I 
t 
) 
"Behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22:12. 
VOLUME 12. 
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, FIFTH-DAY) MARCH 18, 1886. 
NUMBER 11. 
[Qe ~igns nf tQe OCimes. 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY, FOR THE 
were required to offer to God gifts for religious I through his pov~t-ty that we have eternal ric·bes; 
purposes. 
They were thus to manifest their 
1 and will we refuse to return to him the silver 
appreciation of the mercies and blessings they [and the gold which are his own gifts? If men 
received. 
prefer to set aside the claims of God, and to 
These offerings were continued through sue-hoard the means which be gives them, he will 
International Tract and Missionary Society. cessive generations. 
'rhe principle was not un-hold his peace at pre~ent. Frequently be will 
(For terms, etc., see last page.) 
Entered at the Post-Office in. Oakland. 
SOME ONE A'I' THE DOOR. 
AwAKE, 0 heart ! and sleep no more ! 
There's some one knocking at the door; 
His feet have come a weary way, 
And still abide your long delay. 
Though chilling dews have wet his locks, 
He patient stands, and gently knocks. 
Your silence grieves him. 
Rise, 0 heart, 
Unbar the door lest Christ depart. 
For Christ it is who deigns to stand 
And ask for what he might demand-
An open door, a ready seat, 
A welcome for his presence sweet. 
He comes to save you by his grace; 
He comes to bring you Heaven's peace. 
Awake, 0 heart! and sleep no more ! 
There's some one knocking at the door. 
-Richa1·d Gear Hobbs, in 1'he Current. 
<!&tntral 
~rticltz. 
known in the days of Job. Abraham gave tithes continue to test them by increasing his bounties, 
to Melcbizedek, the priest of the most high God. letting his blessings flow on; these men may 
Jacob, when at Bethel, an exile and a penniless pass on receiving honor of men, and without 
wanderer, promised the Lord," Of all that thou censure in the church, but soon it will be Raid to 
shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto them, "Give an account of thy stewardship." 
thee." 
God is not dependent upon man. He says: 
God does not compel men to give to his cause "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine." 
Their action must be voluntary. He will not "Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cat-
have his treasury replenished with unwilling tie upon a thousand hills." "If I were hungry, 
offerings. 
His design in the plan of systematic I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and 
giving was to bring man in to close relationt:>hip the fullness thereof.'' It is for our own good 
with his Creator and in sympathy and love with that be bas planned to have us bear some part 
his fellow-men, thus placing upon him responsi-in the advancement of his cause. He bas bon .. 
bilities that would. counteract selfishness and ored us by making us co-workers with himself. 
strengthen disinterested, generous impulses. He bas ordained that there should be a necessity 
Man is inclined to be selfish, and to close his for the co-operation of men, that they rn ny 
heart to generous deeds, The Lord, by requir-cultivate· and keep in exercise their benevolent 
ing gifts to be made at stated times, designed affections. 
that giving should become a habit, and be 
In the wise providence of God, the poor are 
looked upon as a Christian duty. 
'_rhe heart, always with us, that while we witness the vari-
opened by one gift, was not to have time to close ous forms of suffering and necessity in the world, 
and become selfishly cold, before another offer-
we may be tested, and may develop Christian 
ing was bestowed. 
character. 
God bas plaeed them among us to 
As to the amount required, God has specified call out Christian sympathy and love. 
'rhey 
one-tenth of the increase as his due; but other are here as Christ's representatives. He identi-
offerings should be made, and "\Vhile the direc-
fies himself with suffering humanity. He makes 
tions are definite enough for all to understand their necessities his own, and takes to his bosom 
their duty, there is room for the judgment and the woes of the children of men. 
"Inaf'.much," 
The Bible Systetn of Tithes and Offerings. the conscience to have free play. Says the be says, as ye ministered not to "one of the least 
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE. 
apostle: "Let every one of you lay by him in of these, ye did it not to me." 
store, as God hath prospered him." 
The tithing 
'rbe moral darkness of a rnined world also 
system is beautiful in its equality and simplicity-. a])peals to Chrit>tian men and women to put 
"There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there 
is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to lt gives all an opportunity to help carry forward forth individual effort. They are required by 
poverty_ 
The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that the precious work of salvation. 
Every man, the Scriptures to keep in constant exercise an 
watereth shall be watered also himself." Prov. 11: 24, 25. woman, and child may become a treasurer for interest in the salvation of their fellow-men. 
GIVING is a part of gospel religion. 
The the Lord. 
The condition of eternal life, as expressed by 
foundation of the plan of salvation was laid in 
Great objects may be accomplished by this Christ himself, is supreme love to God and equal 
sacrifice. 
Jesus left the royal courts of Heaven, system. If all accept it, there will be no want love to our neighbor. 
and became poor, that we through his poverty of means to carry forwai'd the work of God in 
The first disciples expressed their gratitude 
might be made rich. His life on earth war; the earth. The treasury will be full, and the for the benefits of the Christian age in works of 
unselfish, marked with humiliation and sacrifice. contributions will not be left to the poorer charity and benevolence. 
'l'he outpouring of 
And is the servant gretLter than his Lord? members of the cb urch. 
Every in-vestment the Spirit of God, after Christ left his disciples 
Shall men, partakers of the great salvation made will draw out the heart to love the cause and ascended to Heaven, led to self-denial and 
which he wrought out for them, refuse to follow of God more and more; and tbe liberal, who are self-sacrifice for the salvation of others. 
When 
their Lord, and to share in his self-denial? willing to sacrifice for the spread of the truth the poor saints at Jerusalem were in need, Paul, 
W ben the world's Redeem8r has sutl'ered so much and the salvation of souls, ·will be "laying up in appealing to the Gentile Christians in their be-
for us, shall we, the members of his body, live store tor themselves, a good foundation against half~ urged them to prove the sinuerity of their 
in thoughtles~-> self-indulgence? No; self-denial the time to come, that they may lay bold on love by their liberality. 
"Therefore," be says, 
is an es;:;;enLial condition of discipleship. 
eterual life." 
"as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utter-
" I am the vine," says Chri:::;t; '' ye are the 
The Christian church, as a general thing, dis-ance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and 
branches." 
What a close union is this! 
'The regard the claims of God upon them to give of in your love to us, see that ye abound in this 
very vital principle, the sap, \Vhicb flows through the things which they possess to support the grace also." Here benevolence is placed by the 
the vine, nourishes the branches, that they may warJ'nre against the moral darkness which is side of faith, love, and Christian diligence. 
:flourish and bear fruit .. 1'he spirit of the ltfaster i flooding the world. 
Every church member 
The gospel, as it extends and widena, requires 
will actuate his followers. Again Jesus said, ''lfl 
should be an earnest worker, a liberal, system-greater provisions to sustain it than were called 
any man will come afLer me, let him deny him-atic giver. But some rich men feel like mur-for anciently, and this makes the law of tithes 
self, and take up his cross, and follow me.~' Be muring because there are demands for money. and offerin.gs a more urgent necessity now than 
h'ads the way in the path of self-denial, and They say that one object after another is con-under the Hebrew economy. The cause of God 
requires nothing of his followers but that of tinually arising, and there is no end to the calls requires, not less, but greater gifts than at any 
which be bas given them an example in Lis life. for means. 
They do not remember that they other period of the world's history. 
The princi-
Christ, as our head, led out in the great work will have a debt to settle with the Master by ple laid down by Christ is, that the offerings 
of salvation; but be has intrm;ted that work to and by. 
should be in proportion to the light and bless-
his followerR upon earth. It cannot be carried 
Says the apostle, "Ye are not your own; for ings enjoyed. 
"Unto whomsoever much is 
on without means, and he bas gi\u00b7en his people ye are bought with a price;" not with "cor-given, of him shall much be required." But 
a pla11 for raising rneanR sufficient to make his ruptible tbi11gs, as silver and gold," but with the those who give in accordance with this rule will 
cause prosperous. The tithing R_rstcm, it1stituted "precious blood of Christ." ln return be asks reap a proportionate blessing. 
"'rhe liberal 
for this purpose, reachc. back to the time of us to u~:~e his iutrusted gifts to aid in the salva-soul shall be made fat." "The liberal devisetb 
Moses. 
Even as far baek as the d:1ys ot' Adam, tion of souls. He has given his blood; he-asks liberal things; and by liberal things shall be 
long before the definite sycitem was given, men 
1 our talents of means and of influence. It is stand." 
162 [Z] 
'l-,HE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
VoL. 12, No. 11. 
Keeping th(~
·Commandments. 
THE moral law (of which the ten command-
mentR are a summary) comprises all the duty we 
owe to God, whom we are to love with all our 
heart, soul, strength, and mind; and also the 
duty we owe to man, in loving our neighbor as 
ourselves. 
Eccl. 12 : 13. 
~rhe intimate connection which exists between 
vital piety and the keeping of God's command-
ments is clearly seen by taking the ten pre-
cepts separately, and thus making manifest the 
intimate relation each one sustains to the devel-
opment of a perfect Christian character. Let 
us examine some of them. 
We analyze the first: 
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me." 
This requires a complete conee11tration of every 
adoring faculty possessed by man: upon the 
only proper object of worship-the living God. 
The second commandment 'intensifies the first, 
hy prohibiting the worship of any other god, 
either real or imaginary, by any image or 
similitude whatever. And the third still fur-
ther guards against any irreverence in the wor-
ship of the true God, or any profanity in the 
every-day walks of life. The fourth is, we 
might say, the seal of the law; because it alone 
defines the true God, showing that the Law-
giver is none other than the God of Heaven, 
the Creator of all tltings. 
Tbe last six precepts 
cover every posl"ible relation and obligation 
which can exit:Jt betYveen man and man; the 
whole justifying the declaration of the psalmist: 
"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the 
soul." 
'l,•·ue piety, then, is an agg;r~gation of all that 
results fl.·om the keeping of the commandments 
of God. 
The purpose of every renewed heart 
is to keep the commandments. 
The purpose of 
every Christian is to "walk in all the command-
ment.s and ordinances of the J1ord blameless." 
How abl"urd, then, to assel't that the decalogue 
is abl'ogated, nailed to the crosR, taken out of 
the way-only intended for, and given to, t.be 
Jews, and is nol obligatory in the gospel dis-
penstLtion ! 
Heaven and earth shall sooner pass away 
than that one jot or one tittle of God's law 
should fail. 
The Saviour came to fulfill this law 
(which be did by keeping the commandments, 
J obn 15: 10); and to magnify it (which be did 
by showing that it takes cognizance, not only 
of outward acts, but of the thoughts and in-
tents of the heart. 
Matt. 5 : 21, 22, 27, 28). 
And in this same path of obedience must all his 
disciples walk, honoring the same Jaw, and 
keeping the same comm~ndments. Then will 
they be prepared to realize the grand consum-
mation spoken of in Rev. 22: 14: "Blessed are 
they that do his commandments, that they may 
have right to the tree of lifo, and may enter in 
through the gates into the city." 
S. P. BoLLMAN. 
Taking· the World Along. 
new sign while continuing the saHle business ~s 
before. 
We are not of those who regard the Christian 
religion as intended to deprive its possessor of 
the blessings that were made for man; but the 
teaching of Him that spake as never man spake 
is, "Seek yejin;t [esteem most highly] the king-
dom of God and hi8 rigllteouRncss, and all these 
t!Jings [neces~::~ary comforts] shall be added unto 
you." It is beeam;e so many seek other things 
first, that their supposed religion becomes a 
a burden, and an obstaele to their enjoyment of 
worldly pleasures. 
In the light of the eternal 
realities there are no more pitable objects than 
men and women professing in words to follow 
Christ, and yet trying to 1 ug; this world along 
in their arms, whiuh all the while shuts out from 
their view the Divine Leader and the heavenly 
Canaan to whieh be is bringing his people. 
Would that every one that names the name of 
Christ would put the worlJ beneath him, and 
" run with patience the race, looking to Jesus!" 
-Sel. 
,Shall We Be Deceived? 
THE Saviour says (Matt. 24: 4, 5): "Take 
heed that no man deceive you. 
For many shall 
come in my name, saying, I am Christ· and 
shall deceive many." 
This caution 
t~ the 
followers of Christ was called from the lips of 
our Lord in answer to the question, "'1
1ell us, 
when shall these things be? and what shall be 
the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the 
world?" 'rhe Saviour doetl not proceed to 
answer their question till he bas first warned 
them against deecption. "Take heed that no 
man deceive you," says the Son of God. 
In 2 ~eim. 3: 1-13 we find a graphic description 
of the condition of things in the last days. It 
says (verse 1): "In the last days perilous times 
~hall uome." 
This is the direct opposite to that 
for which people generally are looking. 
They 
are talking of "good times coming," "the 
world converted, and a glorious temporal mil-
lennium." But Paul, speaking by inspiration, 
says: " In the last days perilous times shall 
come." Paul eertainly knew best. 
Let us not 
be deceived in tbis. 
In verses 2-5 he gives us 
the cause of this peril. The word "for," com-
mencing verse 2, signifies because. 
Then, be-
cause of what. these verses contain, we shall 
have this last-days' peril. 
A list of eighteen 
sins of the darkest character stand out promi-
nently to produce it. 
We learn from verse 5 that those who com-
mit thel:lc f:\ins have a "form of godliness." 
The avowed worldling has no "fonn of godli-
ne::;s;" hence the ones here referred to must 
claim to be Christians. 
How they cause this 
peril we learn from verse 8: "A8 Jannes and 
J ambres with:::;tood Moses, so do these also resist 
the truth." 
Some of the ancient Jewish rec-
ords have preserved the names of J annes and 
Jambres as two of the (:bicf's among the magi-
cians who tried to overthrow the work of Moses, 
IN the beginning of the gospel dispensation, when be was about to lead the lsraelites from 
to become a CbriRtian was to renounce tbe .Egypt. 
All arc agreed that the work of those 
world, and become an obJ' cct of scorn and per-magicians, as reeorded in Exodus, chapters 7, 8, 
is that to which Paul here refers. 
Those ma-
secution. The original comprehension of the 
estate of a di:::;eiple of Christ was to forsake all, gicians made high pretensions, and were sue-
so far at leaRt as to allow nothing to encumber ceRsful in counterfeiting some of the miracles 
the follower, and to have no earthly attaehment performed by Moses. 
And we are informed that 
that would interfere with a whole-hearted de-these last-dayt:;' professors of godliness, who 
votion to the Master. 
One that kept baek a deny the power, will work in like manner. 
part while professi•:g to gi~e the whole, ~as Tbe apostle tells us that although they profess 
rightly regarded w1th loa~hmg, and as hav1ng ~~b~~ ~~~!~~v~i1tte ~~~~;h,,~h~: ~·i~~sktis::~~t~i~ 
no part in the grent salvn.t10n. 
But with the favor g;1i ned by the church in da:Y.' are presenting t~JC tru~b; .and these hyp?-
latcr years, came a danger that h:ls wrecked critiCal 
P.ro~essorR wdl resist It, and that will 
untold thousands. Men' and women have de-make per1l for the advocates of truth. 
ceived themselves with the idea that they can 
Now nothing can bo plainer than that Paul 
sanctify the lust or~ the flesh by incorporating 
tea(~hes in these verses th~t when we a1:e come 
1·eligion into ·their worldlines:::;, n~1~l 1'etain all, I do.wll to. tbe.last days, we shall have pen!;. that 
perhaps, but their grosser carnaltttcs and out-
t~ts pert! W1ll be eaus~d by th~ ungodly prac-
ward allegiance to sin; in short, puttin_g 11p n. tweR of pe1'8011FI -profeRRmrr 
a:o(~h11e~'-l: nnrl, t~nf· 
they will "resist the truth" as the Egyptian 
magicians resisted it in Moses's day. 
The above distinctly point out the manner 
and cause of these last-day deceptions. Other 
texts will more fully show their intensity. 
We are informed (2 Tbess. 2 : 9, 10) that tb e 
coming of the Lord is ''after the working of 
Satan with all pov;rer and ~::~igns and lying won-
den;, and with all deceivablencss of unright· 
eousness in them that perish; because tLoy 
received not the love of the truth, that they 
might be saved." The arch-enemy is here said 
to work with "all powwr and signs and ly,:ng 
wonde'rs, and with all deceivableness of um·ight-
eousness in them that perish." 
There is nothing more reasonable than that 
Satan will work in tbi1-1 mnnner. 
He bas been 
working ever ~ince tbo ftdl of man to destroy 
the human family and overthrow the plan of 
sa!Yation. 
A11d now, when be f'ues that hiR 
time to destroy hnman souls is about ended, 
and that the people of God are to be gathered 
from all parts of the earth to join in the song 
of redemption, be feels called upon to put forth 
all the maddened rage of despair in trying to 
overthrow as many as possible. 
A11U since his 
success has always lat·gely depended npon his 
ability to deceive, he will use his subtle energies 
as much as possible in ensnaring the last gen-
eration of men. 
Already the careful observer can see some of 
the drops of these deceptions that precede the 
deluge of delusions that is to follow. 
A short 
time ago, in tl1e city of Chieago, there was a 
man making considerable stir by healing the 
sick in a miraculous manner. 
Chicago is not 
the only place when~ such things are done. 
"Faith cures," and miraculous healings of the 
the sick by Spiritualitlt doctors, are becoming 
quite common. 
.But cannot God heal the sick bv his miracu-
lous power just as well now as -when Christ 
was on earth as a man among men'? 
Certainly 
be can. 
But there are other powers in the 
world besides God, as we have already learned, 
that are to work miraclet', and that, too, for the 
purpose of deceiving. rrhen when a miracle is 
performed, it is not positive evidence tbat tho 
power performing it is of God. 
And we should 
be careful to examine the matter, lest we be 
deceived. 
The Lord tells us: "If there arise 
among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, 
fl.nd giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the 
sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof be 
spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other 
gods which thou hast not known, and Jut us 
serve them, thou shalt not hearken unto the 
words of that prophet, or that dreamer of 
dreams; for the Lord your God provetb you, to 
know whether ye love the Lord your God with 
all your heart and witb all your soul." 
Deu t. 
13 : 1-3. If miracles or wonders lessen our 
regard for the word of God, or any part of it, 
they are calling us to "go af'ter othol' gods," 
and we may know that the Lord is not in them. 
The man in Chicago, referred to, said he had no 
use for the J3ible, because be lived so near the 
Lord that be spoke directly to him. 
Then he 
must have been above the apostles, or even 
Christ himself; for in their teachings they very 
fl.·cquently referred to the word afore written 
by tbc ]Jrophets. 
When such pretenders arise, 
beware! 1or they are calling us to go after 
other gods, and are direct proof that we are 
approaching the groat deceptions of the last 
days. 
These lying wonders will doubtless be wrought 
in many instances to cause us to believe a false, 
pernicious doctrine, or else to shake our faith 
in a sound one. 
Already we see the world be-
ing rapidly filled with every form of error fl.nd 
corrupt doctrine, and we only await the mira-
cles to enforce them. 
_ Spiritualism, in its moJol'n form, has arise11; 
Universalism has gained a prominent place in 
the tnind~ of mant; thP. devot s of v lv: 
MARCH 18, 1886. 
THE BIG NS OF THE TIMES. 
[S] 163 
are to be found everywhere, and especially 
among our learned ministers and college pro-
fessors; false ideas and superficial notions upon 
the subject of conversion, which intoxicate men 
with excitement in order to draw them into tbe 
church, are prominent features in the religion 
of to-day. 
Any one of these, as well as many 
minor false theories that grow out of them, are 
subversive of the plain and positive principles 
of God's word. 
And it is altogether impossible 
for any one to hold to either of the above tbt~­
ories and still maintain a proper respect for the 
word of God. 
I know the evolutionist and 
the Universalist will talk very reverently of the 
Bible; but they want to throw away a large por-
tion of it, and wrest the remainder to suit their 
false notions. 
Many who profess to carry the 
Bible with them in their work, talk so in·ever-
ently of its sacred themes that they constantly 
produce boisterous laughter instead of solemn 
reverence for its sacred words. 
rrbe tendency 
of such work is to bring Christianity down 
from its pure and holy throne, and associate it 
so commonly with foolish jesting that it loses 
its power over the minds of men. 
And in a 
little while, when these miracles, prophesied of 
in the word of God, are wrought in favor of all 
those falsities, and more especially for the pre-
tended proof of Spiritualism, it will be a very 
easy matter to deceive all who are not rooted 
and grounded on Bible truth. 
Now the question arises, How, amid all the 
conflicting theories extant, will it be possible to 
determine which is right? And are we not 
liable to be deceived, no matter how earnestly 
we may desire and seek for tbe truth? We 
answer, No. 
The word of God furnishes abun-
dant evidence to point out the right and expose 
the wrong. 
And if we lay aside our prejudice 
and willful skepticism, we can readily arrive at 
the truth. "Thy word is truth," says the Sav-
jour; and if we desire to know the truth, it is 
necessary for us to search that word and find 
out what it teaches. 
After speaking of the deceptions and perils 
of the last days (2 'rim. 3 : 1-13), to which we 
have already referred, Pan! immediately adds 
(verses J 4-17): "Uontinue thou in the things 
which thou hast learned and bast been assured 
of, knowing of whom thou bast learned them; 
and that from a child thou bast known the 
Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee 
w1se unto salvation through faith which is in 
Christ Jesus. 
All i:;cripture is given by inspira-
tion of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for 
reproof, for correction, for instruction in right-
eousness; that the man of God may be perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 
Note his expressions: ''Continue thou in the 
things which thou bast learned;" "The Holy 
Scriptures, •vbicb are able to make thee wise 
unto salvation;" "All Scripture is given by in-
spiration of God," "is profitable for doctrine 
for correction, for inst1·uction in right-
eousness," and it tho1·oughly furnishes the man 
of God "unto all good works." 
Paul only viv-
idly states in these verses that which will enable 
us to escape the deceptions to which be refers 
in the first part of the chapter. He clearly in-
commandments." Ps. 111: 10. Thus it is that 
those who "do his commandments," have a 
"good understanding" and are by this means 
able to see and avoid the deceptions of the wily 
foe. 
1'bere are few who realize the importance of 
a knowledge of God's word, and, disregarding 
Lbe light it affords, many are rushing headlong 
into the darkness of the deceptions before us, 
only to be swallowed up in the greai final de-
struction. 
God is graciously holding out to us 
a means of escape; and let us heed the admoni-
tion of the Saviour to "search the Scriptures;" 
for they "are able," says Paul, "to make us 
wise unto salvation." 
A. 0. TAIT. 
The Prayer Barrel. 
I FIRS'!' met with prayer barrels on the borders 
of 'Jlhibet, when, traveling the narrow paths 
which wind along the face of majestic, precipi-
tous Himalayan crags, we met native travelers 
from still further north ,-traders driving flocks 
of laden goats, women with quaint head-dresses 
of lumps of amber and large, coarse turquoises 
fastened on bands of dirty cloth, and here and 
there a man holding in his hand a small bronze 
or brass cylinder which be twirled mechanically 
all the time he was journeying. It wa::; some 
time before 1 succeeded in getting bold of one 
of these for a closer examination, as the owners 
are nervously afraid to trust their treasures in 
the bands of one w bo, albeit in ignorance, might 
irreverently turn them the wrong way, and so 
undo mu0h of the merit acquired by perpetual 
twirling in the opposite direction. 
For, as we 
eventually discovered, not only is the sacred 
six-syllabled charm embossed on the metal cyl-
inder, but the same mystic words were written 
over and over again on very lengthy strips of 
cloth or papyrus which are bound round the 
spindle on which the cylinder rotatefl, aud o.ae 
end of which forms the handle. It is therefore 
necessary to turn this little barrel of prayers in 
such a direction that the characters forming the 
holy phrase may pass in proper order before the 
person turning, and as Oriental books are read 
from the rigb t side of each page to the left, the 
barrel is turned in the same direction. 
For the 
same reason the Thibetan walks in this direction 
round the great terraces and other buildings, on 
which the holy words are inscribed, in order that 
his eyes may rest on the words in due course, 
which can only be the case when be keeps his 
left band toward the object round which be is 
walking. 
Happily this produces a doubly satis-
factory resu] t; for in Eastern lands, as well as in 
our West, it bas ever been accounted lucky and 
meritoriouB to walk around sacred objects or 
places in this sunwise course-an act of homage 
to the sun which I have seen Tendered in many 
lands. Just as our ancestors continued thus to 
circumambulate their churches long after they 
bad nominally abandoned all pagaP.ism, so 
throughout the world we find survivals of the 
old homage.-The Gonternpo'rary Review. 
Obedience. 
structs us that it iB a knowledge of God's word 
Gon wants obedience rather than the fat of 
that makes us wise enough to keep from being rams. He will be obeyed. 
That is the one 
deceived. 
absolutely fundamental condition of acceptable 
The Saviour, speaking of the false cbri::;ts and discipleship. 
We are not freed from this obliga-
false prophets that should arise and show great tion in Christ. 
To think that we can have Christ 
signs and wonders, says that "if it were possi-as a Saviour without taking him as Master and 
ble, they Bhall deceive the very elect." 
Matt. Lord is a miserable delu::;ion. God wants neither 
24: 24. 
Then it is impossible to deceive the sighs nor rhapsodies, but rigb teous lives. 
God 
elect. How is it that they cannot be deceived? told Saul that" to obey is better than sacrifice;" 
The next few verses give us a clew to it: ''Be-for" rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft." 1 Sam. 
bold, 1 have told you before," etc. 
This is the 15 : 22. 
Christ said, "If ye love me, keep my 
important point; what the Lord has told us commandments." J obn 14: 15. 
The Jaw is not 
betore, we can depend upon, and have no fears our Saviour, but we cannot put our feeL on the 
of being deceived so long as we give earnest least law and keep a Saviour. Liberty in Christ 
heed to it. 
And again, there is no need of is uot liberty to trifle with God's will. 
We mnst 
being deceived; for the psalmist states that "a fall into line with that or perish.-Rev~ Jlen·ick 
good understanding have all they that do His Johnson, JJ. D. 
· · 
· 
The Second Coming. 
CoNVERSING with a lady friend, esteemed a 
teacher in Israel, or, as it is frequently ex-
pressed, in "one branch of our Zion," I said 
something about the fulfillment of the proph-
ecies, and the signs of the second advent at 
hand. 
As is quite usual, she thought it of no 
importance to know anything of the time of 
Christ's coming, if we were only ready. Said 
she, "He will come to each of ns as individuals, 
ere long; he will come to us at death." "But," 
said I, "I was speaking of his second coming. 
Paul says, 'He shall appear the second time 
without sin unto salvation,' and your view would 
make too many second comings." She replied 
that he came to each individual at conversion, 
and he came to them the second time at death. 
lt is surprising indeed that pious people can 
thus trifle with the word of God. 
The text 
referred to says that "Christ was once offered to 
bear the sins of many; and unto them that look 
for him shall be appear the se<.:ond time without 
sin [or a sin offering] unto salvation." Did be 
offer himself personally: a sacrifice for sins? 
How, then, is his second coming to be anything 
but a personal coming? But they have no 
thought that they trifle with the word. It is 
owing to their early teaching and prejudices; 
they know not what they do. 
There is radical error in the religious teach-
ing of the present day. 
'l'he reason why pro-
fessed Christians have no love for Christ's ap-
pearing, do not wish him to come in our day, 
at least, and are indifferent as to whether he 
ever comes, is because they think they are 
going to Heaven at death, and, consequently, 
they see no need of the coming of Christ and 
of the resurrection. 
They have, by unscript-
ural teaching, made death, "the la.st enemy:'' 
their frie11d, and engaged him to ferry them 
directly over to the promised land, or, as they 
call it, "the spirit world;" hence the second 
coming of Ch-rist and the resurrection are 
things not desired, and they do not care to 
hear of them. 
Whether it is applicable or not, I am forcibly 
reminded of a people described by the evangel-
ical prophet, w bo are represented as saying, 
"We :Have made a covenant with death, and 
with hell are we at agreement." 
Isa. 28: 15. 
Death is the great enemy of our race. The 
Lord would have us make no treaty with him. 
Sheot is the dark and silent prison-house of t.be 
saints. 
We should not be at agreement with 
it, but should ardently desire the coming of 
Christ, who has the keys, and will unlock the 
prison-bouse, release the prisoners, and lead a 
greater multitude of captives than be did when 
be ascended before. 
''Then shall be brought to 
pass the saying that is written, Death is swal-
lowed up in victory. 0 death, where is thy. 
sting? 0 grave [hades or sheol], where is tby 
victory?" 1 Cor. 15 :54, 55; I sa. 25 : 8. 
Our Saviour made no compromise with these 
our enemies, but boldly met them on their own 
chosen ground. 
And though seemingly over-
come for a little moment, yet be triumphed 
gloriously. 
He conquered death and the "un-
der-world" for us; why should we make peace 
with them and call them friends 't 
He tri-
umphed; for God raised him from the dead. 
J n his name we may triumph too. Death is 
not the voice that Jesus sends to call us to his 
arms. That voice is the voice of the arch-
angel and the trump of God, which will be 
heard when the Lord himself shall descend 
from Heaven. 
The under-world is not the 
blissful paradise of the saints of God. 
Their 
glorious home is in those mansions in his 
Father's bouse which he has gone to prepare, 
and to which he will receive them on his return. 
John 14: 1-3. 
The hope of the Christian points 
to the coming of our Lord Jesus Cbrist. The 
crown of life is to be received in that day. 
Who would not love his appearing? 
R. F~ CO'l'1'RELL. 
164 [4] 
THE BIG NS OF THE TIMES. 
VoL. 12, No. 11. 
The Suevi, the Vaudals, and the 
Burgundia.ns. 
I 
were pikhed, during the summer, on the fruitful 
banks of the Selinga. His conquests stretched 
from Corea far beyond the River lrtish. 
He 
As WE now turn our attention to the North vanquished, in the country to the north of the 
it will be necesRary for us to take a brief survey Caspi~n So~, the nation of the Huns j and the 
of the positions of the nations which dwelt there new title of Khan or Cagan expressed the fame 
at this period-about A. D. 400-406. 
and power which he derived from this memora-
Tb 
· h b 
1 f 1 
'ddl 
d 
Rh' 
ble victorv. 
e rig t an\: o t 1e m1 
e an upper 
me 
"n 
J 
• 
• 
• 
was inhabited by the Franks and the Alemanni. · i 
I he cham o~ event~ Is.~nterrupted, ~~rather 
The Angles dwelt in -vvhat is now Southern Den-
s .concealed, as_ It passes. h?m the Volf'"t to the 
mnrk, and the Snxons upon the lower Elbe. VIstu
,, through tb~ d.aik J.nterval :vhwb sepa-
Eastward of the Elbe, and on the Oder, dwelt rates the extreme l1m1ts of the ChmeRe and of 
the Lombards; on the coast of the Baltic, be-the Ro~an geography. 
Ye~ the temper of ~be 
tween the Oder and the Vistula, were the Van-
bai:ban~ns, and ~be ,experience of successive 
dais; south of the Vandals, on the Vistnla, were emigratiOns, suffiCiently declare that the Huns, 
the Burgundians; east of the Vistula, toward who were oppressed by the arms of the Ge-
the Baltic, were the Suevi; and over t'he whole ?ugen., soon. w1thdrew from th~ presence of an 
country east of the Suevi, and stretching away msu~tmg v.JCtOl~. The. cou.ntnes to~~r~s the 
to the River Volga, were spread the Sarmatians. E.?xi~.e wele al:eady o~cuy.led b! .then kmdred 
In the southern country below the Sarmatians tube", an~ their hast} flight,"' biCh they soon 
from the Danube through the valley of tb~ ~onverted !~to a bold at~ack, wo~~ld more natu-
Dnieper to the coaRts of the Caspian Sea, was 1 all.Y be du ected ~owai ds i~e ncb and level 
the dominion of the Huns ruled by Rugilas. plams tbroug~ whiCh th
1e VIstu!a gently flov:s 
It was, as we have seen, this inundation of the mto the BaltiC Sea. 
'I~e N01th mn~t ag~m 
Huns that drove the Ostrogoths and the Visi-
b~ve been alarmed and agt~ated by the mvaswn 
goths across the Danube into the territories of of the Huns; and the. natwns who retreated be-
the Roman Empire. 
And we shall now find f~:·e t!tern [the Sar~at1ans],
. must have p~esse~ 
that it was a like movement of another people, 
Vi ltb mcumb~nt w~Ight on. the confi~es of G.ei-
further north, that crowded other tribes of the many. .The mhabitant~ of those regwns, vyhJCh 
Huns upon the Sarmatians; these, in turn, were the anCients have ass1gn~d to t?e Suevt, the 
forced upon the nations of Northern Germany, Vandals, a~d the Bu1
·gw1,~wns, might ~~brace 
which were thus di8placed and driven across the the res~lutJO~ of abandomng to the fugttJves of 
Rhine upon \Vestern Rome. 
Of this we read:_ Sart~atut t~en· wo?ds and morasses, or at least 
. 
. . 
. 
. 
. 
of discbargmg their superfluous numbers on the 
'' Whlle Italy. reJOiced m her dehv~rance from provinces of the Roman Empire."-Chap. 30, 
the Goths, a furious tempest was exmted among par·. 13 14 
the nations of Germany, who yielded to the 
' 
· 
irresistible impulse that appears to have been 
gradually communicn.ted [A. D. 400] from the 
eastern extremity of the continent of Asia. 
The Chinese annn.ls, as they have been inter-
preted by the learned industry of the present 
age, may be usefnlly applied to reveal the secret 
and remote causes of tbe fall of the Roman Em-
pire. 
The extensive territory to the north of 
the Great Wall, was possessed, after the flight 
of the Huns: by the victorious Sienpi, who were 
sometimes broken in to independent tribes, and 
sometimes re-united under a snpreme chief; till 
at length, styling themselves 1'opa, or masters of 
the earth, they acquired a more solid consistence 
and a more formidable power. 
The Topa soo11 
compelled the pastoral nations of the eastern 
desert to acknowledge the superiority of their 
arms; they invaded China in a period of weak-
ness and intestine discord; and these fortunate 
Tartars, adopting the laws and manners of the 
vanquished peopleJounded an Imperial dynasty, 
which reigned near one hundred and sixty years 
over the northern provinces of the monarchy. 
THE SUEVI. 
"In that part of Upper Saxony beyond the 
Elbe, which is at present called the Marqmsate 
of 1Jtu:;ace, there existed, in ancient times, a 
sacred wood, the awful seat of the superstition 
of the Suevi. 
None were permitted to enter 
the holy precincts, without confessing, by their 
servile bonds and suppliant posture, the im-
medinte presence of the sovereign Deity. Pa-
triotit:~m contributed, as well as devotion, to 
consecrate the Sonnen wald, or wood of the 
Semnones. It was universally believed that 
Lhe nation bad received its first existence on 
that sacred spot. At stated periods, the nu-
merous tribes who gloried in the Suevic blood, 
resorted thither by their ambassadors; and the 
memory of their common extraction was per-
petuated by barbaric rites and human sacrifices. 
The wide-extended name of Suevi filled the 
interior countries of Germany, from the banks 
of the Oder to those of the Danube. They 
were distinguished from the other Germans by 
their peculiar mode of dressing their long hair, 
which they gathered into a rude knot on the 
crown of the bead; and they delighted in an 
ornament that showed their ranks more lofty 
and terrible in the eyes of the enemy. Jealous 
as the Germans were of military renown, they 
all confessed the superior valor of the Suevi; 
and the tribes of the U sipetes and Tencteri, 
who, with a vast army, encountered the dictator 
Cresar, declared that they esteemed it not a 
disgrace to have fled before a people to whose 
arms the immortal gods themselves were un-
equal."-Ohap. 10, par. 25. 
TilE VANDALS. 
"A striking resemblance of manners, com-
plexion, religion, and language, seemed to in-
dicate that the V a.ndals and the Goths were 
originally one great people." 
'''l'be numerous 
tribes of the Vandals were spread along the 
banks of the Oder, and tbe seacoast of Pomer-
ania and Mecklenburgh."-Ohap. 10, par. 8. 
THE BURGUNDIANS .. 
race, whose obscure name insen::;ibly swelled 
into a powerful kingdom, and bas finally settled 
on a flourishing province. 
':l_1be most remark-
able circumstance in the ancient manners of the 
Burgundians appears to have been the differ-
ence of their civil and ecclesiastical constitution. 
The appellation of Hendinos was given to the 
king or general, and the title of Sinistus to the 
high priest of the nation. 
The person of the 
priest was sacred, and his dignity perpetual; 
but the temporal government was held by a 
very precarious tenure. If the events of war 
accused the courage or conduct of the king, he 
was immediately deposed; and the injustice of 
his subjects made him responsible for the fer-
tility of the earth, and the regularity of the 
se.asons, which seemed to fall more properly 
Within the sacerdotal department.':-Ohap. 25, 
pa1·. 20. 
A. T. J. 
(To be continued.) 
The Future. 
Is IT not high time for all to learn that the 
future, whether here or hereafter, never c1·eates 
any advance, improvement, progress, but only 
exhibits them, only intensifies them? The fut-
ure is only, invariably, eterually, a resultant, a 
consequence. It is nothing but the outgrowth 
of the present, It is a casting in the mould of 
to-day. 
The future is the period when we reap 
what we have been sowing in the present. 
Mnny people imagine that the future has some 
charm which can reverse, neutralize, overcome 
the tendencies of the present. 
~rhey think to 
shake off their sins, infirmities, unbelief, in the 
healthier atmosphere of the future. They re-
gret those sins, wish they were subdued, but 
they will not grapple with them. 
They think 
''to-morrow shall be as this day, and yet more 
abundant "-more abundant in its opportunities, 
motive", relief from hindrance. 'Then they will 
be different; then they will advance. But such 
to·-morrows never come to such people; for their 
yesterday bas done nothing in the world to 
bring them. 'To-morrow or the coming year, 
or any number of years and to-morrows, are no 
moral alchemists to transmnle sins into virtues, 
selfishness into charity, covetousness into be-
nevolence, unbelief into piety, the lust of the 
flesh or the pride of life into purity and peace. 
lt is only power of' manifestutiou that is weak-
ened in us by the pnssing time. 
When last year 
was the future for us, do we remember how we 
thought thn.t coming time .was going to bring 
us, somehow, a better life? 
Somewhere in it 
there was going to be a favorable opportunity 
to make Christ our Saviour, Friend, .M.aster. 
Somewhere there \Vas going to be a cessation 
of ce1·Lain sins nnd a way out of certain injuri-
ous companionships and hazardous temptations. 
That vision, perhaps, was hopeful of some other 
easier; more magical method of escape from 
those enemies than the simple, old-fn.sbioned 
Bible way of rising up. and Leaving them in set-
tled penitence and trust. 
Now tbnt the future 
has become the past, how stands the record? 
.Has the bleRsing come? 
We need to discover 
that the future is only a result, not an actor. 
All that to-morrow brings us is tbe summing up 
of the actions and experiences of to-day.-Rev. 
ChM·les S. Porne1·oy, D. D. 
REsPECT for God's word involves respect for 
his worship. 
Men who appreciate the Bible 
and keep the Sabbath do not "forsake the 
assembling of themselves together," nor lightly 
esteem the ordinances of God's bouse. Respe-ct 
for the Bible means respect for the church and 
for all the means of grace.-Sel. 
"WHosoEVER therefore shall confess me be-
"Some generations before they ascended the 
throne of China, one of the Topa princes had 
enlisted in his cavalry a slave by the name of 
Moko, renowned for his valor, but who was 
tempted, by the fen.r of punishment, to desert 
his standard, and to range the desert at. the 
head of a hundred followers. 
This gang of rob-
bers and outlaws swelled into a cnmp, a tribe, a 
numerous people, distinguished by the appella-
tion of Geougenj and their hereditary chief-
tains, the posterity of Moko the slave, assumed 
their rank among the Scythian monu.rcbs. 
The 
youlh of Toulun, the greatest of his descendants, 
was exercised by those misfortunes 'vvhich are 
the school of heroes. He bravely struggled 
with adversity, broke the imperious yoke of 
the Top a, and became the legislator of his na-
tion, and tho conqueror of Tartary. 
His troops 
were distributed into regular bands of a hundred 
and of a thnnsand men; cowards were stoned to 
death; the most splendid honors were proposed 
as the reward of valor; and Toulun, who had 
knowledge enough to despise the learning of 
China, adopted only such arts and institutions 
as were favorable t.o the military spirit of his 
govemment. His tents, wbich he removed in 
the winter season to a more southern latitude, 
" A bout the middle of the fourth century, fore men, him will 1 confess also before my 
the countries, perhaps of Lusace and Tbu-Father which is in Heaven. 
But. whosoever 
ringia, on either side of the Elbe, were occupied shall deny _me before men, him will I also de11y 
by the vague dominion of the Burgundians; a 1 before my Father which is in Heaven." 
.1'latt. 
warlike and numerous people of th'e Vandal 10 : 32, 33. 
MARCH 18, 1886. 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
L6 l 165 
Examination of a Famous Falsehood. 
whether he had conducted the Dorninicurn, 
he replied that he had, because Christ was his 
(Concluded.) 
Saviour. 
DoMVILLE's second point is that Dominicum, 
I have thus given the substance of this 
when used as a noun, as in the present case, famous examination, and have set before the 
signifies either a church or the Lord's Supper, reader the references therein made to the Do-
but never signifies Lord's day. He establishes m~n~cum. It is to be observed that Collecta is 
the fact by incontestible evidence. 
Gilfillan used as another name for Dominicum. Now 
was acquainted with all this. He could not an-does Baronius use either of these words to sig-
swer Domville, and yet he was not willing to nify Lord's day? It so happens that he bas 
abandon the falsehood which Domviile had ex-defined these words with direct reference to 
posed. 
So he turns from the Acta MM·tyrum this very case no less than seven times. Now 
in which the compiler expressly defines the let us read these seven definitions. 
word to mean precisely what Domville as-serts, 
When Baronius records the first question 
and brings forward the great Romish annalist, addressed to these martyrs, he there defines 
Cardinal Baronius. 
Now, say our first-day these words as follows: "By the words Col-
friends, we are to have the truth from a high lectarn, Collectionem, and Domi'ltic,urn, the au-
authority. 
Gilfillan has found in Baroni us an thor always understands the sacrifice of the 
express statement that the martyrs were tested .M:ass." . After recording the words of that 
by the question, "Have you kept the Lord's martyr who said that the law commanded the 
day?" No matter, then, as to the .Acta J;Iar-observance of the Dorninicum, Baroni us defines 
tyrum, from which Bishop Andrews first pro-his statement thus: "Evidently the Christian 
duced this story. That, indeed, has failed us, law concerning the Dominicurn, no doubt about 
but we have in its stead the weighty testimony celebrating the sacrifice." 
Baronius by the 
of the great Baronius. To be sure he fixes Romish words sacrifice and Mass refers to the 
this test no earlier than the fourth century, celebration of the Lord's Supper by these mar-
which renders it of no a-vail as proof that tyrs. At the conclusion of the examination, 
Pliny's stated day was Sunday; but it is worth he again defines the celebration of the Dornin-
mueb to have Baronius bear witness that cer-icurn. 
He says: "It has been shown above in 
tain martyrb in the fourth century were put to relating these things that the Christians were 
death because they observed the Sunday-Lord's moved, even in the time of severe persecution, 
day. 
to celebrate the Dominicum. 
Evidently, as we 
But these exultant thoughts are vain. 
I have declared elsewhere in many places, it was 
must state a grave fact in plain language: Gil-a sacrifice without bloodshed, and of divine 
fillan has deliberately falsified the testimony of appointment." He presently defines Domini-
Baronius! That historian records at length the cum again, saying, "Though it is a fact that 
martyrdom of Saturninus and his company in the same expression was employed at times 
Northern Africa in A. D. 303. It is the very with reference to the temple of God, yet since 
story which Domville has cited from the Acta all the churches upon the earth have united in 
Martyrum, and Baronius repeatedly indicates this matter, and from other things related 
that he himself copied it from that work. He above, it has been sufficiently shown concern-
gives the various questions propounded by the ing the celebration of the Dorninicum, that 
proconsul, and the several answers which were only the sacr·i.fice of the Mass can be under·stood." 
returned by each of the martyrs. 
I copy from 
Observe this last statement. He says though 
Baronius the most important of these. 
They the word bas been employed to designate the 
were arrested while they were celebrating the temple of the Lord, yet in the things here re-
Lord's sacrament according to custom. The lated it can only signi(y the sacrifice of the 
following is the charge on which they were Mass. 
These testimonies are exceedingly ex-
arrested: They had celebrated the Collectam plicit. But Baronius bas not yet finished. In 
Dorninicam, against the command of the em-the index t0 Tome 3, he explains these words 
perors. The proconsul asked the first whether again with direct reference to this very mar-
he had celebrated the Collectam, and he replied tyrdom. Thus under Collecta is this statement: 
that he was a Christian and bad done this. 
An-"The Collecta, the Dominicum, the Mass, the 
other says, "I have not only been in the Col-same [A. D.] 303, xxxix." Under .¥issa: "The 
lecta, but I have celebrated the Dorninicurn Mass is the same as the Collecta, or Dominic'um 
with the brethren, because I am a Christian." [A. D.] 303, xxxix." 
Under .Dominic·um: "To 
Another says, "We have celebrated the Do-celebrate the Dominicum is the same as to con-
rninicwrn, because the Dominic'wrn cannot be duct the Mass [A. D.], 303, xxxix.; xlix.; li." 
neglected." 
Another said that the Collecta 
lt is not possible to mistake the meaning of 
was made (or observed) at bib bouse. 
The Baronius. 
He says that Dominicum signifies 
proconsul, questioning again one of those al-the Mass! 
The celebration of the supper by 
ready examined, received this answer: "The these martyrs was doubtless very differellt from 
Dominicum cannot be disregarded, the law so the pompous ceremony which the church of 
commands." When one was asked whether Rome now obseryes under the name of .M:ass. 
the Collecta was made (or observed) at his But it was the sacrament of the Lord's Supper 
bouse, he answered, "In my house we have concerning which they were tested, and for ob-
celebrated the Dorninicwn." He added, "With-serving which they were put to a cruel death. 
out the Dominicnrn we cannot be," or live. 
To The ·word Dornin£cum signifies "the sacred 
another, the proconsul said that he did not mysteries," as Ruinart defines it; and Baronius 
wish to know whether he was a Christian, but in seven times affirming this definition, though 
whether he participated in the Collecta. 
His acknowledging that it bas sometimes been used 
reply was, "As if one could be a Christian with-to signify temple of God, plainly declares that 
out:tbe Dominicum, or as if the Dorninicurn can in this record, it can have no other meaning 
be celebrated without the Christian." 
And be than that service which the Romanists call the 
said further to the proconsul, "We have ob-sacrifice of the Mass. 
Gilfillan bad read all 
served the Collecta most sacredly; we have al-this; yet be dares to quote Baronius as saying 
ways convened in the Domim~cum for reading, that these martyrs were tested by the question, 
the Lord's word." Another said, "I have been '"Have you kept Lord's day'?" He could not 
in [literally, have made] the Collecta with my but know that he was writing a direct false-
brethren; ·1 have celebrated the Dominicurn." hood; but he thought the honor of God, and 
After him another ·proclaimed the Dominicum the advancement of the cause of truth, de-
to be the hope and safety of the Christian, manded this act at his hands. 
and when tortured as the others, be exclaimed, 
Before Gilfillan wrote his work, Domville 
"I have celebrated the Dominic1tm with a de-
~zhad called attention to the fact that the sen-
voted heart, and with my brethren I have tcnce, "Dominicum se1·vasti?" does not occur 
made the Collecta, because I am a Christian." in the Acta Jl[a?·tyr·urn, a different verb being 
When the proconsul again asked one of these used every time. 
But this is the popular form 
of this question, and must not be given up. 
So Gilfillan declares that Ba.ronius uses it in his 
record of the martyrdoms in A. D. 303. 
~ut 
we have cited tho different forms of question 
recorded by Baronius, and find them to be pre-
cisely the same with those of the Acta .Jfar·-
ty?·um. "Dominicum servasti?" does not oc-
cur in that historian, and Gilfillan, in stating 
that it does, is guilty of untruth. 
This, how-
ever, is compaTatively unimportant. 
But for 
asserting that Baronius speaks of Lord's day 
under the name of Dom'inicum, G-ilfillan stands 
convicted of inexcusable falsehood in matters 
of serious importance.-J. N. Andrews, in His-
tory of the Sabbath. 
The Power of a Living· Bible. 
NOWHERE is it more true than in the Chris-
tian life that actions speak louder than words. 
A young man bad become an i11fidel, and would 
no longer read the printed Bible, but be could 
not help seeing the fruits of faith in the life of 
another. 
ln his father's bouse resided a young lady 
who waR a relative of the family. 
Her fretful 
temper made all around her uncomfortable. 
Sbe was sent to a boarding-school, and was 
absent some time. 
-While there she became a 
true and earnest Christian. 
On her return, she 
was so changed that all who knew her won~ 
dered and rejoiced. 
She was patient and cheer-
ful, kind, unselfish, and charitable. The lip~ 
Lhat used to be always uttering cross and bitter 
words, now spoke nothing but sweet, gentle, 
Joying words. Her infidel cousin George was 
greatly surprised at this. 
He watched her 
closely for some time till he was thoroughly 
satisfied that it as a real change that bad 
taken place in his young cousin. 
Then be asked 
her what had caused this great cbnng0. 
She 
told him it was the grace of God whic·h had 
made her a Christian and bad changed her 
heart. 
He said to himself, "I don't believe that God 
has anything to do with it, though she thinks 
be bas. 
But it is a wonderful change that bas 
taken place in her, and I should lil{e to be as 
good as she is. 
I will be so." 
Tben be formed 
a set of good re~:>olutions. He tried to control 
bi8 tongue and his temper, and kept a strict 
watch over himself. He was all the time doing 
and saying what be did not wish to do and say. 
And as be failed time after time, he would turn 
and stndy his good cousin's example. 
He would 
read this living Bible, and say to himself, "HmY 
does it happen that she, who bas not so much 
knowledge or so much strength of character· as 
I have, can do what I can't do? 
She must have 
some help that I don't know of. lt must be, as 
she says, the help of God. 
I4 will seek that 
help." 
He went into his chamber and prayed 
to that God whose very existence he bad de-
nied. 
He prayed earnestly. 
God beard him, 
helped him, and be became a Christian.-Young 
jJfen_'s Ch1 istia,n Magazine. 
"Under His Wing." 
"UNDER his wings shalt thou trust!" not 
"shalt thou see!" If a little eaglet wanted to 
see for itself what was going on, and thought 
it could take care of itself for a little, and 
bopped from under the shadow of the wings, it 
would neither be saJe nor warm. 
The sharp 
wind would chill it and the cruel hand might 
seize it then. So you are to trust, rest quietly 
and peacefully, ''under his wings," stay there, 
tmd not be peeping out and ·wondering whether 
God really is taking care of you. 
You may 
always be safe and happy there,-safo, for "in 
the shadow of thy win:.:R will I make my ref-
nge;" happy, for "in the shadow of thy wings 
will I rejoice." 
Remcm bcr, too, that it is a 
command as well as a promise; it is what you 
arc to-day, all da.y long. "Under his wiugs 
shalt thou trust ! "-F. R. Havergal. 
r 
166 [6) 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
VoL. 12, No. 11. 
OCQc £igns nf tQc [imcs. 
"Can ye not ~iscern the signs of the times ? " 
J. H. w AGGONKR, 
-
E. J. WAGGONER, t 
ALONZO T. JONES, ) 
URIAH SMITH, 
s. N. HASKBLL, 
-
EDITOR. 
AssrsTAN'L' EDITORS. 
~ CoH.RESPONDING EDITORS. 
OAKLAND, CAL., FIFTH-DAY, MARCH 18, 1886. 
Bible Doctrine of Future Life. 
A VERY common error, into which many eminent 
writers and speakers have fallen, is that of taking 
every expression found in the Scriptures which 
speaks of a future life, and using it as evidence that 
"the soul is immortal and cannot die." Future life 
does not necessarily in die::~ te continuous life. The 
Scripture declarations of death and a 1'esU?-rection 
forbid the idea of continuous life. 'iVhere there is 
continuous life and no death, there can be no resur-
rection of the dead. And thus it is that wherever 
the belief of the immortality of the soul strongly 
prevails, faith in the resurrection declines in a cor-
responding degree. The doctrine of the immortality 
of the soul has become almost all-prevailing in 
Christendom, and, as a natural result, the doctrine 
of the resurrection is no longer dwelt upon and ~a.l­
ued as it was in the early church. Thus Dr. Clarke 
speaks in his comment on 1 Cor. 15:-
" One remark I cannot help making; the doctrine 
of the resurrection appears to have been thought of 
much more consequence among the primitive Chris-
tians than it is now! How is this? The apostles 
were continually insisting on it, and exciting the 
fo1lowers of God to diligence, obedience, and cheer-
fulness, through it. 
And their successors in the 
present day seldom mention it! So the apostles 
preached, and so primitive Christians believed; so 
we preach, and so our hearers believe. There is 
not a doctrine in the gospel on which more stress is 
laid; and there is not a doctrine in the present sys-
tem of preaching which is treated with more neg-
lect." 
I 
And that which was so plaiuly seen when Dr. 
Clarke wrote, is still more prominent now. The 
Spiritualists, who have no foundation but that of 
natural immortality, very consistently deny the 
resurrection, and rrject the scriptures which teach 
that the dead will be raised. The Catholics, who 
place so much stress upon purgatory, practically 
deny the resurrection; for they really ignore it, and 
make the doctrine of continuous life, or the im-
mortality of the ~oul, one of the most profitaqle fac-
tors in their vast financial system. As Luther said, 
it has made th 
pope's pot boil, and probably 
brought more money in to his treasury than all 
other causes combined. That church could dispense 
with the intercession of Christ, but would become 
bankrupt without the doctrine of the immortality 
of the soul. Many popular religious teachers of this 
time, such as H. \V. Beecher, and probably the ma-
jority with him, deny the resurrection of the dead. 
Up.on those scriptures which speak of a resurrection, 
they place the same construction that the Spiritual-
ists do, namely, that they only indicate that there 
will be a future life, which is really by a continu-
ous life, or by reason of our natural immortality; 
and that the resurrection from the dead means that 
the soul leaves the body when the body dies. 
But scarcely a word is needed to show that this is 
not the Bible idea of the resurrection. "Them that 
sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake." The 
dead were raised by the Saviour; not by his taking 
t.heir souls from their dead bodies! but by 1estoring 
to life those dead bodies, in one case after the body 
had lain four days in the grave. Jesus hi:~nself was 
raised from the dead the third day after his death. 
Thus the resurrection and the future life taught in 
the Scriptures is not a continuous life, but a renewed 
life. 
And some theologians have gone so far as to assert 
that the fact that we do live is proof that we shall live 
in the future. 
And this they call Christian philoso-
phy! Such asi:lertions are proof only of the folly of 
those who make them. The fact of living is equally a 
fact in the case of all animals. The eleph:~nt lives, 
and displays a large measure of intelligence. Is that 
proof that he is immortal-that he will continue to 
live, or that he will have a future life? It is no 
proof in any case. And no man would offer it as 
proof who had evidence upon which he could rely 
with any confidence. 
But the theory which we call in question affirms 
that it is ouly the soul, not the body, which conti n-
ues to live. Let it be so. 
Is it not the soul of the 
elephant which displays such remarkable intelli-
gence? Is it not the soul of the dog which mani-
ifests sagacity, faithfulness, affection, joy, fear, 
hatred, etc.? 
Or have these suddenly become 
"properties of matter"? The truth is that, accord-
ing to the Scriptures, the term soul applies to all 
animals, even to the reptiles that creep upon the 
earth. Do they therefore live forever, or have a 
future life? All that can properly be affirmed of 
man, as far as the term neh-phesh, or soul, is con-
cerned, can with equal propriety be affirmed of all 
living creatures. 
But it is asked, Has not man the promise of eter-
nal life, which is not p,romised to the lower animals? 
Is not man, therefore, superior to the brutes in re-
gard to the matter of a future life? Yes; man has 
the promise of eternal life, but not the promise of a 
continuous life, or an eternal continuance of the 
present life. There are a number of important con-
siderations connected with this matter of eternal 
life. 
1. Eternal life is a matter of hope, of promise. 
See Titus 1: 2; 2 Tim. 1:1, etc. We do not hope 
for that which we possess. 
Rom. 8:24. 
2. Eternal life is conditional, to be given to those 
who seek for it. 
Rom. 2:6, 7; John 5:40. The in-
corrigibly wicked have no promise of it. 
3. Etemallife is not an attribute or condition of 
our nature. It is the gift of God, and.is laid up for 
us ••in bisSon." 1John 5:11; John 3:36, etc. 
4. The soul-whatever it may be-has no rela-
tion to our etemal life, and gives no assurance of 
eternal life. If it did, the wicked would have eter-
nal life; for they, by nature, are exactly as the just. 
Faith in Christ, or grace, gives eternal life, and 
makes all the difference between the righteous aud 
the wicked. 
'5. The soul, whatever it may be, has no relation 
to a future life, and gives no assurance of a future 
life, either limited or e.ternal. Otherwise all ani-
mals, down to the very lowf'st, would have a future 
life; for the term living soul is applied to every one 
of. them in exactly the same manner and the same 
l:!ense iQ wl1ich it is applied to man. 
A future life is not based on the soul, or on man's 
nature, but on the promise of God through Jesus 
and the resurrection of the dead (for a1l die). 
Herein, and not in nature, is shown the distinction 
between man and the lower animals in respect to 
the future, or to a future life. Christ died for man, 
"for every man." He took hold of the seed of 
Abraham. Heb. 2:9, 16, margin. He was "the 
second Adam," or man. We learn that he did not 
die for the fallen angels; he did not take hold of 
them. Heb. 2:16. We do not learn that he died 
to resurrect the lower animals. The grace of God 
in the gospel of Christ raises man above the lower 
animals in respect to a future life. It also raises the 
righteous above the wicked in respect to eternal life. 
The doctrine of natural immortality obliterates 
all distinction of nature,.in respect to eternal life, 
between man and the lower animals. It proves all 
to be equally immortal. ·Or the denial of immortal-
ity to the lower animals, because of their natures, is 
also a denial of it to man, if it be rested on his nat-
ure, or on the possession of a soul. And this is true 
whether we look to philosophy or to the Scriptures 
for proof. 
The doctrine of conditional immortality exalts 
and ennobles man, magnifies the gospel, and gives Lo 
Christ all the glory of our exaltation and eternal 
life. From Adam we inherit a mortal nature, and 
consequent death. All our hope of the future rests 
upon Christ. He is our life. Col. 3 :4. He is the 
only life-giver. 
Why will the professed followers of Christ adhere 
to that which really degrades man, and deny that 
which glorifies the Redeemer in our exaltation r 
Why will professed Christians cling to the supersti-
tions of the heathen, and reject the truth of the 
divine word, which shows our dependence and the 
ground of our hoper "An enemy hath done this." 
Perverse human nature has always preferred human 
inventions to the right ways of the Lord. Man, in 
the pride of his heart, is pleased to find his hope and 
his nobility in himself, rather than to acknowledge 
his frailty and his dependence, and that he owes all 
to Christ. The prayer of David is becoming to us 
mortals: "Lord, m-ake me to know mine end, and 
the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know 
how frail I am." Ps. 39 : 4. 
Confirming· the Covenant. 
THE following letter comes from an esteemed 
friend:-
"I am a little puzzled on Dan. 9 :27, about Christ 
confirming the covenant for one week. 
I have al-
ways understood that this was the new covenant, 
and that it was made when the Lord's Supper was 
instituted. If so, how could it be confirmed for a 
week when half the week was passed when it was 
made? Heb. 2:2 speaks of the disciples confirming 
what began to be preached by the Lord at flr8t; I 
suppose when he first began to preach. I do not 
find where he said anything about a covenant, un-
less it was in teaching the law of God. 
I wish yon 
would speak of this in the SIGNS. 
w. P." 
The writer seems to be troubled over the word 
conji1·med, and also as to what is meant to make 
the covenant. Greenfield's Lexicon says that cove-
nant means "any arrangement, institution, or dis-
pensation." The word is very broad in its significa-
tion and very extensive in its application. 
The first covenant was that arrangement with the 
children of Israel, consisting of mutual promises and 
conditions, found recorded in Ex. 19:5-8. 
The 
promises whieh the Lord made were conditioned 
upon the obedience of the people, which they prom-
ised on their part. 'fhe new covenant is more largely 
of promises, inasmuch as in it the obedience which 
was promised in the first is the effect, rather than 
the cause, of the fulfillment of the promises. These 
promises are found in Jer. 31:33, 34, and are quoted 
by Paul in He b. 8:10-13. 
The angel said to Daniel, "Seventy weeks are 
determined [cut off] upon thy people;" that is, the 
first or old covenant with Israel should yet continue 
seventy weeks, and the Jast of these weeks was also 
devoted to confirming the new covenant with the 
same people. 
And in the midst, or middle, of the 
week the Messiah should cause the sacrifice and 
oblation to cease; that is, lie would render those 
sacrifices void by the sacrifice of himself. His sac-
rifice ~ratified the new covenant; but the last week 
of the seventy was only half fulfilled, and that week, 
as well as the sixty-nine, belonged to that people. 
The ministry of Christ was three years and a half, 
and he confined his labors to "Judah and Israel," 
according to prophecy and promise. He said ·he was 
sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; 
and when he sent forth his disciples, he said to them: 
"Go not into the way of the Geutiles, and into an·y 
city of the Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather 
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 
MARCH 18, 1886. 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
l 7] 167 
The ministry of Christ and his disciples was ac-
cording to the promises which God had made; it 
was a part of the process of giving effect to those 
promises. 
Hence it was a coufirmation of those 
promises, and of course of the covenant which con-
sisted of the promises. There was no absolute divid-
ing time between the two covenants. They actually 
overlappe9. each other during that week. 
Though 
the sacrifices and temple service of the old were of 
no effect after the death of Christ, and the new was 
in full effect after that event, both covenants had 
an interest in that one week--the last of the seventy 
weeks. The new was preached by the Saviour and 
by his disciples, while the old was in full force. 
The new was ratified at the cross; but the old cove. 
nant had not then utterly passed away, for the 
people of Israel had not yet been rejected from the 
special privileges which they enjoyed as children of 
that covenant. When the Saviour gave the com-
mission to his disciples, after his resurrection, they 
were told to begin their work at Jerusalem. The 
door to the Gentiles, by which they were placed on 
a full equality in privileges with Judah and Israel, 
was not opened until the end of that week. 
The text to which the writer of the above letter 
referred, He b. 2:2, really answers his whole ques-
tion. Yet we thought best, for the benefit of many 
readers, to bring out some of the facts on this sub-
ject. The whole ground is covered in our argument 
in the pamphlet containing a refutation of the 
"Age to Come." 
Doers of the Law. 
IN previous articles we have laid down some of 
the fundamental principles of the law. 
We have 
found that the moral law of ten commandments, 
spoken from Sinai, is perfect, holy, and good; that 
it is the instrument which enables us to judge be-
tween good and evil; that it is "the righteousness 
of God,"· so that there is no goodness or morality to 
be found outside of it; that it is also called "the 
way," "the way of peace," "the truth," "the testi-
mony," the "word of the Lord," etc., and that it is 
the expression of God's will; that the transgression 
of it is sin, which makes it necessary for the gospel 
to be preached, so that whoever admits the existence 
of sin, and the necessity for the preaching of the 
gospel, virtually testifies to the existence or th(;) law; 
more than this, we have learned that, as the right-
eousness of God, it is the foundation of his throne, 
the basis of his government of the universe, and 
that it was therefore in full force before this world 
was brought into existence, and that it will con-
tinue in force as long as God's throne endures, the 
delight of all the redeemed, throughout eternity. 
These points must be borne in mind as we proceed 
to their application in the examination of special 
texts. In this examination the points mentioned 
above will be strengthened, if it is possible to 
strengthen.a position already so strong. 
We have already quoted Rom. 2:13: "For not the 
hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers 
of the law shall be justified." This statement of the 
apostle's is .. unqualified, and admits of no qualifica-
tion. The doers of the law shall be justified. The 
~tatement is positive and emphatic. There can be 
no qualification nor exception. Think a moment. 
It is the righteousness of God, the perfection of holi-
ness. 
Must not the keeping of it, then, as Solomon 
says, be "the whole duty of man"? And if a man 
does his whole duty, and is a partaker of the right-
eousness of God, can he be condemned? Not by 
any means. 
God himself has declared, through his 
inspired apostle, that "the doer of the law shall be 
justified." . Wherever in the universe a being is 
found who is a doer of the law, he is just in the sight 
of God. 
Already I hear some one exclaim, "He thinks 
that man can save himself by his owp works, and 
leaves no room for Christ." Not so fast; do not pass 
judgment upon a piece of work until it is completed. 
Perhaps the proposition will seem clearer if we con-
sider what constitutes one a "doer of the law." 
Let us illustrate: A father goes from home, leaving 
his son a certain amount of work to perform. There 
is a portion of work for each hour,-enough to keep 
the son constantly employed. Suppose that the 
son works faithfully for an hour or two, and then 
consumes the remainder of the time in play; has he 
done what his father commanded? Certainly not. 
But suppose that he works faithfully every hour but 
one, and leaves the work allotted to that hour un-
performed; can he now be called a doer of his fath-
er's wi11? 
He evidently cannot. Unless he can 
truthfully say, "I have done what my father left 
for me to do," he cannot be called a doer of his 
father's will; and he cannot truthfully say that he 
has done what his father gave him to do, unless he 
has done all that was enjoined upon him. 
This is more than a simple illustration; it is a 
plain statement of fact. 
The boy cannot be said to 
have done what his father told him to do, if he has 
not done it all; a man cannot be said to have trav-
eled the road from one point to another, if he lacks 
a mile of it; even so no man can be called a "doer 
of the law" of God if he has ever violated one of its 
precepts. If there be a man who has kept every 
commandment but one, and has violated that one 
but a single time, he cannot be ca1led a doe1· of the 
law, and hence cannot be justified by the law. He 
would be almost a doe'r of the law, but there is no 
promise of justification for those who simply almost 
do the law. 
religion, may neither have the occasion nor the 
wish io commit all the offenses which it prohibits, 
or to utter all the blasphemies which may be vented 
forth in the spirit of defiance against the Almighty's 
throne. And yet the principle of defiance may have 
taken full possession of his heart, and irreligion may 
be the element in which he breathes. 
And in every 
instance, when his will comes into compcLition with 
the will of God, may the creature lift himself above 
the Creator; and though, according to the varieties 
of natural temperament, these instances may be 
more manifold and various with one man than with 
another, yet thHt which essentially constit.utes the 
character of moral and spiritual guilt may be of 
equal streng~h and inveteracy with both. . . . 
Ungodliness, in short, is not a thing of tale and 
measure; it is a thing of weight and of quality."-
Chalmers on the Romans, Lecture VI. 
The above is a good exposition of James 2: 10, 11. 
We leam, then, that when a man willfully violates 
one commandment, it is not respect for the law, nor 
for the Lawgiver, that restrains him from violating 
all of them. He has shown his eon tempt for the 
authority that gave them, and thus becomes guilty 
of all. Now when we recall the fact that each one 
of these commandments reaches the thoughts and 
intents of the heart, we may have something of a 
sense of what it takes to be a doer of the law. If it 
is thought that there is even one human being who 
merits that title, read the following plain declara-
tionfl:-
" For we have before proved both Jews and Gen-
tiles that they are all under sin; as it is written, 
There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none 
that understandeth, there is none that seeketh 
after God. They are all gone out of the way; they 
are together become unprofitable; there is none that 
doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open 
Right in this connection we must read the wor 
sepulcher; with their tougues they have used deceit; 
of .James: "For whosoever shall keeB the whole la ' the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth 
and yet ofi'end in one point, he is guilty of all. For is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift 
he that said [or that law vt,hich said], Do not commit to shed bloo<.I; destruction and misery are in their 
adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou com-
ways; and the way of peace they have not known; 
mit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a there is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we 
transgressor of the law." James 2:10, 11. 
know that what things soever the law saith, it saith 
Many people, in their shortsightedness, have to them who are under the law; that every mouth 
thought that this is unjust. There is no injustice may be stopped, and all the world may become 
in it; it is simply a statement of what exists from guilty before God." Rom. 3:9-19. 
the very nature of things. The apostle does not 
After reading the above, you will have no diffi-
say that the man who breaks only one command-culty in understanding why the apostle immediately 
ment shall be considered as guilty as he wl1o should adds:-
violate every one, although he is guilty of all· 
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no 
There are degrees of sin. The Jaw is sometimes flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the 
likened to a chain having ten linKs. 
Now if only knowledge of sin." Rom. 3:20. 
one link be broken, the chain is broken, and, un.til 
It seems hardly possible that any one should now 
that link is mended, is just as useless as though all imagine that there is any disagreement between 
the links were broken. So if a man breaks one com-.. Rom. 2:13 and Rom. 3:20. It is a fact that all 
mandment, he has broken the law, aud it is just as must recognize, that the law will justify all doers of 
impossible for the law to justify him as it would be it; and it is just as certain that by the deeds of the 
if he had broken every precept. The following from law no flesh can be justified, because there is no one 
Dr. Chalmers is direct on this point:-
of whom it can be said, He is a doer of the law. It 
"Inordexthatyou[may]feeltheforceoftheapos-is not the fault ofthelawthat itwill notjustify 
tie's demonstration, there is one principle which is anybody; it would do so if it were possible; it is the 
held to be sound in human law, and which, in all fault of man that it cannot. 
equity, ought to be extended to the law of God. 
E. J. w. 
The pdnciple is this,-that however manifold the 
enactments of the law may be, it is possible, by one 
act or one kind of disobedience, to incur the guUt of 
an entire defiance to the authority which framed it· 
and therefore to bring rightfully down upon 
th~ 
head of the transgressor the whole weight of the 
severities which it denounces against the children 
of iniquity. To be worthy of death, it is not neces-
sary to commit all the things which are included in 
the sad enumeration of human vices, any more than it 
is necessary for a criminal to add depredation to for-
gery, or murder to both, ere a capital sentence go out 
against him from the administrators of the law upon 
which he has trampled. You may as effectually cut 
wi ~h a friend by one hostiJe or insolent expression, 
as 1f you had employed a thousand; and your dis-
ownal of authority may qe as intelligibly. announced 
by one deed of defiance as by many; and your con-
tempt of Heaven's court be as strongly manifested 
by your willful violation of one of the command-
ments, as if you had thwarted every req uircment. 
"The man who has thrown off the allegiance of 
Only Half Way Out. 
THE Baptist Plag says: ·• The Protestant branches 
of the church of Rome, to be consistent, must go· 
back to their mother Rome, or come out to the Bap-
tists. Which will they do?" We will not presume 
to. answer t.he question; but we would like to ask 
the Plag why it concludes that those who do no't 
become Bn ptists must, to be consistent, go back to 
the Romish Church. The answer, which is implied, 
will be that infant "baptism" aud sprinkling rest 
solely on the authority of the church of Rome, and 
not at all on the Bible, which demands immersion.· 
Very good; we agree. But here is auother thing. 
There is not a line or a syllable in the Bible to up-
hold the keeping of Sunday. The Bible declares, 
"-The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
God; in it thou shalt not do any work." The sole 
authority for Sunday observance is the Roman 
168 [S] 
'l-,HE SIGNS OF r;rHE TIMES. 
VoL. 12, No. 11. 
Catholic Church, which claims the right to appoint 
holy days and to change laws and ordinances. The 
keeping of Sunday is a legacy which the Protestant 
churches have received from Rome; and the keep-
ing of Sunday is a virtual acknowledgement that 
the church of Rome has power to make laws for 
Christians. Homage to Rome is shown no less by 
Sunday observance than it is by 8prinkling and so-
called infant baptism. And so after the Protestant 
churches have become Baptist, they must take 
another step and become Sabbath-keepers, if they 
would cut loose from Rome. How is it 't 
Will the 
Baptists show their consistency by returning to 
Rome, or by coming out from her entirely? 
Forgiveness; Real, not Figurative. 
THimE is probably no one who gives the matter 
any consideration, who doubts that the offerings for 
sin, under the Levitical law, represented the real 
sacrifice made by Christ; although th.ere are very 
many who fail to notice that the service performed by 
the priests was only a type of the real service which 
. .is conducted by Cbrist, our great High Priest, in the 
true sanctuary in Heaven. The Scriptures, how-
ever, give abundant evidence of the fact that the 
. tabernacle built in the wilderness was but a pattern 
of "the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, 
and not man;" that the high priest was a type of 
Christ; and that, in short, the whole service was 
typical, or figurative. 
But here some are liable to make a mistake. 
Many suppose that because the servic~ of the sanct-
uary was only figurative, therefot·e the forgiveness 
which the sinner is said to have received was also 
only figurative. The fallacy of this supposition 
will be apparent if a comprehensive view is take~ 
of the whole subject. It will be remembered that. 
the figurative sanctuary service continued until 
Christ made the real sacrifice on the cross. 
Then 
if tlJe supposition noted were true, it would appear 
that before the time of Christ no 8inner had really 
been forgiven! But Elijah went to Heaven, and 
therefore his sins must certainly have been forgiven. 
David says: "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and 
. mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess 
my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgav-
est the iniquity of my sin." Ps. 32:5. That is 
positive proof of sins actually pardoned. 
Therefore 
we must conclude that sins were pardoned in fact, 
before the time of Clnjst. 
"But," asks one in astonishment, "do you think 
that there was any virtue in the blood of bulls and 
goats to take away sin r" Not at all; neither do we 
believe that there is any virtue in the mechanical 
act of baptism; yet we are commanded to be bap-
tized as a condition of securing remission of sins. 
What is it that secure:; our forgiveness ( It is the 
death and resurrection of Christ (Rom. 4: 25); it is 
not by the mere act of baptism, but by the faith 
which is thereby indicated, that we secure pardon 
for transgressions. So in the case of tue man in the 
Levitical age. He was forgiven, not through any 
virtue in the blood of the goat or bullock which he 
offered, but by virtue of his faith in Christ's sacri-
fice, which faith he manifested by offering an ani-
mal that typified Christ. 
We ~ust not lose sight of the fact that the plan 
of. salvation has not varied in th.e least since the 
days of Adam. When man first sinned, then Christ 
was given as a ransom. It was then that Christ 
voluntarily offered to die in man's stead; it was then 
that God's love to the world led him to consent to 
deliver up his only begotten Son; it was then that 
the promise of life through Christ was made to the 
human race. Now a p1·omise on the part of God 
is just as sure as a thing that is actually performed; 
for he cannot lie. And for this reason it is that 
Christ is said to have been "slain from the founda-
tion of the world." It made no difference that the 
death of Christ was not accomplished until four 
Nor is his statement that "the language is just 
thousand years after the fall; from the time the what would be used in such a case," any more in 
promise was made, forgiveness of sins through the accordance with the fact; for when Luke, who wrote 
blood of Christ was just as certain to the man who 
1 
this record, had occasion to spe~tk of that which 
repented as it is to-day. 
was a custom, he did so plainly. For example: 
Notice the exact parallel between the case of men "And he [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had 
in the days before Christ and that of those after been brought up; and, as his custom was, he went 
Christ. They had ceremonies by which they man-into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood 
ifested their faith in Christ; and because of this up for to read." Luke 4:16. Again: "And Paul, 
faith they were forgiven. We have ceremonies (as as his mannm· [custom] was, went in unto them, 
baptism and the Lord's Supper) by which we mani-and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of 
fest our faith in Christ; and because of our faith the Scriptures." Acts 17:2. In these two passages, 
we obtain the forgiveness of our sins. They looked the words," as Ids custom was," and" as his manner 
forward by faith to the time when Christ, according was," as Luke wrote them, are identical-I("ata to 
te the promise, should be offered; we look backward eiothos-and in both instances mean precisely as 
to the .cross and we see the promise actually fulfilled. his custom was; and that "language is just what" 
But while their sins were forgiven in fact, they InRpiration has used in such cases as a plain record 
were blotted out only in figure. Even in this the of a custom. Therefore we submit that the total 
parallel holds good; for the sins of men now living, absence of any such language from the passage 
although forgiven, have not yet been blotted out. under consideration, is valid argument that it is 
The exhortation to us is, "Repent ye therefore, not a record of any such thing as the custom of the 
and be converted, that your sins may be blot-assemblage of Christians on the first day of the 
ted out, when the times of refreshing shall come week . 
from the presence of the Lord." 
Acts 3 : 19. 
If the record really said that it was then a custom 
And because the way of salvation is uniform to assemble on the first day of the week; if it said: 
throughout, and God deals with men in the same Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples 
way in all nges of the world, we do not like the terms came together, as their custom was, as the same 
"old dispensation" and "new di::;pensation ;" or writer says that it was the custom of Christ and of 
"Jewish dispensation" and "gospel dispensat.ion." Paul to go to the Sabbath assemblies; if it said: 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, lived in the "gospel Upon the first day of the week Paul preached to 
age" as well as we. 
See Gal. 3:8. The gospel is the disciples as his custom U.JaSj then no man could 
the good news of salvation through Christ, and the deny that such was indeed the custom: but as in 
patriarchs understood that as well as we do. 
For-the word of God there is neither statement nor hint 
giveness of sins has always been granted immedi-· to that effect, no man can rightly affirm that such 
ately upon repentance; and Christ's blood was of was a custom, without going beyond the word of 
st as much efficacy four thousand years ago as it God; and that is prohibited by the word itself-
is to-day. " 
either is there salvation in any other; "Thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." 
for there is none other name under heaven given Deut. 12:32. More than this, reading into that 
among men, whereby we· must be saved." Acts 4: passage the "custom" of ass-emblage on the first 
12. 
E. J. w. 
day of the week, is not only to go beyond that 
which is written; it is to do violence to the very 
"Tbe Abi{lillg Sabbatb." 
·language in which it is written. The meaning of 
the word "custom'' is, "A frequent repetition of 
AcTS 20: 7; 1 CoR. 16 :2. 
the same act." A single net is not custom. An act 
IN continuing his search for the origin of the first repeated once or twice is not custom. The .f1·equent 
day of the week as the Lord's day, the author of repetition of an act, that is custom. It is so, like-
the "A biding Sabbath" comes to Acts 20:7. As wise, in the cnse of example. Webster says: "The 
this text mentions a meeting of disciples on the word 'example' should never be used to describe 
first day of the week, at which an apostle preached, what stands singly and alone." 
Now as Acts 20:7 
it is really made the foundation upon which to lay is the only case on record that a religious meeting 
the claim of the custom of the primitive church, was ever held, either by the disciples 4>r the apostles, 
n nd the example of the apostles in sanctioning the on the first day of the week, as there is no record of 
uv;o;ervance of Sunday as the Sabbath. But al-a single repetition of that act, much less of a "fre-
though there waR a meeting held on the first day of quent repetition" of it, it follows inevitably that 
t.he week, and although an apostle was at the meet-there is no shadow of justice nor of right in the 
ing, as a matter of fact, there is in it neither custom claim that the custom or the example of t.he apos-
llOr example in favor of keeping Sunday as the tles and of the primitive church sanctions the ob-
Sabbath. Here is what Mr. Elliott makes of the servance of that day as the day of rest and worship 
passage:-
-the Sabbath. 
"The most d"istinct reference to the Christian 
Instead, therefore, of the Sunday deriving any 
use of the first day of the week b found in Acts 20: sacredness from the word of God, or resting for its 
7: 'And upon the first day of the week, when the 
disciples carne together to break bread, Paul preached ob8ervance upon the authority of that word, or upon 
unto them.' • . • Thl'\ language clearly implies that which is just and right, or upon the example ~f 
that the apostle availed himself of the occasion the apostles or the custom or the pt·imitive church, 
brought about by the custom of assemblage on the it is contrary to all these. It is essentially an inter-
first day of the week to preach to the people. · · · loper, and rests for its so-called sacredness and for 
Here, then, is a plain record of the custom of assem-
blage on the first day of the week, less than thirty its authority upon nothing but sheer willfulness. 
years after the resurrection. The language is just 
The next reference noticed by Mr. Elliott is 1 Cor. 
what would be used in such a case.''-Pp. 194, 195. 
16:1, 2, of which he writes:-
It is hard to see how he can find "a plain record 
"Another incidental allusion to the religious use 
of the custom of assemblage on the first day of the of the day-an allusion none the less valuable be-
cause incidental-is the direction of Paul in 1 Cor. 
week," when the record says nothing at all about 16:1, 2: 'Now concerning the collection for the 
any such custom. In all the narrative of which saints, as I have given order to the churches of 
this verse forms a part there is no mention what-Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the 
ever of anything that was there done being done week let every one o~· you lay by him in stor~, as 
d' 
t 
t 
t 
· t d 
1 t 1 
ld God hath proi:ipered h1m, that. there be no gathenllgs 
accor mg o cus om, nor 
-~ In ro uce w 1a s 10U 
I when I come.' 
. . . The Corinthians were on 
become a custom, nor that It was to be an example that day to d,··posit their alms in a common treas-
to be followed by Christians throughout all time. ury."-Pp. 195, 196. 
So the fact is that Mr. Elliott's "plain record" of a 
Paul's direction is, "Let every one of you lay by 
custom, io not a record of any such thing. 
!tim in store;" Mr. Elliott says they were "to de-
'MARCH 18, 1886. 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
LD] 169 
posit their alms in a common treasury." Now can 
a man lay by him in store, and deposit in a common 
treasury, the same money at the same time? If 
there are any, especially of those who keep Sunday, 
who think that it can be done, Jet them try it. 
Next Sunday, before yon go to meeting, find out 
how God has prospered you, and set apart accord-
ingly that sum of money which you will Jay by you 
in store by depositing it in the common treasury of 
the church. Then as you go to church, take the 
money along, and when the collection box is passed, 
put in it that which you are going to Jay by you in 
store; and the work is done! According to Mr. 
Elliott's idea, you have obeyed this scripture. That 
is, you have obeyed it by putting away from you 
the money which the scripture directs you to lay 
by you. You have put into the hands of others 
that which is to be laid by you. 
You have carried 
away and placed entirely beyond your control, and 
where you will never see it again, that which is to 
be laid by you in store. In other words, you have 
obeyed the scripture by directly disobeying it! 
True, that is a novel kind of obedience; but no 
one need be surprised at it in this connection; for 
that is the only kind of obedience t.o the Scripture 
that can ever be shown by keeping Sunday as the 
Sabbath. The commandment of God says: "Re-
member the Sabbath day to keep it holy. • • . 
The seventh day is the Sabbath." And people pro-
pose to obey that commandment by remembering 
the first day instead of the seventh. The word of 
God says: "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the 
Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any wo1·k;" 
and people who keep Sunday propose to obey that 
word by working all day on the day in which God 
says they sha11 do no work. 
And so it is in perfect 
accord with the principles of the Sunday-sabbath 
that Mr. Elliott should convey the idea that 1 Cor. 
16:2 was obeyed by doing directly the opposite of 
what the text says. 
But he seeks to justify his theory by the following 
remark:-
" That this laying in store did not mean a simple 
hoarding of gifts by each one in his own housP-, is 
emphatically shown by the renson alleged for the 
injunction, 'that there be no gatherings [i.e. "col-
lections," the same word used in the first verse] when 
I come.' . . . If the gifts had had to be collected 
from house to house, the very object of the apostle's 
direction would have failed to be secured.'' 
This reasoning might all be well enough if it were 
true. But there is no truth in it. This we know 
because Paul himself bas told us just what he 
meant, and has shown us just what the Corinthians 
understood him to mean; and Mr. Elliott's theory is 
the reverse of Paul's recotd Gf facts. 
A year after 
writing the first letter te the Corinthians, Paul 
wrote the second letter; and in the second letter he 
makes explicit mention of this very "collection for 
the saints," about which he had given these direc-
tions in the first letter. In the second letter (chap. 
9: 1-5), Paul writes:-
" For as touching the ministering to the saints, it 
is superfluous for me to write to you; for I know the 
forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you 
to them of Macedonia, that Acbaia was ready a year 
ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. 
Yet 
have I sent the b1·eth1·en, lest our boasting of you 
should be in vain on this behalf; that, as I said, ye 
may be ready; lest haply if they of Macedonia 
come with me, and find you
1unp1·epa1·ed, we (that 
we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same con-
fident boasting. Therefore I thought it necessary 
to e:x:hort the brethren, that they would go before 
unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, 
whereof ye had notice before, that the same might 
be ready as a matter of bounty and not as of cov-
etousness." 
Now if Mr. Elliott's theory be correct, that the 
Corinthians were to deposit their alms i 11 a common 
treasurv each first dav of the week. and if that was 
what Paul meant that they sltOuld do, then why 
should Paul think it "necessary" to send brethren 
before himself "to make up" this bounty, so "that 
it might be ready" when he carne r If Mr. Elliott's 
theory be correct, wl1at possible danger could there 
have been of these brethren finding the Corinthians 
"unprepared" r and why should Paul be afraid that 
they were unprepared? No; Mr. E1Iiott's theory 
and argument are absolutely false. In tile first let-
ter to the Corinthians (16: 2), Paul meant just what 
he said, that on the fin;t day of the week every one 
should "Jay by him in store;" and the Corinthian 
Christians so understood it; and so likewise would 
every one else understand it, were it not that its 
pe1·ve1·sion is so sorely essential in bolstering up the 
baseless fabric Qf the Sunday Lord's day. But the 
Corinthians, having no such thing to cripple or per-
vert their ability to understand plain language, un-
derstood it as it was written, and as Paul meant 
that they should understand it. Each one laid by 
him as directed; then when the time came for .Paul 
to go by them and take their alms to Jerusalem, he 
sent brethren before to make up the bounty which 
had been laid by in store, so that it might be rPady 
when I1e eame. Therefore, 1 Cor. 16:2 gives no 
sanction whatever to the idea of meetings on the 
first day of the week. 
And now after all his peregrinaLions in Rearch of 
the origin of the first day of the week as the Lord's 
day, Mr. Elliott arrives at the folloing intensely 
logical deduction:-
"The selection of the Lord's day by the ::1postles as 
the one festival day of the new society seems so ob-
viously natural, and even necrs:;ary, that when we 
join to these considerations the fact that it was so 
employed, we can no longer deny to the religious 
use of Sunday the high sanction of apostolic author-
ity.''-P. 198. 
All that we shall say to that is, that it is the best 
illustration that we have ever seen of the following 
rule, by Rev. Philetus Dobbs, D. D., for proving 
something when there 
i~:~ nothing with which to 
prove it. In fact, we hardly expected ever to find 
in "real life" an illustraLion of the rule; but Mr. 
Elliott's five-hundred-dollar-prize logic has fur-
nished a perfect illustration of it. The rule is:-
" Prove the premise by the cone] usion, and then 
prove the conclusion by the premise; proving A by 
B, and then proving B by A. And if the people 
believe the conclusion already (or thi11k they do, 
which amounts to the same thing), aud if you bring 
in now and then the favorite words and phrases that 
the people all want to hear, and that they have as-
sociated with orthodoxy, 'tis wonderful what a rep-
utation you will get as a logician." 
If Dr. Dobbs had offered a five-hundred-dollar 
prize for the best real example that should be 
worked out under that rule, we should give a unan-
imous, rising, rousing vote in favor of Rev. George 
EllioLt and his ''Abiding Sabbath" as the most de-
serving of the prize. 
Yet with all this he finds "complete silence of 
the New Testament so far as any explicit command 
for the [Sunday] Sabbath or defirite rules for its ob-
:;ervance are concerned." A New Testament insti-
tution, and in the New Testament neither command 
nor rules for its observance! I Next week we shall 
notice how he accounts for such an anomaly. 
A. T. J. 
Going to Rome. 
THE Gh1·istian at Work (New York) of Feb. 18, 
1886, contains the foi!owing item:-
" A requiem high mass for the repose of the soul 
of the late Father McWalter Bernard Noyes was 
celebrated at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, 
this city, on Saturday before last. He was formerly 
its assistant pastor, and died in Rome on December 
6. 
The church was througed. 
In the center <Jf the 
chancel there was a dais covered with purple dra-
pery on which there was a scarlet cross. On either 
side ol tl1e dais were four lighted candles. 
The 
altar was brilliantly lighted with many candles. 
Vet:di's ma~s was selected for the oc~asion. 
During 
the recitation of the Confiteor, the altar was in-
censed. The choir consisted of thirty voices in 
addition to the twentv choristers, and wa5 assisted 
by a string band and the organ. Father Marlow 
read the gospel for the day. The ante-communion 
prayers were then said, followed by the oblation, 
consecration, and elevation, the bell in the belfry 
being tolled. The celebrant, Father Brown, partook 
of the sacraments, neither the assisting priests nor 
congregation being asked to join in the communion. 
Lest some of our readers may be misled into think-
ing this occurred in a Roman Catholic church, we 
will add that this was in a Protestant Episcopal 
church in this city, and that though previous notice 
of this Romish ceremony haJ been given, there was 
no interference in its celebration on the part of 
Assistant-Bishop Potter.'' 
It will evidently not be long before the Catholic 
church regains all that it lost by the Reformation. 
That church can well ·afford to wait, knowing that 
there is a rapidly growing tendency to ·grant all 
that it claims. But its trhnnphing will be short; 
for the time when "that Wicked" shall be con-
sumed is fast approaching. 
Keep It before the People. 
IN a ponderous volume of twelve pamphlet pages, 
a certain writer essayed to settle the great question 
of the Sabbath; and some of the assertions which 
he sum~oned to his aid in the effort were truly 
astonishing. He said:-
"So much has been written and said about the 
seventh day of the week that one would naturally 
suppose the Bible to be full of lessons <l.bout it; and 
yet there is not a word said in the Scriptures about 
the seventh day of the week." 
Because those particular words, "of the week," 
do not occur, to deny thitt the week is meant, is to 
show one's self ready to resort to tricks in argument 
of which a third-rat;e pettifogger would be ashamed. 
A rriomen L's thought shows that the week must be 
intended. Thus, when God set apart the seventh 
day, he did not set it apart for himself, but for man, 
for whom the Sabbath was made. And he did not 
set apart that first seventh day which was past, but 
his blessing and sanctification pertained to the sev-
enth day for time to come. Thus, then, it was or-
dained that men should devote to religious uses 
every seventh day from that time forward. 
No one can fai I to see that as soon as this arrange-
ment was entered into, the week was an established 
fact, and followed as inevitably as day and night 
follow the revolution of the earth upon its axis. 
All coming days were at once set apart in divisions 
of sevens; for when the next seventh clay arrived 
after the one upon which God rested, it was to be 
observed in n·st. Then the count m·ust Legi n again; 
for the next seventh cla'y was to be kept in like man-
ner; and that being past, a new week must begin 
with a new count. And so on to the end. Thus the 
week of necessity existed as soon as the Sabbath 
was instituted and as evidently it owes its existence 
to that institution. And the seventh day of each of 
these weekly periods was the Sabbath; and when 
the word of God says the seventh day, without 
qualification, it means, and can mean, nothing else 
but this. 
The writer continues:-
" \Ve find uo command for, or example of, the ob-
servance of any day recorded in the Bible, prior to 
the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt." 
This man has been told better than this, an'd has 
no excuse for such an assertion. For any man of 
honest mind and sincere spirit, it is enough to find 
plain evidence that a command was given, though 
the express words of the command are not recorded. 
And it is positively stated in the record that such 
command was given to Adam. 
'!'his is what we 
want kept before the people: There was a Sabbath 
commanded in the world, from the lips of God him-
self, binding upon ail hii people, for more than 
twenty-five hundred year" before Sinai. 
People 
may dispute this poi 11 t as m llch as they please, and 
170 [lO] 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
• 
-VoL. 12, No. 11. 
ministers may profess a sanctimonious ignorance of 
it, but there is the record in unequivocal terms. It 
says that in the beginning God sanctified the day. 
To sanctify, mea·ns to set apart to a religious use. 
Now will some of those who deny that there was any 
command for the Sabbath before the exode, tell us 
how this was done r How was the Sabbath set apart 
in the beginning to :t religious user They know 
that this involves a command for its observance; 
that the sanctification of it was a command for the 
keeping of it, nothing more nor less. It could not 
possibly have been anything else. Whoever denies 
this, takes upon himself the disgrace of insulting 
truth and common sense. Here while yet the whole 
race stood in their representatives, Adam and Eve, 
and sin had not entered the world, the Sabbath was 
given to man, and with the institution a command 
to enforce and regulate its observance, in all places, 
through all time. Yet ministers, without, trembling 
at their own dishonesty, or blushing at their igno-
rance, will deliberately affirm that there was no 
co~mand for the Sabbath till it was given from 
Sinai. 
Keep it before the people. Let them become so 
fully informed in regard to this matter that all 
attempts to use this old misrepresentation will be 
nullified and spoiled. 
u. s. 
Delaying Ob:edience •. 
To HAVE the understanding enlightened in re-
gard to duty, and the conscience so thoroughly 
awake as to make one feel uneasy in the neglect 
of it, and yet to be surrounded with ad-visers 
wearing the name and title of Christians, who 
are continually urging further delay, is about as 
uncomfortable a position as a person of fervent 
piety needs to be placed in. 
To rebuke such 
advisers in the faithfulness of the gospel and 
yet, at the same time, to behave toward t em 
with becoming meekness, is not the easiest 
thing in the world. 
N evertbeless, the idea that 
we may postpone our obedience to G-od for a 
little season, notwithstanding our convictions, 
is not to be tolerated. -
# 
Suppose, for example, that a person becomes 
convinced that it is his duty to observe the Sab-
bath of the _Bible-the seventh day of the week. 
Forthwith be is assailed by his associates with 
the suggestion that be ought not to be in a burry 
-that he ought to take plenty of time for con-
sideration, at least a year. Plausible a~; such 
advise is, we offset it with a single passage of 
Scripture: "I thought on my ways, and turned 
mv feet unto thy testimonies. 
I made baste, 
and delayed not to keep thy commandments." 
Ps. 119: 59, 60. 
Here the psalm~st testifies that 
he turned his feet to obedienee, so soon as, by 
thinking on his ways, be found that he was 
walking astray. He made no delay about it; 
be did not go about to consult the wise men of 
the nation; be did not examine the writings of 
the rabbis and doctors to see if there was not 
some way of getting round 'the duty; be made 
haste to rendei· obedience. But, nowadays, as 
soon as a person's conscience begins to lash him 
for neglect or' duty, be is advis8d to be very 
careful about running too hastily.· Well, we 
would not wish one to be too hasty; but, on the 
other band, it may be well to consider whether 
there is not such a thing us being too tardy. 
Conviction of duty is not to be trifled with. 
When any one does violence to his conviction, be 
feels that be disobeys God; and such disobedi-
ence is sure to be followed by disastrous results. 
'l'he voice of conscience grows more feeble, and, 
if the disobedience be persisted in, becomes, at 
leno·tb, bushed in silence. It may continue to 
rep~ove with !'egard to other duties, but with 
regard to that partieular one whieb bas been 
made the object of willful neglect, it reproves 
no more. 
As a necessary consequence, the soul 
suffers the loss of all those blessings which obe-
dience in that one thing would bring. 
Nor is this all. 
Conscience, ha-ving yielded 
to corruption in one instance, becomes ready to 
vield in another. Its sternness bas been over-
come, and it no longer guards the soul with 
that security which-it had been wont to do. It 
is to the soul what the sense of modesty is to 
the female; and, as the female cannot allow her 
sense of delicacy to be trifled with without in-
em-ring the risk of a total Joss of virtue: so the 
conscience cannot, in a single instance, be 
abused without incurring the danger of becom-
ing "seared with a hot iron." 
We will not 
undertake to say that this is, in every case, the 
result; but we do say that there is great danger 
of it. 
We insist, therefore, that when one un-
derstands what is duty, be ought to lose no 
time in putting it in practice. 
Let him remem-
ber, too, that the wrath of God is revealed 
against those "who bold the truth in unright-
eousness." 
Rom. 1 : 18. 
But the possibility that one may be mistaken 
as t@ his duty, is often urged as a reason 
for delay. 
There may be something in this, at 
least it seems plausible. 
Generally, however, 
this objection is more specious than solid. 
At 
all events, it is so wjtb regard to those things 
which are the subject of direct and unequivocal 
command. 
With regard to the Sabbath we 
have no hesitation in saying that it "savors of 
the wisdom that is earthly." The object of 
those who urge it is to induce a deference to 
the views of those who have acquired great 
skill in explaining away the divine law. 
But 
we hold that, however doubtful may be the 
teachings of Scripture with regard to such ques-
tiont=~ as are purely doctrinal, or however obscure 
the language in w bich its prophecies foretell 
coming events, with regard to the common prac-
tical duties of life the word of God is so plain 
that there is no need for a child to be mistaken. 
Were it otherwise, it would be unsuited to the 
wants of mankind; for, inasmuch as every 
one must give an account for himself, and not 
another for him, it is necessary that each one 
should be able to decide his duty for himself. 
People of amall intellectual capacity must be 
able to make this decision, as well as those of 
more expanded powers; and children, as well 
as tbol::!e of mature age. Hence duty must be 
revealed in very simple language. 
And bow simple the language in which our 
duty to keep the holy Sabbath day is revealed! 
"Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 
1'he seventl~ day is the Sabbath." Who can fail 
to understand it? What untutored peasant 
cannot comprehend it? What child does not 
perceive its meaning? The command to re-
frain t:rom the adoration of images is not 
more plain. Yet, when a person of ordinary 
mental powers is convinced by it, and begins to 
think about rendering obedience, straightway 
he is admonished that be does not understand 
it, and that he would do well to consult some 
learned men, some spiritual rabbis or doctors 
of divinity, before taking any decided steps ! 
And what do the learned doctors say, upon 
being consulted? Why: that it is the duty of 
men to keep holy the first day of the week. 
But bow do they make it appear? Do they 
produce any precept from the Scripture, plain 
and unequivocal, like the fourth commandment? 
Not by any means. 
'l'bey can present nothing 
which is level to the comprehension of a child. 
Whatever they say on the subject, is entirely 
above the understanding of children, and en-
tirely above the understanding of ignorant 
people. 
They talk about the magnitude of re-
demption as compared with the work of crea-
tion; they have something to say about redemp-
tion being finished on the first day of the week 
by the resuneetion of Christ from the dead; 
they lay a few such theological ·propositions to-
gether, and finally draw out the inference that 
the first day of the week is a holy day. But 
the plain, ordinary mind does not understand 
this. 
The child fails to comprehend it. It is 
true, be hardly dares to indulge the thought 
that learned men may be mistaken; neverthe-
less, he is puzzled: extremely puzzled, to under-
stand it. Is not this conclusive proof that no 
such duty is enjoined in the book of God? 
We cannot, therefore, subscribe to the idea 
that a person must, in reference to the Sabbath, 
or in reference to any other plain command of 
Heaven, wait to consult friends and learned 
teachers, and the writings of fallible men, before 
rendering obedience. If God bas spoken, "see 
that ye refuse not him that speaketh." We do 
not believe that any one can begin to obey God 
too soon.-Arnerican Sabbath Tract, No. 14. 
Chicag·o City Mission. 
SINCE our last report our work here bas been 
steadily progressing. 'l'bere are now over sixty 
persons who have commenced to observe the 
Sabbath. During the winter our class of Bible 
workers bas numbered from twenty-four to 
thirty. 
Some of these have returned to their 
own States to commence work in other cities. 
'rwo have gone to Washington, D. C., two to 
Indianapolis, Ind., two to St.Louis, two to Kansas 
City, and one to Cleveland, Ohio. 
We greatly 
feel tb e loss of some of tb ese persons in our 
work here, but we rejoice to see the missions 
opening in thest: other cities. Our book sales 
of late have been very encouraging, especially 
of our larger books, "Thoughts on Daniel," 
and "Great Controversy" Vol. 4. 
One of our 
lady workers sold three copies of "Thoughts" 
at one reading. At another reading a copy of 
this book was sold to a lady who took it with 
her to London, England. Tbustbetruth spreads, 
and we feel like taking courage and working 
on. 
We have all been made sad at the Joss of our 
dear Brother James Sawyer, who was laboring 
mostly among .the Swedes; but be died in such 
good hope, seeming to simply fall asleep, that 
w~ could hardly feel it was right to say aught 
more than the revelator, "Blessed are the dead 
that die in the Lord from henceforth." 
He ex-
pressed himself shortly before his death as hav-
ing no doubt of God's Jove toward him. 
We 
expect soon to meet him again. 
Chicago, jJ£a,?·ch 5, 1886. 
GEO. B.·STARR. 
Items of Progress. 
AT Carthage, Mo., Bro. J. W. Watt reports 
that five have just 6!ovenanted to keep all the 
commandments of God. 
FRoM Beloit, Kansas, Bro. N. J. Bowers 
makes the following report:-
"! came to tbis place during the holidays, and 
have been trying to help here as best I could. 
I came on invitation of the leader of the little 
company, and we have been trying to encourage 
and strengthen the new brethren and sisters 
at this place. 'rhe camp-meeting, and tent 
services held after it, resulted in bringing over 
twenty into the faith. 
Nearly all are doing 
well, and some are making real progress. 
We 
have re-organized the Sabbath-school, and 
started monthly children's meetings and Bible-
readings. 
We have weekly prayer and Sab-
bath-school teachers' meetings, which are of 
interest. 
Our little meeting room is more than 
comfortably filled on the Sabbath. 
The tract 
and missionary interests receive a share of at-
tention. 
The truth bas found a foot-bold here, 
and if a.ll are faithful, others will rally to its 
standard." 
ELDER 0.-A. JoHNSON reports as follows from 
Decatur, Nebraska:-
" I commenced meetings with the brethren 
near this place No-vember 27, intending to con-
tinue only a few days; but the i11terest kept on 
increasing and deepening to such an extent that 
I felt it duty to remain several weeks. When 
.-
MARCH 18, 1886. 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
[ll] 171 
the weather was pleasant the school-bouse was 
crowded with interested listeners. 
When I 
first began the work here, I held Bible-readings 
for about half an hour, after ''vhiuh I spoke fo1· 
half or three-quarters of an hoar; but the inter-
est in the Bibie-readings increnscd till we spent 
all the time in that manner. 
As the result of 
these meeting~, about twenty htLve accepted 
the truth. 
Some who hnd been much preju-
diced became interested a11d em braced the trnth. 
Storms and cold weather somewhat hindered 
our meetings. 
"I laid before the brethren the wants of the 
cause, and one brother paid about $400 to the 
different missions, while others pledged to the 
amount of nearly $500 more to the home and 
foreign missions. 
At the last meeting the older 
brethren and those who had just accepted the 
truth pledged nearly $800 tovvard a bouse of 
worship, which they expect to erect the coming 
spring. 
The Sabbath-school attendance was 
about doubled. 
From seventy-five to ninety 
attend at present." 
C. M. CHAFFEE writes from Brandon, Minne-
sota, as follows:-
" After my last report, I was invited to 
change the place of meeting from the school-
house to a church near by, which offer was 
gladly accepted, and up to the present, forty 
meetings have been held. 
Have organized a 
Sabbath-school, making use of a clnb of ten 
Inst1·uct01·s and other ::mpplies. J have sold them 
$11 worth of books. 
rrhe work is only just be-
gun here. 
.Eight persons have commenced the 
observance oftbe Sabbath, and we believe there 
are more to·follow." 
BESIDES the above reports there are in the 
Review from which they are taken, many other 
reports of people in various localities w bo have 
accepted the trutb of the Bible, that "the sev-
enth day is the Sabbath of the Lord." 
Increasing Use of the English Language. 
THE SANCTUARY, ITS SERVICE, ETC. 
The Milleunium. 
(Lesson 12.-Sabbath, March 27., 
1. WHAT blessing is promised to those who 
have part in the first resurrection? 
"Blessed and holy is he that bath part in the 
first resurrection; on such the second death bath 
no power, but they shall be priests of God and 
of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand 
years." 
Rev. 20: 6. 
2. rrll what are they called? 
To the mar-
riage supper of the Lamb. 
3. What blessing is recorded in I1uke 14 : 15? 
"And when one of them that sat at meat with 
him heard these things, he saiJ unto him: 
Blessed is be that shall eat bread in the king-
dom ofGod." 
4. How is the same blessing recorded in Rev. 
19: 9? 
"And he saitb unto me, Write, Blessed are 
they which are called unto the marriage supper 
of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are 
the true sayings of God." 
5. What is said in verse 7 about the mar-
riage of the Lamb? 
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor 
to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, 
and his wife bath made herself ready." 
6. WbaL iR meant by the Lamb's wife? 
"And l John saw the holy city, New J erusa-
lem, coming down from G-od out of Heaven: pre-
pared as a bride adorned for her husband." 
"And there came unto me one of the seven angels 
which had the seven vials full of the seven last 
plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come 
hitber, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's 
wife." 
Rev. 21 : 2, 9. 
7. When is this bride presented to him? 
.At his c01·onation. 
Dan. 7: 13, 14-. 
8. What does he do on receiving this bride, 
THE A!fissionary Review of December, 1885, the capital of his earthly kingdom? 
He comes 
publishes the following extract from the report to the ear·th for· his saints, and takes them to tl~e 
of Mr. John T. Gulick, a rniRsionary to Japan:-
marTiage supper. 
"The most remarkable feature in the present 
9. Describe the scene that will take place 
literary history of Japan is the strenuous effort when they al! arrive in Heaven. 
Hev. 7: 9-12. 
that is being madte to in trod nee the study of 
10. How are the saints to be engaged d nring 
English into all t~;e schools ofthe people. Owing this tbonsand years? In a work of judgrnent. 
to the lack of teach era, it is impossible to bring Re1vi. 
2
~~h~~t will be the nature of this work? 
it into the curriculum of the common schools 
this year; but notice has been given that next They will 'unite with Ch1·ist in examining the 
h 
b 
f h 
h 
l 
']1 b 
cases of wicked men and fallen angels. 
yeal' t e teac ers o t ese sc oo s Wl 
. e re-
12. How is this work alluded to in 1 Cor. 
quired to pass an examination proving their 
ability to teaeb the rudiments of the English 6 : 2' 3? 
language. This bas given an immense impulse 
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge 
to the study of English, resulLing, I am told, in the world? and if the world shall be judged hy 
the sale of many tens of thouHands of spelling-you, are ye unworthy to judge tbe smallest mat-
books and readers during tho past few months. ters? 
K110W ye not that we shall judge angels? 
What results will be gained in the knowledge of bow much more things that pertain to this life?" 
-
13. Wbl:'.t will be the condition of the wicked 
English, it is impo~sible definitely to predict.; but 
it seems probable that, by the end of eight or during the thousand years? They will all be 
-
silent in death. 
Rev. 20: 5. 
ten years, b undreds of thousands of the people 
will be able to read English with more or less 
14. What will be the condition ofSatan during 
ease, and t.bat the score of English books now this period? 
-
published in Japan will have boon in<.:reased to 
"And l saw an angel come down from Heaven, 
hundreds. 
We shall all watch with the deepest having the key of the bottomless pit and a 
interest the remoter results of this most remark-great chain in his hand. 
And be laid bold on 
able experiment." 
the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, 
This report is of interest; for it shows bow and Satan, and bound him a tbousm1d years, 
the providence of God is preparing the way for and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut 
the last gospel message, wb icb is to go to" many him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should 
peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." deceive the nations no more, till the thousand 
years should be fulfilled: and alter that be 
You say you can't p1·ay. 
What is praying, 
my brother'? It is just asking the Lord for 
what you want. 
1'11 tell you why so many can't 
pray: they don't want anything. 
A sense of 
need inspires utterance always. 
Hence, also, 
there is much that is called prayer that is not 
prayer at all.-Sel. 
must be loosed a little season." 
Verses 1-3. 
15. What do we understand by the bot.tom-
less pit? See note. 
16. What will take place at the end of the 
thousand years? 
The wicked will have a r·esur·-
?"ection, and Satan will be loosed. 
Rev. 20 : 5, 7. 
17. What will Satan induce the wicked na-
tions to do? 
"And shall go out to deceive the nations 
which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog 
and Magog, to gather them together to battle; 
tbe number of whom is as the sn.nd of the sea. 
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, 
and compassed the camp of the Raints abont, 
and the beloved eity; and tire came down from 
God out of Heaven, and devoured them." 
Verses 8 and 9. 
18. How docs the beloved city come to be 
upon the earth? 
"And I John saw the holy city, New J ern-
salem, coming down from God out of Heaven, 
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." 
Rev. 21: 2. 
19. How are those to be destroyed who be-
siege the holy city? Rev. 20: 9. 
20. What is to be done with Satan? 
"And the devil that deceived them was cast 
into the lake of fire and brimsLone, where the 
beast and the false prophet are, and shall be 
tormented day and nigbt forever and ever.'ii 
Verse 10. 
21. What will be the fate of all those whose 
names are not found written in the book of life? 
"And whosoever was not found written in 
the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." 
Verse 15. 
22. What did J obn see after this? 
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth· 
for the first heaven and the first earth wer~ 
passed away; and there was no more sea." 
Rev. 21:1. 
23. 'Vbo will inhabit the new earth? The 
1·ighteous. 
See 2 Pet. 3 : 13. 
24. Seeing we look for such things, what ad-
moni Lion is given us? 
"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for 
such things, be diligent that ye may be found 
of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." 
Verse 14. 
Note •. 
The bottomless pit. 
The original word signi-
fies an abyss, bottomless, deep, profound. Its 
use seems to be such as to show that the word 
denotes any place of darkness, desolation, and 
death. 
Thus in Rev. 9: 1, 2, it is applied to the 
barren wastes of the Arabian desert, and in 
Rom. 10: 7, to the grave. 
But the passage 
which specially throvvs light upon the meaning 
of the word here, is Gen. 1 : 2, where we read 
that "darkness was upon the face oft he deep." 
The word there rendered deep, is the same 
word that is here rendered bottomless pit; so 
that that might have been translated, "Dark-
ness was upon the face of the abyss, or bottom-
less pit." 
But we all know what is meant by 
the word "deep" as there used; it is applied 
to this earth in its chaotic state. Precisely this 
we believe it means in this third verse of Rev-
elation 20. 
At this time, let it be borne in 
mind, the earth is a vast cbarnol-honse of deso-
lation and death. 
The voice of God has shaken 
it to its foundations, the islands and mountains 
have been moved out of their places, the great 
earthquake bas leveled to the earth the might-
iest works of man, the sevell last plagues have 
left their all-desolating footprmts over the 
earth, tho burning glory attending the coming 
of the Son of man bas borne its part in accom-
plishing the general desolation, the wicked have 
been given to the slaughter. 
rrhus is 
the earth made empty and waste, and turned 
upside down. Isa. 24: 1. 
Thus is it brought 
back again, partially at least, to its original 
state of confusion and chaos. 
See J er. 4: 19-
26, espec·ially verse 23. 
And what better term 
could be used to describe the earth thus rolling 
on its course of darkness and desolation for a 
thousand years, than that of the abyss, or bot-
tomless pit? Here, we understand, Satan will 
be confined during this time, amid the ruin 
whieb, indirectly, hie own ba11ds have wrought, 
unable to flee from his bn.bitation of woe, or to 
r~pair in the least degree its hideous ruin. 
172 [121 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
-VoL. 12, No. 11. 
LIF .r TI-l.Y B I<.O'l'HER'S BURD11~N. 
LIFT thy struggling brother's burden, 
It may seem to thee but small, 
Still like coil of strongest cable 
Holds him iu its baleful thrall. 
Ask not is he Jew or Gentile, 
Pause not, be he bond or free; 
Simply do thy bounden duty, 
What are name and state to thee? 
Lift it in a kindly spirit, 
Leave in place no needless smart; 
Thou art but thy brother's helper, 
Not the censor of his heart. 
Though he be not of thy household, 
Pass not on the other side; 
Here, then, was my little friend married, and 
to [L man unworthy of her; a man who, by 
and by, would be sut·e to arollse her repulsion. 
She would grow into n strong woman and find 
herself mated to a wenk man. 
1'bere would 
be antagonism, biekoring, wearisome efforts at 
adjustment, and in a moment of irrepressible 
and maybe righteous anger, a resolve to flepa-
rate. 
'l'his is how many divorces are prepared. 
We often hear it said that the strenm cannot 
rise higher than the fountain. 
'£be fountain is 
the ho~ne. 
'There is where our efforts should 
be directed, concentrated. 
There are cct·tain 
crimes that justly rouse the horror of the com-
muniLy wberc they are committed; there are 
other crimes that arc smiled upon ot· ig110rod. 
These latter are committed in respectable homes 
where children are brvnght into the world and 
then left to chance. 
Their bodies, indeorl, are 
:c Ashamed of his father!" thought the man. 
"And will my children hang their heads, also, 
in shame? 
No, no; that sball never be." 
At the hour of midni.~Ltt, the man who had 
no children to throw aronnd him a sphere of 
better influence, was waiting at the place of 
rendezvous for him ';vhoso children bud saved 
him. 
But he waited in vnin. 
Then he said, "I 
will do the deed myself, and take the entire 
reward." 
And he did according to his word. When the 
other man wont forth to his labor on the next 
day, be learned that his accomplice had been 
taken in the act of robbery, and was already in 
prison. 
. 
"Thank Heaven for virtuous children ! " said 
be with fervor. 
"Tbcy hnvo saved me. 
Never 
will I do an act thnt will cause them to blush· 
for their father."-Sel. 
Give him present aid and comfort, 
That no greater ill betide. 
cared for after a fa~ hi on; but we have it on the 
True Courtesy. 
Lift it in a humble spirit, 
Though it come through sin and shame; 
Hast thou in thy moral armor 
Warrant of a shield from blame? 
Thou pP-rchance mayst fall or stnmble 
Ere thine earthly race be run, 
Thou mayst need ~orne friendly succor, 
Ere life's conflicts all are done. 
-Ow· Rest. 
highest authority that "the life is mo~·e than 
meat, and the body more than raime11t." 
Do 
GENUINE politeness is not any too common; 
not the parents need teaching upon this vital for this quality is not a matter of mere form or 
subject? The unwritten law of eve1-y-dny life ceremony, but comes from that sincere kindness 
must be expounded, with all its wonderful and of beart that tenderly regards the rights and the 
unlooked-for and unexplainable variations. 
1'o comforts of others. There is a clnss of people 
teach the parents is more important to-day who are very scrupulous as to certain forms, 
than to teach the children. 
and would rather -violate one of the ten eom-
There is a need of studying first principles mandments than diRregard a rule or practice 
in a restated form. 
'The law should be deliv-of table etiquette. 
Such persons regard it a 
ered anew, und with thunderinge and light-grave impropriety to raise the knife to the lips 
Getting R<"acly for a Divorce. 
"KATE HARDY has gone to housekeeping." 
nings. 
in eating instead of the fork. 
A beautiful faeL 
"Housekeeping! 1 didn't know that she was 
lf, then, the question is asked, How shall on this subject is related of Prince Albert, the 
married." 
d 
b 
excellent husband of Queen Vir.toria. 
On one 
ivorces 
e l)l'evented? we may safely ans·wor, 
"Ob, yes; she has been married six months By doin.g all in our power to prevent marriage~, occasion a humble, worthy man, who had be-
and more." 
so called, that naturally lead to divorce. 
And friended the prince in early life, called to see 
"Why, she isn't sixteen years old, is she? It het·e a vast field of education is oponed.-Mr·s. him. and was invited to come to the' family table. 
E<oems only yesterday that she waR a little girl M.S. Butts, in Phrenological Jour·nal. 
He began to eat with his knife. as he bad been ac-
in short dressef:l." 
customed, and the young people smiled. Prince 
"She will be seventeen on her next birthday." 
Albert looked around upon them as it to say, 
"\Vhat kind of a man has she married?" 
Ashamed of a Father. 
"Stoj) that," and at once be himself began to 
"Oh, a 'man of words and not of douds,' as 
eat with his kttife, and did so to the end of the 
our school copybook m;ed to say. 
One of those 
Two l'JEN had entered into an ap;reement to meal. 
After dinner. one of the children asked 
fellows that sit in corner groceries wiLb their rob one of their neighbors. 
Everything was him why he did so. 
Prince Albert replied: 
heels braced against the stove, smoking a cigar planned. They were to enter his house at mid-'' 1 t is well enough for us to observe the eti-
-more than twelve years older thitn Kate. night, break open his chests and drawers, and quette of the day, but it is far more important 
By the time she's grown up, they'll be ready carry off all the silver and gold they could find. to nvoid .insulting people. 
I wanted my old 
for a divorce." 
"He is rich and we are poor," said they to friend to enjoy bis dinner, which he could not 
This conclusion struck me forcibly. 
I 
had each other, by way of encountgrnent in the evil if be bud seen you laughing at him. 
He is 
been hearing a great deal about divorce lately they were about to perform. 
"He will never accustomed to use his knife, and it would be 
-sermons on divorce, newspaper articles, dis-miss a little gold, while its po::;session will make quite difficult for him to use his fork instead." 
mal croakings and prophecies, promulgatio11S of us happy. 
Besides, what right has one man to 'l'his was genuine politene~. The world would 
remedies, etc. 
I was reminded of the uld say-all of this ·world's goods?" 
be happier and better if there were more of it. 
ing: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound 
Thus they talked together. 
One of these men rrhere may be the most scrupulous following 
of cure." 
had a wife and children, but the other had no out of forms where the very essence of polite-
Here was Kate Hardy, but the ot.her day one in the world to care for but himself. 
':rbe. ness is lacking. And paretJts m:>.ke a very 
going to school with the other children of the man who bad children went home and joined great mistake who insist upon their children 
neighborhood, a bright, forward, rather willful his family, after agreeing upon a place of meet-observingtb0 forms of etiquette, while they neg-
girl, fretting a little, as she grew older, at the ing with the other at the darkest hour of the 1ect to inculcate that kindness of heart, that un-
monotony of her life and the prosiness of her coming night. 
selfish rega.rd for the welfare of others, whieh 
surroundings; longing for a journey, new books, 
"Dear father," said one of the children, climb-is the only source from wbi<:h genuine courtesy 
a pretty room. 
Her home was hopelessly com-ing upon his knee, "I am so glnd you have come can come.-Sel. 
monplace. Cooking, cleaning, sleeping, was the home again.'' 
daily, monthly, nnd yearly routine. 
Onc·e when 
The presence of his child troubled the mnn, 
·Kate petted some geraniums and coaxed them and he tried to pnsh him nwny; but his arms 
into bloom, her mother found fault because they clung tightly about his neck, nnd he lnid his 
were in the way. 
face against his cheek, and said in a sweet and 
"I want something to cheer me up a little," gentle voice,-
said Kate pleasa11tly. 
"I love you, father ! " 
"My work is enough to cheer me up," said 
Involuntarily the man drew the innocent and 
Mrs. Hardy. 
loving: one to his bosom. ~nd kissed him. 
At that moment she was dressed in a faded 
There were two olde'r children in the man's 
calico, with her hair drnwn back in a tight dwelling, a boy and a girl. 
They were poor, 
liLLie knot; she was minus a collar, and her and these children worked d::tily to keep up the 
dark apron was soiled and greasy. 
She was supply of bread, made deficient more through 
not a slattern, but she believed in saving idleness in the father than from lack of employ-
washing and dressing according to her work. ment. 
These children came home soon after 
Kate looked from her flowers to her mother, and their father's return, and brought him their 
~:<omething not entirely unlike disgust dawned earnings for the day. 
in ber face. 
Feeling such as was then awak-
"0 fnther," said the boy, "such a drendful 
ened in the young girl rapidly develops into thing happened! 
Henry T1ee's father wns 
character. 
We do not realize how plastic is arrested to-day for robbing; they took bim out 
character in the young; indeed, it only exists of our shop when Henry wa::; thoro, and carried 
in emotion. 
But in some sudden heat it takeR him off to prit;on. 
1 was so sad \Vhen 1 saw 
form, nnd if n ~vrong form, can only be changed\ Henry ,~,e~ping. And he hung .his head fo,1; 
by great suffenng. 
shame of b1s own father! 
Only thmk of that! 
The Working Class. 
THE working-class is tbe only class which 
is not a c:lass. It is the nation. It represents, 
so to speak, the body as a whole, of which tbe 
other classes only represent special organs. 
These organs, no doubt, have great and iJtdis-
pcnsable functions; but for most purposes of 
government the State consists of the vast labor-
ing majority. 
Its welfare depends on what 
their lives are like.-F·recleric Har?'ison. 
That is a terse statement of a great truth. 
Adam was a laborer. All his descendants are 
or onght to be htborers, and the vast majority 
must always be manual laborers. 
Hence the 
rigb ts and interests of laborers are not the 
rights and interests of a class, but of humanity, 
of tbe race.-lnter·io1·. 
HASTY word·:; often rankle in the wound which 
injul'y inflicts; but sort words assnnge it; for 
forgiving cnres the hurt, and forgetting takes 
away the scar. 
MARCH 18, 1886. 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
[IS) 173 
Early linpressions. 
IT is a very impoetnnt fac-t, and one never to 
be lost sight of by mothers, that the education 
of an infant begins at birth. 
'l
1be moral atmos-
phere by which it is sourrounded ·will, in great 
measure, determine its future character. 
Par-
ents often do and say things in the Right and 
hearing oflittle children whieh thich they wonld 
be ashamed of in the presence of an older person. 
.Every outburst of temper, every peevish or fret-
ful word, is photographed upon the mental con-
stitution of tho child, never to be effaced, al-
though, of course, after-training may modifY 
the impression. It is not to be wondered at 
that mothers, worn dovm with a weight of care 
and overwork, ttre sometimes fretful; but if they 
would remember that every hasty worli in ba.hy's 
presence must come back to them i11 still greater 
weight of care, perhaps they would exercise a 
higher degree of self-controL 
Poor, tired mothers l 
Wh<"tt but the wonder-
ful mother-love could carry them through the 
many trials incident to the bringing up of a 
yonng family? 
But there are many ways in 
which we can lighten our cares, and one of them 
is self-control in our conduct toward the little 
ones. It may not seem quite plain to one who 
had never thought upon the suuject bow a 
moral act of anv kind could influence a little 
creature unable to comprehend anything beyond 
the mere physical needs of his little body. 
Of 
course, it does not know why a loving word and 
smile give it ple:1stue and the reverse pain. 
But yon and I ought to be able to understand 
that every manifestation of emotion, of what-
ever nature, always acts upon the feelings of 
the child; therefore every deed of ours ongh t to 
be sueh as to call into action the best feelings of 
their nature, sin(~e the miud will become biased 
in the direction tovvard which it is oftenest 
drawn. It is, then, n fact easy of compreiJeit-
sion, that whatever we wish our cbilcll·en to 
become we must ourselves be; for ·whether we 
will it or not, onr every-day actions are our 
baby's teachers.-Babylwod. 
Under a Shadow. 
~ealth antl 
Temperance and Health. 
rrE~fPERANCE, in the Scripture use of that 
term, is a mueh broader and deeper word than 
in ont· modern use of it. 
We might expect that 
with enlarged life, words woulli take 011 an en-
larged meaning; in fact, the history of lan-
guage shows that spiritua.l words grow nat·-
rower rather than broader, and shallo,ver 
rather than deeper. 
Faith, which in tbe New 
Testament writings signifies the profoundest 
spiritual experience, bas come oftentimes simply 
to mean an intellectual opinion. 
Charity, the 
warmest word in the New rrestamen t. bas been 
so chilled in the progress of time that "cold 
as ebarity" has become a proverb. 
And tem-
pet·ance, which in its origimd import signi-
fies the power of self-restraint, the en tire mas-
tership of the ani mal naLUre by the moral and 
spiritual, has come to mean simply ahst.inunce 
from intoxicating liquors. 
Even in its most 
restricted sense, temperance should mean more 
than that. 
Tho virtue of tern pcn·ance should 
carry with it simplicity in life and daily self-
denial. It is the reverse of 1 uxurv and the 
.e:ratification of the flesh; it is, to �;e Paul'l'l 
phrase, :'keeping the body nnder," or, to u::;e 
the child's paraphrase, "keeping the soul on 
top." 
The story of Daniel at the conrt of Babylon 
fnmisbes ont of experience an answer to the 
only argument whieb bas even ttny speciousness 
in it in favor of what is Cl)mmollly termed'' high 
Jiving." 
The king appoinled a luxurious table 
for tbe children of Israel who were to stand be-
fore him. 
Daniel requested permission to ab-
stain fi'om this luxurious table, and live on a 
vegetable diet and on water. 
The eu n ncb ob-
};cted. 
This asceticism, be snid, will impnir 
your health and good looks, and so endanger 
my life. 'rry us, replied Daniel, for ten days, 
and soe what is the reRult. 
This seemed rea-
sonable, and tho ennuch con sen ted; and at the 
end of ten days they appeared better in health 
and in countenance than all those who fed at 
the king's table. 
THERE are very few of us who are not at 
The experience of Daniel is confirmed by the 
some time in our lives brought under the shadow experience of the world. 'rhe water-drinkers 
of a false accnsa-tion. 
'rhe natural way to meet are healthier and stronger, do more work, sleep 
it is bv denial and self-defense. 
But th}tt is not more soundly, endure more fatigue, and are less 
the Nuew Testament way, nor the most effective liable to disease, than the moderate drinkers. 
way. 
There is a better, surer, and higher way. My readers will remember the experience of 
It is to give the false accusation a plain, simple,. Franklin in England, drinking his water, while 
square denial, and then leave the life and the his fello'''-workmen drank their six pints of beer, 
truth to do the rest. It is not mv business to and defended their course by the argument that 
take care of my reputaLion; it. is all I can do to they needed strong beer to make them strong. 
take <~at·o of my character. If that is clean and He refuted their theory by carrying two forms of 
pure and luminous, the light that is in me will type, one in each hand, up the stairs; a feat wbieh 
shine on and out, and by and by will pierce the none oftbe old beer-drinkers eould perform. Let 
clouds and dispel them. 
For clouds are tern-any reader of these Jines run in mind over the 
porary, because earthly; but sunshine is eter-
circle of his acquaintances, and see how many he 
nal, because divine. 
can remember whose health appears to him to 
Do not run after acensers. 
Do not trouble have been impaired by simple living and by 
yourself abouL falf::le accusations. 
Only be sure vvater-drin king, on the oue band, and how many 
to make them false; then leave the falsehood be can enumerate who have impaired their vital 
to die. 
Go 011 with your life-work, and aecept forces, or even absolutely incapacitated them-
the position in wbicb false aceusation and con-selves for their life-work, by the use of wine 
sequent scandal and reproach place you a8 only and beer. 
a new opportunity to bear witness to tho trntb 
A few years ago Mr . .Arthur Reade brought 
and the life by your own manifest and ,glorious together a large number of letters from men of 
possession of them.-Ch1·istian Un'ion. 
letters and science, giving the ret>ults of their 
persollal experience and observation in reRpect 
Life Force. 
to the effect on the brain and the intellectual lifo 
I 
of the use of wine and tobacco. There was a con-
LIFE force may go into words or it may go siderable difference oJ' opinion as to the use of 
into deeds. The power of steam may expend tobacco, a number boldi11g that it was serviceable 
itself through tile cylinder or through the as a means oh·est; but there was an almost unan-
whistle. 
Steady living ut1der the sweet press-imons testimony that the use of nkohol and 
ure of genuine love for G-od, is vastly more stimulants was either absolutely injurious or 
eloquent than the most rhetorically sweet simply non-serviceable. 
Mr. Reade embodied 
sounding declarations by tbe human voice. the results of tbe letters in theRe declarations: 
There may be a religion without words; there "1. Alcohol and tobaoeo arc or no value to a 
can be none wi thont deeds.-Sel. 
healthy student; 2. The most vigorous thinkers 
and head-workers abstain from both stimulants; 
3. Those who have tried both moderation and 
total nbstinct1ce find the latter the most health-
ful practice." 
Mr. Gust.nJson, in "'l'he Foundation of Death," 
gives the statistics of some .En~lii'\h lif'e-insur-
anue companies. These show a considerable less 
death-rate 
flmon~ the total ahstainers than 
among modernte drinkers; and some of the life-
i JlSurance companies charge a materially less 
premium to the total ab~tainer. 
Tbns experi-
ence on a large scale, and scientifically formu-
lated, appears to bear out the experience of 
Daniel, that water-drinking is better for health 
than wine-drinking. 
If from the result of extended obRervation 
we turn to a scientific consideration of the phys-
iological effects of alcohol on the b umn n body, 
observation is sustained and confirmed by anal-
ysiR. The human body is constantly undergo-
ing destruction and repair. Every vital activity, 
whether of minli, brain, or muscle, destroys 
dome tissue, which must be carried a\.vay aod 
replaced by new tissue. In order that vitality 
be maintained, a certain specific temperature 
of the body m nst be maintained. 'l'be consump-
tirm of tissue maintains it. 
Thus the operations 
ofviLality in the human body may be compared 
to those of a furnace in a dwelling-house. New 
coal musL be put upon the fire, and as it is 
burned out the ashes must be removed. 
That 
body is in the healthiest condition in which this 
process of combustion is going on in the most 
normal manner; in which the twofold process 
of destruction and repair suffers the least pos-
sible hindrance.-Lyman Abbott. 
The Tobacco Habit.· 
THE following testimony will bear the strictest 
scientific investigation:-
"Tobacco, in whatever form it is used, tells 
upon the constitution. It is a slow poison. It 
affects the brain and benumbs tbe sensibi,lities, 
so that the mind cannot discern spiritual things, 
especially those trut.hs which have a tendency to 
.::orrect this filthy indulgence. 
Those who use 
tobacco in any form are not clear before God. 
In such a filthy practice it is impossible for them 
to glorify God in their bodies and spirits, '<vhich 
are his. And while they are using slow and 
sure poisons, which are ruining their health, and 
debasing the faculties of the mind, God cannot 
approve them. 
He may be merciful to them 
while they indulge in this pernicious habit in 
ignorance of the injury it is doing them; bnt 
when the matte1· is set before them in its true 
light, then they are guilty before God if they 
continue to indulge this gross appetite." "To-
bacco is a poison of the most decei tfui and ma-
lignant kind, having an exciting, then a paralyz~ 
ing influence upon the nerves of the body." 
"l\:fultiLudes have fallen victims to its poisonous 
influence. 
They ha-ve surely murdered them-
selves by this slow poison." 
It is false for any one to say, as many have 
said, "lt does not hurt me." 
A poison so viru-
lent is hnrlful to everv one who takes iL 
There 
are no exceptions in ~aturallawB. Tobacco us-
ing has not one redeeming qualit.y. It is useless, 
expensive, injurious, and filthy. It makes the 
near presence of the user repulsive to those who 
arc free from the habit. 
A Christian ought to 
be free from its disgusting taint. 
And is it not 
evident that it is a sin against self and society? 
If so, is it not a sin against God? 
R. F. CoTT.RELr~. 
ALCOHOL is a substance entirelv alien to the 
body, and incapable of being tra~sformed into 
anything useful to it; it binders the digestion, 
·wastes the digestive fluids, tends to dit>solve a.11d 
dan1age the blood-cells, and t.hu.-:; vit.intcs and 
retards all the life-processes-its action on tLe 
stomach and blood producing structural degen-
eration throughout the systern.-Set. 
164 [141 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 
VoL. 12, No. 11. 
Shunning· Vileness. 
A YOUNG neighbor called one evening to 
spend an hour with an English peasant fam-
ily. 
In the conversation that followed, he made 
allusion ,to a horrible crime that recently bad 
been com1nittod in all adjacelit town, and pulled 
a. newf'lpaper out of hi~ pocket to reau the de-
taiiA. 
But be had not finiBhed the fir~t sentence 
before the faLher stopped him. 
:c W e'Jl have no more of that here," he said. 
" Why not?" inquired the young man. "It 
is true." 
But the peasant was not a man to waste 
words. 
The silence that ensued was more sig-
nificant than any reply could have beeu. It 
was broken by the low, sweet voice of an inva-
lid daughter: who sat by the fireside propped 
up by pillows in an easy chair. 
"He that stoppeth his ears from hearing of 
blood, and shutteLh his eyes fi:om seeing evil, he 
shall dwell on high." 
. 
. 
The rebuke was not lost upon the young man; 
and an unforgotten scene was vividly present 
to the mind of another daughter, wLeu, after 
years of service, she was promoted to the bouse-
keeper's place in an aristocratic home, and saw 
the under-servants habitually reading papers 
that published all the particulars of wickedness. 
Pained at the evidences of a low and misuLieY-
ous taste, the pure-minded girl succeeded in 
~hami ng tbe curiosity that craved such reading, 
and before long her influellce banished every 
objectionable paper from t.be hou::;e, and sup-
plied the servants with mental entertaimnent 
that was wholesome and dcau. 
''He shall dwell on high." 
How many who 
expect that promise for themselves forget to 
shut. their eyes fl'om seeing evil or things whieh 
suggest vileness 't 
The rewards that uouel ude 
the divine beatitudes are rewards in kind; the 
consummation of a course already begun. 
J.t 
is the high-minded who shall dwell ou high. 
The men and women are comparatively fevv--anJ 
those of mature age and purity of culture-
whom the interests of philantbropy (or any 
other necessity) compel to be very familiar with 
the factEl of depravity and vice. 
'l'be great ma-
jority of mankind have no call to study the dis-
gusting details. The extent to which this is 
done, however, is deplorable. 
Too many young 
men's rooms could reveal proofs of this low in-
dulgence. 
And we are afraid the same will 
have to be said of some of the young men's sis-
ters. 
Young ladies will not, of course, be seen 
buying criminal newspapers at the news-stands; 
but what shall we think of those who habitually 
steal the reading of them'? 
A young lady in 
Baltimore was recently discovered by her prom-
ised husband eagerly perusing a disreputable 
newspa.per which she had stolen from her 
brother's room. 
He may not have been guilt-
less himself; but the sight of the woman he 
loved feasting on moral filth sickened him, and 
he went away to come back no more. 
We shun evil effectually only when we shun 
all unnecessary acquaintance with its pictures. 
"Blessed are the pure in heart." 
The ::;equel 
to the beautiful ·words repeated by the peasant 
girl to the thoughtless young man are almost 
as like that blessing on the mount as if our Sav-
iour bad quoted it from the 33d of Isaiah: 
"'J
1hine eyes shall see the King in his beauty." 
The pure in heart live out of the way of morbid 
cur;osity and evil tastes and temptations, be-
case they Jive above them-so high above that 
they "see God."-Cong1·egationalist. 
CHRIST's final promise of his presence with 
his people has for its one condition that they 
be engaged in making di::;uiples. 
'l.'hen his un-
seen hand takes bold with man's weak grasp, 
and they are fellow-laborers with God. 
IT is not enough to keep the poor in mind; 
give them something to make them keep you 
in mind. 
anti 
RELIGIOUS. 
-A temple is to be erected for the use of Spiritu-
alists at Ne::;haminy Falls, Pa. 
-A general state of anarchy prevails in Anam, 
and bands of robbers are scouring the country. 
-There is great dissatisfaction in the British 
House of Commons over the extravagance of the 
royal family. 
-The Burnswick cotton mill at Mosley, England, 
has been burned, throwing three hundred operatives 
out of employment. 
-The Bavarian Pa:·liament proposes to give all 
the employes on its rail ways half of the Sunday. 
-Two men were killed and twelve others injured, 
some of tl1el\l fatally, by a fire-damp explosion in a 
-The increase in the membership of the Metb-mir1e near Dunbar, Pa., March 8. 
odist Episcopal Church South last year is said to 
-The Mormons expect to complete their great 
be 50,000. 
temple at Salt Lake City in about two years. It is 
-A Sioux Indian, a graduate of the school at estimated that it will cost $3,000,000. 
Hampton, Va., is sLudying in the theological semi-
-Professor Huxley says it wou1d take nearly 
nary at Alexandria. 
1,000,000 barrels of herring to supply the cod on the 
-Prague, in Bohemia, where Jerome was born, Norwegian Coast with one breakfast. 
and the martyr Huss prenched, has elected a Prot-
-A telegram of the 9th inst. states that the at-
estant mayor for the first time in 200 years. 
titude of Greece is still be1ligerent, and fears are 
-The Methodist Woman's Foreign Missionary entertained that she will yet precipitate war. 
Society is taking measures to establish a Home in 
-On the 9th inst. the navvies working on the 
Seou 1, the capital of Corea. The ground has al-Turkish rail ways near Tranja were attacked by a 
ready been purchased. 
desperate mob. Several engineers and thirty work-
-The Pope has appointed Mgr. Gossens to be men were killed. 
Chief of Clergy in Congo State. A Catholic semi-
-The dock of the Monarch Steamship Line at 
nary is being founded at Douvain, where students Jersey City, N.J., burned March 8. 
Two steamers 
will be especially trained for service in Congo. 
were badly damaged, and the Erie Company's milk 
-Hundreds of persons attended a "faith cure" depot was destroyed. 
convention recently held in a ·Methodist church in 
-Prince Bismarck's bill giving the German Gov-
Brooklyn, and a number of persons claimed that ernment a monopoly of the traffic in spirituous 
they were cured of diseases of years' standing. 
liquors has been rejected by the committee of the 
-Two influential schools in Tokio, Japan, that -Rt•ichstag to which it was referred. 
have formerly been opposed to Christianity, have 
-A ln.rge and enthusiastic meeting of Mormon 
ench employed a missionary as one of t.he teachers; women was held in Salt Lake City, March 6, in 
aud rrgular instruction in the Bible will be given. which many speeches were made declaring their 
-The news comes from Rome that the pope has inalienable right to vote and to practice polygamy. 
decided to appoint another American cardi11al be-
-A fire has completely destroyed the great Con-
Hidvs Arch bisl1op Gibbo11s of Baltimore. The fav-
v<'nt of the Ursulines at Laeken, Belgi urn. 
The 
or('d recipicn t of the honor is Archbishop Tascherean inmates or the conven t-30 nuns and 105 young 
of Quebec. 
girls, 
boarder~:! at the convent school-were all 
-Bishop William Taylor, who is in charge of an saved. 
ex LPnsi ve missionary enterprise in Central Africa, 
-A verdict of $3,000 was rendered last week in 
calls lor 15 or 20 volunteers, men and women, who Westchester Com1 ty, N. Y., in favor of a widow 
will be self-supporting. 
He wants a number of whose husband committed suicide wl1ile under the 
artisans, and asks for donations of mechanic's tools, influence of liquor purchased in the saloon or the 
farming implements, etc. 
defendant. 
· 
-Four missionaries have already been assigned 
-On the night of March 12, a daring robbery was 
to the newly opened field of Upper Bunnah, and committed on a R.uck Island train between Joliet 
two or three of them are on the ground. The mis-and Morris, Ill. The express messenger, who stub-
sionaries do not mean to lose all tlleir labor through bornly defended the property coromittcd to his care, 
tile influence of the rumseller either; for the Mis-
was killed, and over $20,000 in mouey was secured. 
sionary Conference at Rangoon has taken steps to 
prevent the introduction of liquor and opium into 
this province. 
-Dr. Howard Crosby, in an article published in 
the Ckristian at Wm·/c not a great while ago, took 
the singular position that the Sunday-sabbath is 
twofold in its nature, having both a religious and a 
political character; and that while as a religious 
institution it is a matter of conscience, as a civil 
institution it is a legitimate subject of legislation. 
The Christian at WoTk quotes Justice Field of the 
United States Supreme Court in support of this 
position, as follows: "Laws setting aside Sunday as 
a clay of rest are upheld, not from any right of the 
Government t8 legislate for the promotion of relig-
ious observances, but from its right to protect all 
persons from the physical and moral debasement 
which comes from uninterrupted labor. Such laws 
have always been deem eel beneficent and merciful, 
. . . and their validity bas been sustained by 
the highest courts of the States." This theory is a 
good illu:::tration of the ingenuity that is required 
to sust.ain a weak cause. But Dr. Crosby makes one 
statement that every one who has ·watched the Sab-
bath controversy can readily indorse, when he says 
that this "question needs to be stripped of many of 
its foggy points." 
---------+---------
SECULAR. 
-It is said that a force of 12,000 rebels is about 
to march on Mandalay, Burmah. 
-On t.be 13th iust. $350,000 worth of cotton was 
destroyed by fire at Oldham, England. 
-The time fixed by law for holding the Utah 
Legislature has expired, and Govemor Murray re-
fuses to have any Jurther official communil;ation 
with that refractory body; but the members seem 
deterrniued to prolong the session. It is understood 
that tl1ey are now e11gaged in preparing a memorial 
to Congress, censuring Governor Murray for the 
deadlock on the appropriation bill and condemning 
Lis .use of .the velo power;, 
-M. Pasteur claims that his svstem of treatment 
has proved successful in 325 cnses of pcrsous bitten 
by mad dogs. 
He is ambitious to found an i11 ter-
natioual establisl1men t for the treatment of hydro-
phobia patients, and $10,000 of the $400,000 needed 
for this purpose has been subscribed. 
-The largest breech-loadiug gun ever made on 
this continent has just been completed at W~"aslt­
iugton. It .is an 8-i11ch gun nearly 80 feet long; it 
carries a bali weigbiug 250 pounds aud a charge of 
powder of fully half that weight. Still larger guns 
are in process of construction. 
-On Tuesday,.March 9, some person threw poison 
int(i) the coffee used at the almshouse at Lebanon, 
Pa. The almshouse has 80 inmates; and the doctor 
in attenclnll(;e thiuks that more th:tn l1alf of them 
would have been killed, had not the poiHon been so 
strong as to cause vomiting. As it is, several are in 
a critical condition. 
-An extensive strike, involving many thousand 
men, railroad employes, coal miners, and men of 
other occupations, was commenced in several of the 
Eastern States last week. In some instances the 
employers have acceded to the demands of the 
laborers, and work has heen resumed; in others the 
contest. is still maintained. 
-The Times of Osage Mission, Kan., gives an 
account ot a horrible murder that has recently been 
committed in that vicinity. 
A young boy is be-
lieved to be thl' murderer, and the victims are his 
father, mother, brother, and sister. No cause is as-
signed for the terrible deed, and the most charitable 
conclusion is that the boy has been corrupted by 
dime-novel literature. 
-It costs Russia $5,000,000 a year to maintain 
the royal household; $20,000,000 go to the navy 
and $103,000,000 to the army, and the annual in-
terest on the national debt is $106,000,000 more. 
And for the last ten vears the national debt has 
been constantly increasing at tlre rate of about 
$20,000,000 annually, until this year, when the 
deficit has been reduced to $13,000,UOU. 
. MARCH 
] 8, 1886. 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES . 
[151 175 
Smith's Diag-ram of Parlia1nentary Rules. 
THIS is a work designed for students, teachers, 
professional men, all who may be called upon to pre-
side over busiJJt·ss meetings, all who ever have occa-
juhlizh£rz' ~~~artm£nt. 
AGENTSAND BOOK DJ,;POSITORI::E~S. 
sion to take p:Lrt in business proceedings, and all 
Australia-International Tr-ac-·t-8o-c-ie-ty, Bible Echo Office, Ra.eand 
h 
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por 
Scotchmer Sts., North Fitzroy, Victor!a, Australta. 
w 
o may Wls t 
o 111 orm 
Iemse ves on 
I 
m 
-
BritishGuiana.-JosephR.Brathwaite,l52ChurchSt.,Georgetown, 
tant subject of Parliameutary Rules. 
The subject 
Demerara, British Guiana, s. A. 
. 
California Tract 8ociety-10o7 Castro St., Oakland, Cal. 
is here presented 
under an entirely new arrange-
CanadaTractSociety-SouthStukely, P. Q. 
ment, by which a e:reat amount of information is 
Colorado Trac-t ~ociety-831 California St., Denver, Colo. 
• 
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Dakota Tract Society-Vilas, Miner Co., Dale 
pre::;ented to the eye at once, in a marvelously con-
District of Columbia.-International Tract Society, 1831 Vermont 
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densed form. 
By an i ngeniously-dcvised f:lystem of 
Eno-laud-1'he Present 1'mtl, 72 Heneage St., Grimsby, Eng. 
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diverging aud converging lines, a l t e ru es app y-
Hawaiian Islan•ts-iuternational 'l'ract Society, Honolulu, H. I. 
· 
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Idaho-Elder D. l'. Fero, Boise City, Idaho. 
Ing 
o any given mo 10n, an a 
te mo Jons coming 
lllinois Tract Society-No. 9:'> Thirty-fifth ::;t., 9hirago! Ill. 
under any given rule, are presented at one view, 
lndhna Tract Society-No. ;-;2 Cherry St, Indmnapolls, Ind. 
Iowa Tract Society-1315 E. Sycamore 8t .. Des .\louws, Iowa. 
facilitating i m ID8JI:5ely the acquisition of a general 
Kansas Tract Society-Box 160, Ottawa, Fra11klin CP:· Kan. 
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knowledge of this sn ject, an 
· lH11IS 1ng 
0 a cuau-
Louisanu.-International Tract Society, 1:32 Mag-azme Street, New 
man instant information on any point upon which 
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It is to the stucly of parliamentary practice what 
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l 
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· d 
Nebraska Tract Society--Fremont, Dodg·e Co., Neb. 
a map is to the ~tuc y of geograp Y· 
ear In mln 
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New Mexico-John McMurchy, White Oaks, Lincoln County, N.M. 
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P .ACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal. 
"'l'he Truth Found:" 
OR ''the Nature and Obligation of the Sabbath of 
the Fourth Commandment," by Elder J. H. Wag-
goner, is a little book the title of which explains its 
character. It contains more Scriptural information 
in regard to the Sabbath than any other book of 
twice the size, and yet it is so simplified af:l to be 
easily comprehended. 
The author quotes the opi n-
ions of mauy lear.ned men concerning the SabbaLh, 
and their confl.i cting theories are gtrongly contrasted 
with the clear, straight forward teaching of the 
Bible. 
64 pages. 
Price, 10 cents. 
Address, 
SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal. 
Bible Sanctification. 
THE Hubject of Bible sanctification is one in 
which every Christian is deeply interested. It is a 
vital quef:ltion, and no one can afford to be in error 
upon it; therefore aJl should buy and read Mr:;. 
E. G. White's 84-page pamphlet, "Bible Sanctifi-
cation: a Contraf:lt of True and False Theories." J t 
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and an exposure of the false theories prevailing in 
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Price, 10 cents. 
Address, 
SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal. 
OAKLAND.-House of worship, northeast 
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Sabbath-school every Sab-
bath at 9: 30 A. M. 
Preachiug 
at 
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Prayer and 
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every Tuesday evening at 7 : 30. 
Seats free. 
Annual Meeting. 
THE regular annual meeting of the society of the 
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held aL the house of worship, on Wednesday, April 
7, 1886, at 7:30 o'clock P. M., for the purpose. of 
electing a board of five trustees, a.nd transact1llg 
such other buf:li uesf:l as may come before the meeting. 
A general atteudance will ?e nece::;sary, i1~ 
or~er 
that the proceedi 11gs may be 111 accordance w1th ~he 
law, By order of the pref:lideut, 
BEN .A.JA.H R N GHDYlilll; 8ec1·etm '1/ 
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WE have 110 back numbers of the SIGNS on hand, the 
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soUTH LANCAS'l~E~ ACADEMY'. 
AN EDUCATIONAL INS'l'ITU'l'ION OF IN-
CREASING POPULARITY. 
Tbis school is located at South Lancaster, Worcester County, Mass., 
thirtl'·five mile'l from Boston, and was founded in 1882. 
It Is prosperous because operated on correct educational principles. 
Thorough instru<:tion is gi' en in all the common branehes, and those 
of the usual hig-h-school and academic courses. There is also a well-
sustained Biblical Department. 
I'l'S SPECIAL FEATURES ARE 
1. A judicious discipline for the dovelopment of moral character. 
It is a safe place for the young-. 
2. Methods of teaching· that aim at mental culture of a high type. 
3. Instruction and pra.cti~e in various kinds of manual labor and 
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4. Astonishing-ly low expenses. 
Fourteen dollars per school month 
pays all expense of tuition, bom·d, lodg·in~, washing, lights, fuel, etc. 
For catalogue or further information address, 
CHAS. C. RAMSEY, A.M., Principal. 
AGE TO COME: 
A REFUTATION OF THE DOCTRINE. 
BY ELD. J, H. WAGGONER. 
Embracing a critical examina~ion of the Temporal Millennium-The 
Return of the Jews-Time and lanner of the Establishmenll of the 
King-dom of God-The Day of the Lord1 and the Ptomi~c:; to lsrael. 
Second edition revised, 168 pa;:es; price, post-paid; 20 cents. 
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SlCtNS O.i!' THF. TlMES1 Oakiand1 Cal.l 
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AND RELIGIOUS CULTURE. 
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but is filleu with a great vwiet.v of that kind of reading-which tend. 
to the healthful development of the ye>uthful mind. Its paged ar 
made bright by the choicest illustrative pid.ures, and its column 
are always full of useful information. 
As a Sabbath-school and Lesson pap"lr, it is suited to the wants o 
<>chnlars and teachers, and is calculated t·.> increase the interest o 
all who read it, in thorough Bible study. 
TERMS, ALWAYS IN ADVANCE.-Sing-le copy, 75 cents a year; Fiv 
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NEW PREMIUM OFFER-" GOLDEN GRAINS" SERIES. 
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THE SEVENTH PART OF TIME 
BY w. H. LIT'fLEJOHN. 
THIS is a refutation of the theory that God sanctified simply a sev 
ent.h part of time as the Sabbath, without fixing that time to any 
definite day. 
The necessity or a 
UNIFORM DAY OF REST, 
Is admitted by neo.rly all, and is advocated in this book. The autho 
also shows that the Creator understood and anticipated this neces 
sity, and prove3 bv five different processes of reasoning that th 
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DIPHTHI£RIA: ITS CAUSES, PREVEN 
TION, AND PROP.ER TREA'l'MENT. 
BY J. H. KELLOGG, M. D. 
The increasing prevalence of this devastating disease, and its 
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ure and Treatment one of the greatest importance. 
This work gives a concise account of the Nature, Cause, Medea of 
Preven~ion, and 
THE MOST flUCCESSFUL METHODS OF TREA'l'MENT 
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Or, REVIEW AND HERALD, Battle Creek, Mic.d 
PRACTICAL MANUAL 
OF 
H BALT H AND TEMPERANCE. 
EMBRACING THE 
Treatment of Common Diseases, Accidents and 
Emergencies, the Alcohol and Tobacco 
Habit, the Cooking School, use-
ful Hints and Recipes. 
BY J. H. KELLOGG, M. D. 
A book that everybody needs! Brimful of information on a hun-
dred useful topics ! It tells how to treat the most common ditieaoes 
s.uccessfullv with simple remedies; how to disinfect and ,·enttlate· 
how to tell poi~ouous colors in wall-paper, flannels, stocking-s, and 
hat linings; what to do in case of accidents: how to recuscitate the 
drowned, and gh·es much other important informat.ion. 
'fHE COOKING SCHOO[,, BY MRS. E. E. KELLOGG, 
Is a special department containing sixty pages of excellent instruc-
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how shall it be cooked? are questions of the greatest importance for 
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f\!IGNS OF 'l'liEl TIMES, Oakhmd1 C~h 
176 
[16) 
THE SIGNS OF Tl:-IE TIMES. 
VoL. 12, No. 11. 
ocge ~igns nf ±ge [imes. 
OAKLAND, CAL., FIFTH-DAY, MARCH 18, 1886. 
16f"We send no papers from this office without pay in 
advance, unless by special arrangement. 
·when persons 
receive copies without ordering them, they are sent by other 
parties, and we can give no information in regard to them. 
Persons thus receiving copies of the SIGNS are not indebted 
to the office, and will not be called upon for pay. 
Please 
read the papers and hand them to your friends to read. 
ELDER BOYD appoints the North Pacific Camp-
meeting for May 19-25. The exact location will 
doubtless be given in a week or two. 
A PUBLIC meeting is soon to be held inN ew 1 ork 
to help forward the Saturday half-holiday move-
ment. A pledge to abstain as far as possible from 
making purchases at any store after one o'clock on 
every Saturday afternoon has been signed by some 
fifty wealthy society ladies, and is being circulated. 
This is a step in the direction of enforcing Sunday 
observance, the theory being that if employes are 
given half of the Sabbath for a holiday, they will 
have no excuse for taking recreation on Sunday. 
A CAI,IFORNIA clergyman, writing to his church 
paper, speaks as follows of a revivalist who has been 
working in his church for a few weeks past:-
" His style is pictorial and pathetic. His appeals 
at times were very powerful, and scores were moved 
and arose for prayers under this influence, that will 
not, probably, uuite with any church." 
This must necessarily be the result where, instead 
of re::~sqning out of .the Scriptures, the speaker relies 
on pathetic appeals to the imagination. And the 
worst of it is that those who are thus "moved" 
usually settle down into their former indifference as 
soon as the sensation die!!! away, and their indiffer-
ence to gospel truth increases each time they are 
thus moved. 
As We Expected. 
WHEN the warfare against the Chinese com-
menced in California, we expressed the opiniori that 
it would work favorably to the railroads, as it would 
enable them to hire Chinamen at their own prices· 
The following is clipped from a recent report in a 
San Francisco daily of railroad work in a certain 
part of this State:-
"The railroad force [2,000 men] comprises mostly 
Chinamen, only 250 white men being employed. 
Work, however, is given to all white men desirous 
of working for a dollar a day and board. The dri v-
ing away of Chinamen from various sections enables 
the railroad company to secure plenty of Chinese 
laborers at cheapest rates." 
A Dangerous Weapon. 
AT a recent anti-Chinese meeting in San Fran-
cisco, the State secretary of the Anti-Chinese League 
made a speech in which-
" He recounted the success of the boycott in Truckee. 
It had proved irresistible. It was a weapon more 
powerful than revolution itself. If in Truckee a 
handful of u1en had, in twenty-four hours, forced a 
wealthy firm like---, who had expressed a will-
ingness to expend the whole of the million of dollars 
which they had invested in their business before 
they would yield to the anti-Chinese movement, to 
surrender at discretion, what could not the orO'an-
ized co2st do?" 
c 
A powerful weapon indeed, and it is liable to be 
called into requisition on very slight occasiou. 
"More powerful than revolution itself." So were. 
the rack and the thumb-screw, the wheel and the 
gridiron, of the old Inquisition. And then it C[ln be 
carried on so consistently with law I No bluster 
and violence, but a simple notification to a mall that 
if he does not at once change his sentiments he will 
be sy::;tematically starved either to death or in to 
submi'lsion. And yet there are men calling them-
selves Christians, who allow themselves to be intim-
idated by this newly-f'ouncl weapon, so that they are 
willing to use it upou others. There l1ave been men 
who preferred starvation to wrong-doing. We think 
the next few years will develop more of the same 
sort. 
How Evidence Is ~iade. 
A WRITER in the Ch1·istian Union having stated 
that "from the days of Augustine to the present 
time the leaders of thought in the church have re-
garded the first chapter of Genesis as a poem," the 
Watchman requested the names of some of these 
"leaders of thought." In respon~e. the Christian 
Union gave the uames of Hugh Miller, Dr. Tayler 
Lewis, Dr. Pusey, T. J. Conant, Dr. Winchell, Le-
normant, and George Smith I To this the ·watch-
man responds as follows, pricking the bubble that 
had been blown so large:-
" These are THE leade1·s of thought in the church 
since Augustine! \Ve have obtained the informa-
tion which we sought, and which we expected to 
get. The pompous phrase sinks into an anti-climax. 
W R mean no disrespect to the memory of Hugh Mil-
ler, or of Tayler Lewis, to Dr. Conant, or to Dr. 
Wiuchell, when we dec! i ne to exalt them to the 
thrones to which the Christian Union seems to nom-
inate them. I have a certain opinion. This may 
be an important fact to me, and to those, whether 
few or many, to whom my opinion is valuable.· But 
I wish to make the opinion more impressive. So I 
put it thus: 'All intelligent men,' or 'all schoiars 
who are abreast of the world's thought, agree in this,' 
or, 'it is the con census of recent criticism,' or, 'in 
this view all theologians of repute concur.' And so 
my opinion becomes a mighty 'wind of doctri11e.'" 
The WatcMnan well says that ~nch exaggeration 
is much too common. It is a yery conveuient way 
of manufacturing evidence. But such evidence may 
very appropriately be termed "wind of doctrine." 
Unfortunately, however, such a wind is strong 
enough to carry away a large number of people. 
People r.ead that "all theologians agree on this," or 
that "the highest Christian thought" tends in a 
certain direction, or that "the latest developments 
of science" teach ::;o and so, and forthwith they be-
tome converts to the mooted question; fori t would 
never do to be ignorant of so well established a fact ! 
This will continue to be tbe case so long as men pre-
fer to follow the lead of what they imagine to be the 
majority instead of reading the Bible for thernsel ves 
aud using the intelligence which God has given 
them. 
No point of truth can ever be settled by a 
majority vote. 
" If custom, gray with ages grown, 
Had fewer blind men to adore it; 
If talent shone for truth aloue, 
The world would be the better for it." 
Origiual Poetry. 
IN the SIGNS we are expected to have a certain 
amount of poetry, and it is our desire to do so; and 
good original poetry always has the preference. 
But very little of that class is received at the office. 
The reader would be astonished to learn the amount 
of manuscript we receive which the writers fondly 
call poetry. In many cases the writers cannot spell 
correctly, and have no idea of grammar; they barely 
approach to rhyme, and do not even approach to 
measure, and have no idea of the importance of ac-
cent. It is hard to convince this class that they 
cannot write poetry. 
But all are not so destitute of knowledge as this• 
who an'l yet far from being poets, though they thi11k 
they are. "Blank verse" gives an e:x:celleut oppor-
tunity for showing the "true poetic fire." It has 
been the medium of conveying the most profound 
thought in the mo::;t lofty strains; perhaps this is 
owing somewhat to the fact that the writer is not 
trammeled in his work to choose words wldch make 
rhyme. But when wrilers seud us blank verse (so-
called), with a goodly share of the lines ending in 
prepositions and conjunctions, we shall never be 
persuaded that they are poets, even though they 
may have the rhyming faculty quite largely devel-
oped. 
We have had some writers who could really write 
quite passable verses, but who often write so care-
lessly and so hastily that we had to reject their con-
tributions. 
Th<>n they grow di~couraged. If they 
would exercise more patience, and give more time to 
considering, pruning, and correcting their work, 
they might do quite well. 
Scientific Presumption. 
THIS time it is all the way from Engla11d. Some 
scientific association, which as a matter of course 
knows all about it, has decided that it is a physical 
impossibility for Christ ever to come to this earth. 
We don't pretend to understand the process by 
which Lbey "demonstrate" this remarkable -propo-
sition; but they have settled it to their satisfaction, 
and have gone to the trouble to inform us t-hat we 
may now cease to look for so impossible an event. 
We have heard that when the subject of steamboat 
navigation was first under discussion, a learned 
member of Parliament was "demonstrating" that 
to cross the ocean by stea-m was and forever would 
be au impossibility; and even while he was speak-
ing a steamboat came into the harbor. 
We are in-
clined to think it will be the same in this case. 
"For as in the days that were before the flood they 
were eating and dri uki ng, marrying and giving in 
marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the 
ark, and knew not until the flood carne, and took 
them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son 
of man be.'' Matt. 24 : 38, 39. So we shall still 
continue to look for his coming. 
'.ro Our Brethren in California. 
AT Healdsburg College there atre four young men 
vvho want work during the coming summer, so that 
they may eam means by which they can return for 
the next term; but who, as yet, have no place to 
work. There are a good many of our brethren in 
this State who must have hired help, and by giving 
employment to these young men they will not only 
have steady, reliable hands, but will at the same 
time be doing a gooll work in belping the young 
men to obtain an education and trai'ning by which 
they may be useful in the cause of God. 
VIe ask 
our brethren who need hired help, to consider this 
and help these 
deservin~ young men. 
Write to 
Professor Browns berger, Healdsburg College, stating 
the kind of work you have to do, and the wages you 
will pay. The pres·ent term closes April 20. 
The 
young men are aged respectively, 18, 20, 21, and 29. 
THE Rev. Dr. Jenkins makes a good hit on the 
modern theological and scientifie fear of anything 
like definiteness, when he describes a "thinker" as 
one who "always goes round and round like a dog on 
an old-fashioned churn, and is never expected to 
reach any particular destination, but only to stir 
things up.'' 
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES, 
l'UBLISHED WEEKLY, AT OAKLAND, CAL., FOR. 1'11& 
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Sabbath-school. 
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103 
Address, 
SIGNS OF 'rHE TIME3, 
Twelfth and Ca.stro Streets, OAKLAND, CAL., U. S. A.