, his mouth was filled
At every sly chance he met;
The boss—he scolded and warned in vain,
It was "only a cigarette." Then came the cigar, the lager, the pool,
"I'll have fun to-night, you bet;"
And every one asked, "I wonder who pays
For 'only a cigarette'?" The mother, she watched by the midnight lamp
For the nightly return of her pet,
And plead with her tears, that he no more would touch
Just "only a cigarette." But his face grew flushed, unsteady his step,
And he heeded the warning he met
Too late—and it came from that curse of the land,
Just "only a cigarette." Why Women Break Down.
By Inter-Ocean
THERE is little doubt that women are breaking down more rapidly than men, because they allow themselves to take less real rest. When a man drops his business, he drops it. When a woman lets go of any work she may have in mind, she ties it to her apron strings, as it were. She has been taught through long ages of training that it is a high crime and a misdemeanor to let anything escape her mind, so she is constantly, when she is at rest, pinching herself or prodding herself to see if she hasn’t forgotten something. In this way she carries the burden of her work into her resting hours, and sits down among the roses of relaxation with her foot on the treadle of the grindstone of prosy drudgery. If men kept their noses to the grindstone with womanly persistence, they would be nervous and irritable beyond compare. If women would get their own consent to rest, they would have better complexions, better stomachs, and a happier life.—Inter-Ocean. “Until Seventy Times Seven.”
By Margaret E. Sangster
“I SHOULD have to be changed through and through before I could believe in her again,” said Mabel, with emphasis. “I may forgive her in time, but I never can respect her as I used to. She has forfeited my esteem, and we are much better apart for the future.” So spoke Louise, her dark eyes lit with a gleam of resentment. One who remembered that the Master said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” had been striving to quiet the quarrel, which, beginning with a misunderstanding between these two, had been fanned by one breeze and another until it had become a steady flame, not likely to die in either heart. Two lovely girls, favorites with all their friends, had gradually drifted apart, and it seemed as though they would never be reconciled. And the end of the last effort at placating the disturbed elements was reached in the sentences quoted above. Dear Mabel, I wonder if you knew what a profound truth you stated when you impulsively declared that you would have to be changed through and through before you could fully forgive one who had offended you. I wonder whether the numbers of people who go about nursing grievances, cherishing animosities, and refusing to pardon a wound which has touched their vanity, realize how unlike Christ is precisely this hardness of heart. He enjoins upon us the duty of forgiving the sinner until we cease to count the number of times that forgiveness may be necessary. He forgives us over and over again, there being no limit to our ill-desert, as there is no limit to his loving-kindness. With him there is no half-way pardoning either. We are restored to the fullest favor, and to the most entire confidence. With us, too often, the forgiveness is like that of Louise—grudgingly conceded, and with always that reserve which cannot forget the injury, and which implies that the alienation is no longer the cause of pitched battles and bristling fortifications, but that, instead, an armed neutrality exists, or a flag of truce has been lifted. We must be changed through and through before our human nature can put on so much of the divine that we can forgive grandly. There are natures large enough to do this, and they have become so through assimilation to His whose forgiving pity was outpoured from the cross on those who nailed him there. Think of the forgiving spirit as a test of discipleship. Are we in doubt as to the reality of our love for the Saviour? Are we his, or are we not? Do we cry, wishing that by a sign from Heaven he would take away the doubt, and give us the joy of assurance? Here is a way of discovering what we long to know. If fully, freely, readily, and once for all, we can forgive one who has injured us; if we can so humble our pride as to meet the person halfway, or, rather, to seek the restoration of amity in the first place, we are showing the fruits of discipleship. It may easily be that, among my readers, there are those who are kept away from the Saviour, and linger outside the kingdom, just because they have not learned to forgive, because they refuse to learn the lesson in Christ’s way.—“Changed through and through!” Yes, the change is needful and vital. Beware, too, of the beginning of strife. “It is the little rift within the lute,
That by and by will make the music mute.”
—Margaret E. Sangster. Alcohol neither Food nor Fuel.
Scientific experiments show that alcohol is in no proper sense either food or fuel. It is entirely indigestible. The stomach cannot assimilate it, and it cannot be converted into tissue. If after death the body of even a moderate drinker is dissected, the alcohol is found in the tissues as alcohol. Not so the milk which he has drank or the beefsteak which he has eaten; they have become a part of himself, while the alcohol remains in him a foreign substance and an intruder. As alcohol is not properly food, so neither is it properly fuel. It does sometimes add heat to the body; but it furnishes heat in the body as it furnishes heat in the room: when alcohol is thrown upon the open fire, there is an instantaneous flash, that is all. Some years ago an extensive experiment was tried in the Russian army, and it was found that those soldiers who did not use spirits endured the cold better than those who used them. A similar experience as to the effect of the use of wine on the soldiers during the siege of Paris we quote from Dr. Klein’s lecture, as quoted in Mr. Gustafson’s volume:— “It was just the time when the wine merchants are used to buy their stock for the year when the war broke out, so we had plenty of wines of every description. It was distributed by the Government very liberally indeed. We drank because we had nothing to eat. We found most decidedly that alcohol was no substitute for bread and meat. We also found that it was not a substitute for coals. You know how cold the weather was during the winter. We of the army had to sleep outside of Paris on the frozen ground and in the snow; and when we got up in the morning we were as stiff as planks. We had plenty of alcohol; but it did not make us warm. We thus found out by bitter experience that alcohol did not make us warm, did not replace food of any kind, and did not replace coals. Let me tell you there is nothing that will make you feel the cold more, nothing which will make you feel the dreadful sense of hunger more, than alcohol.” Thus, whether we look at the results of our own personal observation, or through other eyes take in a larger horizon, or ask the vital statistics of the scientific world, or study the direct effects of alcohol on the human frame, we are forced to the one conclusion that wine-drinking is not so well for health as water-drinking, and that it is as true now as in the days of Daniel, that he who lives simply is fairer and fatter of countenance than he who eats at the king’s table. (Dan. 1: 11–16.) For it must not be forgotten that simplicity of diet goes naturally with abstinence from intoxicants, that luxurious living and highly spiced viands produce the unnatural craving which demands stimulants, and they in turn the unnatural craving which demands unnatural and luxurious food. It may not always be easy to draw the line between food and medicine, it may not always be easy to determine what is that invalidism which requires something more than food; but it is something to have learned that wine and beer are not foods, and that he is happiest and healthiest who is able to dispense with them altogether.—Sel. The causes of prevalence of typhoid fever and its continuance in one of our Eastern cities has been the subject of much discussion. As to the causes, no satisfactory reason can be given, because there are almost as many opinions as there are doctors. As to the methods of disinfection to be employed during the prevalence of the disease in the household, there is almost perfect unanimity. An investigation was ordered by the health authorities, and we give part of the report: "The investigation showed that there had been great neglect in the matter of disinfection. 'The germ, or infectious element,' says the commissioner, 'is contained in the discharges of the patients. A thorough disinfection of these discharges has never been practiced; and they have, in an infected condition, been thrown into the sewer pipes of the house, and have in this way communicated the disease to other members of the same household.' The failure to properly disinfect the dejecta of patients is regarded by him as 'the principal cause of the spread of typhoid fever.' Thorough disinfection would, in his opinion, reduce the number of cases to those which originate outside of the city or are contracted by the use of infected milk." Nor is typhoid fever the only disease which demands this same care. It is wise to use the utmost caution in all contagious and infectious diseases. Chloride of lime and a solution of chlorinated soda are recommended by health boards and physicians. These disinfectants are not expensive, and the widely advertised necessity of their use in this way will not allow of ignorance as an excuse for not using.—Sel. THE smoking habit has become in many places an intolerable nuisance. If men will smoke, let them do it where they will not incommode others who have equal rights with themselves, and to whom tobacco smoke is offensive. Sometimes we are compelled to walk almost a square behind a brace of three or four persons who occupy the pavement from wall to curb, smoking cigars, the smoke coming fair in our face. The same thing occurs at railroad stations and in other public places.—Methodist Recorder. What It Costs to Be Sick.
Sir James Paget says that, “on an average, each man between fifteen and sixty-five has lost 1.31 weeks of each year, and each woman 1.33, or, in England and Wales, a total loss of 20,000,000 weeks of labor, equivalent to the complete and enforced idleness the entire year of 40,000 working people.” In this country the annual drain from the loss of labor is $40,000,000. He is convinced that at least one-fourth of this disease and sickness can be prevented by the very simplest precautionary measures.—Sel. Wine, the Curse of France
NEARLY fifty years ago, Louis Phillippé said: "Wine is the curse of France. I could wish every grapevine destroyed, except for the production of food."