BY E. M. RORABAUGH.

“NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”— Hebrews 11: 1. We sometimes hear people say they have all faith, and we believe they are honest in what they say; but they are wholly ignorant of what faith is or what it means to trust God fully. I became acquainted with a lady some months ago, who had been afflicted for a great while, and she realized that she must do something; so after doctoring a long time, she went to see a sister who claimed to have been healed by divine power. Circumstances were against her, and she visited me, but circumstances at my house were nearly the same as they were at the other place, so I went to see her soon, and I tried to lead her into the light, and she seemed to appreciate the instructions and accept the truths of the gospel. I tried to the best of my ability to get her to understand concerning the power of God to heal our bodies as well as our souls, then I said to her as I turned to leave her, “Do you now believe in the power of God and his willingness to heal our bodies?” She said, “Yes; I have all faith; but if I get very bad what shall I do? Will I not have to take something?” Now where was her faith in a divine power to heal?

I find it means much to exercise a living faith in God, and to trust him fully for all things, and to abide in him. We read in the Word that to obey is better than sacrifice, but we have found that it sometimes has been a great sacrifice to obey, and we may merely think we are trusting God. How much better to know that through faith in God we are saved; that through the power of the blood of Christ we are cleansed from all sin. It is glorious to know that we are wholly the Lord’s.

When I was very young I was impressed with the thought that I must be a Christian, and I tried to live a Christian life; but without faith it is impossible to please God. I believed in God; but I was wholly ignorant of what my duty to God was, or what he would have me to do to obtain pardon or find peace. Though I had sought earnestly and with a godly sorrow for sin, yet I was wholly void of any understanding as to the way of faith and obedience to his will. The reading of the scriptures was as a blank before my eyes, though I had read them from my earliest recollection. Satan held me long in total darkness. While God is all powerful, it is not until we are willing to accept of his mercies and yield ourselves to the mighty power of God, that we are made to realize the wonderful love of the Savior. How much it means to be wholly consecrated to God, to give up all for Christ! And it means much to trust in Jesus for all things, and in him alone.

It was hard for me to break away from all sin, give up all, but I praise God that I was made to humble myself before him and confess my sinfulness, and not that alone, but my utter helplessness and lost condition. It was not until I was made to feel myself willing to suffer anything; poverty, hunger, the loss of friends, sickness, and even death if need be, that I realized the great love of the Savior pour into my soul. I praise his holy name that I have never lost sight of that first love; it is as a well-spring of joy to my heart, and my soul is refreshed from day to day, and the way grows brighter. Though persecutions are great, the Lord will give grace and glory. He ever loves and cares for his own, and I do praise God for a spirit submissive to his will. I am so glad that it is the desire of my heart to obey him in all things, and that he is causing light to shine on my pathway, and though I am unable to do much, I am glad that I am content to do the little things that he would have me do.

BY NELLIE HOLMES.

“AND an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”— Isaiah 35: 8 to 10. “And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord.”— Isaiah 12: 4. Thank God the time has come when these scriptures are not only “fulfilled in our ears,” but also in our hearts.

“Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous.”— Isaiah 60: 20, 21. “Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.”— Isaiah 45: 17. Why? Because “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms, and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.”— Deuteronomy 33: 27, 29. Praise God!

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”- 2^nd Corinthians 3: 5. Therefore “in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3: 6. Paul’s experience is good for us to profit by; and he says, “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of  me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.”- 2^nd Timothy 1: 12 to 14.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3: 5), and “be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace.” (Hebrews 13: 9), that, ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which can not be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire.”— Hebrews 12: 28, 29.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of Man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.”— Ecclesiastes 12: 13, 14. But “now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen:”— Jude 24, 25.

BY F. J. KEIFER.

I had been a wanderer for several years till in the winter of 1885 I thought to settle down and make me a home; and after going through the forms required by law, I left home for the winter, and on my return in the spring of 1886 I found that a man, who professed to be a preacher of the present truth, had taken an adjoining claim. Being my nearest neighbor we soon became intimate, and he talked holiness in season and out of season, and often asked me to go with him to his meetings, but I only laughed at him; he also tried to explain the church question to me, but I did not seem to care for anything he said; but all the time I was studying the Word to know the truth of the matter. This went on for about six months before I told anything I thought of it. By this time I was satisfied by the Word of God that there was something in it. Before I met this man I had almost drifted into infidelity, by what I had seen in those who claimed to be the followers of Christ.

The denomination to which I belonged, part of it at least, taught sanctification; but their teaching led rather to a profession than to an experience of salvation. I knew then that it ought to aid men of things that were contrary to the Word of God, but as they taught it, it did not; and many a time, my heart was made to ache on account of the bondage I was in, and from which I knew not how to escape; but I consoled myself that I was doing as well as others. So when I was convinced that there was a way, I was glad, and was willing to do all I knew or was shown to do to escape from the bondage of sin. I should have said before that I would have given myself wholly to infidelity, but I knew that God had at one time taken away all my sins and left me guiltless before him; this I could not deny; and thus he kept me within reach of his love, though I did not retain my experience long through lack of teaching. God pity those who are thus blinded! I soon had the privilege of hearing the Word of God expounded more fully, and I stepped into the fountain, and all my sins were washed away.

At this time my health was very poor with what doctors called Bright’s disease. Now, as I heard that God still healed his people of all their sicknesses, I went to seeking for healing; but not being in a place where I could fully trust him, and was easily frightened by the devil, I had a serious time of it for quite a while. But God gave his promise that he would heal me and add to my life twenty years, on condition of my obedience; but my faith was very weak, and I still struggled on trying to carry my burden and God’s as well. A time came when all earthly help failed, and it was trust God or die. I was enabled to throw myself wholly on his mercy, when he did more than he had promised; for he both healed and sanctified me at the same time, and brought me out into a great plan, where I could roam at will with none to molest or to make afraid.

It went on thus for quite a while. When the enemy again presented himself and began to tell me that when I had that long struggle before I was healed, I was only under conviction, and was justified when I was healed.  Not knowing the tricks of the enemy I came to believe it, and then denied what God had done for me. From that I went into darkness and fell into the power of every delusive spirit that came around. For several years I thus entangled with the enemy, and was getting settled again upon God’s Word when a great trial came upon me in the death of a loved one, which almost crushed me, mentally and physically and for eighteen months it seemed that all the powers of hell were combined against me to destroy me, soul and body. God alone knows what I suffered. Oh, the bitterness of soul, and the crying unto God in my agony! Even the thought of it now makes me shudder and creep close into the arms of that loving Savior, who was leading me through it all and bringing me closer to him, where I could fully give myself to him and walk in his statutes; but at last, about March  27, 1899, God; the Savior came to me in the still, small voice, and the raging storm became a calm and all was quiet and peace within. Glory to his name! How can I praise him enough?

Since then he has confirmed His Word with the signs following, and I have been growing in grace and knowledge, and rejoicing in a Savior who is mighty to save and keep. Oh praise, praise be to Jesus! I have dipped my pen in sorrow, and can express that, for it is of the earth; but the joy and peace that God gives can not be told with earthly language, and so I am unable to express myself, but can only say as one of old has said, “Taste and see that God is good.” Henceforth my prayer, shall ever be: “Lord, as thou givest me the days, help me to return them to thee unspotted with sin.” Amen.

UNCEASING CAUSE OF INFIDELITY.

SUPPOSE there burns a light of uncommon splendor, not far from a man who hates its radiance? Suppose it is his duty to gaze upon its glory, but he refuses; this aversion may discover itself in a variety of attitudes, all tending to the one result. In the first place, he will not approach. Then, suppose an angel should descend, take him by the arm, and with the mastery of superior strength lead him near; will the object be accomplished? No; one of his expedients is taken from him, but he can employ another. He turns away his head. He is next compelled to face the light, but he holds his hand before his face; this is forcibly withdrawn, and he then shuts his eyes. Just so it has been with fallen man, in different ages, regarding the truth.

“If I had been near to Sinai,” said a young man, “in the days of Moses and of Joshua; if I had stood at the foot of that thunder rocked mountain, and heard the voice of God speaking to that nation, I never should have doubted the power of Jehovah; if I had marched through the bosom of that retiring sea, and had been fed with manna, year after year, I never should have questioned the Deity of my leader for a single moment.”

Neither, did the Israelites; this was not the form of their unbelief. Amidst all their rebellions they never questioned the strength of Jehovah, or the facts recorded during their Journey, a single, hour. Their disrelish for the truth showed itself in the following way: “May not different Deities have the empire of the earth divided between them? We know that our God is powerful; but our neighbors say that their God is also powerful. May it not be well to seek the favor of both? Might it not be wise to propitiate the favor of all? Their worship is easily rendered; it is very agreeable and allows of the dance and song and joyous festivity?” The unbelief of this age was the infidelity of idolatry. It is true that the Lord sent them teacher after teacher; he chastised them, and warned them; continued his marvels, multiplying their opportunities, adding to their prophets and instructors, until idolatry became as impracticable in that nation as it would be now in the streets of Philadelphia.

If some great man was to set up a gold or silver image in the street of one of our large cities, what is the reason he could not get the multitude to kneel before it? Is it because of any love they have for the Bible, or any reverence for the name of Christ, or the precepts of his will? No! There are thousands there as wicked, as sensual, and as filthy, almost, as the imagination can paint. There is no danger that the wicked of our land will fall into this kind of idolatry. They can not. That road has been blocked up. Books, education, truth, science, and heavenly light have been brought too near. So it was when the Redeemer stood in the streets of Jerusalem. There was no fear that men would erect wood or stone and kneel before it, as their fathers did. God had removed such hiding-places. Will they then receive the truth? Shall we now see them listen and obey? No! ,They then say “he casteth out devils, through Beelzebub, prince of devils.” This was the form of infidelity then assumed. The heathen caught the same excuse and used it. They all quieted their fears in this way. The writers of the Talmuds knew well enough the events of their day. They were sufficiently acquainted with what the Savior did and suffered. How is it, then, that they did not become his disciples? How could they avoid submitting to the truth? They say he had learned the correct pronunciation of the ineffable name of God. They say he stole this out of the temple. Again they say he was in Egypt, where he learned, the magic art, and practiced it with greater success than any one ever did before him.  (See Horne’s Introduction. Volume 1.) They agree that he was the son of Mary, the daughter of Eli; was crucified on the evening of the Passover, that the witnesses who swore against him were suborned, etc., etc., etc.

“Celsus, one of the bitterest antagonists of Christianity, who wrote in the latter part of the second century, speaks of the founder of the Christian religion as having lived but a very few years before his time, and mentions the principal facts of the gospel history, relative to Jesus Christ; declaring that he had copied the account from the writings of the evangelists. He quotes these books, as we have already remarked, and makes extracts from them as being composed by the disciples and companions of Jesus, and under the names which they now bear. He takes notice particularly of his incarnation; his being born of a virgin; his being worshiped by the wise men; flight into Egypt; and the slaughter of the infants. He speaks of Christ’s baptism by John, of the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and of the voice from heaven declaring him to be the Son of God; of his being accounted a prophet by his disciples; of his foretelling who should betray him, as well as the circumstances of his death and resurrection. He allows that Christ was considered a divine person by his disciples, who worshiped him, and notices all the circumstances attending the crucifixion of Christ and his appearing to his disciples afterwards. He frequently alludes to the Holy Spirit, mentions God under the title of the Most High, and speaks collectively of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He acknowledges the miracles wrought by Jesus Christ, by which he engaged great multitudes to adhere to him: as  the Messiah. That these miracles were really performed he never disputes, or denies, but ascribes them to the magic art, which he says, Christ learned in Egypt.” (Horne’s Intro., Volume 1.)

Reader, the Jewish and the Pagan writer, who knew what was done by Christ and his apostles for the space of forty years, were not under the necessity of becoming Christians. Men do not thus love the truth. The Jews and heathens who lived afterwards, with those who were raised from the dead, and with the children of those who were raised from the dead, declared, that although these things were done, they would not believe. Rather than submit to the truth they would attribute all to the agency of evil spirits. We know where our parents and our grandparents lived. We know many things about them which we never saw. Thousands who heard their parents and their grandparents speak of those who had been restored to sight, or of the children of those who were thus restored, of their intimacy with them, etc., had as clear a knowledge of these facts, as we have that our fathers landed on the rock at Plymouth, or were victorious at Bunker Hill; yet they would not obey the gospel. The magic art was their refuge. They did not, and they could not destroy themselves in that age by the unbelief of idolatry. This avenue to ruin was barred; but to ascribe the works of God to demoniac influence, the genius of the age permitted, and this was their resort. Shall men continue age after age, to destroy themselves by the persuasion, or by the hope, that the Lord and his apostles acted through the agency of evil spirits? No; that kind of infidelity can not last always. As sure as the copies of that New Testament are multiplied, or much read in the churches, men will cease to attribute works of love and mercy to Satan. Preach that gospel extensively, and men will not believe in this creed of magic more readily than they now do. You can not prevail on the most wicked, or the ignorant blasphemer in any of our streets, to believe that Christ healed those who touched his garment, with the aid of fallen spirits. What is the reason that his enemies of the present day never think of accusing him of any connection with Beelzebub? It is not because of any affection they have for him; it is not because of their love, or their reverence, that they do not believe, and can not believe he learned the magic art in Egypt, where he certainly was in early life. No; the lamp of knowledge has been held too near to them. No thanks to the wicked now, that the Lord has made that kind of infidelity inconsistent with the genius of the age; there is enough of hatred to Christ and his precepts; enough of wickedness, ignorance, and pollution, to insure the rejection of offered mercy. His grace will be scorned, and his Messiah-ship denied; but not under the old pretext. New expedients will be devised, and other channels sought. Anything rather than look at the light. Centuries have rolled away. The original witnesses have fallen asleep, and their children, their children’s children, for many generations. During the first three hundred years and more, after our Savior’s ascension, had any one attempted to deny facts of the gospel history, some would have looked him in the face with the remark, “My father, or my grandfather saw it, or conversed with a man who saw it.” Ages have passed away. The latter days are here. An inspired apostle was directed to announce, that in after days there should come scoffers, mocking at the promise of the coming, and casting away the whole record. We have noticed three of the most prominent and conspicuous kinds of infidelity, or of the forms in which unbelief has exhibited itself. It is true, that other intervening kinds have existed, such as the infidelity a superstition, Priest craft, etc., but we have not time and space to write minutely of its every shape. The infidelity of the last day is here. The scoffing unbelief as foretold, is come; and it was to be accompanied with willful ignorance, the offspring of a secret love for darkness. We must continue to observe other indications of this strange disrelish for truth, and we search after it more faithfully, because those who possess it are unconscious of its existence. This preference for darkness may be detected from the fact that men in support of their own systems of infidelity are more credulous than ordinary, and believe that which is much harder to believe than simply to receive the truth.

— Nelson.

BY R. R. HOLT.

“Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. “— Titus 2: 10. By the foregoing scriptures we see that Paul here admonishes Titus to have the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ adorned. The word “adorn” means to make beautiful by adornment; but as we look around, how little it seems that the majority of professors are adorning the Words of our God. But we do find multiplied numbers seditiously opposing the same, by neglecting to obey it. Paul predicted that it should come to pass that the doctrine of our Lord would not be received. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”- 2^nd Timothy 4: 3, 4. Thus we see these words fulfilled to-day among those who profess to be the saints of God, in a multiplicity of ways. I pray God that this truth may flow deep in the ears of all who read it; and let us all as children of the Lord, see that we adorn and hold in reverence his mighty Words, knowing his Words shall judge us in the last day.

There are many ways in which we can adorn the doctrine of our Lord. While there are many ways in which we can by disobedience fail in adorning the same. When the Word of God is not obeyed it is certain that God is not glorified in us, and the doctrine which should be held up to a dying world is trampled down and there is leanness in the soul, and influence is lost. “Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt [influence] have lost its savor [power] wherewith shall it be salted [saved]? It [influence] is henceforth good for nothing but to be cast out [called a hypocrite] and trodden under the feet of men).

By the foregoing scriptures it is plain to behold that if we do not live just as the doctrine of our God teaches we should live, we are causing the sinner to stumble at our crooked way of living. It would be sad to our souls in judgment for his (the sinner’s) blood to be required at our hand. Then, brethren, let us stand on the Word of God; and what he says, do. “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” “Stand, therefore [for this reason] having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” Praise God! Then there is no reason why we should not adorn the Words of our Lord when we are promised the whole armor for our warfare; and by obeying the commander (which is Jesus), we can be equipped so completely, and hid away in God, that if the whole army of Satan should attack us he can never prevail over us; because the armor we have on is the armor of holiness and salvation, purchased by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and honor forever and ever.

When Satan brings before us his devices, tempting, and trying to weaken us on any portion of God’s Word, we have the power to resist him; by having on the whole armor of truth and righteousness, we can defeat him with God’s precious Words. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” By this it is plain that we must be where we have the grace of God in our souls, to the extent that we can pray in the Spirit. The Spirit maketh request to God for us (Romans 8: 26), and our prayers are effectual after having on this armor of God, which is righteousness, and is defined justice, virtue, holiness. Then we are in a condition where our prayers will ascend to God with effect; and the God of heaven will hear us. James 5: 16; John 14: 13.

To be in a condition where we can take God’s Words, we must do what they say (James 1: 22); because we see clearly it is not all that profess that are living according to the Bible. Matthew 7: 21 to 29. Praise God! Then how we should love the Lord, and abstain from evil, realizing his precious promises. “Jesus answered and said unto him, “If a man love me, he will keep my Words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” I would to God every one could see and realize, and would grasp the promises in God’s precious Word, which he has promised to all that obey him. “If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.” “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Knowing that this is a duty enjoined on every child of God, let us adorn the doctrine of God by standing on his Word. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.”— Ecclesiastes 12: 13.

COMMANDS.

Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Jesus Christ; that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one Spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.”– Philippians 1: 27. The word conversation here means not only our speech, but our whole conduct or deportment. We see by this that we can fail to adorn the doctrine of the Lord by breaking his commandment, which so strictly forbids conducting ourselves any way that would not become the gospel. I pray God for the sake of poor precious souls, that all who read this will examine themselves closely by the Word of truth, and see if they are living according to its precepts. “I said, I will take heed unto my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked one is before me.”

       So, dear ones, in Jesus’ name and by his grace let us see that the words of our mouth be acceptable with God. We can easily know this; for if we know that our words are not in harmony with God’s Word, we know they are not acceptable with him. I fear there are many who have lost all the sweetness of spiritual life just by not heeding the commandment mentioned above, to let our conversation become the gospel. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” This shows that we are placed in a very responsible position. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”— Hebrews 10: 31. So let us get the fear of God before our eyes that we sin not, that we may stand in the liberty wherein we are made free from sin and death (Romans 8: 2); and while we are set free by the power of God, let us never transgress any of the divine law of God. John 3: 4. We fail to adorn the doctrine if we talk in excess, and get beyond the Bible limits. How careful we should be. “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth: therefore let thy words be few.” Ecclesiastes 5: 2. “But let your communication be yea, yea; and nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”— Matthew 5: 37. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.”- 1^st Peter 1: 15. “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you as becometh saints: neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather of giving of thanks.”— Ephesians 5: 3, Then we see clearly that instead of unnecessary talk we can adorn or beautify the doctrine of God by giving thanks to him always, and not suffering any foolishness to even be named among us.

IN TIME OF SICKNESS.

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”— James 5: 13 to 15. So we learn by these precious truths that we have another privilege of adorning the doctrine of the Bible; but so many fail here, and instead of glorifying God in standing on his mighty promises and showing to the world that there is a God in Israel, they resort to something else, like Ahaziah of old, and thus neglect to glorify God, or adorn the doctrine he has commanded us to follow. We find in Ahaziah’s case a precious lesson (2^nd Kings 1), that while afflicted he sent to inquire of the god of Ekron, which is Baal-zebub. Most professors to-day when sick send immediately to inquire of a doctor, just as though God had never given us a plan in his Word, whereby we can be healed by divine aid. Brethren, with the light the saints of God have in this sacred way, I will not by the grace of God try any other way than to trust God for my physician, and hold it up to the world as the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ.

ADORNING.

“Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”- 1^st Peter 3: 3, 4. We see clearly by these scriptures that we should not adorn ourselves so as to make us ornamental or attractive above a meek and quiet manifestation of spirit. We see so many who profess to be the children of God, gorgeously bedecked with gold and other fabulous worldly conformities. “I beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”— Romans 12: 1, 2. This proves that we should be wholly given up to God with our bodies so subject to his will, that we would bring convincing proof to the world by our deportment, our dress, and holy life before them, that they would know God dwells in us.

“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shame-facedness and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”- 1^st Timothy 2: 9, 10. Now, for the benefit of some who might think they could be justified in wearing gold and other worldly trinkets, let us notice that what Peter says clearly sets forth the fact that whosoever would attempt to adorn himself in worldly attire is commanded by the Word not to let it be done for outward display of making a vain show to the world. I trust that those who hold to the idea that men were permitted to wear such things, will see the absurdity (as I understand there is a class of professors believe the same) when referred to the Bible; for we “are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”— Galatians 3: 26. God in his Word says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”— Galatians 3: 28.

We see by these scriptures that there is no difference made in the plan of salvation concerning obedience to the Word of God; that we must all keep his commandments, since God has inducted all that are saved into a unit. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”- 1^st Corinthians 12: 13. This we see consolidates the children of God and places each one of them on equality, being made then one Spirit and joined to the Father (1^st Corinthians 6: 17), which makes us children of the Almighty (2^nd Corinthians 6: 18), all having heard the Words of God and believing (John 5: 24) and doing them (James 1: 22), following Jesus and his Word. Revelation 19: 14 to 16; John 10: 3. This shows that we must believe, and do, and follow the Words of Jesus in every line the Bible predicts, and if we will, we can adorn the precious Words of Jesus to a letter. Praise the Lord!

COMMANDED TO LOVE.

“This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.”— John 15: 13. This emphatic command comes from our Savior, telling us in a simple and decisive manner that we should love each other as he loved us. It is sad to see such a failure in the world among those who profess to be saints; instead of manifesting the love that Jesus commanded, some seem to fail to manifest as much love as Jesus manifested to the world. I pray God that souls may think on these things and see if they are adorning the doctrine of Jesus by having genuine God-given love, that they would lay down their lives for the brethren. “For God so loved the world [loved the world so much], that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”– John 3: 16.

“From whom all the body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” We find by this text that by the power of love God gives our affections join together and are compacted. Such a love will be convincing to the world, if we have that fervent love for each other that the Lord desires we should have. There will be such an effectual work existing between every child of God that it will be effective with those that are without; and the text mentioned above will surely be fulfilled, which says will make an increase of the body, which will be souls saved and added to the church of God. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” We see plainly by this text that it does not avail anything, neither will God accept of us simply professing to love with our tongues. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [love], I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” So we should endeavor by the grace of God to dismiss all superficial and formal service before God and all respect of persons among brethren for fear of committing sin. James 2: 9. “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”- 1^st Timothy 4: 12. Amen.

BY R. ROTHMAN.

I am truly thankful that these words of John the Baptist have again become full of life to me: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”— Matthew 3: 11. Praise God for the fire that burns up the chaff and makes us fit for the Master’s use! I am glad for this chance to take a stand on the Lord’s side, and to testify through the columns of the Trumpet to my appreciation of the blessed gospel as taught by it. I have been roughly handled by the devil through the medium of false doctrines and teachers and the sin of division, and take pleasure in exposing his cunning craftiness, trusting some dear souls in danger may profit by my experience, and be saved from trouble and mayhap destruction.

The faithful God three years ago allowed me to approach very near death’s door with an attack of typhoid fever. For days I lay on the brink of eternity, and realized fully the awful doom that awaited my soul in eternity were I then to enter the presence of my Maker, as I was unprepared, very stubborn; even the terrors of hell did not turn me to repentance; but God’s goodness at length touched my sin-hardened heart and won from it the humble cry “God be merciful to me a sinner.” The dear Lord spoke peace in a measure to my soul then, and while convalescing I learned many precious lessons from his Spirit. Never having studied the Bible or learned the way of life, I knew not where to turn; but by night and day my heart sought the Lord in earnestness. He was not unmindful, and I realized wonderful awakenment to the eternal world as I called upon the good God that had prolonged my life and given me a chance to meet him in peace. His gentle Spirit taught me to wrestle in prayer and to prevail.

Long before I was able to leave the hospital ward, I had determined to live for God. Born a Roman Catholic, my experience made me understand I must look elsewhere for that for which my soul longed. The vain preaching I had heard in the fashionable Protestant “churches” had destroyed my confidence in them. Where should I go? The Salvation Army seemed the nearest to what I thought right, and I decided to visit them on my first arrival in Chicago. But the Lord led otherwise. That day was one ever to be remembered. Truly the Lord is round about them that fear him. My feet were light and my heart still lighter, and filled with expectant joy. As night came on, I started for the barracks. Hark! A sound of sweet singing; something different from the old religious songs; and it seemed to echo joy in my heart. I know not just what verse it was, but it filled my soul with rapture: it might have been:

“Far away in fields of glory,

We shall meet and God adore.

And the sweet redemption story

We shall sing forevermore.”

I entered the humble mission, and then heard the precious words of life taught as I had never heard before. On the first invitation to the altar I gladly went forward, and bowed before my God to receive instruction and his abundant pardon. Perhaps I acted too grateful and joyful for a public place; but had I not cause to glorify the God that had made me his child and joint heir with Christ to all the riches and glory of the eternal World? Yea, “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart.”

But even at this early moment was a seed of division that has since caused trouble. The minister who preached that night has since opposed the evening light, and even then manifested a slight undercurrent of division. Having great confidence in my first teacher, I thought him in possession of more light than others of the brethren. “A little leaven leaveneth the whole,” and this seed of division hindered my spiritual progress.

But God was nevertheless gracious to me, and taught me truths and lessons by his Word and Spirit, more precious than gold and fine rubies. I had yet to learn that when God so unmistakably led me into his truth, he would not tolerate my taking up with sectism. Since then he, by his Spirit and Word, has established my heart in love, and dispelled all doubt in my mind as to the purity of the evening light. If ever I realize a lack in my soul, I will not blame the doctrine, but, get myself right before God, and then the truth will appear just right.

Some months back I became acquainted with a brother whom I learned to love and esteem. Being noble-minded, at least in a worldly sense, he had a great influence over me. Never having experienced a second cleansing, and being too proud (I speak with due consideration.) to seek it in the Bible way, he set about to build a theory of his own, which resulted in a denial of the second work of grace.

Having enjoyed the grace of sanctification for months, I of course could not be made to deny it; but his insinuations and personal charms made me doubt whether I had received it in accordance with the Word, and caused me to desire his favor. Personal vanity and pride crept in here, and a fall wits inevitable. Forgetting the glorious liberty I had enjoyed as a child of God, I considered myself under bondage while the Spirit of God was reproving me. My noble but proud friend assured me of liberty if ever I could get my head established in his theories; but as these were as variable as the wind, I could not get established. The apostle Peter speaks an appropriate word for this place: “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”- 2^nd Peter 2: 19. A proud man is a corrupt man, and pride is a hard taskmaster.

But the most blame must be laid at my own door; for God by his Spirit and Word, and even in a dream, faithfully warned me of the danger of leaning to my own understanding, instead of trusting him and shunning the vain philosophy of men. When one gets under the influence of the anti-cleansing heresy, he can not rest in the Lord, but must be theorizing and worrying over some scripture continually; and it is almost certain to involve and confuse innocent souls. I had seen the evil effects of this course in others; and a little in myself, and did not desire to see it increasing.

By this time my head was quite convinced that all the glorious light of the evening time was darkness, though my heart doubted it. Placing my ideas on paper, I submitted them to a brother, half hoping to see them all refuted. I was now awakened to the realization that this false doctrine had cost me my salvation. With heavenly wisdom and love this brother humbly and faithfully revealed the true nature of the spirit behind this heresy. God gave me grace to repent, and made me once more his child. After this the false spirit was thoroughly renounced and rebuked, and has not troubled me since; for which I glorify God. The Lord showed me the reality of sanctification, but I was not in a condition to receive it then. But during the past week he has put a stir in my soul to seek the sanctifying grace and fire; and I truly now possess it. To God be the praise. “A day in thy courts is worth a thousand.” I ask an interest in the prayers of God’s little ones that I may ever live true to my covenant, and keep the holy fire burning with the fuel of praise, prayer, and appreciation.

BY WILLIAM G. SCHELL.

THE law of Moses provided three special rests; a rest in the land of Canaan, which was a political rest, a rest for their bodies every seventh day, and a rest for their land every seventh year.

THE REST OF CANAAN.

When speaking unto Moses concerning the entrance of the children of Israel into Canaan, God said: “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”- Exodus 33: 14. Again he promised in Deuteronomy 12: 9, 10: “For ye are not as yet come to the rest of the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you. But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety.” Moses was not permitted to lead the people into the Canaan rest promised in these texts; for because of a transgression against God he was called into eternity and God gave the leadership of the people unto Joshua the son of Nun; through him God led the Israelites into the promised land and gave them the promised rest.

“And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, an dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands.” — Joshua 21: 43, 44. “And it came to pass a long time after that the Lord had given rest unto Israel, from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.”– Joshua 23: 1.

“Rest” was a term used by the Jewish writers throughout the legal dispensation to designate the peace of their country: Almost every peaceful age is described with the words, “Then had the land rest from the enemies round about.” “Then had the land rest from war,” etc.

THE REST FOR THE BODY.

“Six days thou shall do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.”— Exodus 32: 12. The Jewish Sabbath, ‘as this text shows, was a day of rest for both man and beast. They held convocations upon that day, but rest was its principle feature. It is called “the rest of the holy Sabbath” in Exodus 16: 23 and “the Sabbath of rest” in Exodus 31: 15; 35: 2; Leviticus 23: 3.

The Sabbath was a day of rest without exception. Moses said concerning it in Exodus 34: 21: “Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.”

The Sabbath was a day of absolute rest. Death was the penalty imposed upon the man who performed labor upon it. “Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the Sabbath day.”— Exodus 35: 2,3. While the children of Israel were yet in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks upon the Sabbath day; they immediately placed him under arrest until the Lord commanded that they should stone him to death, and we are told that “all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died.”— Numbers 15: 36. This seems like an act of cruelty, but it was only carrying out the commands of God respecting the Sabbath day.

The Sabbath was enjoined upon the Israelites as a memorial of God’s rest upon the seventh day at the time of the creation. We read concerning God’s rest after he had created the heavens and the earth in six days: “And he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”— Genesis 2: 2. Concerning the institution of the Sabbath of the Jews, Moses said, “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.”–Exodus 20: 11.

THE REST FOR THE LAND.

       Besides the rest for the bodies of man and beast, every seventh day, Moses provided a rest every seventh year for the land. “Six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beast of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy olive-yard.”— Exodus 23: 10, 11. “Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest, thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed; for it is a year of rest unto the land.”— Leviticus 25: 3 to 5.

THE REST FOR THE SOUL.

It was foretold by the prophets that the Savior should give rest unto his people. Isaiah prophesied concerning this rest, as follows: “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.”— Isaiah 11: 10. When the Savior appeared, he announced that he had come to give rest. His Words are: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”— Matthew 11: 28, 29. The nature of the rest offered here by the Savior differs from all the rests provided for in Moses’ law. Moses had provided rest from enemies; rest for the body and rest for the land, but no rest for the soul; but Jesus has provided a rest for the soul. He makes no special provision for a rest to our country, our land, or our bodies; but by his great atonement he bestows upon us that perfect rest of soul that is intended to give as perfect happiness.

The epistle of Paul unto the Hebrews shows that the spiritual rest given us in Christ is the antitype of those literal rests given unto the Jews by Moses. After quoting in chapter three, verses 7 to 11, a part of the 95^th Psalm, which speaks of the manner in which the children of Israel doubted God’s Word, and of God’s oath which he swore at that time, saying, “They shall not enter into my rest,” he says, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”— Verse 12. I am unable to understand Paul here if he is not teaching that there is a rest now to be obtained in Christ that is the perfect antitype of the rest God gave the Jews, from the nations round about, in Canaan. Yes, this is exactly what he is teaching; because he says in chapter 4, verses 1, 2, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them; but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” We can not easily misunderstand Paul here. He shows that the gospel was preached unto the Israelites in the wilderness and is also now preached to us in the Christian dispensation. The gospel that was preached in the wilderness was the promise of a rest in Canaan, from all, the enemies round about, but the gospel now being preached to all nations is the blessed promise of that perfect rest of soul which, as we have before seen, is provided for us in Christ. Many have believed that the rest spoken of by Paul in this place is not to be enjoyed until we reach heaven; but this is refuted in verse 3, which says, “For we which have believed do enter into rest.” It is not said that we shall by and by enter into rest, but that we do enter into rest; present tense.

With the latter part of verse 3, Paul begins to take up the rest of the seventh day, and shows that it was also typical of the spiritual rest of soul which we enjoy in Christ. His words are: “As I have sworn in my wrath, If they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.”— Verses 8 to 5. Paul here associates God’s rest upon the seventh day at the creation with our spiritual rest in Christ, in such a manner as to enable us to see that he understood the former to be a type of the latter. I do not think that his words can be reasonably interpreted in any other light.

In verse 10 he says, “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” In this verse we have a most beautiful thought, we who enjoy the spiritual rest in Christ, have ceased from our own works as God did from his at the time of the creation. We have seen before that the rest of the Jews every seventh day was a memorial of God’s rest at the creation, but it would be well to show here that the rest of the Sabbath was not a perfect imitation of God’s rest. It was a rest for the body; hence it could not be a perfect imitation of God’s rest. God worked six days and rested the seventh; he also rested the eighth an ninth days and has never since broke his rest: but the Jews, under the law did not perfectly imitate this rest; they worked six days then rested for one day then took up the same manual labor again, then rested again upon the seventh day, and thus they must ever continue; because they could not maintain the body without performing some manual labors. The reader can readily see that we can not perfectly imitate God’s rest except we enter into a spiritual rest. The rest that Christ gives us is spiritual, hence may be a perfect imitation of God’s rest. God rested from all his labors upon the seventh day and has continued to rest from his labors ever since, and we also rest from all our labors in a spiritual sense when we obtain salvation and rest unto our souls. Our works from which we cease, when we enter Christ’s rest, is our former sinful life. Christ has made provision in his grace for us to be kept from ever turning back to these sinful works; hence we continue evermore to rest from our labors, as God did from his.

We have seen that in as much as the seventh-day Sabbath was a rest for the body, when manual labor was performed on that day, the body was sentenced to the penalty of death. This law, though so cruel in nature, when carried out under the system of Moses typified a sublime truth under the gospel. Our rest being that of the soul, should we turn again and perform the works of the soul from which Christ, by his grace, has caused us the rest, viz., our sins, our soul would be called upon to pay the penalty of spiritual death; hence we see that only by a continual life of righteousness, may we continue in the blessed rest of the gospel dispensation.

In verses 8 and 9 Paul takes up again the rest of the Israelites in literal Canaan as a type of the rest of soul the Christians now enjoy. He says: “For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest unto the people of God.” The Jesus mentioned here was Joshua, who is called Jesus in the LXX., the version of the Old Testament which was used by the apostolic church. Paul shows that Joshua did not give the people rest. He is speaking of the true spiritual rest. Joshua gave them a literal rest in Canaan from their enemies round about, but he did not give them that spiritual rest of soul that God has ever had in store for his people; hence says Paul, “There remaineth therefore a rest unto the people of God.” Thank God that we have learned that this blessed rest is for us, and for us now, and have had the blessed favor bestowed upon us of entering into it and enjoying it to the perfect satisfaction of our souls.

In conclusion I wish to call attention to a type of the two-foldness of salvation in the order in which Israel received the rests obtained under the law. The Sabbath rests were received in the wilderness, and the “rest from enemies round about,” in the land of Canaan. We have seen that the exodus from Egypt to the wilderness typified justification, and from the wilderness to Canaan, sanctification. The rests obtained in the wilderness and in the promised land beautifully accord with this idea. The rest of the Sabbaths was a rest from labor, and was typical of that rest from spiritual works (wicked works) obtained in justification; hence, to arrange properly the type, they were all delivered to Israel in the wilderness. The rest “from our enemies round about” typified the deliverance from inward foes of carnality obtained in sanctification; hence, to complete the two-foldness of the type, this rest was not received until Israel entered into the promised land.

BY MARY COLE.

WHEN I see dear souls lightly esteeming God’s Word and not heeding its warnings I know danger is near: The Word says we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace. I have seen those that did not heed the warning and they seemed to think that God did not take any note of it, and that they would not have to suffer because of disobeying him; but alas! soon the Word of the Lord proved true; what a man soweth that shall he also reap. I have seen the same persons go off into error and under a wrong spirit, all because of not heeding the warning. Obedience would have saved them all that trouble. God has magnified his Word above all his name. Then if we will steer clear of the breakers, we must honor his Word by believing and obeying him.

God has not given us one unnecessary warning; and if all are heeded, it will keep us out of trouble and the pitfalls of Satan. There is not one command in the Word but if obeyed in God’s order will bring a blessing to the soul, and if disobeyed will bring a curse. “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to harken than the fat of rams.” The willing and the obedient shall eat the good of the land, but the stubborn and the rebellious men in a dry land. So many dwell in a dry land because of disobedience. God is not going to pay those that do dishonest work. So many feign to obey, like Saul, and say, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord”; but we hear the voice of Samuel saying, “What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” Why all this noise, this murmuring and faultfinding at God and his cause and children? It is the spirit of disobedience and unbelief that lies under it all.  Doubting God makes you disobey him.

God commands us, ‘Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.” But dear souls will excuse themselves and say, “Oh, I ‘ have no time,” little realizing what their loss will be. Soon Satan attacks them and they are not armed for the conflict, and the result is they are captured and taken by the enemy; all because of disobedience. We hear God’s Word telling us men ought always to pray and not to faint; but some when they are tried neglect prayer and instead listen to the whisperings of Satan, and the result is a cloud of darkness and discouragement settles down upon them; all because of not heeding the warning of God. If they had obeyed the scripture and been instant in prayer, the Lord would have come to their rescue. The Word says when the enemy comes in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And again God says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Then as a result of calling upon God they would have been shouting with the voice of triumph instead of murmuring against him. “Oh, that thou hadst harkened to my commandments! Then had thy peace, been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” But because you would none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.

God means what he says. He is not a man that he could lie. Yea, let God be true and every man a liar: neither does he joke or jest, and command us to abstain from the same. “Forbear jesting, for with such God is not well pleased, but the rather giving of thanks.” But we see some even professing to be saints joking and jesting and talking in a light foolish way not becoming those professing godliness. The result is their soul is lean and they can not pray or testify or do any Christian duty, and if they try to it is a failure, because the Spirit of the Lord has withdrawn from them and they are left to mourn over their loss. I tell you, dear ones, it pays to obey the Word. “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith.” When the devil tempted Jesus and commanded him to obey him, the Savior did not argue or contend with him, but said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Why did the Savior say “every Word”? Why did he not explain some of it away and say, ” We do not need to obey it all”? Simply because the Father in his great loving wisdom had provided just enough for doctrine, for reproof, for correction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work. If we live by every Word, our souls will be fat and flourishing, and we will be ready for the Master’s service at any time. Then our God will be advertised in a correct light and Jesus in his beauty. Holiness will be lifted up before the people and his salvation exalted; and so whether it be by life or by death, Christ will be magnified in these mortal bodies. Amen. And the Word will be obeyed. Do all that ye do to the glory of God.

       If we could only realize that the life of a Christian is just the fullness of Christ in these tenements of clay, think it would help us to be more careful how we spend each moment. Think of it; we will have to give an account for every idle word. Therefore let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; for whatever is more than this cometh of evil. If we would just stop and ask ourselves the following question, “If Jesus were here, what would he do if he. were in my place?” I think it would be a help to us to enable us to see our duty as God sees it, and if we obey God I am sure we will live by every Word that proceedeth out of his month. Then our soul will be as a watered garden whom the Lord watereth, and it will be no more “my leanness;”, but we will be rejoicing in the fullness of the gospel of Christ.

BY C. O. DODGE.

“O EARTH, earth, earth, hear the Word of the Lord.”— Jeremiah 22: 29. Ye people that inhabit the earth, we have a message for you. We want to call your attention to a few things in regard to you and your Creator. We wish to have you understand that God the Creator of all things, is interested in you: that he has ever since man fell into sin and separated himself from God in the garden of Eden, put forth every effort to save him from everlasting destruction.

God, the true God, is a righteous God a holy God, a living God. Sin is an offense to him. Therefore when a man sins it puts a breach between him and God; it makes a separation; it hides God’s face from him. Isaiah 59: 1, 2. In order then to restore communication and reconciliation again between God and man, man must ask pardon for past sins and conclude to “sin no more.” Listen to the prophet: “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”— Isaiah 55: 6, 7. Nevertheless when we give up committing sin we must bring God an atonement for our past sins. Jesus has fulfilled this part; he died for us; he gave himself a sacrifice, a ransom to God for us. Praise his name! He is an acceptable atonement to the Father for our sins.

Comparatively few people find God. The reason of this is few are willing to seek him aright; that is, giving up all sin. and iniquity, giving up their own way and accepting God’s way. One glorious truth we love to meditate upon is that there never was a person who sought God according to his Word but that he found him. “The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.”— Psalms 33: 18. “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. . . What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto his cry.”— Psalms 34: 7 to 15.

God takes especial notice of those who seek him, those who are righteous. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong, in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.”– 2^nd Chronicles 16: 9. It has been said that God is no respecter of persons, but he is a respecter of characters, therefore we read in Psalms 16: 3. “But to the saints [men of righteous character] that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.”

Since the creation of man God has had but few out of the multiplied millions, who were truly his servants. Look at the world at the time of the flood; eight were saved. Look at Sodom with its less than ten righteous. Look at Jerusalem when God told them to find him one and he would spare the city. Jeremiah 5: 1. You can well understand the import of Christ’s Words, “Strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”— Matthew 1: 14. David saith, (Psalms 14: 2), “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.” O ye alienated world, cast off thy works of sin, cease your aspirations to worldly honor and fame; smother those flaming ambitions for applause and riches, humble your heart and seek after God. “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is the Lord of heaven and earth, neither is worshiped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they may feel after him and find him.”— Acts 17: 24, 27.

We shall now notice the account of a few persons since the creation, who sought and found God. “We will give these especially to encourage you to seek God, to help you to understand that if we seek him aright, he will manifest himself to us. Abel was the first, to offer unto God an acceptable sacrifice, and God witnessed to him that he was righteous. Hebrews 11: 4. For present sacrifices see Psalms 51: 17; Hebrews 10: 12; 13: 16; Philippians 4: 18. Enoch was another who sought God. “And Enoch walked with God.”— Genesis 5: 22. God translated him from earth to heaven, without seeing death. But before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Hebrews 11: 5. Noah was another. “Noah walked with God.”— Genesis 6: 9. When all the world had departed from the true God, Noah walked with him. Not only this but he preached and warned the people to turn from their sins and come back to God. God looked upon the children of men at this time and saw that “every imagination of the thoughts of their heart was evil continually, and he resolved to destroy man; but righteous Noah was warned to build an ark to save him. And his house, and so it was. Abraham and Isaac were others who “walked before God” (Genesis 48: 15), and God manifested himself to them also.

There were many others who sought and found God, but we will give account of only one more, as it gives us a grand lesson. “Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young [sixteen years old], he began to seek after the God of David his father.”- 2^nd Chronicles 34: 1 to 3. Here is God’s testimony to him (verses 27, 28): “Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes and weep before me; I have, even heard thee also, saith the Lord. Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace.”

Death is the crisis of our earthly existence. But if we seek God, and live righteously, our last end will be peace. “Death is swallowed up in victory.” In speaking of the dealings between God and the world, we must notice concerning the way God has so often warned the world. This is by his prophets. When the world would forget God and his law, he would (and, does yet) send prophets to warn them. “And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not harkened nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of  your doings.” Jeremiah 25: 4, 5. “I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, . . . saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings. “–Jeremiah 35:15. This is God’s plan. His way in communicating to the world is through prophets. “The world by wisdom knew not God; it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”— 1^st Corinthians 1: 21.

God’s prophets always warn people to turn from sin, to “sin not.” Ezekiel 3: 21. One striking fact that presents itself to us in the history of the world is, that when God did send a prophet to the people he was mostly if not in every case rejected. Listen to the inspired record. “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them [prophets] which showed before the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.”— Acts 7: 52.

You to-day might say like the Pharisees (Matthew 23: 30, 31): “If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.” “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zachariah. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem [earth, earth, I say], thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not. “— Matthew 23: 34 to 37.

Jews, ye have both killed the Lord Jesus, and your own prophets (1^st Thessalonians 2: 15); O Gentiles, ye have gathered yourselves together with them in these awful deeds (Acts 4: 27;) earth, ye have beat, killed, and stoned the prophets whom God sent to you. Even when he sent his only Son, supposing ye would reverence him, ye slew him also. Matthew 21: 35, 38. Nehemiah 9 records the confession of the Levites in regard to their nation. They possessed houses full of goods, wells digged, vineyards, and olive-yards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in God’s great goodness. Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against God, and cast his law behind their backs, and slew his prophets which testified against them to turn them to him.”— Verses 25, 26.

So it is to-day. The man whom God fills with the Holy Ghost and sends out to warn the people to turn them from their sins, pleasures, and vanities, need but expect scoffs, jeers, and even clods, clubs, and stones as a reception. But Jesus said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5: 11, 12. O nations, repent of your wickedness, clear yourselves, from the blood of the prophets of God. “Repent and  be baptized . . . in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”— Acts 2: 38. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted’ out.”— Acts 3: 19. Behold the goodness of God in his efforts to guide you to him.

MEN LOVED DARKNESS RATHER THAN LIGHT.

CASE 3.— A noted teacher of Latin, who had read the Bible, and who had read many volumes of history, averred that he could not receive the New Testament: “For,” said he, “the enemies of Christianity, pagan writers, would surely have noticed Christ and his apostles or their writings, or their miracles if they had been performed.”

This objection was the ground of his creed, the pillar of his confidence. It has been such to thousands, and continues so to be.

To show the strength of these objections, we will look at similar cavils, in matters of common history. Suppose you were to meet an impetuous and loud talking young man who had taken up some strange dislike to the occurrences of the American revolution. With flashing eye and indignant action, he declares that he does not believe one half of the statements of our historians. One of the most prominent difficulties and strongest objections he presents in the following way: “I never can believe that Lord Cornwallis marched his forces through Virginia.  This is Washington’s native state, and he would certainly have opposed them had the enemy passed its border. The British troops never could have been in Virginia; common sense tells me so; because, had they appeared there, we are certain, from what we know of the character of Washington, he would have interfered, he would have encountered them.” Now observe the secret of this marvelous difficulty is simply this: Washington was a man disposed to meet the enemy speedily and unfailingly. Nothing prevents this objection against American history from possessing great strength, but one solitary circumstance; that is this, he did encounter, surround, and capture them.

If a class of men should keep them-selves in obstinate ignorance of the transactions of Little York, this cavil would to their minds, possess great force; but when the whole truth is told, we think an half idiot would turn away from the objector with contempt. Thus, when the scoffer says he can not believe the gospel, because he deems it altogether probable and to be expected, that other evangelists would have mentioned or alluded to the occurrences of those times: it is indeed true that these attestations, records, or allusions were to be looked for, and all that prevents the argument having sonic weight is simply that these records and heathen testimonies were penned in the greatest abundance. The objector is not only ignorant of what was written in that age, but he continues perseveringly ignorant, as we are now about to show. Volney, Hume, Voltaire, and other able infidel authors, make statements on these points utterly untrue. These the scoffers read, believe instantly, and never forget: but answers written by friends of the gospel, they never read; or if they do, it is cursorily, and languidly, and almost every statement is forgotten before a month. All this the reader may observe if he be inclined. He may ascertain these facts from actual inquiry. He may test the matter whenever he chooses, by pursuing a course which in any degree resembles the following. Suppose he goes to that unbeliever (or to as many of them as he chooses, in any part of the earth), and after reminding him that the emperor Julian lived so near the apostles that his grandfather must have been contemporary with those who heard them preach; that this monarch was not only a splendid warrior, but an able writer, of extensive information; that in either writing or fighting against Christianity, such was his bitterness, that he put forth all his energies, and then proposes questions like the following: “What does this learned emperor state in his writings concerning Peter and Paul, whom he had hated so bitterly?” “Had he any opportunity to learn whether or not our Savior walked on the surface of the deep?” He confesses he did. “What does Julian record concerning the blind in the villages of Judea being restored to sight?” Etc. Reader, you will find that the man who is asking after heathen testimony either never knew facts of this kind, or his recollection is so dim that out of volumes of them he can not relate: accurately three circumscribed items! Ask after the Greek philosopher at Athens, Aristides, who renounced heathenism; who wrote a letter to the emperor, etc., etc. Ask what this man said concerning those who had been healed or restored by the apostles in his day? Ask the objector if this philosopher’s testimony is weakened because the evidences of Christianity were so strong as to cause him to renounce the religion of his fathers and be baptized? Ask the objector, what Celsus wrote concerning the companions of Jesus (who lived, he states, a few years before his time). Ask what this writer states of the Savior’s incarnation; of his being born of a virgin; of his flight into Egypt; of his baptism? etc., etc., and you will find that the man who turns away from the testimony of early Christian writers because they were friends of Christ, keeps himself in ignorance of the remarks, or confessions, or quotations, written by his enemies. Such a man of course must be destitute of evidence.

— Nelson.