In Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, light and truth are given, and principles laid down, which apply to every condition of life, and to every duty that God requires at our hands. Christ had come to magnify and make honorable the law that he himself had proclaimed from Mount Sinai to his chosen people during their wilderness wandering. He laid aside the glory which he had with the Father before the world was, and clothed himself with humanity, that he might minister to the sons of men.
In all his lessons Christ sought to impress upon the minds and hearts of his hearers the principles which underlie his great standard of righteousness. He taught them that if they would keep God’s commandments, love for God and for their fellow-men must be manifested in their daily life. He sought to instill into their hearts the love he felt for humanity. Thus he sowed the seeds of truth, the fruits of which will produce a rich harvest of holiness and beauty of character. The holy influence of love will not only be far-reaching while time shall last, but its results will be felt and appreciated throughout eternity. It will sanctify the actions, and have a purifying influence wherever it exists.
Seated upon the mount, surrounded by his disciples and a large and promiscuous gathering, Jesus “opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” These are not murmurers and complainers, but those who are content with their condition and surroundings in life. They do not cherish the feeling that they deserve a better position than that which Providence has assigned them, but manifest a spirit of gratitude for every favor bestowed upon them. Every proud thought and exalted feeling is banished from the soul.
Just here we might distinguish between genuine and false sanctification. Sanctification does not consist in merely professing and teaching the word of God, but in living in conformity to his will. Those who claim to be sinless, and make their boast of sanctification, are self-confident, and do not realize their peril. They anchor their souls upon the supposition that having once experienced the sanctifying power of God, they are in no danger of falling. While claiming to be rich and increased in goods, and in need of nothing, they know not that they are miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
But those who are truly sanctified have a sense of their own weakness. Feeling their need, they will go for light and grace and strength to Jesus, in whom all fulness dwells, and who alone can supply their wants. Conscious of their own imperfections, they seek to become more like Christ, and to live in accordance with the principles of his holy law. This continual sense of inefficiency will lead to such entire dependence upon God, that his Spirit will be exemplified in them. The treasures of heaven will be opened to supply the wants of every hungering, thirsting soul. All of this character have the assurance of one day beholding the glory of that kingdom which as yet the imagination can only faintly grasp.
Those who have felt the sanctifying and transforming power of God, must not fall into the dangerous error of thinking that they are sinless, that they have reached the highest state of perfection, and are beyond the reach of temptation. The standard the Christian is to keep before him is the purity and loveliness of Christ’s character. Day by day he may be putting on new beauties, and reflecting to the world more and still more of the divine image.
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” And the apostle Paul, writing to the church at Colosse, says, “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight.”
It is a matter of rejoicing that some have subjected their will to the will of God, have cast off the works of darkness, and have consented to walk in the light as Christ is in the light. But even to these the testing of God will continue until probation ceases. He wants to determine whether we will endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
We are opposed by a subtle foe. The world, with its customs, its attractions, and corruptions, is to be resisted. The power of Satan will be exercised toward every soul, to overcome and destroy him. The way of safety, for the strong as well as for the weak, is to seek daily for heavenly wisdom, to take hold of divine strength. By this means we may obtain grace to enable us to manifest a Christlike spirit under every difficulty and trial.
“Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.” By these words Christ would not lead us to think that mourning in itself has any power to remove the guilt of sin. He gives no sanction to bigotry, to pretense, or to voluntary humility. Mourning is not to be manifested in melancholy looks, or expressed by crying and lamentation; nor does he desire6 (70)that we shall deprive ourselves of social intercourse. While our hearts may be filled with sorrow as we see wickedness defiling the souls of men, we are to cherish a spirit of cheerfulness in keeping with the precious privilege granted us of being sons and daughters of God. We can not hope to draw souls to Christ while we surround ourselves with an atmosphere of gloom.
There was nothing unsocial in the life and character of Christ. He did not seclude himself from the world; but at the same time he did not conform to its habits and customs. He was cheerful, yet sober. He sympathized with those who were in sorrow, and rejoiced with those who had cause for rejoicing. Wherever he went, his presence diffused light and blessing.
Much of the sorrow that is felt among men to-day is sorrow that their evil deeds have been brought to light, and that, as a consequence, they themselves have been placed in unpleasant circumstances. But this is not that godly sorrow which works repentance.
Judas did not carry out in his life the faith he professed. He cultivated a spirit of selfishness, which grew into covetousness and dishonesty, and led him to sell his Master for thirty pieces of silver. He did not realize what he was doing until it was too late to undo the fearful work. He mourned for the result of sin, but had no real sense of its grievous character. Pharaoh, too, repented when he saw the result of his hardness of heart, in the plagues that were visited upon his people. But his repentance was not sincere; for when at his request the plagues were removed, his heart was not humble; his proud spirit and determined will were not placed in submission to God.
David sinned grievously against God; but he “sorrowed after a godly sort.” He prayed that the Lord would remove the cause of his displeasure: “For thy name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity; for it is great.” And Peter’s sorrow for his apostasy was sincere. He brought to God a broken and contrite heart; and this God has promised that he will not despise. His repentance was accepted of heaven, and Jesus intrusted to him not only the care of the sheep of his flock, but also of the tender lambs, the young converts to the faith.
The apostle Paul describes true sorrow when he says: “Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge!”
This is genuine repentance. It will lead to a transformation in the life. It is the absence of this true sorrow that makes many of the conversions of this time superficial. Reformations are not made in the life. But when sin is viewed in the light of God, and its true character realized, it will be put away from the heart and life.
We who were dead in trespasses and sins, God has quickened and renewed by his own power. He has elevated and ennobled us, not because we were worthy, but because goodness and mercy are the attributes of his character, because of the great love wherewith he hath loved us.
This love, which is without a parallel, brought the Son of God from the courts of heaven, to suffer and die that we might live through him. The horror of darkness that enshrouded the Saviour in Gethsemane, and forced from his pores great drops of blood, was experienced by him on account of our sins. Here, indeed, we have reason to mourn, that our sins have caused such inexpressible agony to God’s dear Son.
True sorrow for sin brings the penitent soul near to the bleeding side of Jesus. There he may effectually plead for pardon, and obtain grace to conquer; there his darkened understanding may be enlightened, and the stony heart transformed to a heart of flesh. There the rebellious sinner is subdued, and his will brought into conformity to the will of God.
MRS. E. G. WHITE.
GETHSEMANE
O GARDEN sad, yet blessed evermore—
Because the Saviour came to thee to pray
For strength and courage in his darkest hour—
Art thou, Gethsemane!
O hallowed ground whereon the drops of blood
From his dear face in agony were poured!
O holy spot, whereon in tears he knelt
And cried for help to God!
O consecrated shades, where angels came—
Unseen to all save God's beloved Son—
In answer to his call for aid to say,
“Father, thy will be done!”
O garden sad, through thee our feet must go,
Sometime, somewhere in life's short, changeful day—
O garden sad, yet sweet, since angels' hands
Uphold us o'er the way! —Selected.
JEWISH CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS.
By An Israelite
(By an Israelite.)
Development of Rabbinism.
WHILE the Jews were in Babylonian captivity, they were not instructed in the ways of God, save orally by the mouths of the prophets. Their literature, save the writings of Jeremiah, was supposed to have been destroyed at the time the temple was burned by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. When, therefore, they were released from their period of captivity, there were but very few who knew much concerning the commandments and statutes of the Lord. This is evident from the last two chapters of Ezra, and also from the book of Nehemiah. However, shortly after the restoration and the reinstating of the Jewish polity, Ezra began to reform the people, and labor among them for a complete reformation. He found his work to be much more difficult than he anticipated, since the people were so fearfully ignorant, and had so far departed from the law of God. In order to bring about the desired change, it is said that he associated with him some of the most learned men among the Jews, into an organized college or synod, which he termed “The Great Synagogue.” It was the purpose of these men to expound to the masses the meaning of the law, and to interpret the revealed will of God as found in the Scriptures of the prophets. No one for a moment will doubt but that Ezra’s intentions were of the very best in securing these men as his colleagues in the work; but the effects of that synod and many others akin to it which followed in its train, will never be known nor rightly understood until the Teacher of the truth shall come, and expose to the universe the evil of those false teachers.
The first few years of their experience things moved along smoothly, but as soon as the scribe passed away, yea, even somewhat in his day, things began to take a different turn, and radical changes were made by these men. The successors soon gained the idea that they were divinely chosen, and consequently their teachings must be correct. They considered themselves the people able to tell the real meaning of the law of God, and restore its beauty which had been lost to the laity. Or, as the “Talmud” expresses it, “As soon as the men of the ‘Great Synagogue’ met together, they restored the law to its pristine glory.”
Having imbibed this idea, they began to assume other beliefs equally as false. Claiming divine appointment, they naturally regarded themselves as more holy than the rest of the people, and esteemed themselves paragons of purity and righteousness. The leaders had a great opportunity in carrying out their plans, because of the ignorance of the people in general, and the paucity of books. As these teachers began to exalt self, very naturally religion dwindled into a sort of formalism, and the amount of piety a man possessed was due largely to the amount of external duties he performed, and the rites and ceremonies he celebrated. As a result of this course, real spiritual life became almost extinct, and legality took its place.
By degrees the masses received various portions of the Holy Writ, with many additional features which their predecessors had never possessed. It is said of Ezra that he read out of the law of God, and gave them the sense, or meaning, of the text from the Scriptures direct; these teachers gave the supposed sense of the Scriptures to the people. But the difference of the meaning which they rendered and that exegesis given by Ezra, was that it was simply the ideas of men and their understanding of the Word, in place of the interpretation of the text by the Spirit. So now, if a man wanted to know the meaning of a certain portion of Scripture, he would have to inquire what such and such a scholar said it meant. While progressing in this apostasy, it often occurred to their minds that it might be possible that at some time in the future, their exposition might be questioned, and incongruities discovered. It was therefore necessary that some steps be taken to give their work a “divine” mold, and thus make it to the people coördinate with that of the prophets who had preceded them. If this could be accomplished, whatever difficulty might arise in the mind of the student in later years, it could be told him that, as all Scripture given by inspiration could not be easily understood, and sometimes apparently seemed contradictory, so it was with this work when compared with the Scriptures of Moses and the prophets, for it was all of God.
Now the question arose as to how this could be done. It is admitted by the rabbis themselves that there were five things lacking in the second temple which existed in the first; and one of the missing gifts was the “spirit of prophecy.” Therefore they could not say they were inspired as were the other prophets. But a substitute for this gift was devised, which has satisfied the minds of hundreds of thousands of their followers even to this present day.
When several of the scholiasts were discussing some point in the law, and each giving its true (?) meaning, frequently there would be dissonance among themselves; yet all of them felt that his idea was the correct one. Of course it was evident to them that all the ideas could not be correct, as many were so opposed to one another. So they hit on a plan for deciding who was right. Suddenly one of the most influential of them, or some of his friends, would hear a voice, which was heard only by those individuals who were interested in that definite one’s ideas, which voice declared that his interpretation was the correct one. This voice was named “Both-kol,” or “daughter of a voice.” When any one heard this utterance, all debate immediately ceased, as this was considered to be the divine sanction of the true interpretation.
The way now being paved for their divine authority for true explanation, they were prepared to enforce their teachings upon all as equally important as God’s Word. Therefore it is not astonishing that we find such statements as the following: “To be against the word of the scribes is more punishable than to be against the Word of the Bible.” This is but logical from the position they had taken. They regarded themselves as divine expositors of the Bible. If the people disregarded their word, which was the only mode to determine7the intent of the truth, the Bible itself was of no use to them, as they could not understand it. But it is an awful act to oppose the Word of God. Therefore to oppose their words must, by such arguments, be worse than denying the Bible itself. Again, “The voice of the rabbis is as the voice of God.” “He who transgresses the words of the scribes throws away his life.” Many more such quotations might be cited. It will be seen from these statements that all the prerogatives which God assumed, when speaking directly through the prophets, were claimed by them.
Now they were prepared to give the people a direct line of succession from Moses, in the reception of the Word of God. So we read in “Ethics of the Fathers,” chapter 1: “Moses received the law from Sinai, and delivered it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the Great Synagogue.” Thus the foundations of this traditional fabric were well laid, which afforded the successors opportunities to exalt their dogmas above the Word of God itself.
F. C. GILBERT.
“A GREAT DISCOVERY.”
By N. G.
The Christian Endeavourer, of Chicago, claims to be “the first paper to publish the great discovery that the Jewish Sabbath did not come on Saturday, and that ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy’ had no reference to the keeping of Saturday.” The author seems to have made his discovery by a mysterious sleight-of-hand juggling of the weekly Sabbath and the ceremonial sabbaths, together with a labyrinth of time reckoning that begins and ends in the worst of confusion. As might be expected, however, the sweeping assertion above quoted is stultified by the author’s own words, when he says, “The first day of the week was the day which immediately followed the single or double weekly Sabbath.”
Quack nostrums are frequently advertised under the attractive caption of “great discovery,” and this one reminds us of a saying accredited to Artemus Ward, that “it is better not to know so much than to know so many things that are not true.” In religious matters, especially in that which pertains to the law of God, there is but one legitimate place of discovery, namely, the Scriptures of truth. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8: 20.
One will search the Scriptures in vain to find a weekly institution known as the “Jewish Sabbath.” The weekly Sabbath enjoined upon the Jews was the “Sabbath of the Lord,” the same Sabbath that was made in the beginning, when “God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his work.” Gen. 2: 3. The Sabbath was “made for man” (Mark 2: 27) as a race, when there was no such a people in existence as the Jews. That it was the same Sabbath that was reiterated from Sinai, is shown in the fact that the same reason is given for its observance: “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.”
Thus ended the first week of seven days, and we have no record of any break in the weekly succession. The arrangement of the months and years has been changed; they have been and are unequal, because they are based upon the orbits and revolutions of planets whose movements are variable. But the weekly cycle is an arbitrary, invariable period of time, which is in no way affected by the variableness of the months and years. The Scriptures give us positive proof that up to the time of Christ there had been no change of the week, and therefore no change of the Sabbath. Christ kept the same Sabbath that the Jews kept, for that was “the Sabbath day according to the commandment.” Luke 23: 56. It was the day before the first day of the week, and could have been none other than the seventh day of the week. “And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.” Mark 16: 1, 2.
The Endeavourer says that “the far-reaching consequences of the discovery in relation to the Jewish Sabbath can not be overestimated.” But the “far-reaching consequences” of any unscriptural “discovery” can always be told in the language of the Scripture. The prophecy of Daniel tells of a power who shall “think to change the times and the law” (chapter 7: 25, R. V.), and it goes on in the next verse to tell the result: “But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.” The consequences of tampering with the plain word of God for the purpose of sustaining a man-made innovation is indeed “far-reaching.” And the importance of implicit obedience, even to the jot and tittle (Matt. 5: 18) of the commandments of God, “can not be overestimated.”
The account of this “great discovery” occupies ten columns in the Endeavourer, and is the worst babel on the Sabbath question that we have yet seen. It would be next to a waste of time and space to follow it all through for comment, but as it is set forth as a “Rescue of the Sabbath,” and is backed by the great Christian Endeavor Society, it seems duty to at least show some of the follies into which men fall when they attempt to “destroy the law and the prophets.” Here are a few specimen ingredients of this latest theological decoction:—
“The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 were written by Moses before he went up into the mount to get the tables, hence they are not a copy of the tables.”
“The weekly Sabbaths of the Jews commemorated their freedom from Egyptian slavery, which occurred on Abib 15.”
“The week including the day of Pentecost contained eight days.”
“The weekly Sabbath, from and after the Exodus, occurred on fixed dates, like one’s birthday or the Fourth of July. Therefore, it came on a different day of our week every year.”
“Saturday is not mentioned in the Scriptures.”
“Abib 10, 14, and 16 every year, were to be work or secular days. Each of them would come on Saturday once in seven years, but never on the Sabbath.”
But this is sufficient to show the character of the “new discovery,” and the juggling that is necessary to find a pretext for ignoring the Sabbath of the Lord. The father of this curious muddle is Rev. S. W. Gamble, of the South Kansas Conference of the M. E. Church, and he publishes endorsements of some theological professors of Chicago. Mr. Gamble claims that “this discovery will revolutionize the whole study of the Sabbath question.” This will no doubt be true with those who undertake to follow such vagaries, especially as he proposes to continue his discovery further, and, on similar lines, show “the scriptural authority for the Christian Sunday, or the first day of the week.” N. G.
A RIGHTEOUS STAND AGAINST AN EVIL PRACTISE.
By E. W. Whitney
An Exception.
WHILE the prevailing tendency is so strong in favor of questionable methods of raising funds for worthy objects, both in and out of the church, it is indeed a pleasure to note exceptions to the rule, and to commend the courage which opposes popular evils in “high places.” A brief account of such an exception may therefore be of interest and profit to the readers of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
This place has, for the past few days, been the scene of considerable agitation over the question of the “lottery plan” of raising funds for church and charity purposes.
The treasury of the organization known as the “G. A. R.” was empty. A fair was gotten up for the purpose of replenishing it; and, connected with it, an extensive lottery scheme was instituted. A large list of prizes, ranging from an eight-hundred dollar piano to a box of cigars, and aggregating over $1,500, was advertised. Every dealer in the place, I understand, except one, furnished something to go into the list of prizes. The tickets, at $1.00 each, admitted to the fair, and gave “a chance” on some one of the prizes. There was an immense sale of tickets among all classes.
The evil of the lottery feature was noticed publicly in one of the churches of the city as soon as advertised, and the question began to be agitated. The ministers, however, were personally solicited to purchase tickets. With one exception, so far as I know, they refused, and at their regular Monday meeting passed unanimously the following remonstrance, which was presented to the managers of the fair, and afterward published in the city papers:—
We, the members of the Boulder Ministers’ Union, hereby declare our good-will toward the Grand Army of the Republic, but we regret the methods advertised by the Grand Army for their fair in this town during this week. The chances given upon the admission tickets are either a lottery, or so much akin to a lottery as to be subversive of public and private morals, and, in the former case, against law. In either case the Ministers’ Union, having regard to the public weal, respectfully request the withdrawal of this part of the entertainment.
A. R. Wheeler, Pres., S. D. Baptist,
W. Robson Notman, Sec’y., Presbyterian,
M. D. Hornbeck, Methodist,
J. E. Pickett, Christian,
P. H. Hickman, Episcopal,
C. Caverno, Congregational,
E. W. Whitney, S. D. Adventist,
E. G. Lane, Baptist.
Jan. 11, 1897.
Next day appeared editorials in both papers scoring the ministers for condemning a practice for which the churches set the example in their “fishing ponds, bazaars, grab-bags, etc.,” of which it was said, and rightfully too, that they were “of the same cloth, though perhaps of smaller dimensions.” They indorsed the principles underlying the action of the ministers, but, in words used by one, were cautioned to “let him who is without sin shy the first rock into the ring.” The same issue of one of the papers printed the following, indorsing the ministers’ remonstrance:—
WELL DONE.
EDITOR Herald: I am much gratified to notice in your issue of yesterday that the ministers of Boulder have taken the position they have in regard to the methods employed by the G. A. R. for raising funds at their fair this week. When the real good of the community, and especially the moral interests of our young people, are considered, it is certainly a wise step to discountenance such methods in their very beginnings. I understand that here in Boulder this is the first time this feature of “chance” has, to any considerable extent, been connected with so-called religious or charitable entertainments. This speaks well for the public sentiment of the town in72this regard in the past, and while one reads and hears so much of the lottery scheme connected with so many enterprises, until even the “church lottery” has become a byword with those who are glad to find occasion to cast reproach upon the cause of Christ, this personal and united remonstrance on the part of the ministers of the city is indeed highly gratifying, and must meet with a response of approval from all who have the best interests of society at heart.
It is, perhaps, not to be expected that the request of the ministers will be acceded to by the managers of the fair, but much good certainly may result from their action. No doubt many have purchased tickets without considering the nature of the thing to which they are thus lending their influence. Such still have the opportunity, now that their attention is called to the matter, of casting their influence upon the right side by refusing to accept the prizes their tickets draw, and, as in this case, the prizes would still be the property of the G. A. R., the funds of the order would by such action be, to the amount of value, just that much increased. Again, by this remonstrance the righteous sentiment against this sort of thing will be awakened in all who are led by it to consider the matter more thoughtfully. To the ministers who have so clearly spoken out against an evil practice let the testimony of public sentiment be, “Well done.” Yours for good morals,
ANTI-LOTTERY.
Boulder, Jan. 13, 1897.
The following day denials of the charges made by the editors were published from two of the pastors (Congregationalist and Baptist) to the effect that, so far as their respective churches were concerned, no such practice had obtained during their pastorates. That of the Baptist pastor was in the form of an appeal, and relating as it does to the attitude of Christians to such practices, is worthy a place in this connection:—
AN APPEAL TO CHRISTIAN PEOPLE.
I wish to heartily indorse the suggestion made by the anonymous writer in your issue of yesterday, and call upon all Christian people, and especially those of my own church and congregation, who have purchased tickets ignorant of the gambling nature of the affair, to heed the suggestion, burn your tickets, and refuse to accept the prizes your tickets draw. It is never too late to protest against or condemn a wrong. The fact that the thing is wrong is always sufficient justification for its condemnation. And I know of no better proof of the sincerity of your profession, or greater rebuke that could be given to this evil, than the refusal to receive these lottery prizes to which you may be entitled. I agree with our dailies that grab-bags, fishing ponds, church lotteries “are of the same cloth,” and wish the church would always put its strings of severest condemnation upon them. The charge has been made in the Camera that the Christians owe the erection and maintenance of their churches to such questionable methods. Whatever may be true of the past, or with the other churches, in the present I deny publicly the truth of it as far as the present membership of the church of which I have the honor to be pastor, is concerned during my ministry. This church has been supported by the voluntary contribution of its members without bazaar, festival, kermis, concerts, or lecture, and with only one instance of meal serving in the beginning of the present pastorate, and that not with his sanction nor without his private protest. Frequently has the pastor publicly condemned these methods of money raising, believing that the church should support the church. The present membership and ministry of Boulder are not responsible for the actions of the past. If their predecessors approved of doing evil that good might come, the present church does not. Let the present church constituency, because of an enlightened understanding and conscience on the evil of the thing, show that they have a higher code of morals and a more jealous regard for them, by opposing all that tends to weaken those morals. Let the Christians stand for righteousness, that no reproach may be cast upon the church for the Christ who is its head. I therefore appeal to my people and all Christian people in the name of Jesus Christ, who redeemed you, by whose name you are called, by whose word you are taught, and by whose Spirit you are led, “to avoid even the very appearance of evil.” Yours for righteousness,
E. G. LANE,
Pastor First Baptist Church.
The agitation has occasioned study of right principles by many who had before given the matter no thought; and as partial fruits I know of those who have given up their tickets, of others who are sorry they donated to the enterprise, and who now renounce the evil.
Such things, as they increase, will surely open the eyes of those who love righteousness, and will lead such to come out from among those who practice them, and be separate.
E. W. WHITNEY.
Boulder, Colo., Jan. 17, 1897.
God Gives That We May Give
GOD gives to us that we may give. He blesses us that we may be blessings to others.
