1 Jan 8 6: ============ "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, FEBRUARY 11, 1886. NUMBER 6. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. FOR THE the luxuries of his table. The food apportioned to them "from the king's table" would include swine's flesh and other meats pronounced un- clen.n by the law of Moses, and which the Jews were forbidden to eat. They roquested the • International Tract and Missionary Society. officer who had them in charge to grant them (For terms, etc., see last page,) Entered at the Post-Office in Oakland. 'l'HE BIBLE. THis little book I'd rather own Than all the gold and gems, That e'er in monarchs' coffers shone- Than all their diadems. Nay; were the seas one chrysolite, The earth one golden ball, And diamonds all the stars of night, This book were worth them all. How baleful to Ambition's eye His blood-wrung spoils must gleam, When Death's uplifted hand is high, His life a vanished dream ! Then hear him with his gasping breath F\)r one poor moment crave! Fool ! wouldst thou stay the arm of Death, Ask of thy gold to save ! No, no; the soul ne'er found relief In glittering hoards of wealth, Gems dazzle not the eye of grief, Gold cannot purchase health; But here a blessed balm appears 'J'o heal the deepest woe; And he that seeks this book in tears, His tears shall cease to flow. Here He who died on Calvary's tree Hath made that promise blest: "Ye heavy-laden, come to me, And I will give you rest; A bruised reed I will not break, Nor contrite heart despise; My burden's light, and all who take My yoke, shall win the skies ! " Yes, yes; this little book is worth All else to mortals given; For what are all the joys of earth Compared to joys of Heaven? This is the guide our father gave To lead to realms of day-- A star whose luster gilds the grave, The Light, the Life, the Way. - Wm. Leggett. Temperance l=teform fron1 a Bible Staudpoint. BY MRS. E. G. WHITE. more simple fare; but he hesitated, fearing that such rigid abstinence as they proposed would affect their personal appearance unfavorably, and bring himself into disfavor with the king. Daniel pleaded for a ten days' trial. This wa8 granted; and at the expiration of that time, these youth were found to be far more healthy in appearance than were those who bad par- taken of the king's dainties. Hence the simple "pulse and water" which they at first re- quested was thereafter the food of Daniel and his companions. It -vvas not their own pride or ambition that had brought these young men into the king's court, into the companionship of those who neither knew nor feared the true God. They were captives in a strange land, and Infinite Wisdom had placed them where they were. Tbey considered their position, ';vith its difficul- ties and its dangers; and then, in the fear of God, made their decision. Even at the risk of the king's displeasure, thoy would be true to the religion of their fathers. They obeyed the divine iaw, both natural and moral, and the blessing of God gave them strength and come- liness, and intellectual power. These youth had received a right education in early life; and now, when separated from home influences and sacred assoeiations, they honored the instructors of their childhood. With their habits of self-denial were coupled earnestness of purpose, diligence, and stead- fastness .. Tbey bad no time to squander in pleasure, vanity, or folly. 'l'hey were not actu- ated by pride or unworthy ambition; but they sought to acquit themselves creditably, for tbe honor of their down-trodden people and for His glory whose servants they were. God always honors the rigb t. The most prom iRing youth of every land subdued by the great conqueror, had been gathered at Baby- lon; yet amid them all, the Hobrew captives were without a rival. The erect form, the firm, elastic step, the fair countenance showing that the blood was uncorrupted, the undimmed senses, the untainted breath,-all were so many certifica.t.es of good habits,-insignia of the no- bility with which nature honors those who are obedient to her laws. And when their ability and acquirements were tested by the king at the close of the three years of training, none WE can have no right understanding of the were found "like unto Daniel, Hananiah, Mish- subject of temperanee until we consider it from ael, and Azariab." Their keen apprehension, a Bible standpoint. And nowhere shall we their choice and exact language, their exten- find a morl:l comprehensive and forcible illustra-sive and varied knowledge, testified to the tion of true temperance and its attendant bless- unimpaired strength and vigor of their mental ings than is afforded by the history of the powers. prophet Daniel and his associates in the court The history of Daniel and his companions of Babylon. When they were selected to be has been recorded on the pages of the inspired tanght the "learning and the tongue of the word for the benefit of the vouth of all succeed-· Cbaldeans," that they might "stand in the ing ages. What men ha~e dor.e, men may king's palace," "the king appointed them a do. Did those faithful Hebrews stand firm daily portion of the king's meat, and of the amid great temptation, and bear a noble testi- wine which he drank." "But Daniel purposed mony in favor of true temperance? The youth in his heart that he would not defile himself of to-day may bear a similar testimony, e\u00b7en ·with the portion of tbe kiug's meat, nor with under circumstances as unfavorable. Would the wine whic:h he drank." t bat they would emulate the example of these Not only did these young men decline to I Hebrew youth; for all who will, may, like them, drink the king's wine, but they refrained from, enjoy the favor and blessing of God. The lesson from the experience of these youth is one which we would all do well to pon- der. Our danp;er is not from scn.rcity, but from abundance. We are constantly tempted to ex- cess. But those who would preserve their powers unimpaired for the service of God must observe strict temperance in the use of all his bounties, as well as total abstinence from every injurious or debasing indulgence. Right physieal h~.bits promote mental superi- ority. Intellectual power, physical strength, and longevity depend upon immutable laws. There is no happen-so, no chance, about this matter. Heaven will not interfere to preserve men from the consequences of the violation of nature's laws. There is much of truth in the adage that every man is the architect of his own fortune. While parents are responsible for the stamp of character. as well as fol' the education and training whicl1 they give their sons and daugb ters, it is still true that our position and usefulness in the world depend, to a great degree, upon our own course of ac- tion. Let old and young remember that for every violation of the laws of life, nature will utter her protest. Tho penalty will fall upon the mental as well as the physical powers. And it does not end with the guilty trifler. The effects of his misdemeanors are seen in his <:>if- spring, and thus hereditary evils are passed down, even to the third or fourth generation. Think of this, fathers, when you indulge in the use of the soul-and-brain-benumbing n~trcotic, tobacco. Where will this practice leave you? Whom will it affect besides yourselves? Wherever we go, we encounter the tobacco devotee, enfeebling both .mind and body by his darling indulgence. \Ve rarely pass through a crowd, but men will pu·ff their poisoned breath into our face. Is it honest to contn.minate the air which others must breathe? Have men a right to deprive their Maker and the world of the service wbich was their due? Is such a course Christlike? We are suffering for the wrong habits of our fathers, and yet bow many take a course every way worse than theirs! Every year millions of gallons of intoxicide of reform. Let ministers of the gospel be faithful in .instructing and warning the people. And let all remember that our happiness in two worlds depends upon the right improvement of one. Bible History Confirmed. PSALM 137 VERSIFIED. BY MRS. L. D. A. STUTTLE. How CAN I sing the songs of Zion When my soul is drear? My harp is hanging on the willows; 1 am an exile here. How can I, in joy and gladness, Sing the songs of home, When all my soul is filled with sadness, And I in sorrow roam ? How can I sing when earth is dreary With sin's foul blight, When every day my heart grows weary, Groping in shades of night? Can I sing when earth's dark places Their deep shadows fling? How could I list the mocking echo? Oh, ask me not to sing ! Wait till that glorious morning dawneth, When my Lord shall come, When I shall soar on angel pinions,- Soar to my heavenly home. Then I'll join the choir of angels, The bright hosts among; Then will I sing the songs of Zion With an immortal tongue. Bancmft, Mich. Similitude of Adam's Tra.nsgre~sion. A BROTHER asks for an explanation of Rom. 5 : 14. The query is, What is meant by sin- ning, or not sinning, after the similitude of Adam's transgression? This question was raised by bearing a man preach a discourse in which be took t.be posi- tion that Adam sinned against a positive or expressly reveaied law; that those who lived between Adam and Moses bad no revealed law, though they were counted sinners: and there- fore did not sin after the manner of Adam's MR. GEORGE RAWLINSON, in his latest work, sin, against a revealed precept. "Egypt and Babylon," gives the following strik- This is not a new idea; it bas been held by ing illustration of the manner in which many many; but we consider it a great error, and of the events related in the Old Testament are think it is not difficult to show that it is an being most unmistakably corroborated by mod-error. The letter of Paul to the Romans bas ern discoveries:- been a favorite subject of study with us for "The construction of 'store-(;ities' bas re-years; and we are satisfied that no one will ar- ceived recent illustration of the most remark-rive at right conclusions on some parts of the able kind. The explorers employed by the argument while he overlooks the plain points E!1;ypt Exploration Fund have uncovered at in chapter three, namely, that the whole world Tcl-el-Maskoutah, near Tel-el-Kebir, an ancient is condem11ed by the law of God, that the jus- city, which the inscriptionfl found on the spot tice of God is maintained by the gospel, and show to have been built, in part at any rate, by that the law of God is established by· the faith, Rameses II., and which is of so peculiar a con-or gospel, of Christ. We will examine f';ome struction as to suggest at once to those engaged points of the argument, by wbich we think it in the work the idea that it was a 'store-city.' may be clearly shown that the position noticed The town is ~tltoget.her a square, inclosed by a on the similitude of Adam's transgression is an brick wall twenty-two feet thick, and measur-error. ing six hundred and fifty feet long on each side. 1. That position supposes that no law was The area. contained within the wall is estimated known by the people who lived "from Adam at about ten acres.· Nearly the whole of this to Moses." And if that were true, it would fol- space is occupied by solidly built square cham-low necessarily tbat they had no knowledge of hers, divided one from the other by brick walls, sin, and that by their actions they incurred no from eight to ten feet thick, which were un-guilt. vVe rest these declarations on the ex- pierced by window or door, or opening of any press statements of Paul himself; for be 8ays, kind. About ten feet from the bottom, the "By the law is the knowledge of sin." Chap. walls sbo\V a row of recesses for beams, in some 3 : 20. And this is strengthened by the reason- o!-· wbic~h decayed wood still remains, indicating able assertion that "Where no law is, there is that the bnildings were two storied, having a no transgression" (4: 15); and also this: "Sin lower room which could only be entered by means is not imputed when there is no law" (5: 13). of a tl'ap-door, used probably as a store-house Now as matters of fact we know they were or magazine, and an upper one in which the sinners. See G~n. 13: 13: '.'But the men of keeper of the store mav have bad his abode. Sodom were Wicked and smners before the rrhus fur the discovery i~ simply that of a 'store-Lord exceedi~gly;" . and many ot~er texts. city,' built partly by Rameses II.; bnt it fur-But as there 1s no sm where there 1s .no. law, ther appearR, from several short inscriptions,\ ~bey had a law to trar~sgress. Also, s1~ IS not that the name of the dty was Pa Tum ot· Imputed where there IS no law; but sm was Pi thorn· and there is thus ·no reasonable d~ubt imputed to them. Therefore there was a law. that on~ of the two cities built by the Israelites See the cases of Cain, the people in the days of bas been laid bare, and answers completely to Noah, the men of So~om, etc. And the law the description o-iven of it."-Sel. was revealed to them; for they bad a knowledge F> of sin, which, Paul says, is by the la-vv. Abra.- N OTICE the negative character of the com-bam pleaded with the Lord that he would not mands regarding the Holy Spirit: "Resist not,'' destroy the righteous with the wicked. Lot ''quench not," ':vex not," "grieve not," seeming entreated the men of Sodom not to do so wick- to imply that if vve do not 1·estrain and force edly. \Ve might cite a mulLitude of cases, but him away, it is his blessed disposition to abide will only quote the words of the Lord himself :tnd spring up as a well of liviug water. to Isaac: ·' 1 will perform the oath wbicb I VoL. 12, No. 6. FEBRUARY 11, 1886. THE SIGNS OF TI--IE TIMES. (S] 83 diet other texts, and even this verse itself; for the law did exist, inasmuch as sin both existed and was imputed to those who committed the sin. 'l 1he evident meaning is, until the giving of the law, in the time of Moses, which was, indeed, but a renewing of the law. vVbat, then, is the idea of the apostle in verse 14, where he says they did not sin after the similitude of Adam's transgression? The solu- tion of this apparent difficulty, which bas proved so great a difficulty to many minds, is found in the immediate context and in the ar- gument which follo\;o,7s. The verse reac;ls: "Nev- erthelesR death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them who had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's tram:;gression, who is the figure of him tbat w~1s to come." How was it that Adam was the figure of him that was to come? \u00a5as it in sinning? No; for he that was to come was not a sinner. Now was Adam in his sin, a figure of him that was to come, more than they who sinned after him? Notice what the apostle says in succeeding verses. "Through the offense of one many be dead." "The judgment was by one to condemnation." "By one man's offense death reigned." "By the offense of one judgment came upon all." " By one man's disobedience many were made sinners." This is the idea on Adam's side. But there is another idea running through all these verses. ''The gift by grace is by one man. Jesus Chl"ist." "By the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justi- fi<.;ation of life." "By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Here is seen a series of antitheses running through the whole argument, based on t?e repr·esentative chaTacter-of A dam and of Chnst -the first and the second Adam. It is as cer- tainly true that we fell, that death passed upon us all, in Adam's transgression, as that we rise, have rigb teo us ness restored to us, in Christ. And as Christ is the only one given through whom rigbteousueRs can be obtained, so Adam was the only man whose sin involved his pos- terity. In this-his representative character- and in this only, be "is the figure of him that vvas to come." And in this respect, and in this onlv no other bas ever sinned after the simili- tud~e' of his transgression. This is the very heart of the apostle's argument, so evident that we can only wonder that authors have so largely overlool~ed it. We noticed an error into which Professor Stuflrt fell in regard to the law, though he suc- ces!4fully combats the greater eJJror that the people before Moses had no law. Of the simil- itude between the two Adams he is, however, clear and explicit, aa the following from· his Commentarv shows:- " 'rbe·act~lal and principal point of similitude between Adam and Christ is, that each individ- ual, respectively, was the cause or occasion, in consequence of what be did, of greatly affecting the w bole human race, although in an opposite way. Adam introduced sin and misery into the world; and in consequence of this all men are, even without their own concurrence, sub- jected to many evils here; they are born entiTely destitute of a disposition to holiness; and this cond·ition and their circumstances render it cer- tain that they wilt sin, and will always sin IN ALL THEIR ACTS OF A MORAL NATURE, until thei1·· hearts a.re renewed by the Spi1·it of God; and of course, all men are born in a state in which they are greatly exposed to the second death, or death in the highest sense of the term, and in which this death will certainly come upon them, unless there be an interposition of mercy through Christ. On the other hand, Christ introduces righteousness, or justification, and all blessings spiritual and temporal which are con- nected with a probationary state under a dis- pensation of grace and with the pardoning mercy of God. A multitude of blessings, such as the day and means of grace: the common bounties of Providence, the forbearance of God to punish, the calls and warnings of mercy, the proffers of pardon, etc., are procured by Christ for all men without exception, and without any act of concurrence on their part; while the higher blessings of grace, actual pardon, and everlasting life, are inaeed proffered to all, but are actually bestowed only upon those who re- pent and believe. The extent of the influence of Adam, is therefore a proper tupos of that of Christ. Each of these individuals, by what he did, affected our whole race, 'vithout any con- currence of theirs, to a certain degree; the one has placed them in a condition in which they actually suffer many evils, and in w bicb, by their own voluntary acts, they are peculiarly exposed to the most awful of all evils; the other bas actunlly bestowed many and important blessings on all without exception, and proffers to all the opportunity toevet· thou migiJtest be profited by me; works in all weather, and improves all opportu- and I10t10r 110t his faLher or his moLher, be shall nities-will best and most heartily promote the bu frue. 'rhus have ye made the comrnandm,ent growth of a eb urch and the power of the gos- of God of none ejj'ect by your tradition.·· ~f:l! r. p~·I.-Bu:;hnP-ll. Faith and Overcoming. THE disciples, in their frail bark, tossed by angry winds and bnge waves which it seemed would surely overwhelm them, saw the Sav- iour, who proved to be their deliverer. Through their faith in bim, they reached the shore in safety. Had they turned from him in their ne- cessity, they probably would have been lost. Our bark in life may be no less frail; calamities may hang over us, as did the dark and angry clouds over them; huge waves of trouble may rise before and round about us, and threaten disaster on every side; yet before us evwr stands the m·ucified and rison Redeemer, into whose bands we mav with confidence commit our all. v Are there vexatious trials day by day, that throw us off our guard till we lose the Spirit of Christ? it is but the angry wind that would tb wart us in our purpose and keep us from the shore. The Redeemer, although hidden from view by our sins which stand between us and him, is waiting, ready to save. Is there some heart-trouble-some one proved treacherous, some wrongs that threaten to wreck our faith in humanity and so cause us to lose our hold on God? they are but the waves, hungry for our souls. But behold the Snsionr is near, ready to help. He has been tempted in all points like as we are, and is able to succor them that n.re tempted. Yes; Jesus is just as able and willing to save now as be was then. How foolish would it have seemed for the disciples to reject him, and let the angry waves and winds take their Jives. How much more foolish for us to turn from biml And yet we see many bo fail to heed the, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." Although the disciples bad witnessed the wonderful miracle of the feeding of the mul- titude fi·om the five loaves and two fishes, they "considered not," the Bible says; "for their heart was hardened." So, often, those who have tasted of tbe goodness of God consider not; for their hearts bn.ve become hardened, as were those of the disciples, by crmta.ut with the ele- ments that surround them. -ob bow the heart of the Saviour goes out after them, as it did after the disciples that night amid the storm and tempest! He says, "lf ye will bear my voice, harden not your hearts." The wonder- ful wordB of life are reachipg out after every one who will bear. Whosoever will mny come and take of the water of life freely. How often the troubles and trials of life come around us till we are almost engulfed, and we cry, "Lord, save me!" Then his power, goodness, and mercy are forcibly brought borne to us when all other sources fail. But bow sad the fate of those who fail to lift their souls in agony to Him who alone is able to help in every Lime of need! lf anger arises in our hearts, then we are driven from God by the wind; for anger work- etb not righteousness. If we give place to jealousy or envy, the waves are after us. lf we are disobeying any of God's commandments, we are not overcoming as Jesus overeame; for be said, "I have kept my Father's com- mandments.'' Again he says, "Verily I say uuto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shn.U in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." So if we would reach the shore in safety, and enter the beautiful city, and be permitted to eat of the wonderful tree of life, we must not follow the tradition of men, but must truly put on Christ, and through faith in him, overcome as be overcame; for we are told, "Blessed are they that do His command- ments, that they may have right to the tree ot life, and may euter in through the gates in to the eity." It is of such that God has said, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14 : 12. MRs. H. P. GRAY. 86 [6) THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. VoL. 12, No. 6. "Can ye not discern the signs of the times?" J. H. wAGGONER, - - EDITOR. E. J. w AGGONER, t ALONZO T. JONES, f ASSISTANT EDITORS. URIAH SMITH, } S N H CORRESPOl~DING EDITORS. • • ASKJ';LL, OAKLAND, CAL., FIFTH-DAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1886. The Coming of a Literal Christ. THE subject of the Judgment is a most solemn subject. In it every human being has an interest. It does not matter that some say that they do not feel any interest in it. We cannot throw off respon- sibility by refusing to acknowledge. our responsi- bility, or by stifling our convictions. The Judg- ment is a matter which is governed by authority, by law, and not by feelings. God is declared to be "the Judge of all." Heb. 12:23. No one can escape his eye; no act is concealed from his ·dew. Reb. 4:12, 13; Eccl. 12 :13, 14. A thief and mur- derer may reject all the ble:;:;;ings which the Govern- ment .guarantees to good citizens, but he cannot reject the penalty whiclt the court pronounces upo!l his disobedience. At that time his option ceases. His choice and action determine how he shall stand in the Judgment; but when he comes to stand in the Judgment, he has no choice in the matter. How important that a wise choice be made while proba- tion lingers, while the privilege of choice is kindly extended. ' There is a Judgment appointed. Paul says: "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment." Reb. 9:27. And the time of the Judgmerit is appointed. "Because he hath appoiuted a day in the which he will judge the world." Acts 17:31. The saints will have a part to act in the Judgment of the world. "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?" 1 Cor. 6:2. And that time is closely connected with the sec- ond coming of Christ. ''Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden thing:'~ of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts." 1 Cor. 4 :5. And Peter, speaking of the coming of Christ, says thnt as the world was once overflowed with water, nnd perished in the flood, even so "the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:7. This fire is not mythical, or allegorical, or spiritual; but it is a fire by reason of which " the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." Verse 10. The flood was literal; by the pre- vailing of the waters both men and beasts and fowls perished. Only Noah and his family were saved in the ark which rode upon the waters. As men per- ished in the waters, so will they pedsh by fire in that day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men. If the literality of such language as this, and such facts as these, be denied, we cannot understand how it is possible for God to make a specific and certain revelation to man. Reward~ are given in the day of Judgment. "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of Judgment to be punished." 2 Peter 2 : 9. Again: "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small Rnd great; and shouldst destroy them that corrupt the earth." Rev. 11:18. Here, again, we say we do not at all care what meanings a lively imagination can attach to these t-exts by disr.orting their language. Our inquiry is, ·what is their actual meaning? What meaning will best ~uumonize the Scriptures, and make these texts harmonize with all the other Scriptures? Taking the prophecies of the first ad vent, and trac- ing their literal fulfillment, and following down the chain through these prophecies, do not reason, and sense, and reverence for the word of God, demand that we give a literal meaning to this language, and look for its literal fulfillment? But if these words are not literal, and do not mean what they say; if the "same Jesus" whom the disciples saw ascend bodily up to the heavens, will not come again in like manner as they saw him go away; if the "Lord him- self" will not descend with a shout, and the voice of the archangel and the trump of God will not be heard; if they who sleep in Christ will not rise; and if we that are alive and remain unto that time will not be caught up together with tl1em to meet the Lord in the air, then what is our comfort and hope in the Scriptures r What is our consolation con- cerning them that sleep in Christ r Where is our hope of reward and or the crown of glory? And again, if there is not a day of Judgment (as there certaiuly is not if the Lord is never to come), and if the day of the Lord never comes in which the elements shall be melted by fire, then is there, or will there ever be, any such time as a day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men? Will the unju::;t ever be punished? Is not Universalism true? And may we not make the Bible mean just what we please, without any regard to the mind of the Spirit by whom it was dictated r Can we de- pend upon anything with any certainty? And is not Iugersoll as nearly right as anybody in his views of the ScripLures? Reader, we feel very deeply interested in these questions. As we said before, we write for the sake of the word of God, for the honor of his revelation to us. We may toy with the words of man; we may make light of the Constitution of our Govern- ment, and pervert the language of the statutes of our States, and it will be a small matter. But let us tremble at the word of Je.hovah, remembering that he has magnified his word above all his name (P::>. 138 : 2), and he is very jealous for his truth. But there 1s yet a most important line of truth to be examined. It seems to us that enough has been presented to convince every one who has any re- spect for the Bible as a re·velation from God. But we wish to show how strongly fortified is our faith in the second advent; and we wish to show to any who may yet doubt, how weighty are the conse- quences which follow the misconEtruction of these scriptures. The doctrine which we have yet to con- sider is that of the resurrection. We have already noticed the words of Paul to the Thessalonians, that when the Lord himself descends, and the voice of the archangel is heard, the dead in Christ shall rise. And therefore, if the Lord himself does not come, the dead in Christ will not rise. This is true beyond the possibility of dispute. We are aware that we shall be met right here with the avowal of not a few, that they do not believe the dead ever will rise; that there is an immortal part of man which will never die, and that the mor- tal part which dies will never come up from the grave. And we call attention to a fact which ought to startle every doubter of the literal fulfillment of these prophecies, that the theory which denies the literal fulfillment of these scriptures, not only per- verts the divine word and destroys its obvious mean- ing and intention, but its advocates will deny a plain :statement with the most amazing coolness. There is nothing in all the Bible more plainly and positively stated than that the dead will live again -come forth from the grave. And yet there-are thousands of professed believers in the Bible who disavow faith in the resurrection of the dead with a manner of assurance as if it was given tl!em to set aside the word of Jehovah at their own will and pleasure. And they are not at all ashamed to reverse the word of the Lord, and to boldly proclaim that what it says shall be, will never come to pass. That which is said "by the word of the Lord" will never be fulfilled; but that which is conjectured, is imagined, which is purely a matter of speculation, is held as sufficient ground of faith and hope! Will not God, who says his counsel shall stand, visit them for such presumption? There is one fact, however, which very few who in any way profess to be Christians, will deny. It is that Christ r·ose from the dead. And his was a literal or physical resurrection, that is, a resurrec- tion of the person, or body, which died. He was crucified, dead, buried, and left the tomb; and after hls resurrection, they saw him, handled him, saw Lhe prints of the nails in his hands and his fer:'t, :mel tbe print of the spear in Ids ::;ide, and he ate and drank with them to give them the fullest assurance of his resurrect-ion. And if this truth of his resur-' rection be denied, where then is the gospel? His resurrection is the example and pledge of our resur- rection. .But let us hear the word of the Most High on this subject. Ps. 16:10: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [sheol, hades], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." In Acts 2 we are i nformcd that this was a prophecy of the resurrection of Christ, who was raised up "according to the flesh," in fulfillment of this word. It was a bodily resur- rection. Isa. 26: 19: "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." Here the prophecy of the resurrection of the bodies of dead men is much more explicit than was that of the resurrection of Christ; yet that was flllfilled literally, and so must this scripture be fulfilled. Jer. 31:15-17. In Matt. 2 we learn that this was a prophecy of the slaying of the little children in Bethlehem, the first martyrs for Jesus. They were cut off; they were not. But the Lord said: "Re- frain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come a()'ain to their own border." Paul says that death o is the last enemy, and that it shall be destroyed. 1 Cor. 15 : 26. The children were dead-in the land of the enemy, from which they shall come again. And this can only be by a resurrection. But if it be averred that they went to Heaven, whence they will be brought at some time, then it must be ad- mitted that Heaven is the land of the enemy I But admit the truth of the future resurrection of the dead, and there is no necessity to thus revile the tabernacle of the Most High. ~ee Rev. 13:6. Eze. 37:12-14: "Thus saith the Lord God: Be- hold, 0 my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, 0 my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land." We have before noticed this text, and shown why it is literal language. It is the Lord's own explanation of the vision of the prophet, and therefore must mean just what it says. Dan. 12 :2: "And many of them that slerp in the dust of the earth shall awake." This is pl'ecisely FEBRUARY 11, 1886. THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. [T] 87 parallel to the words of Isa. 26: 19. There is no I many things that are susceptible of the clearest mistaking the language. proof, cannot be fully comprehended even by those Hos. 13:14: "I will ransom them from the power who present the proof. Take, fot· instance, the ques- of the grave; I will redeem them from death. 0 tion of the existence of God. Both nature and rev- death, I will be thy plagues; 0 grave, I will be thYJ elation plainly teach that there is a God, who has destruction." existed from eternity; yet it is impossible to state This is a part of the testimony of the Old Testa-the case so clearly that no one can cavil or raise ob- ment on the subject of the resurrection of the dead; jections; and there is no one, no matter how clearly of dead men, even dead b0dies of those sleeping in he can demonstrate that there is a God, who can the dust of the earth. \iVJJen we consider that the comprehend him, or understand how he could exist resurrection of Christ wns literal, and that his resur-from eternity. The argument from ignorance is no rection is the pledge and assurance of ours, these argument at all. Truth is truth, however great our words of the Lord by his holy prophets ought to be ignorance of it may be. The merchant sitting in convincing-sufficiently so-to every one who pro-his office can put a question to his agent a thousand fesses any reg;ard for the "sure word of prophecy," mj]es distant, and receive a reply the next minute. or any reverence for our heavenly Father, who Tell this well-known fact to a savage, and he will makes known to man the counsel of his will. not believe you; he cannot comprehend how such a Jurisdiction of the Law. (Continued.) thing can be done, and will present objections and arguments which, to his mind, show the utter im- possibility of such a thing. Yet in spite of his ig- norance, the thing is t.rue. So there are many THUS far we have shown the existence of the law things in connection with God aud his government of God from the earliest history of mankind. We wish now to carry the argument a step further, as we have already intimated tlJat we should do. \iVe have found the law to be "the righteousness of God," the rule of his government. Since God has always been supreme ruler, and his rule has always been just and righteous, he must have judged ouly by his own righteous character, which is embodied in the decalogue. Now God has created many worlds beside-5 this one (He b. 1: 2), and since he formed ours that it might be inhabited (Isa. 45: 18), the conclusion is legitimate, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, that he made the others for the same purpose. No thinking person can suppose that this little earth, one of the small- est among the innumerable planets of the uni\u00b7erse, is the only one that is inhabited. Now of all these vast worlds, God is the King. "The Lord hath pre- pared his throne in the Heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all." Ps. 103 : 19. And since he can rule by naught except justice and righteousness, and all righteousness, even the righteousness of God himself, is comprised within the ten commandments, it follows that they, and they alone, form the rule of action in all God's universe. Of the correctness of this conclusion we have direct evidence in Ps. 103:20, where we read that the angels" do his com- mandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word." If the commandments are the rule in Heaven, where God himself resides, certainly they are the rule "in all places of his dominion." This view of the law, and we are confident that it is a just view, lifts the law question far, far above the plane on which its opposers would fain confine it. Instead of being imperfect and not calculated to bring man into proper r.elation to his Maker, it is the righteousness of God; instead of being confined to a small portion of this earth, the bounds of its jurisdiction are as extensive as the universe; in- stead of being given to one nation of earth, and to that alone, it ·is that to which all loyal creatures, even the angels of Heaven, bow in humble alle- giance; and instead of being limited to a few cent- uries of existence, it" stands fast forever and ever," even as long as God exists and his kingdom ruleth over all. We are aware that at first sight many will think that this is going too far, and will possibly raise ob- jections, and say that when we consider the nature of certain commandments, it is not reasonable to suppose that· they could be in Heaven for the re- straint of heavenly beings. We will therefore add one or two more points. But first we would remark that when a ·case is supported by positive evidence, we are not at liberty to reject'it because there are points about it which we do not understand. Noth- ing can be proved so clearly that no one can raise an objection, or even frame an argument, against it; and which fiuite wisdom cannot explain, but which we mu::;t accept. Now to further show the reasonableness. nay, the absolute necessity, of the ten commandments exist- ing as a rule for all the creatures of the universe. 1. "The law of the Lord is perfect." Ps. 19:7. Since it is perfect, nothing can be added to it or taken from it without making it imperfect. If, then, any creatures should be governed by more or less than this law, they would be governed by an imperfect law. But that, of course, would result in imperfect characters, and would further show the lawgiver to be imperfect; therefore such an idea cannot be entertained. 2. "The law of the Lord is perfect," because it is a transcript of his will,-his righteousness. There- fore all intelligent creatures must be governed by it. This has already been stated, but it will bear repe- tition. Too much stress cannot be laid upon it. Wherever God rules, his will must of nece::;sity be law. That the ten-commandment law, the law out of which the Jews were instructed, is the will of God, Paul shows in Rom. 2 :17, 18: "Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approv- est the things that are more excellent [margin, tri- est the things that differ 1, being instructed out of the law." That the ten commandments are here referred to, may be seen from verses 21-23. Paul, therefore, speaking to a Jew, said, You know the will of God, because you are instructed out of the law. No further evidence is needed to show that the ten commandments are the will of God. Now, since all intelligent creatures must be governed by the will of God, it is evident that they are governed by the ten commandments, unless it could be shown that God changes, having one will at one time and toward one people, and another will at another time and for another people. But this can- not be; for "with him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17. There is, then, one law for all. 3. There are none who can have a greater interest than the righteous, whether of the redeemed or of those who never sinned, in having the ten command- ments maintained as the standard of right. And this for the very reason that it is the standard of right. It is the badge of their loyalty. If there were a place where the ten commandments were not held as the Jaw, the righteous ones would not want to go there; for there would be nothing to show that they were righteous. But enough has been said to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the universality of God's holy law. In all places of God's dominion, rational beings are by this law either justified or condemned. E. J, w. (To be continued.) Faith Healing. THE question as to the propriety of praying for the recovery of the sick, and of d"pending on the prayer of faith for the healing of disease, has of late been discussed very much, by both the secular and the religious press. On the one hand, the infidel and the worldling scoff at the idea of expecting the recovery of those whose diseases will not respond to the action of the medicinal agents known to science. To them such a thing seems an impossibility, an ab- surdity. The cause of this incredulity is found in 1 Cor. 2 : 14. On the other hand there are those who read James 5:13-15, and claim that all tbe remedial agents known to the medical profession should be thrown aside, aml that in every disease the patient should rely on prayer alone for his recovery. These are the two extremes; the first was well represented by Mr. Tyndall, who several years ago proposed to test the efficacy of prayer by an experi- ment. He proposed to set apart two wards in a hos- pital; the patients in one to be treated by the ordi- nary remedies, and those in the other to be prayed for. This impious and foolish proposal was, for ob- vious reasons, declined by the Christian world. As an instance of the other extreme, we may cite the case of the young man belonging to the missionary company that Bishop \Vm. Taylor recently con- ducted to Africa. Being taken with one of the fe- vers incident to that climate, he utterly refused to make use of any means for his recovery, but, as he said, trusted himself entirely in the hands of the Lord, believing that his faith would insure his res- toration to health. In vain the Bishop urged him to adopt the simple remedies which proved success- ful in other cases similarly afflicted, and the young man died. We most heartily believe in the power of God to heal the sick, that he has often done so in answer to the prayer of faith, and that be does so still; but at the same time we believe that those who discard all remedial agents, and establish what they term "faith cures," i. e., places where all the sick who have faith may come to be healed by prayer alone, entirely misapprehend the Scriptures, and tend to bring the cause of religion into disrepute. The po- sition of the modern "faith cure" advocates maybe summed up about as follows: 1. Disease of the body corresponds to disease of the soul, and if cured at all, must be cured in the same manner that sins are forgiven, viz., by faith alone; 2. All disease may be cured if we but have faith; 3. We must trust the Lord for the healing of all our ailments, without using any material remedies. And therefore, (1) The use of any remedial agency is a manifestation of a lack of faith; and (2) If we call on the Lord in faith, without having first employed remedies, we have a right in every instance to expect, and even to demand a cure. The folly of such a position may be readily seen by a consideration of the Script- ural position, to which we will now proceed. vV e will first cite as a parallel the instruction found in the Bible concerning the provision for the nourishment of our bodies when in health. In the sermon on the mount, Christ said: "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat~ or, What shall we drink ? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Matt. 6:25, 31, 32. Now an extremest might say, "It is wrong for me to work for my liv- ing; God knows what I need, and he will see that I am provided for, if I only exercise faith, and do not try to do anything for myself." So he folds his bands in idleness, and perhaps starves to death. Why is this? What is there wrong in his interpre- tation of Scripture? Simply this: He has been too 88 [S] THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. VoL. 12, No. 6. hasty in his conclusion, and has not taken into the account that ot.her inspired declaration that, "if any would not work, neither should he eat." 2 'l'hess. 3: 10. A proper interpretation of Scripture takes into the account the various texts bearing on a given point, and then draws a legitimate conclusion from the whole. As bearing on the question of living, we quote the following: "Let him that stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, wo1·king with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." Eph. 4:28. "We beseech you, brethren, . . . that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own btbiness, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing." 1 Thess. 4 : 10-12. A very plain intimation that if they do not work they will lack the necessaries of life. Agai 11 Paul says: "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." 1 Tim. 5 :8. 26. The "beloved physician" says that she "had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of auy." Luke 8:43. Take the case of the nobleman's son. He was "at the point of death." The case was very urgent; for when Jesus was testing the man's faith, the 'father cried out, "Sir, come down ere my child die." John 4:49. He felt that Jesus alone had power to check the fever. The man at the pool of Bethesda had been un- able to walk for thirty-eight years. John 5: 2-~. He was unable evell to make the attempt to make use of the remedy that was supposed to be able to reach his case. He was healed by the word of the Lord. In the third of Acts we have the account of the man whom Peter healed at the gate of the temple. He had never walked, and no means known to men could enable him to walk. The healing of this man was admitted, even by the scoffing Jews, to be" a notable miracle." Take the case of the stilling of the tempest, re- corded in Matt. 8:24-26 and Luke 8:22-25. Here, Now is there any lack of harmony between these when the men were unable to manage the boat on texts and Matt. 6:25 r Not a particle. Read now account of the violence of the sea~ and were about Deut. 8: 18: "But thou shalt remember the Lord to perish, Christ stilled the winds and waves with a thy God; for it is he that giveth thee power to get word. wealth." Read the context, from the lOth verse When Jesus miraculously fed the 4,000 men, be- onward, and you will see that all the texts which sides the women and children, it was because they we have quoted are bound together. Men are to had eaten nothing for three days, and were in the work with their hands for their support; but they wilderness, where it was impossible to find food for are still to give the credit to God, because he gives such a vast multitude. More than this, they had them the power and the opportunity to labor. If not sufficient strength to go to the villages to buy God gives a man the ability to work, and then orders food, and doubtless but few of them had money, circumstances so that he has an opportunity to work, had they been able to go. the honor belongs to God. Thus it is that God sup- To all these cases might be added the numerous ports us. And knowing that "the Lord will pro-instances of the cleansing of lepers who had been cast vide," we are not to worry and fret over the future, out as incurable, the healing of the deaf and dumb, as though the Lord had no interest in us. and the casting out of devils. In every case· the There are cnses, however, in which it is beyond direct power of Heaven was interposed after the the power of man to secure provh;ion by his own means known to mortals had failed. labor. In such cases the Lord has worked a direct The case of Peter's mother-in-law might be cited miracle, as in the ,case of the Israelites in the wil-by some as a case where Jesus healed .a curable dis- derness, and Eli,iah by the brook Chereth and in the ease. But no one knows that this fever could be desert. What G-o~ has done for the support of his cured. Indeed, the probabilities are, rather, that, as people, we may be·· ure he will do again under simi-in the case of the nobleman's son, they had been lar circumstances, for his prvmise cannot fail; but unable to check the fever by ordinary means. from a careful examination of Scripture it certainly There is another class of cases that may be appears that we are not warranted in expecting the thought to contradict the position above taken. Lord to work a direct miracle for our support, so These are the cases where persons whom God has long as it is possible for us to provide for ourselves employed in a special manner in his service, have by using the means whieh he has ordained. Such l>...:eu healed in answer to prayer when there was an expectation is not in accordance with God's urgent need of their immediate attendance upon word, aud hence is not faith. certain duties connected with the Lord's work. Now it seems to us that the same principle that Persons have been healed of ailments that possibly governs the support of the body when in health might in time have been removed by medical skill, must he acted upon in seeking a restoration of it to if it had been employed. But these cases are in health, when it is diseased. This can best be proved reality the same as the others; for there was cer- by citing typical instances of healing, as recorded tainly no human skill that could heal them in the in the Bible. By so doing we shall find that the brief space of time that the circumstances demanded. c:~ses where God hns directly interposed to heal peo- Again we notice that in many cases where mira- ple by a miracle, were cases that were beyond the cles of healing were performed, the sufferers were re- reach of human skill. quired to do something before their cure was ef- In the first place we have the record of many fected. Naaman the Syrian was required to wash who were raised from the dead. Here, of course, hu-seven times in the Jordan. 2 Kings 5:1-14. The man agency was of no avail. blind man of whom John writes, after having his Entering into particulars, we note the case of the eyes anointed with clay and spittle, was told to go and young man who was born blind. John 9. In his wash in the pool of Siloam, and then he received his case it was not t.hought worth while even to seek for sight. Now whatever effect these washings had, it a cure; for, as the young man said, "Since the world is safe to say that if those individuals had not em- began was it not heard that any man opened the ployed the means that were provided they would eyes of one that was born blind. If this man not have been healed. Thus we see that God has [Christ] were not of God, he could do nothing." 1 provided remedies th~t will wit~ his blessing ac- John 9: 32, 33. 1 complish the restoratiOn of the s1ck to health, and Again, we read of the woman with the issue of he has made it possible for man to obtain a limited blood, who was healed by touching the hem of knowledge of those remedies. Now when those Christ's gnrment. She had been afflicted for twelve Heaven-ordained remedies are within our reach, for years," and had suffered many things of many phy-us to expect to gP.t well when we refuse to make use sicians, and had spent all tll:tt she bad, and was of them, is a manifestation not of faith, but of pre- nothing bettered, but rather grew worse." Mark 5: sumption. The case is exactly parallel to one who, having health and strength, should fold his hands and expect the Lord to feed him. But the worst presumption comes in when men establish what they call "faith cures," where, as they advertise, all people may come to be prayed for and healed. This is reversing the true order of things. Instead of being content to be instruments in the hands of God, such ones presume to make God an instrument in their hands, and to manipulate him to suit their own interests. It is entirely a mistake to try to make a strict parallel between sickness, disease of the body, and sin, disease of the soul. Man can do noth- ing whatever to secure the forgiveness of sin, ex- cept to believe in the merits of Clnist. There are no means provided, no works, by which a man may cleanse himself from sin. But there are means pro- vided by which he can remove certain forms of dis- ease. Again, God has not promised to instnntly heal all cases of disease; but he will at once forgive the sins of any who come to him in faith. But in every case of healiug, whether of the body or of the soul, the praise rightfully belongs to God. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.'' Lam. 3:22. Once more: Everything must tend to the glory of God. All things are for his pleasure, and he is worthy to receive all honor, and glory, and blessing. Rev. 4:11. Now it is not always for his glory that even his most devoted servants should be freed from disease. Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was not re- moved, although he thrice besought the Lord that it might depart from him. Therefore he gloried in infirmities, that the power or Christ might rest upon him. Sometimes Christ is glorified by the patient euffering, or even by the death, of his faith- ful followers, and therefore the Christian should pray that he may recover if it will be for the glory of God. "Not as I will, but as thou wilt." We do not always know what will be for the best. We are zealous to work for the Lord; and when we are afflicted we feel like a prisoner of war, who, in his anxiety to be in the battle, beats against his prison bars. We are in danger of imagining that the Lord needs us in the field, forgetting that he knows best, and may require us to serve him in af- fl.ictiof1, and that he can get along without any of our service. Mil ton solved the problem, when, hav- it:J bren smitten with blindness in the midst of his career, he wrote:- "When I consider how my light is spent Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide; And that :me talent which is death to hide, Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, lest he returning chide; Doth God exact day-labor, light denied? I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need Either man's work or his own gifts; who best Bear his mild yoke, th(ly serve him best; his state Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed, And post o'er land and ocean without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait." If the position of many so-called "holiness" peo- ple and of the modern "faith cure" advocates were true, that we may at once be healed of all disease if we will but exercise faith, then Christians would now all be practically immortal. There would be no death. But immortality is not promised to ally one until the coming of the Lord and the resurrection. See Luke 20: 35, 36; 1 Cor. 15:51-54, etc. At that time "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing." Isa. 35: 5, 6. Of the new earth it is said," And the inhabitant shall noL say, I am sick; the people that dwell therein shall be for- given their iniquity." Isa. 33:24. And then, when all things shall have been made new, and the people of God have been redeemed from destruc- tion, will we find the complete fulfillment of Ps. 103:2-4: "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, aud for- FEBRUARY 11, 1886. THE SIGNS O~F' THE TIJY_IES. [9] 89 get not all his benefiti:l; who forgiveth all thine in-possible even to Deity." Then upon no principle of] To the trustees of Dartmouth College, and to the iquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeem-truth can it ever be made to appear that the first Committee of Award which they appointed, and to eth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee day of the week is the abiding Sabbath. the American Tract Society, it may serve to ill us- with loving-kindness and tender mercies." Compare Then in Part II., on the fourth commandment,-trate such a thing; but to anybody who loves truth, this with Isa. 33:24. the "Sabbath of the law,"-he says of the Sabbath sound reasoning, and fair dealing, it only 1:3erves to It is a favorite saying with man that" God helps therein given to Israel when God brought them out illustrate the deplorable weakness of the cause in them who help themselves." Thhds true; but there of Egypt:- behalf of which resort has to be made to such sub- is something else that is equally true, and that is I "The first institution of religion given to the terfuges. that God helps those who are not able to help them- emanc~pated nati~~ was the ve1·y same with the Besides this, his admission that the decalogue con- I A d h.1 1. . . . 11 first gwen to man. -P. 110. t · t · t 1 t · d' tl t t th se \u00b7es. n w 1 e liS protectlllg care Is continua v the. a111s ransten e emen s 1s nee y con rary o e . . · He says that it has "a meaning not for t tl h 1 1 d d h' over us, blessing the means which we employ for the H b 1 b .!' h · 1 1 f 1 . d ,, argumeu 1at e 1as a rea y ma e on t IS very . . . e rews a one ut 10r t e w 10 e race o man on ; l · 0 116 h h 1 d · f' h preservation or the recovery of our strength, 1t Is not ' su )Ject. n page , e as a rea y wntten o t e that "the reason of the commandment recalls the till we are brought where the resources which we ten commanclments:- ordinance of creation;" that "the ideas connected 'l'h h have at hand utterly fail, that God miraculously ex- " ese statutes are t erefore not simply com- with the Sabbath in the fourth commandment are a d ot· G d f. G d · d t hibits his power; and then only whe11 he will be m 11 s 0 ; or o may gtve comman mens thus of the most permanent and universal mean- which have ouly a transient and local effect; they glorified in so doing. As it is often said, ''Man's are in a distinctive sense the word of God, an essen- ing;" and that "the institution, in the light of the extremity is God's opportunity." "He giveth power tial part of that word which abideth. . . .. By reasons a~signed, is as wide as creation and as eter- 1 1 c1 , to the faint; and to them that have no might he in- ~ t1e p w1se 'ten wor s, as well as in the general creaseth strength." Isa. 40:29. E. J. w. nal as the G1·eator."-Pp. 116, 126. scope of Hebrew lt'gislation, the moral law is fully "The Abiding Sabbatll." SOME FIVE-HUNDRED-DOI.L..A.R LOGIC. IT will be borne in mind that the book entitled "The Abiding Sabbath" was written to prove" the perpetual obligation of the Lord's day;" and that by the term "Lord's day," the author of the book means, in every instance, the first day of the week. Therefore, "being interpreted," the book "The Abiding Sabbath" is an argument to prove the per- peLual obligation of the first day of the week. It is likewise to be remembered that the trustees of Dartmouth College paid the Fletcher prize of $500 for the essay which composes the book "The Abid- ing Sabbath." This certainly is tangible proof that those trustees, and the Committee of Award ap- pointed by them, considered that the object of the essay had been accomplished, and that thereby the perpetual obligation of the first day of the week had been proved. But we are certain that those of our readers who have read the two preceding articles on this ::;ubject, will wonder how, in view of the arguments there used, the author can make it appear that the first day of the week is "the abiding Sabbath." Well, to tell in a few words what we l:lhall abundantly demonstrate, he does it by directly contradicting every sound argument that he has made, and every principle that he has established. In the first chapter of the book, from the script- ure, "God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his work whic:h God created and made" (Gen. 2: 3), he proves the institution of the Sabbath at creation, and says: "Whatever institutions were given to man then, were given for all time." And again: "'God rested the seventh clay,' and bv so do ina-has a-i ven to the law of the Sabbath the liighest at~d str~ngest sanction possible, even to Deity. It is therefore bounded by no limits of time, place, or circumstance, but is of universal and perpetual authority." It was the sevent!J day upon which God rested from the work of creation; it was the seventh day which he then blessed; it was the seventh clay wllil;h he then sanctified; and he says, "The seventh day is the Sabbath." Now if, as Mr. Elliott says, this institution was given to man "for all time,'' and that, too, "with the highest and strongest sanction possible even to Deity;" and if it is bounded by no limits of Lime, place, or circumstance, how can it be possible that the first day of the week is ''the abid- ing Sabbath"? It is clearly and absolutely impos- sible. The two things cannot stand together. God did not rest the first day of the week. He did not bless, nor did he sanctify, the first day of the week. He has never called the first day of the week the Sabbath; nor as such an institution has he ever given it any sanction of Deity, much less has he ever given it the "highest and strongest sanction And yet into this commandment., which says as distinguished from the ciYil alll..l ceremonial law. plainly as language can speak, "The seventh day The first is an abiding statement of the divine will,- is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," Mr. Elliott the last consists of transient ordinances having but a temporary and local meaning." proposes to read the first day as "the abidiug Sab- bath." Before noticing his reasons for such a step, Yet directly in the face of this, he will have it we would insert one of his own paragraphs:- freely admitteg that the decalogue "contains tran- "Long should pause the erring hand of man be- fore it dares to chip away with the chisel of human reasoning one s'ingte word graven on the enduriug tables by the hand of the infinite God. What i;:; proposed r To make an erasure in a He::wen-born code; to expunge one article from the recorded will of the Etemal! Is the eternal tablet of l1is law to be defaced by a creature's hand r He who proposes such an act should jort·~fy himself by 1·easons as holy as God and as mighty as his power·. None but consecrated hands could touch the ark of God; thrice boly should be the hands which would dare to alter the testimony which lay within the ark."- Pp. 128-9. And so say we. After proving that the ten commandments are of universal and perpetual obligation, he discovei·s that the decalogue "contains transient elements." He says:- " It may be freely admitted that the decalogue in the form in which it is stated, contains transient elements. These, however, are easily separable. For example, the promise attacheci to the require- ment of filial reverence, 'that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,' has a very evident refereuce to Israel aloue, and is a promise of national perpetuity in posses:;iou of the promised land." But lo, just here he discovers that this is not a "transient element," and that it has not "reference to Israel alone;" for he con Lin ues iu the very same paragraph:- "Even this elemeu t is not entirely of limited ap- plication, however; for Paul quotes the command- ment in his letter to the Cbristiaus at Ephesul:l (Eph. 6: 2), as 'the first . . . with promise,' evidently understanding the covenant of long life to have a wider scope than simply the Hebrew nationality. And it is clear that uothing can be imagined which could give more enduring stability to civil institu- tions th n that law-abiding character which is based on respect to superiors and obedience to their com- mands."-Pp. 120, 121. His proposition is that "the decalogue contains transient elements." And to demonstrate his prop- osition, he produces as au "example," a" transient element" which he immediately proves is not a transient element at all. Then what becomes of his proposition? Well, by every principle of common logic, it is a miserable failure. But by this new, high-priced kind, this five-hundred-dollar-prize logic, it is a brilliant success; for by it he accom- plishes all that he intended when he started out; that is, it is a piece of literary legerdemain by which he puts aside as a "transient element" the seventh day, and swings into its place the seventh part of time. For after proving that his example of a transient element is uot a L ransient element at all, he continues:- " This serves to illustrate how we may regard the temporal elemeut iu the law of the Sabbath. It doe::; 110t bind us to the precise clay, but to the sev- ell th ot our time." sient elements." Are there transient elemeuts in the divine will? Can that which abideth be tran- sient r And if the decalogue contains transient elements, then wherein il:l it ";ully distinguished" from the "civil and ceremonial law," which "con- sists of transient ordinances" r 'l'he genni ne logic of his position is (1) The ceremonial law consists of transient ordinances; (2) The decalogue is fully distinguished from the ceremonial law; (3) There- fore the decalogue consists of nothing transient. But with the aid of this five-hundred-dollar-prize logic it is thus: The ceremonial law consists of transient ordinances. The decalogue is fully distin- guished from the ceremonial law. Therefore it may be freely adrni tted that the decalogue contains transient elemeuts!! And so "with the ceremonial system vanished the Jewish Sabbath," which he defines to be the seventh day, p. 177, 190. By one argument on these trausien t elements, he manages to put away the precise seventh clay, and to put in its place "the seventh of our time;" by another he is enabled to abolish the precise seventh day as well :1s the seventh of our time, by which he opens the way to insert in the commandment the precise first day as the "abiding Sabbath" and of "perpetual obligation." Again we read:- "While the Sabbath of Israel had features which enforce and illustrate the abiding Sabbath, it must !lot be fo~·~otten that it had a wholly distinct ex- Istence of 1ts own. . . . .Moses really instituted something new, something different from the old patriarchal seventh day."-P. 131,. With this read the following:- " Th~ first inst.itution of religion given to the emanc1pa ~ed nation was the very same with the first given to man."-.P. 110. How the Sabbath of Israel could be the ver.'l/ same with the first given to man, and yet have a wholly distinct existence of its own; how it could be the very same wi tb the first given to man, and yet be something new 2500 years afterward; how it could be something different from the old patriarchal seventh day, and yet in it there be "still embodied the true Sabbath," we cannot possibly conceive; but perhaps the genius that can discern in the deca- logue transient elements which it proves are not transien L at all, could also tell how all these things can be. Just one more illustration of the wonderful effi- cacy of this five-hundred-dollar-prize logic, and we shall close this article. On page 135, he says:- " In the Mosaic Sabbath, for the time of its endur- ance and no louger, was embodied, for a particular people and no others, this permanent institution which was ordained at creation, and which now lives with more excellent glory in the Lord's day.'' That is to say: 1. In tile Mosaic institution, "for 90 [10] THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. VoL. 12, No. 6. the time of its endurance [1522 years] and no longer," was embodied an institution which is "rooted in the eternal world" (p. 28), and which is as eternal as the Creator (p. 126); 2. In Lhe Mos~.ic; institution, which was "for a particular people and no others," was embodied an institution whose "unrelaxed obligation" extends to "every crea- ture," "to all races of earth and all ages of the world's history" (pp. 122, 124). In other words, in an institution that was for a particular people and no others, for 15~2 years and no longer, was em bodied an institution that is eter- nal, and for all races in all ages of the world's history. Now we wish that Mr. Elliott, or some one of those who were concerned in paying the five-hundred-dol- lar prize for this essay, would tell us how it were possible that a~ institution that is as etgrnal as the Creator could be em bodied in one that was to en- dure for 1522 years and no longe1·; and how an institution that is of unrelaxed obligation upon all races in all ages, could be em bodied in one that was for a particular people and no other·s. And when he has told us that, then we wish he would con- descend to inform us how in the Mosaic Sabbath there could be embodied three such diverse elements as (1) The "permanent in!'titution which was or- dained at creation," which was the seventh day; (2) "Something new," whicb he says was "not im- probably a different day;" and (3) "The institution which lives now with more excellent glory in the Lord's day," which he says is the first day of the week. We have not the most distant idea, however, that Mr. Elliott, or any one else, will ever explain any of these things. They cannot be explained. They are absolute contradictions throughout. But by them he has paved the way by which he intends to bring in the first day of the week as the abiding Sabbath, and they are a masterly illustration of the methods by which that institution is made to stand. Next week we shall notice his Sabbath of Redemp- tion. .A.. T. J. A Letter from England. IN a letter from Birkenhead, Cheshire, .En- gland, dated December 31, 1885, Brother Geo. R. Drew says:- " Please accept thanks for the increased club of the Pacific ffealth Journal. It is highly prized here, and I am much pleased with it. Our friends in America will probably remember the action of the General Conference in ref- erence to placing distributors on board the At- lantic steamers. These steamers sometimes carry as many as two thousand passengers. There are also many steamers going; from here to India, the islands, and the various countries of Europe. These, too, often carry large num- bers of passengers; and I believe the way will be opened for distributers to be placed on these vessels also. This work wm create a demand for more reading matter. For the past two years some of our friends have sent us one hun- dred copies of Good lfealth, and now we get seventy-five copies of the Health Journalj but each of these clubs should be more than doubled. "'l 1he people are stirred on the subject of pres- ent truth, and I feel sure that some will ob43y. A very gratifying interest is manifested in our various publications. Many buy and read our books. I am often greeted with such remarks as, 'I am much pleased with the books I bought of you, and I hope to see you again.' "A day or two ago I beard of one more in Finland who is keeping the Sabbath. There is now a call for read in~ matter on the Third An- gel's Message in the Finnish language. "There is every prospect that a large work will yet be done here. Our courage is good to labor on, spreaJing a knowledge of the truth; for the Lord has said that his word shall not return unto him void." Hawaiian Islands. I left San Francisco, December 20, in the mail steamer Mar·iposa. About one hundred miles from San Francisco, we met a storm and heavy gale of wind, which lasted four days. 'rhe waves rolled over the main deek of the steamer for hours at a time, and frequently dashed entirely over the ship. The officers said it was the roughest sea they had encountered for years. Nearly all on board were sick, not excepting the doctor. We reached Honolulu in seven days. The city is built along the water's edge, for two miles or more, and reaches back from one-half, to three miles, toward green bills which rise several hundred feet above the sea. As one looks upon the city thus beautifully located, and nestling in a dense growth of tropical foli- age, he may well be reminded of the familiar line in the missionary hymn, '' 'rhough every prospeet pleases." But he needs only to land and walk along some of the streets to feel the force of the following line, "And only man is vile." Honolulu has about twelve thousand inha.bit- ants, about two-thirds being Chinese and na- tives. 'rhere are many Roman Catholics here, especially among the natives. The Congrega- tionalists are the only organized Protestant society here. They have two churches for English-speaking people, one for the natives and one for the Chinese. Brethren Scott and LaRue have circulated readillg matter quite thoroughly through the city, and already see some fi.-uit of their labor. Since our arrival, we have moved the mission to another house, near by, but more convenient than the former one. A house of five or six rooms rents for from $20 to $30 per month. A hall such as would rent in the United States for from one to five dollars a night, here costs from $10 to $30 per night, if one can be ob- tained at all. We have held meetings in the mission rooms on Sabbaths and Sundays; but these roomf:l are not large enough to permit us to accommodate more than thirty or forty persons at the most. Therefore we have not made any public an- nouncement of these meetings. We spent several days searching for a suita- ble lot on which to pitch the tent, and found lots scaree and hard to obtain. But we fully believed it was the will of God that a tent should be pitched in this city, and so prayed for him to open the way for us, and continued to seek for the way, that we might see it when it should be opened, as it finally was. We have obtained a beautiful lot in a central location, and expect to pitch the tent and begin meetings this week. We see no cause of discouragement suf- ficient to dishearten us, although opposition is already manifest against the truth. But we believe God has some souls here to be sealed with the "seal of God," and there are others who must be warned that they may be without excuse in the Judgment. vVe shall expect Qur people to pray for the cause here, and shall be encouraged thereby. The mail comes regularly from San .Francisco each month, and a special mail between the regular Australian boats; so that we expect mail about every two weeks. Our address is Honolulu, H. I. W. M. HEALEY. Jan. 11, 1886. ----------------- SECRET prayer is to the Christian what wind- ing is to the clock. Oh, how many Christians run down I Lincoln, Nebraska. IN accordance with the resolution passed at the recent General Conference concerning the establishment of city missions in the varionl'l Conferences, we have started a mission, 011 a small scale, in this city. Very pleasant rooms have been rented in a central part of the city, which serve, not only as living and study rooms for the workers, but also afford a convenient place for Sa,bbath meetingi:l. We find no difficulty in making appointments for all the Bible-readi11gs wo can possibly give; and if there were twice at> many workers, none would need to be idle. We try to follow the plan adopted by the Chicago and other city missions, and those re- commended in the pamphlet entitled," Helps to the Study of the Bible." There are some special features conneeted with this Bible work, that have made a deep impression upon my mind. 1. W c can, in this way, carry the truth to the homes of those who could not be induced to attend our meetings. 2. Persons can engage in this work who would probably never preach. 3. Those who are led to embrace the truth in this way, not only do so understandingly, but they bec.:orne thoroughly acquainted with their Bibles, and arc thus pre- pared to give to those who ask them, a reason of the hope that is in them. 4. Those omhracing the trnth as a, result of this kind of work, are the ones most likely to imbibe the true mist:>ion- ary spirit themselves and work for the salvation of others. 5. This kind of work affords an ex- cellent opportunity for selling books and tracts, which should be improved by all who engage in the work. I fully believe this work to be of God, and I lu11g to see, am~:mg our brethren, some in every cL tEch who will study to prepare themse1 ves for this work, and then spend all the Lime tbey can, in connection with other duties~ laboring for the salvation of their neigh bot·s and those around them. May the Lord put this mind in many hearts, is my prayer. .A. J. CuDNEY. Jan. 25, 1886. ~ht ~nntm.entar~. NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSON. The Second Temple. (February 21.-Ezra 1: 1-4; 3: 8-13.) THE glorious kingdom of Babylon had fallen, and the kingdom of the M.edes and Persians bad taken its place. The captivity of Babylon that was laid upon Judah was now to be broken. The great Nebuchadnezzar had carried away all tho people of the land, except a few of the very poorest, to Babylon,'' where they wero servants to him and his sons until the reign of the king- dom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kepi Sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years." One hundred and six years before they were carried to Babylon, Isaiah had not only said that they should be carried away, but had also said that they should return, and that the temple and J erusalcm should be re- built. One hundred and seventy-four years be- fore the feast of Belshazzar and the fall of Babylon, Isaiah had written of both, and of Cyrus in his capture of the city. 'Ihus he called Cyrus by name more than a hundred years be1ore he was born. Then it was that the prophet wrote: "That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleas- ure; even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." "He shall build my city, and he shall FEBRUARY 1], 1886. THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. [l~] 91 I let go my captives, not for price nor revvard, the son of Abasuerus, of the seed of the Modes, sai Lh the Lord." Isa. 44 : 28; 45 : 1, 13. which ·was made king over the realm of the Obal- deaus; in the :first. year of his reign I understood ALTHOUGH Isaiah had prophesied tho captiv- by books the number of the years whereof the ity, he bad not !:mid how long it should be. word of the J.-Jord came to Jeremiah the prophet, Jeremiah told that it should be sevellty years. that he would accomplish seventy yealem." "THE Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus." How did tbe Lord do this? By his angels. ln Daniel 10, we read of a time in the thi1·d year of Cyrus, when Daniel was greatly con- cerned about something in connection with the cause of God, and be fasted and mourned and prayed "three full weeks." At the end of the three ·weeks, as be was by the River 'l'igl'is, a glorious angel stood before him and said, "Fear not: Daniel; for from the first clay tba.L thou didst seL thine heart to understand, and to chas- ten thyself before thy God, thy words were bear&', and I am come foi· thy words." If, then, Daniel's words were heard the first day, what could have delayed the angel "three full weeks"? .He tells: "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days j'' ex- actly the length of time Daniel had been seek- ing the knowledge which the angel was to give him. That is, the king of Persia was to have some part in the answer to Daniel's prayers; and the angel bad to go to the court of Cyrus, and, by exerting his holy influence there, to bring about the events through which Daniel's prayer could be answered. And when the an- gel was to leave Daniel, be said, "Now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia." Read t.he tenth chapter of Daniel entire. CYRUS, however, was not the first king of the M edo-Persian power after the fall of Babylon. In Dan. 5 : 30, it is said: "In that night wa8 Belshazzar the king of the Obaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took Lbe kingdom, being about threescore and two years old." And in Dan. 11 : 1, the same angel of the tenth chap- ter says: "Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I stood to confirm and to strengthen him." Darius reigned two years, when he died, ·and Cyrus succeeded to the kingdom; and as the angel stood with Darius the Mede; and with Cyrus in his third year, to influence him so that Daniel's prayer could be answered, it is c~rtain that it was by the influence of his holy angel that the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to let go the captive people of God. IN answer to the proclamation made by Cy- rus, there wore 42,360 people, besides their ser- vants and their maids that numbered 7,337, and 200 singing men and singing women-49,897 in the whole company-who returued to Jeru- salem. J osbua the son of J o.z-;adak was high priest and Zernbbabel was appointed governor. W ben they reached J 0rusalern, they immedi- ately set up "the altar of tho God of Israel, to offer bur11t offerings thereon." "li""'rom tbe first day of Lho seventh monLh began tbey to otfer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foun- dation of tbe temple of the Lord was not yet laid." rrHEN the chief of the fathers "offered freely for the hout>e of God, to set it up in his place. 'l'bey gave after their ability uuto the treasure of the work." The :-tmount of these gifts was about $500,000, an average of ten dollars for each person-man, woman, child, servant, and maid-in the whole company. But the merit of the service was that they gave it "freely" and of "their ability," and tue blessing of the Lord, in abu nclance, came upon boLh their gifts and them. ".F'or God lovetb a cheerful giver,'' and "if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to tbat a man bath, and not according to that be bath not." 2 Cor. 8: 12; 9:7. WE do not wonder that" when the builders laid the foundation of the temple," "the people shouted with a great shout, when they pTaised the J..Jord, bec.:ause the foundation of the bouse of the Lord was laid." They had given freely, of their ability, and they bad a right to rejoic:e. When the first temple was to be built, the peo- ple offered willingly. ''Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy." 1 Cbron. 29 : 9. If there were more, and more cheerful, more willing, giving to the cause of God, there would be more genuine rejoicing in God and in his truth. 'l'ry it. "It is more blessed to give than to receive." God does ''love a cheerful giver." A. T. J. THE SANCTUARY, ITS SERVICE, ETC. The Cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary. (Lesson 7.-Sabbnth, February 20.) 1. WHAT were the closing acts of the earthly priest in the yearly round of service? 2. Of what did this cleansing consist? 3. What were the people required to do on the day of atonement 't . 4. Was an offering made on that day besides the atonement offering? Num. 29: 7-11. 5. Will the ''true tabernacle," or heavenly sanctuary, be cleansed? atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye mny be clean from all your sins before the Lord." "And be shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, at1cl he shall make an alonement for the tabernacle of tbe congregation and ior the altar, a1:d he shall make an atonement for the priests and for ttll the people of the congrega- tion." Lev. 16 : 30, 33. 7. How did the earthly sanctuary stand re- lated to the heavenly? " Which was a figure for the time then pres- ent, in which were offered both gifts and sacri- fices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience." Heb. 9:9. 8. Then from what will the heavenly sanctu- ary be cleansed'? "For then must he often have suffered since the fou11dation of the world; but now once in the end of Lhe world bath he appeared to put away sin by the sacl'ifice of himself." Verse 26. 9. How did the sins of Israel get into Lbe sanctuary? Lev. 4: 13-18; 10: 17, 18. 10. How do our sins get into the heavenly sanctuary? Ch1·ist, ou1· g1·eat sin-ojJe1·ing, tctkes them upon himself, and bean them, into the sanct'ua'ry. 11. Are sim; rec.:orded in Heaven? "And I saw tl1e dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and auother book was opeued, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of tbose Lhings which were w1·itten in the books, accord- ing to their v,rorks." Rev. 20: 12. 12.-How did ancient Israel receive forgiveness of their sins? Num. 15: 24-26. 13. How do we receive forgiveness of our sins'? "Iu wbom we have redemption tbrongb bis blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Col. 1: J4. 14. Anciently, when sins were forgivenl were they removed from Lhe sanctuary? 15. 'Vbcn was tbis done? ''And tbis shnll be a statute forever unto you, Lbat in the seventh month, on the tenth clay of the month, ye shall affiict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojournetb among you; for on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord." "And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins once a year. And be did as the Lord commanded Moses." Lev. 16 : 29, 30, 34. 16. What was this removing of sins ?-Cleans- ing the sanctuary. See Lev. 16 : 30, 33. 17. How does our ~aviour show that our sins are not blotted out when they are iorgiven? Matt. 18 : 23-35. 18. Since the heavenly sanctuary is to be cleansed from sin, what must be done with the sins recorded there? "RepeT1t ye therefore, and be converted, that your sinG may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.'' Acts 3: 19. 19. The removal of sins from the earthly sanctuary by the high priest corresponded to what act of our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary? 20. To what, then, is the blotting out of sins equivalent? "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the Heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Heb. 9 : 23. 21. When does the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary begin? '•And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctu- ary be cleansed." Dan. 8: 14. "HE hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem." How did Cyrus learn that God had charged him to do this? Daniel was in the court of the kingdom of Babylon during .the whole of the captivity; and when Babylon had fallen, and Darius the Mede had taken the kingdom, be says: "In the first year of Darins " It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the Heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Heb. 9 : 23. How EASY is the thought, in certain moods, of the loveliest, most unselfish devotion I How hard is the doing of the thought in the face of that day shall the priest make an a thousand unlovely difficulties.-Sel. 6. From what was the earthly sanctuary cleansed? "For on 92 ll2] THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. VoL. 12, No. 6. I atirrlt. just how we were situated, took it back, deduct-of opinions-no matter how trivial and foolish ing only twenty-five dollars. -which had been expressed by a few of its more "'Helena has just gone into the kitchen. wealthy members. "ONLY A CIGARE'I'TE." HE wrapped it up neatly in paper white- The very best weed he could get- " I'll try it; it surely can do me no harm, It's only a cigarette. "It costs but the veriest trifle, you know, About two for a cent you can get;" But he couldn't see that meant dollars a year, 'Twas ''only a cigarette." His face was fair and his young step light, And his black eyes shone like jet; But listless he grew, and the doctor said, It was ''only the cigarette." He came to a clerkship, his mouth was filled At every sly chance he met; The boss-he scolded and warned in vain, It was '' only a cigarette." Then came the cigar, the lager, the pool, "1 'll have fun to-night, you bet;" . And every one asked, "I wonder who pays For ' only a cigarette '? " The mother, she watched by the midnight lamp For the nightly return of her pet, And p1ead with her tears, that he no more would touch Just " only a cigarette." But his face grew flushed, unsteady his step, And he heeded the warning he met Too late-and it came from that curse of the land, J nst ''only a cigarette." -Christian at Work. A Daughter Worth Having. What she will do there l don't know; but she says she needs the exercise: that she bas not attended the cooking-school here in the eity for nothing, and that so long as the meals are served regularly and properly, and the house is kept in good order, her father and I are not to worry.' After she told me that, I drew my call to a close, and ran down into my cousin's kitchen to see her dainty daughter there. And what do you think? I found that girl at the sink, witb her tsleeves rolled up, an immense water-proof apron on, washing a kettle ! " "Washing C£ kettle?" repeated Mrs. Smithson, holding up both her sofli, white hands in un- measured astonishment. " Yes, Mrs. Smithson, washing a great, black, greasy iron kettle that meat had been boiled in, and that bad been lett unwashed and gummy when the cook left. And, do you know? she was laughing over it all, and saying to her youngest brother, w bo stood near by, that she really liked it; for she now felt she was making herself useful." "The idea! Liking to wash kettles!" and the two fine ladies looked at each other in open- eyed wonder. "It seems to me as if Helena Mills was try- ing to make the best of her fatbel''s altered for- tunes, and was simply doing her duty in t.be premises," spoke Miss Carlton, Ida James's new drawing-teaeher, who was that evening engaged in giving her pupil a lesson on the op- posite side of the center table. She spoke ear- uestly and yet in a modest way, and it being the "HARVEY MrLLS has failed!" said Mrs. vogue inN ew City just then to patronize Miss Smithson, one chilly spring evening, as she ran 'tarlton, the pretty and accomplished graduate in to see her next-door neighbor and intimate from Vassar, tbe two ladies looked at her amia- friend, Mrs. James. "My bus band just came bly, and she went on:- home, and be says that what we supposed to be ''Somebody must wash the kettles; and it is a rumor only, is a sad fhct; the assignment was always best, when one has a disagreeable duty made yesterday. I threw on a shawl, and ran to perform, to do it not only at once, but cheer- right over to tell you. They are to keep the fully." house under some sort of an arrangement; but "Yes, perhaps," replied Mrs. Smithson; "but they have discharged all their servants, and bow could a young gil'l of real native refine- what in the world the Mills will do, Mrs. James, ment [both sides of the Smithson family were with Mrs. .Mills's invalid habits, and Miss of the ''old stock"] take so kindly to wasl1ing Helena with her dainty ways and refined bring- pots and kettles? The fact of it is, people have ing up, is more than I know," and pretty, been mistaken in Helena Mills. She never pos- sba.llow Mrs. Smithson looked at her nerve-lov-sessed that innate gentility she bas had credit ing friend and neighbor with the air of an epi- for. But every one finds her level sooner or cure regarding some favorite dish. later-be, he!" "I beard all about it late last evening," said 'l'bese two women having thus summarily Mrs. James, adjusting the pink ribbons at the disposed of Helena 1\iills socially, they repeated throat of her black silk dinner-dress, •: and this their belief that the lovely and dutiful young morning I presumed upon our cousinsbip so far girl bad now found her proper level over and as to driYe over and see bow they were getting over in their set until it was the common talk along. And really, Mrs. Smithson, you will be in New City. Miss Carlton, in her round of surprised when I tell you that, although I ex- professional calls among the so-called elite, was pected to find the famil_y in great confusion and entertained in nearly every household with the distress, I neyer saw them in such a comforta- information that Helena Mills had given up her ble ''vay and in such good spirits. The worst studies even, and gone into the kitchen to work was over, of course, and they bad all settled -"and, if you'll believe it, she likes it!" Then into the new order of things as naturally as would follow reflections upon the natural abil- could be. My conRin, Mrs. Mills, was sitting as ity and bias of mind of a young woman who calm as you pleaRe, up there in her sunny morn- was "fond of washing dishes." ing room, looking so fresh and dainty as she This sensible, accomplished little drawing- ate her crisp toast and sipped her coffee. teacher was the only one to be found, who min- "' Our comfortable and cosey appearance is gled in the "upper circles" of New City, who all due to Helena,' said she. ''fbat dear child said a word either in praise or defense of has taken the helm. 1 never dreamed she had Helena Mills's new vocation. }.{iss Carlton al- so much executive ability. We were quite ways and everywhere prote~ted that the young broken down at first; but she made her father go girl's course was not only praiseworthy, but over all the details of his business with her, and beautiful. She maintained that every woman, they found that by dit-lposing of Helena's grand young or old, high or low, who takes upon her- piano, the paintings, and slabs, and costly bric-self the labor of elevn.ting the much abused as a-brae her father had always indulged her in well as despised vocation of housework-upon buying, we could pay dollar for dollar, and HO which the comfort of every home depends-to keep the house. My husband's old friend, Mr. a fine art, is a. public benefactor. Bartlett, who keeps the art store, you know, Miss Carlton's friends all listened and laughed, and who has always taken a great intereRt in and then went on with their senseless and mali- Helena, bought back the paintings, stntuary, cious tirade. Sbe was heartily glad when her vaseB, ete., at a small discount; and Barker, engagements in New City were ended, n.nd sbe who sold us the piano a yertr ago or so, ~md \was no more obliged to move in such "select" who is another old friend, and knew, of course, society, whose ideas were always a mere echo Mr;:,. Dr. Forbes, nee Miss Carlton, bad hen.rd very little about New City so<.:iety for five years. But having occasion to pass thr0ngh the place on t.be cars lately, she treated herself to a little gossipy chat with the conductor, whom she had known in New City. :' There is no particular news, Mrs. Forbes," said he, "unless it is the engagement of Helena Mills to young lawyer Bartlett, son of Col. James Bartlett, you remember, owner of the big corner art store. A capital choice the young squire has made, too. She's as good as gold, and everybody says she's the best girl in the city. Sue's a perfect lady, withal, and treats eve'rybody weJl. Not a bit of nonsense or shoddy about her. W by, bless you, Mrs. Forbes, when her father failed in '75, she took entire charge of the family, and she has mn.n- aged the bouse ever since. "Her father is now in business again for him- self, and employs more men than ever. Her mother, who bad been an invalid for years, was forced by Helena's example to try to exert her- self so as to share her daughter's burden to some extent. As a result of the new, active life she has followed, she bas lost all her ailments, and is now a happy, hearty, healthy woman. Helena's brothers have grown up to be fine, manly, helpful fellows, and the whole family are better off every way than ever before. As thi11gs were going on before Mr. Mills's failure, the whole family were in danger of being spoiled by too much luxury. "The1·e was a great deal of talk at first among the bigbugs about Helena's 'pots and kettles,' and they u::;ed to say she had found her true 'level.' I always thought there was a spice of malice in their tnllc; for the girls of her set envied her beauty and accompli8hments. I am rather fond of telling them now that He- lena MiliA has found her 'level' in the richest, most influential, and just the best family in New City."-Jl£rs. Ann,ie A. P1·eston, in Chris- tian at W ode. Mandalay, the Btuinese Capital. MANDALAY, or Mn.ndale, the capital of Bur- mab, lies about three miles from the Irrawaddy River, on rising ground below .11.andale Hill. The present capital of the land of Ava was founded about 1853 by the father of the pres- ent king of Burmab, the ancient capital being Ava, situated twenty miles below Mandalay. rrhe city consists of two concentric fortified squares, the outer being defended by high brick walls, and earth-works thrown up on the inside. Four gates give admittance into the city, over each of which rises n. tower with seven gilded roofs, similar though smaller towers adorning the wall at intervals. The houses of the inhab- itants are all iu separate inclosureR, bordering on broad, well-kept streets, along which is the "king's fence," a latticed palisade, behind which the Burmese hide themselves when the king passes. The central or royal square is sur- rounded by an outer stockade of teak timber, twelve feet high, and an inner wall. Two gates opposite eaeh other are the entrances into this inclosure, which contains the Governme11t of- fices and the royal mint on one side. On the other is another wall and a cage gateway open- ing into the palace inclosure. PaRsing through this gateway, a large open area is seen, and on the opposite side arises a building crowned by nine roofs richly gilded and surmounted by a golden htee, an umbrella adorned with a coronal of tinkling bells. 'fhis marks the audience ball; and the royal abode being considered sacred, all e~toring tbat apartment are required to take off their shoes. To the left can be seen the abode of the '' wbite" elephant; this animal being scarcely distinguishable from any other FEBRUARY 1], 1886. THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES. [13) 93 elephant, except that the skin of the bead is of a slightly paler hue than the rest of the body. The royal gardens and the palace buildings are situated in tbe rear of the central hall, the former being both grand and picturesque.-Sel. "Until Seventy Tilnes Seven.'' Alcohol neither Food nor Fuel. SciENTIFIC experiments show that alcohol is in no proper sense either food or fuel. It is entirely indigestible. The stomach cannot as- " 1 sHOULD have to be changed through and similate it, and it cannot be converted into through before I could believe in her again/' tissue. _If aft.er ~eath the body of ev.en. a mo?- said lYiabel, with emphasis. erate.drmker 1s dtssected, the alcobolt~ found. m "I _.. · h · t' b t I ever can the ttssues as alcohol. Not so the milk whwh may 1orgtve er In ·1me, u n h h d 1 h b r k b' h h h t h I d t Sh h _.. r ·ted I e as ran c or t e ee1stea w w e as t . d h b tt t fi the eaten; t ey ave ecome a part o tmse , respec er as use o. e as 10r1e1 my I h h b f' h' If' ~\eem;, ans we ~re 1uc. eh er ~pa~ o~s rt while the alcohol remains in him a foreign sub- u.t~·e. 1 ° 81~ 0 {e _;tOlllset er ar ey 1 stance and an intruder. As alcohol is not WI a g ea~ 0 resen. men · . properly food, so neither is it pl'operly fuel. lt '" One~ who. remembe1 ed, that ~,he Master sa~d, does sometimes add heat to the body; but it .. ~les~:;ed.arethe P~~~em"tke:rs, ha~ be.e~rstr.tv-furnishes heat in the body as it furnishes heat in mE> t.o qmet the ~u(nrel: wh1ch, begwnmo wtth the room: wben alcohol is thrown upon the open a mumnderstandmg between these two, h~~~ :fire, there is an instantaneous fla~h, that is all. ?een fanned by one breeze and an.other un .1 Some years ago an extensive experiment was ~t ha.d become a steady flame, no~ hke~y to .d1e tried in the Russian army, and it wa8 found m. etther he~rt .. Two lovely girls, favo_rltes that those soldiers who did not use spil'i ts en- With all th~Ir friends, had gradually drtfted dured the cold better than those wbo used apart, and 1t s~emed as though th~y would them. A similar experience as to tbe efl'ect of nev:r be recon?Il:d. A~d t~e end of the last the use of wine on the soldiers during the siege etfor t at. placatmo the dtstm bed elements was of Paris we quote from Dr. Klein's lecture, as reached m the sentences q~?ted above. quoted in Mr. Gustafson's volume:- Dear Mabel, I wonder If you kn~w w~at a "It was just the time when the wine mer- profound truth you stated when you ImpulsiVely chants are used to buy their stock for the year declared that you would have to be cban.ged when the war broke out, f:JO we had ple11ty of tbro_ugh and through before you could fully wines of every description. It was distributed forg1ve one who had offended you. I wonder by the Government very Iibel'ally indeed. vVe whe~ber t?e numbers o~ p~ople ~ho !S? about drank because we had nothing to eat. We nurs1~g grtevances, chenshmg ~mmostt1es, and found most decidedly that alcohol was no sub- refusmg to pardon a wound whwh has touc:hed sLitute for bread and meat. 1lve also found their vanity, realize how unlike Christ is pre-that it was not a substitute for coals. You cisely this hardness of heart. know how cold the weather was during the He enjoins upon us the duty of forgiving the winter. We of the army had to sleep outside sinner until we cease to count the number of of Paris on the frozen o-ronnd and in the snow· times that forgiveness may be necessary. He and when we got up i~ the morning we wer~ forgives us over and over again, there being no as stiff as planks. We had plenty of alcohol; limit. to our ill-desert, as there is no limit to his but it did not make us warm. We thus found loving-kindness. out by bitter experience that alcohol did not \Vith him there is no half-way pardoning make us warm, did not replace food of any eitber. vVe are restored to the fullest favor, kind, and did not replace coals. Let me tell and to the most entire confidence. vVith us) you there is nothing that will make you feel too often, the fol'giveness is like that of l;ouise the cold more, nothing which will make you -grudgingly conceded, and with always that feel the dreadful sense of hunger more, than reserve which cannot forget the injury, and alcohol." which implies that the alienation is no longer Tbus, whether we look at the results of our the cause of pitched battles and bristling forti-own personal observation, or through other fications, but that, instead, an armed neutrality eyes take in a larger horizon, or ask the vital exists, or a flag of truce has been lifted. statistics of the scientific ·world, or study the We must be changed through and through direct effects of alcohol on the h~man frame,. we before our human nature can put on so much of are forced to the one concluswn that Wine- the divine that we can forgive grandly. 1'here dr~nk~ng is not so .w~ll for health as ~vater­ are natures ln.rge enough to do this, and they drmkmg, and. that It IS as true .now a~ m th.e have become so through assimilation to His d~ys of Damel, that he who hves s1mply IS whose forgiving pity was outpoured fi·.:>m the fairer and fatter of countenance than he who cross on those who nailed him there. eats at the king's table. (Dan. 1: 11-16.) For 'l'hink of the forgiving spil'it as a test of it must not be f~rgotte~ that simpli.city ~f diet discipleship. Are we in doubt as to the reality goes natur~lly w~t~ abstmen?e from 1.ntox1~ants, of our love for the Saviour? Are we his or are that luxuriOus hvmg and htghly sptced VIands we not? .Do we cry, wishing that by' a sign p~oduce the unnatural ?raving which demands from Heaven he would take away the doubt st1mu!ants, and they m turn the unnatural and give us the joy of assurance? Here is ~ craving which demands unnatural and luxurious way of discovering what we long to know. f?od. It may not always be .e~sy t.o draw the If fully, freely, readily, and once for all, we lme between food and n:-edwme, ~~ may ~ot can forgive one who has injured us; if we can alw1 .ad:ys be he.ashy to ~etermme wh~at 1s thath1n- so bumble our pride as to meet the person half-va 1 .tsm \~ 1.c reqm~es somet mg more t an :way, or, rather; to seek the rest_oration of amity fo?d, but 1t 1s s~methmg to have learne? that m the :first place, we are showing the fruits of ~me anddbeher alihe. not fohods,. andbltbat hde .Is hap- discipleship. p1~st an ea t 1est w o IS a e to 1spense It may easily be that, among my readers, W1th them altogether.-Sel. there are those who are kept a way from the Saviour, and linger outside the kingdom, just becnuRe they have not learned to foru·ive, be- cause they refuse to learn the lesson in 5 Ch~·ist's way. "Cba?ged through an~ through!" Yes, the change IS needful and VItal. Beware too of the beginning of strife. ' , "It is the little rift within the lute, That by and by will make the music mute." -]Jtfarga?·et E. Sangster. Why Women Break Down. THERE is little doubt that women are break- ing down more rapidly than men, because they allow themselves to take less real rest. When a man drops his business, he drops it. When a woman lets go of any work she may have in mind: she ties it to her apron strings, as it were. She has been taught through long ages of train- ing that it is a high crime and a misdemeanor to let anything escape her mind, so she is con- stantly, when she is atrest, pinching Lcrselfor prodding herself to see if she hasn't forp;otten something. In this way sbe canies tho burden of her work into her resting hours, and sits down among the roses of relaxation with her foot on the treadle of the grind:)toue of prosy drudgery. If men kept their noses to the grindstone with womanly per:3ist.ence, they would be net·v- ous and irritable beyond compare. If women would get their own con8ent to rest, they would have better complexions, better stomachs, and a happier life.-I nte1·-0cean. Another Note of Warning. THE cau~es of prevalence of typhoi.l fever and its continncmce in one of our Eastem cities has been the subject of much discussion. As to the causes, no satisfactory reason can be given, because there are almo~t as many opinions as there are doctors. As to the methods of disinfection to be em- ployed during the prevalence of the diseas~ in the household, there is almost perfect unanim- ity. An investigation was orderL:d by the health authorities, and we give part of tbe re- port: "The invstigation showed that there had been great neglect in the matter of disinfection. ' The germ, or infedious element,' says the com- missioner, 'is contained in the disclutrges of the patients. A thorough disinfection of these dis- charges has never been practiced; and they have, in an infected condition, been thrown into the sewer pipes of the house, and ha,ve in this way communicated the disease to other members of the same household.' 'rbe failure to properly disinfect the dejecta of patien t.s is regarded by him as 'the principal cause ~f the spread of ty- phoid fever.' Thorough disinfection would, in his opinion, reduce the number of cases to those which originate outside of the city or are con- tracted by the use o~ infected mille" Nor is typhoid fever the only disease which demands this same care. It is wise to use the utmost caution in all contagious and infectious diseases. Chloride of lime and a sol uti on of chlorinated soda are recommended by Lealth boards and physicians. 'l'bese disinfectants are not expen- sive, and the widely advc!'tised necessity of their use in this wn.y will not allow of ignorance as an excuse tor not using.-.S'el. A Public Nuisance. THE smoking habit has become in many places an intolerable nuisance. lf men will smoke, let them do it where they will not in- commode others who have equal rights with themselves, and to whom tobacco smoke is of- fensive. Sometimes we are compelled to walk almost a square behind a brace of three or four persons w\_,') occupy the pavement from wall tu curb, smoking cigars, the srq.oke coming fair in our face. The same thing occurs at railroad stations and in other public places.-l.lethodisl Recorder. What It Costs to Be Sick. SIR J A~1ES PAGET says that, "on an average, each man between fifteen and sixty-five has lost 1.31 weeks of each year, and each womn,n 1.33, or, in England and Wales, a total loss of 20,000,- 000 weeksoflabor,equivalent to thecompleteand enforced idleness tbe entire year of 40,000 work- ing people." In this country the annual drain from the loss of labor is $40,000,000. He is convinced that at least one-fourth of this dis- ease and sickne::;s can be prevented by the very simplest precautionary measures.-Sel. NEARLY :fifty years ago, Louis Phillippe said: "Wine is the curse of France. I could wish every grapevine destroyed, except for the pro- duction of food." 94 [l4] THE BIG NS OF THE TIMES. VoL. 12, No. 6. A Priest-Ridden People. A W ALDENSIAN pastor was lately traveling through the beautiful island of Sardinia, and ROme extracts from his journal will doubtless be of interest to our readers. They have been translated fi·om the Italian, and forwarded to us by the Rev. R. S. Ashton:- "At Oschiri I saw a peasant-poet who has suf- fered much persecution at the hands of the priests, owing to the fact that one of his poems contained an attack upon the State religion and a denial of the existence of hell. He was dr:tgged befoee the civil tribunal and convicted, but was released on appeal. The priests, how- over, continue to per~:;ecute him. They forbid their penitents to re:td his poetry, and refuse absolution to any who admit that they possess his works. " In one village, I met with a woman who had flung the Bible away because it condemm.d marriage. Her absurd notion arose from her happening to see the words,' Blessed are the paps which never gave suck' She and her father also thought Jesus vindictive, be- cause he bad overthrown the tables of the money-changers. And nothing that I could say would remove their prejudiceR. "At Usini, a village of 2,000 inhabitants, the _}Jrincipal man is a Catholic, but Lborougbly skeptical. The Bible he reg:n·ds as a mass ot' fables and immoral stories. His wife, who was present, and vvbo could talk of nothi11g save saints and ou1· larly, said she only wiRhed she were a man, and sbe would contend -with me by me:tns oftbe tongue and a stick. 'l 1heroupon her husband interposed, saying that Jesus bids us lovo our enemies. But she wonld not be paci- fied. She persisted that I had come tLere to Rend the people to bell or to buy them over to my religion; but, said she, 'you will not be able to buy any here.' The conversation with this Rtr:tllge couple lasted four hours, and on leaving l ~:;aid to myself, 'Here we see how skepticism and Catholicism unite to oppose the truth.' ''In Algbero, an important town ot' 11,000 in- habitants, I first of all found out some of tbe principal peopl1\ and especially a retired capt nin. They were favorable to Protestnn t doctri nos, but unwilling to incur the odinm of op.ening their houses for a meeting. ~Che fact is, the priest is all-powerful through the women who go to the conf'eRsional. He get::; them to give up the Bibles which their hut>bands have bought from the colporter. But not infrequently the busbandR have torn out a fow leaves or the whole book of Psalms; which they carry with them in their pocket-books. In S<:tssari, where there are a few Protestants, 1 wa~:; called on to bury a child. After a set·vice at the house of mourning. the procession started for the grave, headed by the town band, and attended by a large number of' persons. A festa was being celebrated at the cemetery, ·which thus hap- polled to be crowdeJ. Taking my stand on the base of a large crucifix in the e:enter of the place, I preached to tho thousands around for nearly an hour, and not a person moved. As they left the place ROme one vvas overheard saying, 'He spoke about Obri8t, therefore he is not a Protestant. but a Christian.' "Uaglia(·i is one of the chief towns of Sar- dinia. Its p:ttron-saint is St. Efesio, and a Ger- man Catholic has published a work to show that the worship of this saint goes back to pagan times, whon Cagliari was found~d by the Cartha- ginians, and is a relic of the old ·worship of Baal and Moloch. The difficulty of work in Sardinia isgreatand manifold. Tbedialectsarenumerous. Ignorance and corruption abound. Perfidy iR a pretty general cbameteristic of the people. In this island you find yourselves, as it were, in the Middle Ages. Nevertheless,' everything is pos- sible with God.' "-London Gh1·istian World. ABILITY and opportunity to do good ought to be considered as a call to do it. RELIGIOUS. -"If London did not have four hundred citv missionaries," said the Earl of Shaftesbury, "it would require 40,000 more police." -St. Peter's at Rome is to have a square portico in front, formed by forty-eight granite columns or- namented with statues of the apostles. Another bridge is to be huilt over the Tiber, making a direct communication between St. Peter's and the beauti- ful church of St. Paul, without the walls. -The Mon'iteur· de Rome, which is the recognized organ of the Vatican, lon~s for the time to come "when the world shall see Protestantism extirpated from Ireland entirely, and Catholicism universally recognized." Substitute" the world" for" Ireland," and you will have just what the pope and all his minions are working for. -Chief-Justice Waite and other prominent citi- zens of Washington are planning to form a Oil il- dren's Aid Society in that city similar to the one in New York. It appears that not more than two- thirds of the children of school age attend school; and a fifth of the criminals last year were between the ages of ten and twenty. -The Roman OatiJolic Church in Australia has "outgro~vn the missionary state;" and a Plenary Council has recently been held there, to conform "her interual policy to that of tbe church in older lands." The Council wa:,; presided over by Cardinal Moran, and was attended by sixteen bishops and many other ecclesiasLical dignitaries. -Mayor Smith of Philadelphia, at the request of the "Sabbath lSunclay] Association," has issued a proclamation calling attention to a law of 1794, forbid- ding any worldly employment or husiness on Sunday. But the law seemed to have no terrors for those who had been in the habit of doing business on that day, and it is generaliy believed that it cannot be en- forced unless coercive measures are resorted to by its friends, The animus of the attempt to enforce this obsolete and almost forgotten law canuot be mistaken. -In a recent sermon Mr. Spurgeon said: "I have but little care, as a general rule, for Lhe Revised New Testament, holding it to be by no means an im- provernen t upon our common authorized version. It is a u~eful thing to have it for private reference, but I trust it will never be regarded as the standard English translation of tl1e New Testament. Tl1e Revised Version of the Old Testament is so excel- lent that I am half afraid it may carry the H.evised New Testament upon its shoulders into general use. I sincerely hope that this may not be the case; for tbe result would be n decided loss." WiLh the ex- ception of the unqualified praise of the Revised Old Testament, we think that this verdict is a just one. -Postm