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Un des symboles suivants apparaTtra sur la dernidre image de cheque microffiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper lefft hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many fframas as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartas, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmte A des taux de reduction diff6rents Lorsque le document est trop grand pour )tre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est fiimi d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaira. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 9rrata to pelure, m d □ 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. i i ■S ■n M THE NEED OF THE WOELD. BY THE REV. S. G. PHILLIPS, M.A., AUTHOB OF "CHBI8TIAN LiPE IlLUSTBATBD." "MODERN PRODIGAL SOM.' "Pabhionablb Amusements," "Sacred Names," etc. etc. INTRODUCTION BY THE REV. S. S. NELLES, D.D., LL.D., President Victoria College. xrz. I " Thy kingdom co/we."— Matt. xii. 24. "Philosophy may make a crowd ; Christianity alone makesyi^people." — Ccmmino. TORONTO : WILLIAM BRIGGS 78 & 80 King Street East. 1882. u:. I I Entered according to the Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-two, by the Rkv. S. G. Phillips M A 1 tJ! Office of the Minister of Agriculture, Ottawa ' ' ""* PEEFACB. liHROUGHOUT the ajres there have arisen systems of truth which have not needed human voice and thought to proclaim the divinity of their origin, or the greatness and glory of their aim. Such is the case with Christianity. Upon her lofty column (not a broken one) she has stood since the beginning of time, stronger, more glorious, and more ancient than the Great Pyramid of Egypt : Christ is the " Lamh slain from the foundation of the tvorld;" no sooner had man fallen than he received the promise, " The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head.*' There this Christianity stands holding out the sceptre of mercy, goodwill, and peace to universal man. Hitherto her greatest opponents have not been able to find a substitute. I would not accept the opinions oi* a host of thinkers like Froude, or Ralph Waldo Emerson upon this great subject. It requires spiritual vision to apprehend its spiritual mysteries. M VI PREFACE. Its fouDder declared " They see not the things of the Spirit of Ood, neither can they know them, because they are spiritually discerned." How can it be expected that a mind warped by the constant influence of doubt can understand that which asks a strong and vigorous faith. It is easy to teach men to doubt. If doubt be regarded by some as an accomplishment as it is in certain quarters, then, as Carlyle says, "It becomes a ruinous vice." Let us know what to love and we shall know what to reject. What to affirm, and we shall know what to deny. But it is dangerous to begin with denial, and fatal to end with it. To deny is easy. Nothing is sooner learnt, or more generally practiced. As matters go, we need no man of polish to teach it, but a hundred men of wisdom to show us its limits, and to teach us its reverse." I cannot see why cultur'^d persons should oppose Christianity when they acknowledge it contains all the elements of light, purity, and advancement. It is now fully understood, " that a commonwealth where the Chris- tian religion exists, public and private virtue, the basis of all solidity and strength, never can become extinct : but in every age, even from the deepest decline, there is a chance, and, in the course of ages, a certainty, of renovation." Has the mind of man ever yet conceived the remotest thought of any system that can supersede Christianity? , PREFACE. Vll I have written this book in a plain, earnest, and practice! style that it misfht reach both the intellect and heart, that it may do good to a large class of persons, leading them to cherish more than ever a love for that system of religion necessary to the light, purity, harmony, and happiness of the world, — our holy and glorious Christianity. That the darkness of doubt may flee away, and the knowledge of the Lord may soon shine from the rivers; unto the ends of the earth, is the devout and earnest prayer of the Author. Vanklerk Hill. CONTENTS. I'AOE Introduction 11 17 27 Man The Popular View of Human Depravity Considered Morality, :.T8 Real Value 38 The Influence of Vital Christianity upon Man. . . 50 Pillars in the Temple of God 60 Society — Man — 11 is Social Relationships 70 The Church in the Family 83 The Spirit's Work 94 The Progress of the Age 105 The Present an Age of Conflict 117 An Age of Great Events 127 Commerce 144 The Arts and Sciences of Christianity 150 The Literature of the Age 157 Infidel Literature, versus The Duty of the Church 168 The Present an Age of Reading 175 Religion 183 The Evangelical Denominations of the Age 191 The Denominations Governed by the Laws op Christ 204 It Li \i i I! ) ^ ' CONTENTS. The Denominations Places op Safety for the Out- ''''''' CAST AND Wanderer 21 6 The Mysteries of the Christian Religion' .' .' ." ." " 226 IHE bABBATH-DAY AND ITS OBLIGATIONS . 237 How Men of Business may Advance the Cause Christ in the World 25-> Working for God " ' '^ Spirituality and Secularism 281 Christ in Nature and History ...''..*.".' 294 INTRODUCTION. By Rkv. S. S. Nellks, D.D., LL.D., President of Victoria College. HAVE been requested by the Author of this work to write a few sentences of introduction. Not having seen the manuscript I can only speak in general terms upon the subject itself. The Need of the World is indeed a very wide topic under which one might discuss almost anything ; but doubtless our Author has some special points in view, and will treat them in that easy pleasant style which has rendered his former works popular. If I were called upon to state in brief what is the need of our time, I should not hesitate to say, the enforcement of the Gospel of Christ on its spiritual and practical side ; in this I would include a simpli- fication of some Christian creeds, and the throwing overboard of a good deal of rubbish which was, perhaps, never of much service, and is of decided All INTRODUCTION. disservice in the present day. In fact, in making Christianity a practical power over the earth it will be necessary to keep close to the teaching and spirit of the New Testament, which requires a firm ant upon fell not mtil he hen he w man Qd true holiness."* This righteousness is the state of a man re- newed. He is then like God. The object of redemption is to bring back to man what he lost by the fall. This proves that when man was created he was righteous like God. God's righteousness is that perfection of the Divine nature whereby God is most just, and most holy in Himself. And in all His dealings with His creatures He observes the strictest rules of rectitude and equity. " I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker." f So man, in his original state, perfectly obeyed God, and in his regenerated state shall act justly toward his fellow-men, and live in complete submission to the will of God. In a perfect state of righteousness two things are included : justice toward our fellow-beings, and righteousness toward God. This resplendent beam which so beautified man in his original state was lost when Adam fell, and is the great need of man while he lives in an imperfect and sinning state. Holiness. " That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lust ; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind." I If holiness was a part of the Divine image in order to know what it was in man, we must know what it is in God. Holiness, when applied to God the Father, Son, or Spirit, is infinitely above that to which any creature can attain. God is designated the " Holy One." He is the fountain of all holiness. All J • Eph. iv. 24. tJob xxxvi. 3. t Eph. iv. 22, 23. 22 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. that the saints have enjoyed or ever can through eternity must bo derived from the ocean of God's holiness and purity. Though they cannot attain to tho same degree, or reach the same perfection, it is the holiness of God — after all — the image of God in which man was created, and to which he is restored by the sovereign grace of God in the plan of redemption, when he is regenerated by the precious blood of Christ. These three things, — knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, — are what the world needs to-day. Man has lost them by the fall ; he needs to have them restored to him, and they are restored by the application of the blood of Christ, and by that only. " This I say therefore and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness o{ their heart ; who being past feeling have given t^ emselves over unto lasciviousness to work all un- cleanness with greediness. But yea have not so learned Christ ; if so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus."* Does the world need spiritual knowledge ? " For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and God- head^ so that they are without excuse, "f • Eph. iv. 17, 21. t Rom. i. 20. MAN. Christianity opens for us the book of nature, and employs strong and useful arguments there-f rom. Pro- claims the Diety and our constant duty to reverence, love, and obey Him; and from the exalted character, the erect bearing, and the dignified attributes of man, shows the close relationship he bears to God and heaven. Christianity opens up the "Book of Providence," proclaims, and employs r riillion facts illustrative of the ways of God to man. It opens before the world the book of revelation, and in the most glowing colours paints everything in detail necessary to man's salva- tion, for time and eternity. " Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me."* Here you have man a sinner, Christ the Saviour, and the Spirit the sanctifier. This knowledge is the need of the world. Does the world need righteousness ? Ah ! j'es, see the pollution, drunkenness, licentiousness, wrath, and bit- terness, the dismal swamp of moral filth, the gathered corruptions of this polluted and lost world, and its great need is righteousness. " Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing them- selves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beast, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave • John V. 89. pt n \i ' '.'l Ill li I II: ' 24 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. them up to uncleanness through the lust of their own hearts, ^o dishonour their own bodies between them- selves : who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."* Man is guilty and corrupt ; he must stand before God in judgment ; he is accountable to God, and must live throughout eternity in happinness or misery. Unless he is righteous — unless he is holy — he must stand con- demned at the left hand of God, and perish forever, amid the shades and darkness of eternal woe. " Ye must be bom again. "f It is a great thing to be re- formed mentally and morally ; but after all, this is not the need of the world, except as it is employed in the higher life of holiness. Men often carry intellectual and moral reformation to a very high degree, and perish afterward. The regeneration of man's nature is man's great need, and without this he cannot be really saved, either in this life or that which is to come. 1. Man, as the lord of creation; as the governor OF THE CREATURES. First, Because of the peculiar station God has assigned him, he needs the knowledge, righteousness, and holiness which the Christian religion only can furnish. 2. The immense capabilities of man. " But there is a spirit in man. and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. "J These capabilities have demonstrated that the Christian religion is the great ne fig Rom, i. 21-25, t John iii. 1-11. Job xxxii. 8 :;i 1 MAN. 2*) need of the world, seen in the mighty men who have figured upon the stage of time : The historian, the profouna philosopher, the theologian, and the man of science : Men capable of solving difficult problems, of uncovering profound mysteries, aad of opening up all the glorious truths of God's revelations. 3. What God has done for man in giving him the whole world to contribute to his happiness ; the heavens and the earth, the mountains and hills. the forest and the plain, the gorgeous meadow and the flower garden, the seas and the rivers, all are man's servants. God has also made the very angels to minister to man, and in his fallen state has redeemed him to Himself by the death of His only begotton son. That man may receive and rightly improve upon these great gifts he needs the holy influence of Christianity, 4. Man is immortal, is destined to live forever. " So when this corruptible shall have put on incorrup- tion, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass tlie saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."* He was made so by God. An eternal state has been provided for him, even the heavenly Canaan, the glorious city of God, the house above with many mansions, and a place of misery for those who live and die impenitent. Our divine Christianity only can instruct him how to shun the one and enjoy the other. That Christianity is the great need of the world, and that man has hitherto • 1 Cor. XV. 64, 65. it! ill m 26 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. t found nothing better, is illustrated by the follow- ing:— VOLTAIRE AND LORD CHESTERFIELD. Lord Chesterfield, while at Brussels, was invited by Voltaire to sup with him and a lady of distinction, the latter holding sceptical principles. The conversation happened to turn upon the affairs of England. " I think, my Lord." said the lady, " that the parliament of England consists of five or six hundred of the best informed men in the kingdom ? " " True, madam," answered the other; "they are generally supposed to be so." " What, then," inquired the lady, " can be the reason that they tolerate so great an ab- surdity as the Christian religion ? " Lord Chester- field replied, " I suppose, madam, it is because they have not been able to .substitute anything better in its stead : when they can do so I do not doubt that in their wisdom they will readily adopt it." Young designates Christianity, " That great support of man's welfare and God's glory, is like a well built arch : the greater load of opposition and reproach its enemy lays upon it, the stronger it stands." And Cumming says " Philosophy may make a crowd ; Christianity alone can make a people." 1^ / 1 ^^^M i^i^ 1 C\^iW5^ ^^^ ^^^ CHAPTER 11. TF POPULAR VIEW OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY CONSIDERED. ^EN are asking thoughtfully to-day, " What is man's natural state ? " Is he by nature good or bad ? Morally pure or impure ? All admit that he must be the one or the other. We take for granted that God's word is true, and we do not wish to enter upon this question, with any one who is not a believer in the Sacred S^^riptures. The Bible informs us that the man fell in the Garden of Eden, " And the Lord God said. Behold the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil ; and now lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of Life, and eat, and live for«^ver: therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken, so He drove out the man; and He planted at the east of the Garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life."* ♦ Gen. iii. 22-24. H H! 28 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. The first question for us to consider is — What influence the fall had upon himself? God said to Adam, " Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of knowledge and of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.-|- There were two relationships which Adam sustained to God. The firbt was natural. He was a child of God. He pleased God, and bore His image — that of knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. He was no longer a child after his fall, but became an alien and enemy. God was displeased with Adam, and deprived him of His favour and image. There was also a covenant relation, which Adam in his original state had sustained to God. So long as he remained obedient to the will of God he. was to remain immortal. He was to remain immortal until he sinned. Sin is the death of the ssoul ; afterward of the body, and it becomes the eternal death of both if man is not saved. How FAR Adam was depraved when he fell is an IMPORTANT QUESTION. So far as we can gather from the Scriptures his apostasy was complete. God demanded obedience and man disobeyed. He lost the favour and communion of God : hence with these spiritual life. The soul itself was rent with reproaches which led to slavish fear, distrust of God, and numer- ous other sins. By the same means also the under- standing was darkened so that man became liable to * Ckn. ii. 16, 17 ; Ecclcs. vii. 20. THE POPULAR VIEW OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY. 29 make a thousand mistakes. His conscience was depraved ; from this resulted his sins of omission and commission. The body was corrupted, and its mem- bers became instruments of unrighteousness. Man had no power to remedy his condition ; unless God should interpose, he must become worse and worse. Hence there was given to man the promise of the Atonement in the words spoken by God : " The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." A glance at the history of the race from the fall of Adam to the deluge, from that period to the introduc- tion of Christianity into our world, and from the be- ginning of the Christian era unto the present time, must convince any thoughtful mind that man is depraved. " And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in. the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." * " There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, and there is none that doeth good, no not one."-f' How DID THE SIN OF AdAM AFFECT HIS DESCEND- ANTS ? He was the natural root, head, and federal representative of all his descendants. He transmitted his corrupt nature, with the guilt of sin and the penal consequences, to the whole race ; so that, were it not for the atonement of Christ, the divorcement of the Spirit, spiritual nature and eternal death and the Gen. vi. 5. tRom. iii. 11, 12. m ip ■; ; s' ■ i i L ill 30 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. nilli abiding wrath of God would be the result. As it is, children who have not come to years of conscious responsibility are saved by virtue of the death of Christ, are in a state of unconscious salvation. This state is not by nature, but through the atonement of Christ. The Scriptures are clear upon this FACT, that the SIN OF AdAM AFFECTED THE WHOLE RACE OF HIS DESCENDANTS. God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.* The whole race of man virtually sprang from Adam and partook of his nature. When he fell, all fell with him. God made not the covenant with Adam as a single person, but as the representa- tive of the whole race. Therefore the whole of posterity became a party to the covenant, and when it WM broken by one, it was broken by all."!* "As by one Ttian's disobedience mmy were made sinners." All were dead.{ ''By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."^ We leam from the Scriptures that every power of man s body, soul, and spirit is affected by the fall of man. (1) " The understanding is darkened. Having the unders>e''»diiAg darkened, being alienated from the life o*. 'i - ro.igh the ignorance that is in them, because . fa I :• aI'-css of their heart."|| § Rom. y. 12. t Rom. V. 19. t2Cor. y. U. I Eph. iy. 18. THE POPULAR VIEW OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY. 31 (2) The conscience is defiled, " Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience."* (3) The will is obstinate and rebellious. " Turn ye unto Him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted."-!- (4) The affections are carnal and sensual. " Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath even as others. "{ > . ♦ (5) All the thoughts of the mind are evil. " Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, was only evil continually."§ „ (6) The mind and the heart are filled with all manner of abominations. "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked ! For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. || Man in a state of nature is not conscious of his REAL condition. This may be accounted for in three ways, the force of habit, the influence of prejudice, and the hardening nature of sin. Habits are acquired by repetition, they are not supernatural, or such as are produced at once. Moral qualities, as truth, justice, benevolence, or love if practised, will ennoble man, but if neglected, man will learn to love falsehood, injustice, coveteousness, and hatred. If a man habituates him- * Heb. X. 22. t Isa. xxxi. 6 ; Rom. viii. 7. t EpJi- ii- 3. § Gen. vi. 5. i| Jer. xvii. 9 ; Matt. zv. 19. ■V il I 32 THE NEED OP THE WOELD. self to a life of devotion he will feel at home and happy in the public and private means of grace. On the other hand, if he constantly neglects these he will feel but little interest in the services of religion, and private devotion will become irksome in the extreme. The force of habit will deaden his sensibilities so that he will feel a certain amount of satisfaction, even when living in sinful indulgences and without God. Another reason why Tnen are not conscious of their depraved state by nature is the influence of prejudice. Men generally do not point out to their fellow-beings their personal defects. They are always free to exhibit or applaud human excellencies. The results are that men are brought into a sort of self-righteous state, and are led to believe themselves to be better than they really are. There are many people who are guilty of much wrong-doing, and who think they are living good lives. They are blind to their own faults. This unhappy state is begotten, nourished, and supported by prejudice. Sin is blinding to the mind and hardening to the heart. The longer man lives in the indulgence of it the less liable is he to know his real condition, the more he indulges the more hard- hearted and insensible will he become. Disease has seized upon the human frame, caused perhaps by some sinful indulgence or overwork. Let the promoting cause of the trouble be continued and it will kill the body. Yet the victim is unconscious of what is leading him on to death. A great disease is upon the THE POPULAR VIEW OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY. 33 fallen sons and daughters of men hastening them on to destruction but they know it not ; for by the disease itself the powers of their bodies are being destroyed and those of their minds are being dwarfed ; their hearts are being hardened, and sin is doing the work of destruction. Man's ignorance of his real state is a striking PROOF OF HIS DEPRAVITY. " This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened ; being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts."* Be- fore Adam fell he walked in the glory of the. Divine presence ; he knew God, and he knew himself. His knowledge was perfect in its kind, though it was not infinite. This was a part of the divine image in which God created him. By the fall he lost this and his whole nature became enveloped in darkness. " Blinded by the god of this world lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine into him" When man is restored by the power of grace, light and knowlege are important elements in his salvation. The first saving influence he feels is that of light convincing him of sin : then follows the l7ght that leads him to Christ, and fiinally through the pathway of life up to God. " The path of the just is as the shining light shining more and more unto the perfect day." * Eph. iv. 17, 18 ; V. 8. C ; 1 ■•\: ft; ■ '' t ! - t i f 34 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. Man's oft-repeated mistakes and failures prove HIM TO BE IN A FALLEN STATE. " But if thine eye be evil thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness." * These mistakes and failures are manifest to all. The most devout believers pray to be preserved from them, and confess that they are often led captive ; that, with the Apostle Paul, when they would do good, evil is present with them, and that they are engaged in a continual conflict with the world, the flesh, and the Devil. These failures may arise from some moral weakness as that of perception, judgment, or will, or from a connection between moral weakness and outside influence. The results are per- ceptible failures and frequent mistakes. For example a man, good and devout, who is known to be truthful and honest, has heard a report which he has every reason to believe is true, and believing without doubt that it is true he repeats it. It is told again and again, perhaps a hundred or a thousand times, and afterward it is proven to be false, hence he has helped to circulate a falsehood, which spoken by him was more widely spread because of his reputation for truth- fulness and devotion. The INCLINATION OF THE HUMAN HEART TO EVIL, RATHER THAN TO GOOD, IS A PROOF OF ITS DEPRAVITY. History, observation, and experience teaches us, that man from his birth is more inclined to evil than to * Matt. vi. 28. li!^ THE POPULAR VIEW OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY. 35 good. Every human being has from his birth good or bad surroundings. Those who are surrounded with evil as a rule become contaminated. You have looked sometimes with pity upon the children of some outcast family, and you have said it is no wonder that they are so bad. They have heard nothing but godless pre- cept, and have seen nothing but evil example. "The seed of evil-doers shall never he renewed." How is it with children who are thrown under better influences ? The history of the Church of God proves that^ it is easier for them to live a godless than a godly life. The best influences of the purest lives are not powerful enough to keep the young from wandering from God, and doing the things that are inconsistent with His will and word. The reason is obvious. Man carries about with him the springs of his own depravity. If he will look within he will see what it is that sends forth such streams of evil in his life, exciting his passions and affections ; and producing such sad results at every step in life. See that timepiece standing on your shelf ; it moves with such precision/ that you can carefully note the time of day ; take off the pendulum and in a moment its wheels will fly around with prodigious speed, and the hands will course rapidly over the dial plate. As a timepiece it will be perfectly useless. Hang on the pendulum and again it will perform its proper duty. Leave man entirely to himself; show him no good example, give him no godly precept, and he will rugji I ii ^ i - • t ! r I i il 36 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. on madly, to ruin. He can learn evil without instruc- tion, but to learn good he must have a teacher. Not all men are alike depraved, some are more so than others ; yet the lives of many prove the doctrine of human depravity as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. Illustrative Incidents. The writer knew a little child living in a Christian home where both father and mother were good people, and whatever influences had been thrown around him were good, yet he evinced nothing but depravity; falsehood, deception, unkindness, and bad temper. So violent was his temper, and so jealous his mind that his friends were afraid that something awful would yet happen in the family as the fatal result of his evil nature. A minister said to his mother, one day, "Is there nothing good that with cultivation can lead him safely through life ? " She replied, " That she had never felt so anxious in her life as since the birth of this child." This case seemed to be an illustration of human depravity. A Second Case. I knew an aged man, who, with his fviriiy lived about three miles from any neighbour. I visited his house on one occasion, and at that time it contained several wretched beings. I tried to do them spiritual good, but felt on leaving, that I had utterly failed in my effort. Were I to present to you the details of the unhappy existence of the inmates of that awful den THE POPULAR VIEW OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY. 37 at the time, I would exhibit envy, joalousy, cruelty, and murder. Here was a perfect illustration of human depravity. The absence of good and the presence of evil. This man was executed in Montreal for murder soon after my visit to his cabin. Does this subject need any proof beyond that of our own individual history ? To us the question of the greatest importance is, " How can I rid myself of thi.s evil nature, and obtain a new and better one ? " Yet to-day men are concerning themselves more about the existence of an evil nature, and the manner in which they were brought into this unhappy state, than about the means by which they may change it and obtain a better one. Behold that drowning man! He sinks the first time and comes to the surface. A rope is thrown him, but instead of grasping it, he cries, " How came I here ?" And sinks again. Once more he rises to the surface and is again urged to seize the rope, now within his reach, the infatuated man repeats his interrogation. They cry out to him, " Do not concern yourself about that now, only save yourself." But, with the cry, " How did I come here ?" he sinks down to rise no more. We are perishing like the man in the water. The important question with us is not, " How came we into this unhappy state ?" but, "How may we be saved from it, and be made pure and happy ? " ' ' '"'■ ! ■ i! ■1 i:S| Ml M CHAPTER III. MORALITY, ITS REAL VALUE. i'HERE ARE TWO CLASSES OF WRITERS WHO GO TO EXTREMES UPON THIS IMPORTANT SUBJECT- One class declare that there is nothing good in the best of men ; that the love, truth, honor, integrity, and even the devotion of the most spiritual minds are tinctured with sin ; that as regards the nature and acts of man there is nothing in either that is either true, beautiful, or good; that every power of man's body, every attribute of his mind, and every affection of his heart is altogether evil, and only evil, and always evil. This teaching might have passed current with the multitude perhaps a half century or a century ago, but not now. The most devoted Chris- tians appreciate moral excellence wherever they find it; whether in the Christian or in the moralist, in the church or in the world. Truth is truth, benevolence is benevo- lence, love is love, and honesty is honesty, wherever you find them. In the path of spiritual life all these qualities are found ; yet multitudes possess them who are not found walking in that pathway. In other MORALITY, ITS REAL VALUE. S9 words a man cannot be a true Christian without possessing all these, and he may have them all, and yet not be a converted Christian. The young ruler said to Jesus, " Good Master, what shall I do that I might inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, " Thou know est the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, defraud not, honour thy father and mother." The ruler replied, "All these have T observed from my youth." Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, " One thing thou lackest."* There is another class which deny the doctrine of human depravity and with it the nature and import- ance of the atonement ; which exalt man higher than the Bible warrants. They hold that he is both inno- cent and happy before he is brought under the in- fluence of temptation and sin. These are the two extremes of thought upon the moral state of man before he is converted by the power of Christ. There are moral men who rightfully receive THE appellation, EARTH's NOBILITY AND THE EXCEL- LENT OF THE EARTH. This latter appellation is sometimes given to the purest and best of the people of the Church of Christ. I think it would be more appropiate to designate them " The Excellent of the Church of God," for they are no longer the people of the world, but members of the family of God. They are among the best and the most , * Mark x. 17, 19, 20, 21. ^'11 If ! 40 THE NEED OF TBE WORLD. h' IR!' !< 11 i! spiritual of them, and, therefore, may appropriately receive this title, I think the appellation " Excellent of the Earth," which means Excellent of the World may be suitably applied to strictly moral men, men of truth, of love, of benevolence, and of fidelity; who can be trusted in any difficult and responsible position, and who prove themselves worthy of the confidence of society. There are two classes of persons who belong to our sinful world. The members of one class neither fear God nor regard man; their minds are blinded, their sensibilities are deadened, their consciences are seared, their hearts are hardened, and their lives are corrupted: " Every imagination of the thought of man's heart is only evil and that continually." " They are not ashamed when they commit abomination, neither do they blush." There is another class. Its members have a reverence for God, for His sanctuary, and for His people. They admire everything in man that is true, noble, and of good report. To a certain extent they are enlightened and tender-hearted. It cannot be said that they have been guilty of cherishing polluted thoughts, or of indulging in corrupt actions. They would scorn to be guilty of either : this latter class are the excellent of the world. Then there are two classes in the Church of God. The members of one class professing to be Christians, but seldom ever thinking of God, are ignorant of sacred things, because they are thoughtless. They are uall; and light ill MORALITY, ITS REAL VALUE. are not faithful to God nor true to His cause. Spirit- ually they say they are rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing, and know not that they are poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked. Their light is dim, their faith is weak, and the little life they have remaining is ready to die. There is another class in the Church of Christ the members of which are converted, earnest, faithful to God, and true to man, whose way is the path of life. These loving, conse- crated, devoted ones, are the excellent of the Church of God. The INFLUENCE OF MORALITY UPON THE LIVES OF MORAL MEN THEMSELVES. They have not the same consciousness of guilt as others. The young ruler said to Christ, " Good Master, all these things have I observed from my youth."* Jesus said to Nicodemus, "If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things ? ""I* The neglect to cultivate moral principles and moral habits, and igno- rance of the great plan of human salvation, have induced in their minds the thought that they are spiritual, even in the absence of conversion, prayer, faith, and devotion, and in the non-observance of many of the best means of grace, such as the prayer- meeting and the social religious circle. I have some- times conversed witli good moral men who believe that they are even better Christians than many who II W ^ 4 -I • Mark i. 20. t John iii. 12. s •tA. wwr 42 THE NEED OF THE WOULD. I ; :; III I : "! m |;i are members of the Church of God, simply because some persons connected with the Church of God are destitute of moral principle and are not faithful to God in their observance of the means of grace. Un- fortunately, moral men do not take as their stand- ards the best members of the Church of Christ, but rather the very worst. A good member of the Church of Christ will possess true Chriirttian principles. He will not allow any means of grace to pnss unimproved if it is possible for him to be present. In all fairness, moral men should compare their state with that of the best men in the Church of Christ and not the worst. The difference between the moral man and the true and earnest Christian is this that the moral man, to judge from what he says, regards himself as good enough, and better than many Christians. The true and earnest Christian thinks himself very defective, and often in the prayer-meeting and social religious circle speaks of his imperfections, and says with the Apostle Paul, " When I would do good evil is present with me." In all my experience in the Church of God I have never known a devoted Christian to boast of his excellencies, but have always seen such a one mourn over his defects. We know that this is not the case generally with moral men. The most glorious, useful, and happy experience, to which man can attain in this life, is the change designated in the Scriptures, Conversion, or Salvation. This the moral man does not enjoy, neither does he desire it, as he has and MORALITY, ITS REAL VALUE. 43 holds a substitute ; which is as dross is to gold, or as shadow is to substance. It is not the real good upon which to rest his hopes. The influence of a strictly moral life upon SOCIETY. The greatest power man has over his fellow-creatures lies in his example. Precept is weak in comparison with it. I may have explained to me my duty and may be urged to do it, yet in a little time I may forget it; but I see a beautiful and living example, that I can never forget. The image will stand before me as long as I live. I see before my mind's eye a moral man ; his walk is very circumspect ; he is found in the sanctuary on the Lord's Day ; he is liberal in supporting religion, and in helping the poor ; he is just in all his transactions with other men. Men would take his word as readily as his note ; he is very loving and amiable to all, and he possesses a great many other excellent qualities so that he is beloved by all. Society looks at the life of that man, admires it, imitates it, and is content with his life, his acts, and his enjoy- ments ; soars no higher, and looks not beyond. That is the great mistake of morality. Pure and undefiled religion is purer and better. It is what the world needs. It reaches higher, deeper, and wider than morality. It is better adapted to meet the wants of the deathless souls of men, and its influence extends to eternity. Morality looks no further than the boundaries of time, rises no higher than the world, and breathes no purer ' 1 11 1 ifi ■ m. ijj '■I 'if i:h ii 44 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. atmosphere than that of earth. It is far easier for society to imitate the moral thaii the truly religious man; for pure and undefiled religion looks up to heaven. The life of morality is one of ease, that of the Christian one of labour and self-denial, and, strange to say, at the same time, one of unspeakable joy ; of a joy far greater than the highest morality can afford. Men generally, whatever may he their moral hearing, influence a circle eithtr ^or )od or evil. A truly devout man is a light in his circle, and men take knowledge of him that ne has b-^^n with Christ, and they imitate his example and seek with him to know Christ, whom ''to know is life eternal." The circle around him will often be devout and exemplary. The professing Christian who enjoys little or no religion, who has no relish for the means of grace, who can allow the privileges of the sanctuary to fall into decay or depend upon others to keep them up, who if there is only one prayer-meeting in a week in the Church will allow that to die rather than bestir himself. Who has no family worship, no desire for the salvation of man, as far as his influence reaches, icy winter and spiritual death abound. So the moralist depending upon no more than his moral principles and moral acts will also very greatly influence the circle in which his power is felt ; but that influence will be in favour of morality and against real, earnest religion. We draw this conclusion from the principle, that " every char- acter good or bad, whatever its peculiar moral or MORALITY, ITS REAL VALUE. # spiritual position, tends to assimilate all 'other char- acters to its own, and bring them to its own level." The truly pious make men devoid, the moralists make men moral, the vncked make men vicious. All that is really pure and good in the Church of Christ, gathers around Christ the Great Pattern of light and holiness. The RELATION OF MORALITY TO THE CHRISTIAN RE- LIGION. ; Morality is not religion, it is of a lower grade. Religion always commences with conversion and morality never reaches that standard. When men reach that point they are no longer only moral, but they are religious* The principle characteristics of morality are self-will and self -righteousness. Moral men will not yield their wills to the will of Christ. They are told that Christ would have all men to be " saved and come to a know- ledge of tfce truth."- The moral man says, " I am good enough, salvation is unnecessary in my case." The Bible says, "Be ye holy for I am holy." The moral man says, " I have good principles and live a good life, that is enough." The Gospel says, " Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect" The moral man says, " That is fanaticism, no man can be perfect in this life. The Apostle Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, " The very Ood of peace sanctify you luholly, and I pi^ay God your whole body and spirit and soul may he preserved blameless unto the comivg of our Lord Jesus Christ." The moral man says, "No one can attain to that high standing." We farther i \ t i Ml ' i t ^y I fffl j ' ^1 i: m m ; HI ■1 46 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. Ill ii 11 "fi" il'i '''i read in the Scriptures that, " // any man he in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away and behold all things are become new." The moral man retains his old views, old habits, and old principles. In his state all things have not become new. He has not put off the " old man with his deeds, and put on the new man which after God is created in righteous- ness and true holiness." This the real Christian has. The moral man is self-willed and yields not his will to the will of Christ. His is self-righteousness. Spiritual religion exhibits : — 1. Complete subjection of our wills to the will of Christ. 2. The perfect consecration of our lives to Him. 3. The enjoyment of the spirit of holiness. None of these things is found in a moral life only, and there is no truly spiritual life without them. There are two classes of moral persons. One class which disregards the Christian religion and its obser- vances, and a second class which reverences and highly values its services, and especially the public worship of God. The first class does far more injury to religion than the latter. The reason is obvious and needs not to be commented on by me. Something more than morality is needed by MAN. The young nobleman said he had kept the law from his youth up. That was morality. Christ said to him, " One thing thou laokest" That was religion. MORALITY, ITS REAL VALUE. m Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and said to Him, " Rabbi, we know that Thou art a Teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be with him." Jesus answered and said unto him, " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a ma.n be horn again he cannot see the kingdom of Ood" The moral man could not see what Christ meant, and enquired, " How can a man be born when he is old ? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born ? " Jesus answered, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is bom of the Spirit is spirit." " The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth : so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus answered and said unto him, " How can these things be ? " Jesus answered, " We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen. '»♦ Illustrative Incidents. The writer knew of a master-builder who from his youth up had been a very moral person. He was held in high esteem by the Church as he was one of its regular attendants and most liberal supporters. The^ minister of the Church often felt that it was a sad thing that he should pass through so many revival * John iii. 1-11. M \\\ fi ' hi! i !- t )'l ; 1 , jj 48 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. services without feeling the necessity of becoming a Christian, and hesitated to speak to him about it, his life seemed so free from taint and pollution. He was often pressed by conscience to speak to him upon the subject and as often felt that he had no strength to do so because of the man's superior moral worth ; so that really his moral excellencies disarmed and weakened his minister when he attempted to do him any spiritual good. One day this master-builder stood upon a high ; scaffold and in turning around fell upon the pavement beneath. He was very much hurt and supposed death was near. A great many persons gathered around him and in faint words he was heard to say something. The people listened and the words were, "found want- ing, FOUND wanting. ' He recovered after some months of suffering. As soon as he was able to go to the house of the Lord he there confessed to the people of God his great need of Christ. He sought and found the Saviour, and was made an earnest and happy Chris- tian. Now he saw the great defect of his life, he had been trusting to the scaffolding of his morality and not to Christ the true Foundation Stone. A Second Case. - ^ That of a professor in a leading university; a strictly moral roan, in whose house the writer was a guest for several days. One day the professor asked him to go for a drive. He did so; and the conversation turned upon religious life. The professor enquired 1 MORALITY, ITS REAL VALUE. 49 i:; why religious teachers were pressing so much upon the attention of the people the necessity of a state called by them conversion, change of heart, &c. He could not see the necessity for such a change. To fear God and to keep His commandments, the Scrip- ture said, " was the whole duty oj man." The writer then, in & plain and earnest way, explained the nature and importance of conversion, and concluded by pressing upon the professor's attention thS fact that if his splendid talents were devoted to spreading earnest Christianity how much more good he could do in the world. The seed was sown. Weeks passed on. One day the writer received a letter from the professor stating that he had been labouring under deep conviction of spirit. He felt that he was in a perishing condition. In this state he prayed earnestly and believingly to God for pardon, and found peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. He wrote of going to the first Christian social meeting with fear and trembling ; but on rising to tell what the Lord had done for him, he became so happy that he resolved that with this people he would live and die, and he would spend the remainder of his life in spreading earnest Christianity. Talk they of morals, Thou bleeding Lamb ! ; . The graud morality is love to Thee. — Young. ; ' " Then cease thy looking here and there, . j And first of all thy heart prepare ' By purity from sin. ! And then, lit up with heaven's bright glow, Thy soul of truth and love shall know That heaven above is heaven below, D And Christ is found within." — Upham. > '>i< n m\ • i ■ " ■ ' 1' • r ■ i i ■ ■;■ d _ii^ . |}H Mm : ^ ujmam Itl III CHAPTER IV. THE INFLUENCE OF VITAL CHRISTIANITY UPON MAN. IhRISTIANITY is calculated to bless universal man. It is suited to him in all the diversified circumstances of life, from the cradle to the tomb, and will influence his destiny in the eternal state. Here, while on earth, it is designed to moderate all his affections, to bridle his passions, to completely subdue his will, to produce in his mind the most sacred emotions, to exalt his intellect, to sanctify his heart, and to harmonize all life's scenes. In these respects among all religions, Christianity is pre-eminent. So great is the contrast between Christianity and other systems of religion, that among them all, man has never found any substitute for Christianity. As to purity, other systems have their admixture of truth and error, this is undivided and uncorrupted truth. As to the extent of its in- fluence, other systems flourish in their native climes only, and are limited in their sway ; but this has un- paralleled power over the individual, over society, INFLUENCE OF VITAL CHRISTIANITY UPON MAN. 51 over nations, and over the whole world, wherever it has bf introduced. It ^.^UUES the HUMAN WILL. The WILL is that power or faculty of the mind by which we desire and purpose, or by which we deter- mine to do or to forbear doing. In a religious sense it is that by which we determine to do either right or WRONG. By the unholy influence of sin and the dark- ness of the understanding, our wills as well as all the other powers of our minds have become perverted, therefore stubborn and rebellious, so that generally we choose evil in preference to good. The Apostle Paul design^ the unsaved " the children of disobedience,"* Isaiah ^^ ^.ks of them as " children who will not hear the law of the Lord"f And Christ the greatest of all teachers said, " Ye will not come wnto Me that ye might have life" Freedom is the birthright of universal man. Even Jehovah in His righteous government does not force man's will, but in His infinite goodness surrounds him with the saving influences of Christianity, by which He enlightens his understanding, softens his heart, and thus subdues his will. The Christian breathes the very atmosphere of liberty ; his penitence, faith, self- denial, and labours are all voluntary, because Christian- ity had its origin in absolute divinity, in infinite, un- corrupted perfection. It is not so with other systems of religion, their unhappy subjects are burdened with * Eph. ii. 2. t Isa. xzx. 9. ; i f m (^S THE NEED OF THE WORLD. the fetters of moral slavery; their wills and consciences are tyrannized over; they are bound down by the weight of oppression, and no offering of theirs is voluntary. Mohammedanism received its birth and has triumphed by means of the sword. The penances and human sacrifices of Hindooism are the results of priestly religious oppression. In other systems much of the poverty and wretchedness of the multitudes is caused by the tyranny of the priesthood. Time would fail me to speak of the horrors of monastic and convent life. Human language cannot describe the sufferings of their penances and their pilgrimages. In short, v^iiere is no part of their worship free. All is bondage and misery. And equally defective are all the religions of human invention in the world. In vital Christianity there is liberty. Its every breath is freedom. Inducements are given to man to come under its influence ; but he can spurn those in- ducements and reject those influences. Christ said to the hard-hearted Jew : " Ye will not come unto Me that ye might have life." The Redeemer of mankind does not compel men to come to him and to submit to His sway, but entreats them, beseeches them to come, though they only are benefited. He says, " Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." " Ho ! every one thai thirsteth, come ye to the waters. He that hath no money, come ye buy and eat, yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price." Oh! the infinite goodness of God, and the mighty power of Christianity ! ''!!!■ K influence of vital christianity upon man. 58 Christianity controls the passions and appe- tites OF MEN. By the appetites and passions, we mean that thirsting of human nature for riches, honors, conquests, recreations, often observable among men. Riches. — So great a desire has man to accumulate wealth, that he will belittle, and pollute his whole being to accomplish his purpose. He will destroy his physical powers, and pollute and dwarf his mind ; and indeed tax to the uttermost every energy of body and of mind to that end. Christianity, when enjoyed, shows the true value of wealth, that it is only a thing of second- ary importance. It instructs its possessor not to place his affections upon it. It teaches him that riches take to themselves wings and fly away ; that the Christian is only a steward under God of all he possesses ; and that in the day of judgment he must give an account of how he employs the Lord's money. Honor. Man is naturally proud, and desirious of honor and conquests. When he becomes truly a Christian he desires the honor that cometh from God only, and to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him. He desires to be considered nothing that Christ may be all in all. When Tegranes delivered himself up to Pompey, he did not behave with royal dignity, as though he were simply performing an act of regal courtesy, but as one who was utterly conquered. He laid down all his arms, unrobed himself of all his apparel, and plucked the crown from his brow. When we, as sinners, confess ; i'' ;r 1 i ■■ ti i II Ml il; 54 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. that Christ is our Conqueror, it is with humility that we must approach His feet, with no robes of pride, no arms of defiance, no crcnvn of self-glory ; but absolutely naked and undone, in honor of Him who has thus so completely overcome. When we confess that we have lost all merit, Christ will do more than the conqueror did, who gave the captive back all that he had laid at his feet. He will bestow upon us not our robes and crowns, but a robe of purity and a crown of glory, and in this wav will surround us with his own splendours. Recreations. — All nations in all ages have thirsted for recreations. The Grecians delighted in the Olympic games ; the Romans favoured the race, boxing, and throwing the discus. Theatrical performances, dancing and games of chance are favorite amusements in nearly all parts of the civilized world in modern times. Pure Christianity has a wonderful influence over those who come fully under its sway in their choice of re- creations. They will not enter any place of pleasure where Christ could not be a guest, or where they could not offer prayer ^o God, or would not be willing to die. They are taught by Christ himself : " It is neither temporal, nor even spiritual pleasure, which ought to be the final object of our attachment, but God himself, for so long as it is mere pleasure we seek, whether temporal or spiritual, though the latter be of a far more elevated nature than the former, it is still ourselves and not God that we seek. It is the creature and not r-P*< i| !-^! bo If, INFLUENCE OF VITAL CHRISTIANITY UPON MAN. 55 the creator, since while we seem to desire Him we only seek Him as a means whereby to enjoy ourselves, thus placing ourselves above Him." Christianity regulates the affections. Our affections when sanctified by the grace of God are '^**en placed upon objects from unworthy motives. Ve love our relatives and friends because we love our- selves, because they are connected with us in our interests, our family associations, and domestic endear- ments. If this is the only motive we have for the love we feel towards our relatives and friends, it is not so high as it should be to govern the affections of an in- telligent and immortal being. Christianity instructs its possessor to love his friends from godly motives, not to have that blind, stupid affection for them which connives at their wrong doing, and the dishonour they bring to God and His cause ; but rather to love their souls and use all the means within his power to lead them to Christ. Our affections are sometimes excited by worldly enterprises and heroic actions. When we hear of the deeds of warriors, and the seas of blood through which they have passed we admire them ; but when we are enlightened by the Christian religion, we look at war as a terrible calamity, and we love not so much the spiller of blood, as him whose blood is spilt. We love the martyr more who shed his blood for the cause of Christ, than the mightiest warriors who have slain multitudes. nl i A 56 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. Christianity destroys bad habits, and thus pre- vents PHYSICAL DISEASE AND THE SHORTENING OF HUMAN LIFE. When it is enjoyed in early life it proves a defence to youth. The young, though not influenced by Christianity, may avoid many open and vicious practices, such as drunkenness, debauchery, &c., yet they will be likely to indulge in many habits which must inevitably produce physical disease and the shortening of human life. Christianity is a defence, and the earlier it is em- braced the better. The writer thinks that for the purity, honor, and glory of life, Christianity is not pressed upon the young sufficiently early. Sin has slain more by tens of thousands, than famine, pestilence, and sword. Dr. Fitch, in his lectures, supplied instances of per- sons, who becoming pious early in life, had withdrawn from many of the pleasures of the world, indulged in by their fellows, such as dancing, and had gone down prematurely to the grave. Were the Christian church to cite its instances it could show, that, if Christianity has slain its tens, sin has slain its tens of thousands. Christianity produces in the human mind the MOST SACRED EMOTIONS. Every ray of spiritual light that shines forth from the Sun of Righteousness pro- duces in the human mind a glorious variety of emo- tions which strengthens, animates, and cheers. You are the subject of an inward pleasure as you look to- ward the great sun of da, and feel his warmth and INFLUENCE OF VITAL CHRISTIANITY UPON MAN. 57 behold his glory ; but what is this to be compared to the light and comfort produced by the peaceful rays of the Sun of Righteousness. The Christian enjoys inward sacred peace ; not like worldly pleasure, casual and uncertain ; but lasting as the mind. He can " re- joice evermore"* for the fountain whence he receives his joys is inexhaustible. The angel who appeared to the shepherds in the fields of Bethelem, said : " Fear not ; for, behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of Davids a Saviour, luhich is Christ the Lord."'f' This announcement was ratified by a swelling chorus of a legion of angelic spirits who sang, " Gloi^ to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." This peace is the need of the world. All desire peace, rest, and happiness ; but no where can we find this sacred treasure except in obedience to our Saviour's exhortation : " Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me for I am, meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest to your souls" In taking Christ's yoke and bearing His burden in a sincere, free, and entire obedience to His laws; in learning of Him, who was meek and lowly in heart, with a pliable and teachable frame, and with an obedient temper of spirit, we shall undoubtedly find the sweetest ease and tranquillity of mind. Christianity elevates the youth - fill spirits. It gives strength, solidity, and intelligence to manhood, it supports and blesses old age. It is a \i • 1 Thess. V. 16. t Luke iL 9-11. ^^ ' ■IH ■■L., MJ ■ ' 58 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. comfort to the isolated and lonely, and it cheers the social board. It gives the day laborer courage to perform the daily toils of life, and to those in more opulent circumstances it gives intelligence to trans- act the most important business of time aright. It cheers in prosperity and in adversity, in health and in affliction, in life and in death. ChRISTIAjnITY EXALTS THE HUMAN INTELLECT. Man's dignity and glory are seen in the fact that he possessi^s a spiritual nature, and the glory of man's spiritual nature is seen in the resemblance it bears to God. The capacities of the human soul are vast beyond concep- tion, aided by these man can soar to worlds unknown ; can one moment view the tiny atom lying upon the beach, and then can cast the eye of his mind upward and contemplate the Infinite, the mighty Creator of the universe. The unregenerate man, though possess- ing an immortal nature, bearing a resemblance to the Deity, allows his mind to grovel amid earthly scenes, and he seldom ever thinks of God his Maker. He was made to spend his powers in the service of the King of Heaven ; he prostitutes them to the Devil. Christianity when embraced stays the mind in its wanderings from God, and leads it to soar on high, to commune with the Diety, ard to join with the blest inhabitants of the spirit land, in hymning the glorious praises of eternity. Christianity sanctifies the heart of man and PREPARES him FOR THE BETTER LAND, — INFLUENCE OF VITAL CHRISTIANITY UPON MAN. 59 1. Under its saving influence we are convinced of sin. 2. We receive a free and full pardon of all our sins. 3. We are regenerated by His grace. 4. We are sancti^ed, body, soul, and spirit. This is the great need of the world. i^m H "\^<^' ^^^ 'vhich is the positive. Men have tried in eveiy age to fulfil these duties without the aid of Christian influence, and have signally failed, as no human being has ever succeeded. Hence this Christianity is the need of the world ; wherever there is the absence of this there are the roots of bitterness and stores of woe. Socially man must be pure, and I ask the reader where can you find moral purity outside the circle of Christian influence ? Can you find it among the rich and great? Can you find it among the pleasure seekers of the world ? Can you find it in the palace of the rich or the cottage of the poor? It is more likely to be found in this latter place because temptations are less nume ous than in any other sphere of life; but it is not even to be found there, for Christ only can wash away sin. " Wash you and maise you clean, put SOCIETY — MAN — HIS SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS. 81 away the evil of your doings before mine eyes, cease to do evil and learn to do well." " There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Emmanuel's veins ; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains. The dying thief rejoiced to see That fountain in his day, And there may I, though vile as he, Wash fill my sins away." Wherever there is moral impurity there is disorgan- ization, and the breaking up of the best societies designed for philanthropic and noble purposes. Socially man must be fraternal. Mankind is one brotherhood throughout the wide, wide world, and wherever man finds a fellow-man he finds a brother. Man in his social position must enjoy peace himself and extend this sacred treasure to others. There is nothing that has engaged the attention of the im- mortal mind of man that can produce these glorious results, excepting Christianity. Those benevolent corporations intended to take care of the sick and dying : the deaf and dumb, the blind, the infirm, mul- tiply under Christian influences. Moneyed institutions under the same controlling influence guard with scru- pulous care the wealth of others committed to their trust, and wear the insignia of righteousness in all their transactions. Under these happy influences places hi pleasure are not places of riot and dissipa- m II, ;! IpB 82 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. tion ; but of innocent mirth in which an individual would be willing either to pray or die. The home of a Chkistian family is the house of God, the place where His honor dwelleth, where He is worshipped and reverenced, where His presence is felt and His love enjoyed. Is there in truth any blessing of heaven which is more beautiful, more \ rthy of our warmest gratitude, than the possession of a home where goodness, kindness, s. id joy are daily experi- enced ? Where the heart and eyes may sun themselves in the world of love, where the mind is clear and ele- vated, where friends, not merely by words, but by actions, say to each other. " Thy gladness, thy sorrow, thy hope, and thy prayer are also mine !" See how within the good and happy family all inequalities are smoothed down, so as to form a common element of goodness and beauty, in which each member of the family finds his life, each power its development, each feeling its reception and its return, each pure pleasure its expansion. Behold how the tears are like heaven's dew, the smiles like the sun's light which calls flowers into life and love. Love is the blessed, the consecrated earth, from which all germs of goodness and joy spring gloriously forth. Life in a happy Christian home is a constant development, a continual spring day. The professed Church of God is not worthy of the name unless its laws, doctrines, spirit, and worship are eminently Christian. What the Church of God to-day needs most is the spirit of Christ. Oh, that it might descend in all its baptizing power ! CHAPTER VII. THE CHURCH IN THE FAMILY. fi ^E sang in childhood of, "Home, Sweet Home." In or I- ;jturer years, we learned that the sweetest element in home life, is the reli- gious one. It is that which makes home the most sacred and attractive spot on earth. Christian law, Christian principle, and Christian morality, consti- tute it a type of our heavenly home above. I look out upon Christian home-life to-day, and I see hundreds of happy groups bowing before the Deity, morning and evening, and worshipping at His feet. I see in these dwellings of the good, light, harmony, and peace. In these there is power as well as form. I see hundreds of others having only the form without the power : light, puritv, harmony, and peace are not in them. I see hundreds of others who have neither form nor power, professing Christians who have no altar nor worship in the family. I see of these that they are not obedient to heavenly law, nor influenced by Christian principle. They have not the mind of God, tr I I 84 THK NEED OF THE WORLD. Iiii'',' y for they have no relish for the worship of God. Their lives are often marked by inconsistency, neglect, and wron^-doing. I pass by, for the present, the first two classes and I ask the members of this last class, why this neglect ? Why this damage to their own homes, to God's cause, and to the world at large ? For the Church in the family is the great need of the world. The Members of this class usually ask, " What ARE OUR OBLIGATIONS?" Have we precepts to this end ? Has God given one ? Such persons have no desire for earnest worship ; therefore were the Scrip- tures to contain many commandments to the people of God to institute and sustain in their homes family worship, they would not obey them. If you search out the inner life of such Christians, you will find that their aim is to be Christians without being Christ-like, to be happy without being holy. Our obligations with regard to family worship are not limited by 'positive commandments, but may be observed in the very character and constitution of the Christian family, which is a number of human beings influenced by the same principles, actuated by the same motives, under the same laws and spiritual government, travelling to the same destinies, serving and worshipping the same God. Any ~ne of good sense must see that such a group cannot exist spirit- ually without rendering to God that service and worship. The Christian family is not self-made, it is constituted, upheld, and governed by Christ. The B^- THE CHURCH IN THE FAMILY. 85 parent is God's representative in that compact. He stands between bis family and bis God. He cares for his household by supplying their temporal wants. He waits for no commandment to attend to this important duty. Then surely the same agrument may be employed with regard to its spiritual government. Thus, I conceive that our obligations to cultivate family religion stand on a stronger and a more exalted foundation than that of precepts only. To such parents God says, " Whatsoever things are true, what- soever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report ; if there he any virtue, if there he any praise, think on these things!' * God deals with man as an intelligent and im- mortal BEING. He speaks to his heart as well as to his intellect. Many important things in Christian life, which are demonstrated to be useful in the highest degree, are not matters of precept. Prayer itself, the most important element in Christian life, was not enjoined upon man until the world was at least three thousand years old ; and the Jewish Church was eight hundred years old when this precept was given, " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" f The second does not occur until nearly two hundred years later.| Yet there never was a period in the Church's history when its members did not pray. Though not enjoined. Phil. iv. 8. t Psalm cxxii. 6. ' ^ i !■ ^ifiih ■fJer. xxix. 7. _i:!::^ 86 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. prayer was its life. As to family prayer, long before the Mosaic economy, when the father acted as an administrator of the family, worship was celebrated. Job in that remote period of the world's history offered sacrifices for himself and his children. Jacob did the same. These Bible instances are really a revelation from God, for neither Job nor Jacob could have received any intimation of this sacred duty, either from nature or any other source. There are several things worthy of the atten- tion OF the Christian family. God is its father. The God of the spirits of all flesh, the Father of the families of all men, is in the highest and the most glorious sense the Father of every Christian household." He is the Maker and Preserver of all. We are His by right of property, therefore should there not be an acknowledgement of His claims ? He daily preserves and provides for every temporal and spiritual want, should there not be daily thanksgiving and prayer ? We are social beings destined to hold sacred com- munion with God in heaven. Should we not hold fellowship with God on earth ? We are intellectual beings capable of holding intelligent communion with the Eternal mind. Should we not fulfil the design of our being in family prayer? Our social and intellectual powers are brought into exercise, and we are taught in the Word, that God has respect for the dwelling-places of Israel, as well as for wm w THE CHURCH IN THE FAMILY. s: the gates of Zion. "A Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows , is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary'' in families, He bringeth out those who are bound with chains ; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land." * Jeremiah prays, " Lord, pour out Thy fury upon the heathen that know Thee not, and upon the families that call not on Thy name."-f Our Lord's prayer, though employed in all the churches of Christendom, seems especially adapted to be used in the family in its morning devotions. Is it not fitting then, in our social family relationships, as we are protected by God, and provided for by Him amid all the difficulties and dangers of life, that we should acknowledge His goodness and consecrate each day intelligently to His service ? Thus honoring God, and exerting a benign and holy influence upon the several members of the family group. Our obligations in this matter are here seen in our many relationships. The best seasons for family worship. It is our bounden duty to worship God in the family. In doing so let us cherish the true spirit, a willing mind. Let us delight in this service, and cherish a desire to please our Heavenly Father in this important work. For this work we should choose a suitable season. To aid us in our choice we might study nature's laws. By divine appointment w^e have day and night. The day is light. The sun pours forth his effulgent rays over the whole creation, and man performs the daily toils * Psalm Ixviii. 6. f Jer. x. 2&. , III 88 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. of life. The night comes for rest and repose. It is dark, or only illumined by the lesser lights that rule the night. The repose of every night is the image of death. It ia fitting, therefore, that the children of God, in every family group, before taking upon themselves this image of death, should commit themselves to the fatherly care of their Heavenly Parent. After the slumbers of night ends we go forth to the daily labors of life — to its dangers and afflictions, to its joys and sorrows. It is fitting, therefore, that we should seek our Heavenly Father's hand to guide us safely through the difficulties and temptations of the day, and mani- fest our gratitude to Him for His preserving care through the silent hours of night. All creation feels the gloom of night, and rejoices when the light of day approaches. Surely intelligent man should not only rejoice, but express his gratitude to the Giver of all Good, for so many mercies. The royal Psalmist says : " It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, most High : To show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will tiHumph in the work of thy hands,"* The condition on which Jehovah met the children of Israel at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and promised that from age to age He would be their God, and would preserve them and their families, and provide * Psalm xcii. 1,2, 4, iii^ 11 1 1 m\ < ■: !•). THE CHURCH IN THE FAMILY. 89 for them from generation to generation, was that they should offer, without intermission, the morning and evening sacrifices. That professedly Christian house- hold which neglects this important duty and precious privilege to-day, cannot expect the presence and bless- ing of God, and without this no home can be prosperous or happy. Another reason why we should observe the regular seasons of morning and evening prayer is, that nothing can he accomplished, either in business or religion, with- out regularity. Method is necessary to success; it is the very soul and life of business and religion. Irregularity in the distribution of time will weaken and destroy the most valuable efforts and the most noble enter- prises. He who has regular seasons of prayer will not be forgetful of the true concerns of life. He who prays accidentally will not be likely to succeed, even in temporal things. Morning and evening are regular seasons for family devotion. If these are properly ob- served in any household, it will be easy for the individuals constituting the household to keep the spirit of devotion alive through the day, and they honor God, and glorify His name. For united devo- tion no season can be more appropriate than that of the morning and evening hour ; most, if not all, of the members are present. The business affairs of life either have not begun, or they have ended, and all have an op- portunity of joining in the worship of God. As a rule strangers are not present to interrupt, therefore all can M'i 90 THE NEED OF THE VVORT.D. with their hearts and energies, join in the study of God's word, in praise and in prayer. The last thing which I shall notice in this essay is, — The profitable exercises to he observed in con- nection WITH family devotion. Said one: " As for me and my house we will se^'ve the Lord" John Howard, the philanthrophist, never neglected family worship, though there was but one, and that one a servant, to join him, always remarking, "Where I have a tent God shall have an altar." In every Christian home God should have an altar, and at it God's written word shoidd be read and expounded. 1. This is an important and interesting part of family religion. 2. Here the members of the family are called to hear the voice of God. Jehovah speaks to them. 3. By this means the members of the family become enlightened in the Scriptures, without which they might remain ignorant of the doctrines, precepts, promises, and the examples contained therein. 4. This is their chart, directing parents and children across the ocean of life. 5. The Old and the New Testament are God's mes- sages of love to the family group to guide them through the wilderness of this world to their brighter and happier home in heaven. 6. Those who read the Scriptures in the family should do so with reverence, prayer, attention, faith, and profit. The real advantage to the family depends iHliii THE CHURCH IN THE FAMILY. 91 ^PfTI I ' < upon the disposition of the hearts of those who read, and of those who hear. Moses, Israel's lawgiver and leader, was not permitted to enter the Land of Promise because of a thoughtless word. 7. Holy men of old wrote and spoke this Word as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Those who read, and those who hear, should especially seek the in- fluence of the Holy Spirit. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." * " The good man's delight is in the law of the Lord ; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And "he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, that bfingeth forth his fruit in his season ; his leaf also shall not wither ; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." f Praise is also a proper part of family worship. It may be silent, spoken, or sung. In this way we can, with great pleasure and profit, show to the " generations following the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and the wonderful work that He hath done." Praise and thanksgiving are the natural ex- pressions of a spiritual and lofty piety. Children sometimes to the end of life remember with emotion the spirit which led their parents to ascribe praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God for all His saving benefits. We can always praise God in heart. We can all speak His praises. And wherever it is possible • James i. 5. t Psalm i. 2, 3. Mi ' i ■ 1 ;i i ■ i m A^ lAAAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ''^J^ i 'f ^J^ % %° 1.0 I.I laiM Wi-s »^ 1^ 1112.2 2.0 1.8 1.25 1 1.4 1.6 M 6" — ► y] ^-^ '-^/ >' o ^;. / ^ fliotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 (716) 872-4503 Ui V ^^-q\ 92 THE NEED OP THE WORLD. ! ".: ['*' to sin^ there is an additional spiritual force at work to lift the souls of parents and children upward to- wrrd the throne of the Eternal Father. In the Christian family, offering praise to God, we have a t3rpe of the Heavenly family singing the song of Moses and the Lamb for ever, . - " They sing the Lamb in hymns above, And we in hymns below." : ■ ^ Is the heart sad ? Are the spirits dull ? Is all cheerless as the stormy night ? At the voice of praise there will be a warm, a genial flow, a bright light of hope, a river of pleasure, a spring of comfort. Glad- ness and rejoicing will take the place of sadness and gloom ; for praise is the brightness and glory of the Christian's home. Add to this family prayer. There is no sight on earth so fair as that of a Christian family cherishing the true spirit of prayer, kneeling around God's altar praying for one another. They experience family unity, love, and peace, and realize the fatherly care of God. The members of the family cannot pray to God without feeling the out-flowing of love to God. They cannot pray for one another without feeling their relationship become nearer and dearer than before. So that there are glorious reflex benefits in the fulfil- ment of this important Christian duty, and in the observance of this sacred Christian privilege. Phillip Henry, in addition to reading and prayer THE CHURCH IN THE FAMILY. 93 morning and evening, recommended singing the praises of God. He says, " It is a way of exhibiting godliness, like Bahab's ' scarlet thread to such as pass our windows.' " His children and his servants used to take notes of his Expositions. They formed the foundation of Matthew Henry's " Commentary." On Saturday evening he required them to render an account of what they had read through the week. He had also special days of humiliation ; the results were his children became devoted Chistians, and strangers within his gates often dated their first spiritual impressions to those sacred family religious services. "Oh, Thou Great Ruler of the sky, ^ ' Who art and cannot cease to be ; Whose power and greatness never die. We raise our morning prayer to Thee. !! ii In the beginning of the day. With the bright, rising sun, Direct the footsteps of our way, Nor leave us till the day is done. 4 As hour succeeds to passing hour, And duties every moment fill. Uphold us by Thy mighty power, Aad guide us by Thy heavenly will. And thus, when all our days shall close, And suns no more for us shall shine. Oh ! may our souls in Thee repose, And life and joy be one with Thine." !-'» r i > .If CHAPTER VIII. THE spirit's WC:iK. — THE HEAVENS RENT AND THE MOUNTAINS REMOVED. im ^HERE are instances in which the prophets proclaimed with poetic beauty the out-pour- ing of God's spirit, and the triumphs of the Redeemer's kingdom in the latter times. The seraphic Isaiah, in several parts of his book, speaks of its rise, establishment, progress, and perfection. As he sets it before us in its varied parts, the language he employs is highly figurative, and exceedingly poetical. When he speaks of the final glory of Christ, he says, " Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to himi whom man despiseth, to him whom tJie nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers. Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of tfte Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee." * When he prays for the out-pouring of the Divine Spirit, can mind conceive or lips utter a more beautiful * laa. xlix. 7. ^iw THE spirit's work. 95 prayer, " Oh ! that thou would'st rend the heavens, that thou would'st come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence." * We cannot reach the inner meaning of this highly poetic passage without observing that there are mountains of difficulty standing solid and enduring as the mountains of earth, and that this mighty moving influence of the Spirit of God, capable of rending the heavens, can also melt the mountains of opposing influence, and cause them to flow down and to remove. Let us look at some of these mountains of difficulty rising up between the world of mankind and of God. One of these moral mountains of obstruction is — A LACK OF APPREHENSION OF THE PLAN OF HUMAN SALVATION. — This plan is spiritually discerned. Men who have no desire for spiritual things, see not the things of the Spirit of God ; neither can they know them because they are spiritually discerned. How are they brought into this unhappy state ? We are told by the Apostle that "They are blinded by the god of this world, lest the light of the knowledge of the Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine into them." He blinds them that this glorious light may not shine into them. It is self-evident that for any man to be successful in any enterprise he must understand what he is engaged in. There are thousands of men pro- fessing religion to-day, who have no knowledge of God, of Christ the Saviour, or of the Spirit and His 1 1 ! I- ■■■■ m - ill im-ii I 'i * Isa. Ixiv. 1. m THE NEED OF THE WORLD. work, and who have no knowledge of themselves, or of any of the relationships they sustain to Qod, to time, or to eternity. In order to enjoy salvation, we must understand the doctrine of salvation, believe Christ, know and obey His precepts, understand our duties and perform them. One of the greatest mountain obstacles in the way of the progress of salvation is the moral night of the Church. That the ChuJch of God should be filled « with spiritual light while the world is mantled with darkness, is the design of heaven. Whilei the thick pall of night was resting upon Egypt (the type of the world), there was light in all the dwellings of Israel (type of the Church). Yet we often find the Church not only in the wilderness, but in darkness. Vast and important interests in connection with the Church's progress are not understood by the Church herself. She does not understand the real state of the world ; nor the nature or extent of redemption. What is the reason ? Her members do not study prayerfully the Word of God. Hence they are unacquainted with most important truths, the supporting pillars of the Church of God. Ignorance is a mountain in the way of the progress of the Church of God. The HUMAN MIND IS PREJUDICED AGAINST GOD AND THUS STANDS AS A MOUNTAIN BARRIER IN MAN'S WAY TO God. To the reader nothing is really more important than to keep the mind free from it. Many are influenced by this evil who have not the least THE spirit's work. 97 knowledge of it. An evil fastened on the human soul is much more injurious if its nature and consequences are not felt or understood. You ask me to describe a prejudiced individual. He is one who forms or adopts an opinion, either true or false, concerning anything before the grounds or evidences of it have been fully or fairly considered, simply because it pleases him. And oftentimes he is afraid to examine the e /idence and truthfulness or falsity of things, lest there should come a conflict with his own designs. It is not too much to say that prejudice is the parent of most of the error and evil-doing found in connection with the Church of Christ. It led the Jews to call Christ a Samaritan, a devil, a wine- bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. It led both Jews and Romans to perse- cute the Christians and to put them to death. It made Ahab hate the pure-minded Micah. It led the rabble to bring the wood to burn the noble John Hubs. Much of the spirit that is antagonistical to pure Christianity is attributable to this evil — sectarian, denominational, or religious prejudice — and is caused by early education, parental precept, or bad example. Children are often in after-life what their parents were when they were yo^iigj a-^d under parental management. A parent is considered perfect in the eyes of a child, so that it is no marvel that a child will be led by a parent even into error, that he will imitate a parent's example, and believe what he teaches. A person thus influenced is told a truth, a o if' :W ; i : ^ 08 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. plain and undeniable truth, which comes home with power. It is not, however, what he desires, he there- fore is very reluctant to receive it. Dr. Fowler has given us a forcible illustration of this state of mind. He says, " We must take sides in a wrangle of pre- judices, and consequently be antagonized by many good and earnest people. It is always right to advo- cate our side, but never to advocate the other." People pray the old hunter's prayer, " Lord, help me against the bear ; but' if you can't help me, don't help the bear." Unbelief is another mountain. I think un- belief is one of the strongest forces in the world, the tendency of which is to keep man alienated from his Maker. An empty vessel, if tightly corked, may be cast into the sea, but the water cannot enter it. It must remain empty. Why? Because there is no inlet to receive the water; so it is when unbelief has shut up the human soul. The water of life, however powerful or abundant, cannot enter there. A man who has no faith in God will neither reverence, love, nor trust him. A very affectionate parent had a headstrong, dissolute son. There was such a con- trast between the son's nature and that of the father, that the son perfectly hated his father, and dreaded him. His father full of tenderness and love, lavished upon the son all the kindness and forbearance of his nature, and sought by these means to dethrone his suspicions and his hatred; but all to no purpose. IT THE SPIRITS WORK. 99 Years passed, and he was entertained in the family as one who had never trespassed. Eventually he left home and went among strangers, to embark in mer- cantile life. He was assured that if in any extremity he applied to his parent, he would find his application kindly received. In the course of years it happened that he was reduced to extremities, but did not com- municate his case to his father ; his base suspicion and disbelief in his father's tenderness and care prevented him from doing so. His father's heart was rent at such depravity of feeling; but the son was hard- hearted and unbelieving. Here we have a lively picture of unbelief. Our Heavenly Father is waiting and willing to impart to us His great gifts, the very things we need in joy and in sorrow, in prosperity and in adversity, in health and in affliction. We do not come to and confide in Him, but with sullen distrust we stand aloof from our gracious Benefactor and covenant Friend. The electric wires stretching from city to city and from shore to shore, are inanimate, yet instinct with life ; are silent, yet vocal with sounds ; carrying by means of lightning, tidings of good or evil to every part of the civilized world. Separate their terminating points but one hair's breadth from the index, or interpose some non-conducting substance, and in a moment the intercourse is stopped ; no tidings come or go. Faith is the medium of intercourse between man and his God. When faith or trust is set aside and unbelief steps in, intercourse between {' I |i.yii 'i'iv: i l:::*:.tili!f i,!\i,f'- ■ M Si 100 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. the soul and God is broken off, unless faith is restored. Oh, the importance then of the believer having strong faith in God ! Unbelief has no element of goodness. It is the source of all sin. It makes the world a moral desert, a wilderness without a God. It is desti- tute of spiritual beauty or of heavenly light. With this in man's heart, he cannot be spiritual, useful, or happy. Enmity is another mountain. It is not difficult to observe the enmity of some to God. They are His open and avowed foes. They believe in and profess their enmity. They throw no cloak of hypocrisy over it. They say, " Who is God that we should serve Him" And of Christ they say, " We will not have this man Christ Jesus to reign over us." There is another class, however, the members of which profess to be the friends of God and His cause, but who are unconsciously His enemies. They are found in God's temple among His people. They support the cause of Christ. They speak well of Christianity, but they do not live earnest and happy Christian lives. They gather not with Christ, therefore they scatter abroad. The en- mity of man to Christ is a greater hindrance to the progress of His cause than anything we have named. Enmity is the most bitter and persevering, and will hold out the longest in its opposition to the truth. The friendship of the world is enmity with God.* The carnal mind is enmity against God.f Christ in His ♦Jameaiv. 4. t Eom. viii. 7. THE SPIRITS WORK. 101 flesh abolished this enmity,* and by the cross He slew it.f The only power, therefore, that can subdue this enmity is the power of Christ. We see also, that in the Church of Christ there are many opposing influences at work to impede HER PROGRESS. We MAY SPEAK OF A WEAK AND DE- FECTIVE MINISTRY. What the Church needs is not an unconverted ministry, it is not a worldly, cold, formal, and inactive ministry ; but one holy, consecrated, zeal- ous, and self-sacrificing, with burning zeal, laborious, working to prdmote the welfare of man and the glory of God. We could introduce here examples and names of men, who, in their integrity, have accomplished wonders for souls and for God. We may speak of the spirit of worldliness in the Church of Christ Christians have become so sur- rounded with the business and cares of this life, that many of them do not give themselves time to consider the need of the deathless soul. Instead of being con- secrated to the service of God, they abandon them- selves to business, to speculation, to the accumulation of earthly good, while the cause of God and humanity is becoming more and more desert-like and forsaken. In this matter Christians do not seem to understand their responsibility to God. When they entered the Christian life they did not seem to understand what it was for. Was it to leave every interest of the Church of God to the care of others, or to live in spiritual ' • Eph. ii. 15. + Eph. ii. 16. m 1 1 102 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. idlenesH, to sit in .sloth, and to do nothing ? If they want to kill every good feeling in the soul, let them pursue this coui-se, and they will surely accomplish it. The claims of God, the salvation of their own souls the salvation of the deathle.ss souls of others, are all to be considered when they enter the Christian path- way. " Whatmever thy hand findeth to do, do it vnth thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor kn&ivledge, nor wvidom, in the yrave whither thou goest." * In each of these cases there are the marks of defec- tive piety. What Christians, in every department of Church progress need, is sincere, earnest, watchful, and sanctified piety. Without this, the cause of our dear Redeemer will be impeded at every turn. What is needed to remove these mountains of difficulty is the extkaordinary outpouring of THE Spirit upon the Church and the world. It is necessary that the Divine Spirit should rend the heavens and come down. The earth is morally a desolate wilderness, without light, or purity, or hap- piness. Zion is a waste. What is needed now is that the Lord shall look down from heaven upon this moral wilderness, and let His anger so burn against sin, and His tender mercy be so moved toward the poor sinner, that He shall rend the heavens asunder, and come down ; that His coming shall be quick and powerful, and be attended with great and glorious influences ; removing the mountains, and melting the hills of op- ♦ Eccles. ix. 10. THE spirit's work. 103 position. When we think of the mountains of opposition, we sometimes feel sad at heart, and are almost in despair ; but when we think again on the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, we are greatly en- couraged, and believe all things are possible to God. There are times in the Church of Christ when the Holy Spirit comes down upon God's people with bap- tizing power, when the Church is roused up, baptized, sanctified, and filled with glory and with God, when piety, peace, goodwill, and Christian love seem to flow down like the flowing of p ^^ » er, mighty, overwhelming, and irresistible. Men are awakened, converted, sanc- tified, and God is glorified. In otder to this, God must come down in His infinite condescension. He will come down with such a force and power, that He will rend the very heavens. We on our part must pray privately, in our families, and in the sanctuary. And while we pray we must have confidence in the wisdom, faithfulness, and good- ness of our Heavenly Father. That He will pour out His spirit as He has promised in His Word, and we must not think any toil too hard or any time too long to be spent in glorifying Aim. Very much, under God, is required of His people. Man seems to have but little time to devote to the sacred interests of religion, though real religion is of the greatest importance to him. Perhaps to him there is nothing in the universe of so much moment, yet nothing so much neglected. Owen used to say, "When men have more to do with 104 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. the world than they can well manage, they have more to do with Satan than they can well withstand." John Elliott was once visiting a merchant, and found him in his counting-house. His books of business were on the table and all his books of devotion on the shelf. Elliott said to him, " Sir, here is earth on the table, and heaven on the shelf," and advised him not to think more of earth than heaven. So many Christians are more devoted to earth than heaven that this worldli- ness is a great mountain in the way of the cause of our blessed Saviour. We should be spiritual, devoted, and zealous as Christians, realizing God's claims and man's wants, filling up our own sphere with radiance. Look at those star groups, some are small, but all shine. Their light blends in beautiful harmony. Look out upon the Christian horizon, some Christians are only small stars, but if they are real Christians they shine, and the light of one blends with the light of the other all over Christendom. They shine who spend and are spent for Christ. They shall for ever shine with His lustre, and wear His crown. Christ will never cast off a faithful servant, who has grown old in His service, as is often done by men of the world. Then He will indeed rend the heavens and come down. The mountains of sin, and woe, and everything that doth offend, shall flow down. The hills melt away. The glory of God shall be seen, and the "kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever"* *Rev. xi 15. . CHAPTER IX. THE PROGRESS OF THE AGE. ^ANY men are wholly absorbed with the things of the present time. These are found not only among the ignorant and thoughtless, but among the wise and prudent. They think they have no time, even if they had the disposition, ither to review the past or anticipate the future. There are minds, however, which view thoughtfully the past, in connection with the present, as opening up the grand events of the world. These are the men who study the signs of the times. It is well to look thought- fully back upon the past, and to carefully view the present acts of the world's great dramas, shadowing forth the marvellous events of futurity. This is a remarkably inventive age. What wonderful achievements have been witnessed both by land and sea in the last two hundred years ! On this point we can only speak of one thing in many. People sometimes wonder why more has not been accomplished for the world's Christianization in 'illi m It Ml! M-^f* ! i m : I ■ 106 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. ! eighteen hundred years and over. The reason is obvious, the world did not possess, until the present century, the means and appliances for the world's civilization, say nothing of its Christianization. Things necessary to this are easy locomotion and conveyance, and a ready means of conveying our thoughts to the minds of others, other than by oral delivery; the former we have in steamships and railroads ; the latter we have in printing, telegraphy, engraving, and litho- graphy. One of the signs of the times is, that all these useful inventions have been discovered and perfected in (Christian countries. When ihe first steamship was constructed on the Hudson River by Fulton, and about the same time another was finished on the Clyde, no one thought of the mighty steam palaces, like the Great Eastern and our grand river steamers, traversing all the navigable rivers and oceans of the world. Who would have supposed when the first railroad was con- structed in England in 1676, when horses with heavy carts on rollers drew coal from the mines to the banks of the river, that we should behold the steam engine drawing millions of wealth over whole continents in a few days ? It is perfectly astonishing to-day to see the wonderful network of railroads stretching over all the civilized world. If time permitted we might speak of the art of printing, the rapid progress it has made, and the perfec- tion it has attained in this age. This is one of the wonders of the world. The rise, progress, and pefec- 11:: WWv. THE PROGRESS OF THE AGE. 107 tion of telegraphy is also truly remarkable. The first imperfect attempt in connection with this great science was made in France about the vear 1787. One Mr. Alexander afterwards was successful in improving upon it, and exhibited the results of his labors before the Society of Arts, in Edinburgh. Now the astonish- ing Leggo invention, if brought into use, will enable the operator to print his message at its destination. Soon skilled artizans will not be needed in this special department of industry. We might also speak of the great improvements in engraving and lithography, and their uses in blessing, refining, and Christianizing mankind. We might also profitably take up your time by speaking of the re- markable inventions for the economizing of human labor in every department of industry, and for the accomplishment of man's purposes with immensely greater speed and ease. What might we not expect, so mechanical is man ? This feature of his character appears in the arts and sciences, and even in religion. When we speak of the mechanical inventions of the age as one of the sighs of the times, we are sometimes met with the statement that we have not yet reached the magnificence and grandeur of many of the ancient nations. We have no monuments like the Pyramids of ancient Egypt. No temples like those of Ceres and Proserpine, of Elewses, Diana of Ephesus, Apollo of Delphos, Olympian Jupiter of Athens, the Column of Tragin, and the Pantheon at Rome. We have no 1 1 'H, ;l-,. tU mi m\ if-, rw \l\ il 14' n 1 -'i' h 108 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. statuaries like the Elgin Marbles and the famous Horses of Venice. We have no palace like the Laby- rinth of Egypt. No reservoir like that of Lake Meris. One of the signs of the times is, that there is but little expenditure of money and human life in the great enter- prises of this age. When enlightened corporations undertake anything grand, you may rest assured that at the foundation of such an enterprise there is a grand design. In the ancient nations both money and human life were sacrificed. On the polluted altars of a heathen king's ambition and pride, the most magnificent pyramid of Egypt, costing millions of money, and the sacrifice of hundreds of lives, was built. It was designed to be his burial-place, but he made himself so detestable to his people that he was buried in solitude, and the place of his sepulchre could not be found. The great design of the inventions of this age is to economize labor both of man and beast. The arts all look in this direction. The distinguishing features of heathendom to-day are labor, oppression, darkness, and adversity ; and those of Christendom are light, prosperity, rest, and liberty. That there are hundreds of useless inventions in this age no one will deny. That useful inventions were never more numerous than they are now is also apparent to all thinking minds, and these are helping to pu6h forward the chariot wheels of the world's civilization and greatness. One of the signs of the times is that in this mechanical age the Christian religion is less mechanical than it IS THE PROGRESS OF THE AGE. 109 m ever was since its introduction into our world. True we have yet our cumbrous theologies, our books of discipline, our societies and financial arrangements in all our Churches ; but never since the days of the Apostles was the proclamation of the truth so simple as now. Never was the way of life so easy of access ; hence hundreds are gathering round the Cross more than ever before. And we have the promise — or rather we may regard the past and present state of the Church of Christ as prophetic of a grand future — of more glorious success than has ever been witnessed by the Church or the world in the ages gone by. In this wondrous work the more simple the machinery the greater and more lasting are its effects. Hence we may look to the Gospel for still grander results than have ever been witnessed on the pages of the world's past history. This is an age of Christian effort. It is an age when even wicked men are fighting manfully against some of the sins most destructive to the body and soul of man. Here, too, we cannot extend our remarks much. One of the hardest battles fought is against the intemperance of our times. Very wicked men talk loudly of the good old days gone by, when temperance people were not as numerous as they are now, and when they minded more their own business. We are aware that very great changes are coming over the Christian world by means of the agitation of this question. Twenty-five years ago there might have been seen on the vestry tables of our great Churches in I i III &:; v'vi 110 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. England two decanters of wine, one of port wine and the other of sherry wine. It was considered necessary to the success of a minister in the pulpit, that he should take his wine before going into it. More in those days preached under the influence of that spirit than the Spirit of God. About the same time the Religious Tract Society in England published a tract against Christians becoming members of total abstinence societies. That day has passed away. Say ye not in this respect that the former days were better than these ! A brighter day has dawned upon the world. Ministers, if they desire to be useful, must stand in the total abstinence ranks — must not indulge. All who indulge themselves or countenance it in others are not true men, and sooner or later their light will become dim, their gold dross, and their influence will be lost. In our Synods and Conferences we are passing many votes for the furtherance of the great temperance cause. Individually, on many of our charges, we are pushing on the wheels of the temperance chariot. We also are not forgetful of the fact that those who favor the drinking customs of the people are pushing on also. If we relax our efforts one week, perhaps the toil of years will be thrown away. One of the signs of the times in the great temperance movement is the strug- gle for prohibition. Push on, then, in this great work, and the end will be gained ! Robert Bruce was driven one night to take shelter in a bam. When he awoke in the morning he saw a spider climbing a beam of THE PROGRESS OF THE AGE. Ill the roof. It fell to the floor twelve times in succession. The thirteenth time it gained the top of the beam. He arose and said, " This spider has taught me perse- verance. I will follow its example. Twelve times I have been defeated, the thirteenth time I may suc- ceed." He rallied his followers, met and defeated Edward, and was crowned king. Temperance men, push on, and you will succeed ! It will take time, but the end will be a grand and glorious victory. Another thing which helps to promote the mor- ; lity of the age is the rapid progress of educa- TION. Man as a creature of God can only cultivate his mind when favored with books, and the society of men more cultured, educated, and refined than himself. Want is the mother of the inferior arts ; ease of the fine arts, as eloquence, political economy, poetry, sculp- ture, painting, architecture. This is an age of ease and refinement, of wealth and opulence, as is every- where manifested in the cultivation of the fine arts. Climate has exerted a great influence upon education, inclining some nations to contemplation and pleasure ; others to labor, war, hardship, and endurance. A sign of the times is, that in the northern nations men are more thinking and intellectual than ever, cultivat- ing civility, politeness, and works of genius; and in the southern, men are more disciplined, courageous, and active. The degrees of education in all climates are alike, and may be compared to the sculptor's operations upon marble. The rude marble must first be taken ^ ' i : tvm'mn ,^ '^^k 112 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. ( \ •i :> i m from the quarry. Then there is the work of squaring, glossing, and polishing — calling forth the beautiful spot and vein — and shaping it into a column or statue. Millions of money and much time are spent in produc- ing the true and beautiful from the rough and unsightly. The human heart sighs for knowledge. Men want to hear, see, or learn something continually. Sometimes, it is true, men thirst for knowledge not very import- ant. In most cases they desire the highest knowledge absolutely necessary for them. The stupendous works of the Creator are spread out before them — the moun- tains and hills, vineyards and gardens, forests and plains, rivers and streamlets, and the mighty ocean, — the atmosphere we breathe, and the heavens above us. Man desires above everything else to comprehend these wonders of God. He crosses the brow of the highest mountains and hills. He pursues the winding river and streamlet. He stands upon the edge of the ocean and listens to the murmur of the waves, and beholds its billows dashing upon its rocky beach. He meditates upon the wonders of the atmosphere. He studies the starry heavens, and in everything his mind is enlarged, and he recognizes in all things the handi- work of God. Indeed he is never satisfied /ii-h knowledge — he will traverse the globe, pierce the polar ice, wander through deserts, traverse through inhospitable regions, and will leave all the endear- ments of home and friends to know more of the world, and still he is not satisfied. There is not J SI \ 'i THE PROGRESS OF THE AGE. 113 enough in the universe to satisfy his longings for knowledge. Mental pleasures never clog. Unlike those of the body, they are increased by repetition, approved by reflection, and strengthened by enjoyment. The governments of Christian countries are employ- ing large sums of money for educational purposes. All (or nearly so) of the Christian denominations are erecting and supporting public schools for the educa- tion of the young of both sexes. But why ? Because ignorance is the parent of crime. In France it has been discovered that the crimes committed by educated persons, are to the crimes committed by the unedu- cated, as one in ten ; in New England as one to fifty- three ; in the whole of England and the United States, one to fifty-seven. Then it has also been ascertained that in enlightened nations from thirty to fifty times as many paupers are to be found among the unedu- cated as among the educated class. While culture stays the ravages of crime, I think that it may be shown than it strengthens man's faith in God, hence it has a wonderful influence on the morality of the age. Next we shall speak of the great mission- ary ENTERPRISE, one of the greatest and grandest in the world. At first, Christians in all parts of the world were doubtful as to the results of that enterprise. Thoughtful men enquired what are they using money and time to do? To convert the heathen? H ••^m ±iij. I' 11^^ I i m 114 THE NEED OV 't'HE WORLD. They looked on with amazement at their wondrous schemes. For me to attempt to depict the work already accomplished would require an essay in itself ; let me ask you just to take a general view of this cause, and you in admiration will exclaim, " What has God wrought ! " Already the Gospel herald is found preaching the Word to all kinds of people throughout the world. The Christian banner is waving in the breezes of every clime. The people are being converted by thousands and tens of thousands. On the mission- ary field the prophecy has been fulfilled, which declares, that " a nation shall be born in a day." Those who were once idolators have cast away their idols to the moles and to the bats. Those who were once cannibals are beating their war drums to call the people to the house of God, and are worshipping the true God. One of the signs of the times is, the improvement manifested in the methods of conducting the missionary work. At its commencement, missionaries confined their labors chiefly to school work, and when a large number of heathen children were brought together for the purpose of receiving instruction it was considered that a great victory was won. Afterwards in these mission schools converts were multiplied, and the intelligence was trumpeted to the ends of the world. And then came the introduction of science, and the higher knowledge overcoming heathen teaching. This was considered a good achievement. But after all, this was not the preaching of the Gospel. It was an inferior work. In ''■^TTITI fPFfr^ THE PROGRESS OB' THE AGE. 115 this age the school work is not given up, but the preach- ing of the Gospel is considered to be most important. It is that which more than anything else has been in- strumental in the salvation of the heathen. God is not only putting it in the hearts of American and European missionaries to go forth unto the ends of the earth, but He is raising up native agents in great numbers to preach the Gospel, and to extend His cause. These, though a few years ago in heathen blindness, now demonstrate the authority of the Christian faith. They make men apprehend the reality of sin, and the importance of coming to Christ, the nature of His atonement and work. As they speak, their words being accompanied by the Divine Spirit, they find access to the soul of man, piercing through and through all the barriers, intellectual diflSculties, and antagonisms, seemingly invincible obstacles to the truth. Under its influence thousands of benighted heathens flee to the Cross of Christ for a free and full salvation. This glorious mission work is extending among the civilized portions of Asia ; it is rescuing t'iie races of Central and Southern Africa from barbarism. It is giving an intellectual culture, and a higher morality, as well as a purer faith, to scattered tribes of the Pacific Ocean. Its mighty influence is still advancing in Europe and America, declaring that the time is not far distant when the " kingdoms of this world shall be- come the kingdoms of our God and His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever." li f M H ': :M li. 116 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. The Spirit, the main-spring of all this effect IS THE VERY SPIRIT OF HEAVEN. It was that which prompted the Redeemer to pour out his blood for man ; that which inspired the Apostles to go forth to labor, to dare, and to die for the welfare of others; it animated the martyrs on the rack, and at the stake. People honor the men who man the life-boat to save the perishing mariner. They erect monuments to mark the places where repose the dust of honored firemen who have perished in the burning building while try- ing to save the lives of others. I tell you ! that the spirit that animates good men to devote their time, wealth, strength, and sometimes even life itself to save the souls of men, is a noble spirit, it is divine 1 We thank God that this spirit pervades the Church of God to-day ; this is manifested in the triumphs of the great temperance movement, in the wonderful achievements of the missions, the progress of education, and the evangelistic efforts of the age. God hasten the day wher all the sons of Adam shall be free ! Whom Christ makes free, are free indeed. CHAPTER X. ^TTiT^'Tiiy'^'i :|| THE PRESENT AN AUiH OF CONFLICT. » |EN are showing their fidelity to God in three ways. By combating error, by speaking the truth, and by promoting earnest religious life. There is at the present time a great conflict BETWEEN OLD IDEAS AND NEW ONES. The contlict, per- haps, is not so determined as that which characterized the conflicts of past ages. The governing powers are more tolerant than they were then, and the liberties of the people are more extensively enjoyed. Still the conflict rages. Old ideas, whether political, scientific, or religious, hold a large place in the affections of the masses of the people. To oppose these by the intro- duction of new notions (as some people call new ideas), is like storming a mighty citadel. It is looked upon as breaking up the strong foundations of civil society. Sir Walter Raleigh was distinguished by the title of Noble and Valorous Knight. His works hold an im- portant place in the English literature of the reign 118 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. f* ;;! *1 of James I. He passed the best portion of his life in prison, and ended it on the scaffold, because his political ideas were looked upon is treasonable. They were new ideas in confiiet with th", old. In the reign of William III., of England, Lord Molesworth, who had resided in Copenhagen, as ambassador from Eng- land, published an account of Denmark, a work esteemed very valuable at that time, and which had a large sale. In it he wrote some passages condemn- ing the tyranny of the Danish Government. The king, offended at what he termed the insolence of the author, ordered his minister at the Court of England to make a complaint to King William. " What would you have me do ? " said the king, in answer to the remonstrance of the Dane. " Sir," replied the minister, "if Your Majesty had complained to the king, my master, of a similar offence, ere now, he would have sent you the author's head." "This," re- plied William, "I have neither the power, nor the inclination to do. But if you wish it, Lord Moles- worth shall insert what you have just suggested to me in the second edition of his work." In all ages there have been found men bold enough to suggest new ideas in philosophy, science, political economy, and religion. Some of these have seemed strange, and have not been received by the most thoughtful minds, yet, after the lapse of ages, they have been demon- strated to be correct. Others, the most absurd, and without foundation, have been received by all classes THE PRESENT AN AGE OP CONFLICT. 119 of society, and have obtained world-wide applause, and afterward have been proved to be the author's idle fancies. We have reached an age when the mind of man will not rest on anything short of demonstration. I venture the proposition, that the true and good in science and religion, will, sooner or later, overcome the evil and erroneous. There is a battle being fought to-day between Protestantism and Romanism. Mav the strife be always the strife of tongues, and not of swords ! An old Orangeman said to me once, " You will need us soon." If he referred in these words to the force of arms, to the power of the sword, then I say, God for- bid ! The earnest, thoughtful Protestant, might learn important lessons from the dark ages of the past. All through the days of martyrdom pious men never wielded the weapon of war. In some instances they besought their enemies to slay them for Christ's sake, but in no case did they slay others. During the Crusades, whole armies of fallen Christians sought to extend the Redeemer's kingdom by the power of the sword ; but the hand of Jehovah was against them, and the results were their own shame and destruction. The pious Protestant hitherto, when persecuted, has only prayed for his enemies. When Father Chiniquy was converted ; when the church was burned at Roxton Pond, and another was destroyed at Oka, the persecuted prayed for their adversaries. It was a beautiful sight to see the poor chief at Oka, J I ■?■ 'X ,7"V' Y" ;i.' -^^--:->- !^ III 1 120 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. standing by the ruins of his once loved church, and praying for those who tore it down. His was the spirit possessed by the Great Master. If we are con- tent to use the moral influence God has given us, we may rest assured that the rebellious children of Rome, possessing her own spirit, will resort to violence sooner or later. This is seen even now, and is one of the signs of the times. An earnest writer, in the Christian Ad- vocate, tells us that the Pope bitterly complains of his rebellious sons, and of his own sorrow and insecurity, not because of Protestant influence, but because of disloyalty and rebellion in his own domain. I think were Protestants to stand and look on without striking a blow, it would not be long before they would see the salvation of God, in the weakening of Papacy, and the establishment of Protestantism. Look at France, the eldest son of the Church, who from the days of Charlemagne, to the last moments of the reign of Napoleon III., defended, with French bayonets, the Church of Rome and the States of the Church ; to-day she will not consent to the restoration of the Pope's temporal power, and to the humiliation of Italy. Look at Spain. Rent in pieces by internal revolutions, she is humbled and beggared in the eyes of the whole world. Besides this. Bibles are pouring into Spain by tens of thousands. For a time these were concealed in bales of goods, and in boxes of merchandise. But now in open day, and THE PRESENT AN AGE OF CONFLICT. 121 under the very walls of the Inquisition, and over the bones of God's martyred saints, the glorious Gospel is preached, and the Bible read, and God is worshipped. » Look at Austria. There are two mountain diffi- culties in the way of Austria's remaining a Papal state. These are, the large number of Protestants already in the country, and the mighty power, and influence of Germany, upon the masses of the people. The 'Concordat between Austria and Rome has been abro^.-;ed; secular education has been established, and civil marriages are authorized by law. All these are signs of the times. Look at Mexico, and Brazil, and the South American States. Secret societies are being formed, thousands of the people are becoming members of them, and are giving great trouble to the Church ; secrets more hidden than those of the cloister or con- vent, and a power more mighty than that of Rome, is found in the guarded halls of thtse gr(iat societies, hence they are a terror to Rome. Look at Italy. The son at home, the nearest of all her sons, but, alas ! the most rebellious. Here the Pope has the most trouble and vexation. The states once acknowledging allegiance to the Triple Crown are now united under the banner of Humbert I. Bibles are sold and churches are built in the very shadow of the Vatican ; and though the Pope anathematized and cursed Italy, and excommunicated her King, she still gloriously prospers, and it is verified in this case, that «1 122 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. whom the Pope curses they are blessed, and whom the Pope blesses they are cursed. Look at this country. In past times we have looked with comparative indifference upon the over- shadowing, and mighty power of Rome. We have gazed with wonder upon her magnificent temples, upon the grandeur of her convents, and monasteries, and her tin-roofed palaces, shining in the sun. We looked upon the surface, and we beheld a power we supposed could never be controlled. But, ah ! look at the foundations. They are crumbling already, and Rome herself is doing the undermining work. There is a leaven at work more powerful than that of Pro- testantism. Romanism undermining the power of Romanism. Protestants, it is our work to spread the truth and to promote earnest Christian life. 'This the Protestant Church is doing, and must do in our times, which are the brightest, happiest, and most earnest times the Church has ever known. There are other errors to combat to-day besides those of romanism, the spreading scepti- CISM OF THE AGE. It is SO Subtle, SO powerful, so destructive of our ancient faith that, sad to say, the children of God often stumble under its influence, and join in the fray, but not on the side of truth, on the side of its enemies. And when these are disciplined in our Churches, it is with a blind zeal for the truth, which often places the sword in the hands of our adversaries with which to smite us. Even under all .; ; THE PRESENT AN AGE OF CONFLICT. 123 these difficulties truth is prevailing. The clouds of error are being dissipated, and truth shines forth gloriously upon the world. A host of noble men, defenders of the ancient faith, preaching and .writing, stand nobly on the sides of truth and holiness. While we observe this we thank God that truth itself is omni- potent, and must prevail over all unbelief, error, and superstition, and will send forth its mellow, sanctifying light unto the ends of the earth. Then the light of the knowledge of the truth of Christ shall shine over all the dark corners of the earth as the waters cover the sea. This is an age of devotion. Christians are laying their time, money, and their influence, upon the altar for Christ. In all their acts of love and labor, they are showing forth the spirit of their Master — that of self-sacrifice, for the spiritual benefit of others. They are fully alive to their responsibility, and have intense sympathy, burning zeal, and a glowing desire for the welfare of their fellow-beings. They are going forth and doing the work of God with earnest hearts, full of the fire of spiritual devotion. See the numberless societies formed to this end. Men are proclaiming upon the house-tops, and in their council chambers the glorious Gospel. They are instant in season and out of season, and both by word, and by deed are seeking the good of others, and the glory of God. • ■ . This is truly a revival age when God's true people II ?ll '^' 124 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. are working. The Spirit of God is poured out from heaven, and souls are being saved by thousands, and even tens of thousands. The spiritual rain of heaven is coming down in showers upon the thirsty land, and 2%e wilderness is blossoming, and the desert is becoming fruitful, even as the garden of the Lord.* The neigh- borhoods and countries not seeking these happy soul- saving influences will become more sterile and desolate ; for when the Spirit of God, because of the coldness of a people, passes by a locality, it becomes more desert- like and forsaken on that account. The Spirit of God Eever passes by a waiting and willing people, and He never will do so. On the whole, we think we live in the best age the Church has ever seen. This may be seen by contrasting England now WITH WHAT IT WAS A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. We shall then be compelled to acknowledge that the present times are infinitely better than the past. Highwaymen and robbers infested the nation. The country was sunk to the lowest state of degradation. The towns and cities swarmed with ruffians and criminals, who were hung, five and six together in gibbets, on all the cross roads. The people were neglected, therefore, gross ignorance prevailed, together with scepticism and irrelip-ici Drunkenness was far more prevalent than it . . The modes of punishing criminals were t, 1 g • -irg even to mention! The vile and feroc. ■:.> . asements of the age have long since Isa. zxxv. 1, 2. THE PRESENT AN AGE OF CONFLICT. 125 ceased to exist, the only relics remaining are gambling, drunkenness, and dancing. Such was England, the most Christian nation in the world, a hundred years ago. Then side by side with this moral, was temporal ruin. England was not a manufacturing country then, as nearl}-^ everything was imported from foreign countries. Though coal existed in great abundance, it could scarcely be obtained for want of machinery to keep the coal pits clear of water. At that time the people could not build a steam engine worth anything, and could scarcely build a bridge. The churches built at that time were very inferior to those built in former times. At that time also England had neither har- bors nor docks. Her ships had fallen into decay, and were manned with prisoners taken from the hulks. Honest men were pressed in the open streets, so that they were afraid to walk abroad, even by day. Less than a hundred years ago the colliers and salters of Scotland were slaves. Less than tifty years ago women and children worked in the coal-pits of England. What a wonderful change do we now witness ! " What has God wrought ? " Surely the present times are better than the past. The religious changes of the last century, all OVER the Christian world, have been truly wonderful. There has been the rise and unparalleled progress of Methodism. The progress and decline of Unitarianism in England, and New England, and of Rationalism in Germany. Evangelical doctrine has uysJ;4.«;u.J.i I li; i 126 THE NEED OF THE WOKLD. wonderfully advanced all over the civilized continents of the world. The Evangelical Alliance has been formed. There has been the secession of the Free Church of Scotland, and the re-union of the broken branches of Presbyterianism, and the federation of Presbj^terianism all over the world, recently con- summated in London. We have witnessed the spread of ritualism, and the establishment of the Reformed Episcopal Church. Only recently Rome proclaimed the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope, but with it came the destruction of the Pope's temporal power. There hsve been also established, Bible, tract, and other societies, which have wielded a mighty influence for the good of mankind. We might also speak of the progress of Sabbath-school work, and the employ- ment and usefulness of lay agents. Surely the brightest, and best age that ever dawned upon the world, is the one in which we live. Let us improve under its influences! Let us rise with its rising! let us shine with its light ! Let us expand with its expansion ! '^S^S^ ^G\^^ CHAPTER XL an age of great events. jihe very first principle of religion is, that God is the Supreme Ruler of the uni- verse, AND IT IS the duty OF MAN TO RENDER UNTO HiM INTELLIGENT, AND FAITH- FUL SERVICE. This is the foundation of all pure and undefiled religion, and the corner-stone of human hope. There have been remarkable evidences of this in all periods of human history. He has ever been to His people, " the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night." To that Guiding Pillar, which mar- shals, and leads onward all human affairs, it is a part of the duty of the Church of Christ to be always attentive ; for lessons of instruction, or signs of hope to them, are often indicated by the direction of its course, and the increasing brightness of its manifesta- tion. The events which are taking place to-day, exhibit the very close connection between the dispensations of particular, and general providence in the enlarge- i: i> ii' r IliL l:,iM.y(- 128 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. ment, and triumph of the kingdom of the Messiah. More than ever in the past, the purest principles, the most consecrated charity, and fervent and self- denying zeal are observable in human affairs. The interests of nations, and those of Christianity, are inseparably united, and Christianity is making her voice heard in everything that concerns the welfare of nations, and, indeed, the whole human race. The man of science may be perfectly at home in the realm of scientific discovery ; the philosopher may be able to solve difficult philosophical problems, the poli- tician may quite understand the civil concerns of men ; but the Christian philosopher looks higher and farther. He sees the Great Supreme first cause, the most Glorious Being in the universe, influencing the states, and destinies of all living intelligences. He sees Christianity sending forth a benign, and saving influence upon the nations of the world, infinitely superior to all the systems of morality man has ever taught. In God's government of the nations we have EXHIBITED BOTH MERCY AND JUDGMENT. The Chris- tian believes that judgment is as needful as mercy. On the pages of the nation's history there are rays of sunlight, luminous indeed ; but there are also dark clouds ever and anon darkening the whole horizon; and the clouds are as necessary as the sunshine. There are times when physical evil is almost unknown, at other times there arises the dismal war cloud, then w AN AGE OF OREAT EVENTS. 129 follow the sword, famine, pestilence, disease, and death, and multitudes are slain. The people of Christian nations see the hand of God in these awful providences, and with profound rever- ence they worship Him. In the course of ages in the different parts of the v/orld,the sword has been followed by famine and pestilence. " The sword has been upon their cities and consumed their branches, and de- voured them because of their counsels." It " has laid the vine waste, and barked the fig-tree, and has made it clean bare, and cast it away, and the branches are made white." " The meat-offering and the drink- offering is cut off from the house of the Lord, the priests, the Lord's ministers mourn." " The field is wasted, the land mourneth for the corn is wasted, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth, and joy is withered from the sons of men." Disease and death have followed. It is wise and Christian-like to revere, and love the hand that smites ; and to regard the principle, that these providential dispensations are intended to impress the minds of men with the fact, that the Lord Jehovah " doeth according to His will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of earth, and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him what doest Thou ? " In these interpositions of Divine providence, the majesty of God is made manifest to those who have offended Him, that the " inhabitants of the world may learn righteousness." Those who suffer are not always sinners above all others, but when : i I'h I! II 130 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. all are guilty, the Divine judgments which fall now here, then there, are intended to remind all, of that dreadful power and justice, which we so often offend. He has only to withdraw His restraining power, and then will follow storms, inundations, earthquakes, the destruction of property, and the loss of life He has only to take from the atmosphere a part of one of its peculiar elements, and increase another, and life will be empoisoned in its very fountain. A change in nature, a touch of disease, the finger of God, is sufficient to break the brittle thread of life, and separate the soul from the body; the dust to mingle with its native dust, and the spirit to return to God who gave it. As we see these things we should be both impressed, and warned, and fear before the Author of our being, and reverently serve Him. The great war between Russia and Turkey has BEEN BROUGHT TO A CLOSE. Many wise men have looked at it only through the light of human policy. The thoughtful Christian pursues a nobler range of thought, and he can see in it a chain of wonderful providences. He can see in tlie weaken- ing of Turkey a manifestation of the power, wisdom; justice, and mercy of God, in not causing its entire overthrow, and in not blotting it out of the list of nations. The guilt of corrupting religion, and thus thwarting the purposes of Jehovah in its extension, was never more observable than in the overthrow of the western empire by the Goths, and the subver- ,> AN AOE OF GREAT EVENTS. 131 sion of Christianity by the Turks. In this war the people of South Eastern Europe strove to throw off the galling yoke of ages. A yoke more despotic and tyrannical no people ever bore. The power of the Sultan is unchecked by the power exercised by any represen- tative body. His power may be to a certain extent re- strained by the ordinances of the Koran ; the decisions of Ulema and Mufti, and by certain usages which have the force of law. Yet over life, and property, and religion it is absolute. Under this government the people of other religions had not, neither could they have, equal civil and political rights with their Mahommedan fellow-subjects, hence they were bur- dened, and oppressed to a very alarming extent. In this war they strove to throw off the yoke, and their neighbours of their own religious beliefs came to their help. This grand struggle was one of right against wrong, for civil and religious liberty, which they could not enjoy under the existing state of the government ; for under the very best Mahommedan Government the non-Mahommedan subject holds an inferior political and civil position ; and under a bad Mahommedan Government such become socially op- pressed. It can scarcely be said that Turkish rule has ever been a goverment, either good or bad. In the history of all other nations, when the conqueror and the conquered become a nation, the dominion of the conqueror becomes lawful, and often his government has been good. In the history of Turkey, of her Ill li I li 132 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. sultans, ministers, and governors you have a history of rapine, robbery, piracy, and Ttiurder, and that through many ages. In some parts of the empire the subjects have never given allegiance, nor has the Government afforded them protection. To the people of Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Roumania, the Sultan, if he is a Turk, is not a ruler nor a fellow-countryman, he is a stranger, an alien, and an enemy, as much so as when he first entered their country. The reigning Sultan and his ministers were in past ages a band of robbers and murderers. Whether Mahomet the Conqueror, Selim surnamed Mest the Drunken, or Solomon the Lawgiver, issued a command it was a thunderbolt, which sounded through the nations and empires of earth. Now their successors may speak and no one cares. This war is to weaken, an! if possible to destroy this power; to drive this alien, this oppressor from the midst of the people, that they may enjoy civil and religious liberty, which is the birthright of universal man. For centuries there existed in this country the Christian name only. They named the name of Christ but they decked him with unreal honors. Theirs was the worship of the lip, and not of the heart. As the anger of God was kindled against the Israelites when they worshipped the golden calf in the wilderness of Sinai, so it was against these Turkish Christians, and the Divine Being gave them over to robbery, oppres- sion, and death. The time may yet be distant, but it pinij' '■ri^'^fTif AN AGE OF GREAT EVENTS. 133 surely will come, when that country, once the very seat of Eastern Christianity, will again be given to the Most High, and Christ shall reign there, King of kings, and Lord of lords. If to accomplish this the destruction 0^ the Ottoman Empire be necessary according to the Divine plan it will be in accordance with the teaching of the prophetic Scriptures, which predicts the terrible downfall of every power which sets itself " agaiTist the Lord and against His anointed" A BRIEF VIEW OF THE RELIGIOUS STATE OF THE WORLD, WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO CONVINCE ANY THOUGHT- FUL MIND THAT THE LORD IS PREPARING HiS WAY AND MAKING His PATHS STRAIGHT. He has given us the promise, " That every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill be made low," and the " ylory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all Jlesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." This is our hope and the hope of the world ! We have a personal work to do, let us be up and doing for the time is short and the work to be done is great ; but a glorious victory is sure. A RESCRIPT FROM THE EmPEROR MaxIMIN (who ruled over a part of the Eastern Roman Empire after the resignation of Diocletian), nailed to a post at Tyre, manifests with what pleasure and joy he received a petition from that city against the Chris- tians. In it he venerates Jupiter and the rest of the gods, as the authors of all good. He appeals to the experience of the inhabitants, showing how happily II Mi ii ; 'I'll nil II :! ■ , ii I, I" M iS i k it 134 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. their affairs had proceeded since the worship of the ancients had been restored ; how they were now blest with good harvests, had no plagues, earthquakes, or tempests, and enjoyed peace throughout the empire, and how different from all this the case had been w^hile the Christian religion prevailed. He desired that such as persisted still in their error should be banished from Tyre, according to the prayer of the petition. . This rescript was a specimen of the rest. Never were Christian minds so dispirited and CLOUDED. Thus low did God suffer His Church to fall, to try its faith, and to purify it in the furnace. Very remarkable, however, was the Divine testimony to His Church. At this time man's extremity was God's opportunity, in which His truth and goodness appeared most conspicuous. There were doubtless many true Christians wrestling with their God to appear for His Church, and he did so in the following manner. While the messengers were on the road with rescripts similar to that at Tyre, a drought com- menced, and famine unexpectedly oppressed the dominions of Maximin. Then followed a plague, and inflamed ulcers ; the disease spread over the body, but chiefly affected the eyes, and blinded many. At the same time the Armenians, the allies and neighbors of the Eastern Roman Empire, entered into a war with Miximin. They were disposed to favor the Gospel; and Maximin, by extending his persecutions to them provoked their hostility, and thus were the boasts of T^^'^p'r^f AN AGE OF GREAT EVENTS. 135 road Maximin confounded. The plague and famine raged in a most dreadful manner, and multitudes lay un- buried. The Christians, whose piety and fear of God were stirred up on this occasion, were the only persons who employed themselves in doing good, every day busying themselves in taking care of the sick, and burying the dead, whereas numbers of pagans were neglected by their own friends. The Christians also gathered multitudes of the famished poor, and distri- buted bread to all, thus imitating their heavenly Father, who sendeth rain on the just and uniust.* Crime, its prevalence and what can be done to INTERRUPT ITS PROGRESS. Throughout the world crime is not on the increase. According to reports which come to us from all parts of the world wherever Christianity has been planted, it has exercised a moralizing influence for the suppression of crime. It is not to education, but to Christianity we must look for an antidote to crime. Many criminals are well educated, but not being influenced by Christian prin- ciples, or actuated by Christian motives, they commit the most shocking, and repulsive acts, apparently with- out a sense of guilt, or apprehension of danger. Hence we must conclude that the only kind of education that can control, and overthrow vice and crime, is " in- struction in righteousness ; " a careful implanting of the doctrines, and principles of our divine religion in the hearts of the young. It is not simply by rousing • Milner's " History of the Church of Christ." Cen. IV. I i:!i jl m i ilii ili; H: ] |9H 1 ^^^^^^■1 4 M m 1 ^^^^H '■% ■ ^^^^H V* '! 136 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. the dormant intellect ; but giving it a right direction, that this great end can be attained. Conscience must be brought into vigorous exercise. It is to a certain extent judgment, and operates according to our knowledge of the Divine Law, and the force with which we feel its sanctions. Conscience without Christian instruction is unreliable, and without its sanction human laws possess but a very partial power of restraint. Hard times versus Christianity. We have heard a great deal recently about hard times, and our daily and weekly papers are filled with articles upon this un- pleasant subject. There are a great many opinions as to the real cause, or causes of this wide-spread depression in agriculture and commerce. In professedly Christian countries, men are in the habit of speaking of public calamities in worse than a heathen, in somewhat of an atheistical manner, as though there was no Judge in heaven, no transgression in man, no corrective Provi- dence, no judicial avenging of the honor of violated law. This is a sufficiently eiFective proof, that the people are yet very far from being fully imbued with the principles of Cnristianity, and that its influence upon the public mind is yet limited. If as Christians we give thoughtful attention to this very important subject, we shall see the reasons of these dispensations, and the duties to which they call. For a long period of time every branch of industry enjoyed a large amount of prosperity, and each minis- '1'iW'P« AN AGE OF GREAT EVENTS. 137 tered to luxury and vice. The towns and cities have been enriched by commerce, and manufactories ; the villages into which the profligacy of towns has been carried by prosperous agriculture have all presented abuses of the mercies of God. Opulence has been an incentive to sin, and ministered to its indulgence ; the fruit of which is general depression, afflicting the agriculturist, the merchant, the ship-owner, and indeed, all classes. Men feel the rod, but yet fail to see the hand of Him who holds it. We should rise to an understanding of this fact, for God must be honored. We think that the acknowledgment of God as the author of a nation's mercies or judgments, or a carnal and unbelieving disregard of His operations, will in- fluence the proceedings of Divine Providence. In Jewish times, when God's anger was kindled against the people for their sins. He sent among them famine, pestilence, and the siuord. The people understood it, and appointed the priest to stand at the altar, and the prophets to prophesy, and to intercede with the Most High in behalf of them ; and God turned away His anger, and forgave His people, and removed away His judgments from them. Dr. Franklin, in his day, urged the opening of the sessions of American Con- gress with prayer to God, on the ground that no nation ever refused to acknowledge God in its affairs, without being visited by some manifestations of His dis- pleasure, sufficiently marked, and evident to convince a serious observer, that a connection exists between 'i'i •-:|: ■i \^' IT \m i: I li I ?'' iii 138 THE NEED OF THi. WORLD. the dereliction of duty and its appropriate punishment. That human measures are to be scrutinized, and human means used for relief in calamity, no thoughtful person will deny. It is equally true that such means will be attended with most success, when national sins, and their just visitations, are acknowledged with humbleness of mind and penitence. It is when we have made God our friend, and our trust, that we may expect the Divine blessuig Till then even prosperity is unsanctified, and calamities must follow until the pride of man is humbler bei' -( God. When the " hand of the Lord is lifted up they will not see, but they shall see." Let the real Christian impress upon his own heart, and the hearts of others the necessity of acknowledging God, of humiliation, of public repent- ance, and of special earnest prayer, God often visits individual Christians with AFFLICTIONS, bereavements, and reverses of fortune for the express purpose of humbling them, and leading them nearer to Himself ; because in times of prosperity they are liable to forget God and place their affections wholly on earthly things. An Example. — The Rev, Richard Cecil was intro- duced into the chamber, where the child of Thomas Williams, a very prosperous bookseller of London, lay dying. " You are a father," said the afflicted parent, " or I should not have allowed you to witness such a scene," "Thank God," fervently exclaimed the minis- ter, comprehending at a glance the situation of his TT^^W AN AGE OF GREAT EVENTS. 139 ■111 friend. "Thank God, He has not forgotten you. I have been much troubled on your account, my dear sir. I have thought much about you lately. I have been afraid for you. Things have gone so well with you for so long a time; you have been so prosperous that I have been almost afraid that God had forgotten you. But I said to myself, surely God will not forsake such a man as this ! He will not suffer him to go on in prosperity, without some check, some reverse ! And I see He has not. No, God has not forgotten you." Revivals. — When nations have become great and powerful, rich, and given to ease and pleasure, virtue and religion are ofttimes supplanted by vice, crime, ^ and dissoluteness. With this change has come the destruction of national life ; and in its place may be seen decrepitude, decay, and death ; socially and politi- cally, the nation is dead. In order to restore national life, the storm of revolution must swe(;p over it, the political earthquake must shake the very foundations of its society, then peace ensues. Industry, genius, and art are at work, the religious element becomes active, and national life is restored. • Storms purify the atmosphere, thus giving life and fertility to the animal and vegetable kingdoms ; so the storm of wai, though an evil, purifies the national life, by promoting its regeneration, and restoration to virtue and religion. This may illustrate the state of a great portion of the religious world. Churches are large and fair, the oppression and persecution felt at their birth have ;-i| m i 1.-...* ■■■' -i' m 140 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. ceased. Their founders under God have passed off the stage of action. But the spirit of Reformation has died out. In these Churches there is now almost per- fect organization, peace, and prosperity. They have reached a high social standing. In them are to be found the rich and great, the wealthy and influential. Their popularity makes many friends, members are added in a quiet way, and thus the Churches grow. There may be a spirit of conservatism, belief in doctrine, and a love for form, and yet the line that divides them from the world may gradually disappear, and they may become more and more v^orldly until you cannot distinguish one from the other. The spirit of aggression and soul-saving will then die out, and there will appear unfruitfulness, decrepitude, and the approaches of spiritual death ; they must then cease to exist, or by revival power be raised to a new life. Revivals are intended by the Divine Master FOR TWO things, TO PREVENT DECAY AND TO RESTORE spiritual life, that is, " to strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die, and to give life to the dead." Often in seasons of formalism, when scepticism is undermining the doctrine, and indiffer- ence is destroying the life of the Churches, revival influence, omnipotent — yet silent as the dew upon the grass — comes down upon the Churches of Christendom, and they are blest with consecrated and revived energies, and a purer and a happier life. Human forces AN AGE OF GREAT EVENTS. 141 and the powers of hell will the more oppose, as the lives of their members become more consecrated, their zeal and work more self-denying, and their successes more wonderful. Revival power is the grand remedy for a sickly and dying Church ; and as a patient will often refuse that upon which his safety and life depends, so decaying Churches neglect this great and only agency which can lift them to a higher state. There have been three great revivals in the HISTORY OF the AGES WORTHY OF OUR ATTENTION, BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN WORLD-WIDE. They are the introduction of Christianity into our world, the Refor- mation, and the revival under Wesley and his coadjutors. In each of these there was the same spirit of zeal, self-sacrifice, love, and devotion to the service of Christ. There was a spirit of quickening and transforming power, changing the very life of the Church; producing in her, purity and efiiciency, so that she can with greater power dispense the truth, and convert the world. The Church of our age is supple- menting these by annual works of grace and power. The Spirit is the same, the agents are more in number, and each in his own sphere is doing the work. There is a mingling of agencies, and a meeting of those influences at different points ; and thus the work extends and the glory cloud rests upon Israel. Unfortunately some persons who are regarded as good Christians oppose this work, and look upon it as i •■Hi' . ■ liM 142 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. excitement, and fanaticism. These in many instances have no objection to excitement in loorldly organiza- tions and enterprises ; in political contests, or races, fairs, and shows. Here is a man to bo elected to represent you in parliament. You know he has many defects, and but few excellencies ; but you have fixed your heart upon him, you must return him at all hazards. You are excited, and the whole country is excited ; but you say all this is laudable, and right ; however, you are shocked if there is any excitement in a revival meeting ; that is disorder, you say, when the deathless souls of men are being saved for time and eternity. A common circus enters your neighborhood, you say, that is a fine show, it is only a low circus, and a Christian should not be present at its performances. The actors are all of the lowest class of society, and all of it to a true Christian mind is repulsive. You are excited and many are excited over what is really not worth seeing. But you object to excitement in revivals of religion, when society is being permeated with light and purity of the highest nature. In military life, when the government of a country makes an effort to increase the army or navy the recruiting officer, the fife and drum, public meet^ ings, brilliant speeches are resorted to to accomplish this end. All that will fascinate, or influence a thoughtless multitude is employed to win them into their country's service, to become its defenders. These »"H"lf'|l«^i AN AGE OF GREAT EVENTS. 143 revivals in political, or military circles are applauded. We want soldiers to fight under the Christian banner ; volunteers to enlist in the great army of the Cross. In order to get these we must have revivals, and why should there not be earnestness in them ? There is a world-wide battle going on between Satan and the world, and Christ, and has been going on ever since the fall of man, and will continue to the end of time. Satan and the world are holding revivals in the high places of sin, gaiety, and pleasure. There is that in human nature, that when a man is stirred up he can do more in one hour, than in ten at other times. Why then should not this great force be encouraged in the spread of earnest Christianity ? In the secular world there are revivals, and there is excitement everywhere. Why should not religion, which is intended for the heart, have • its times of revival ? We are glad to-day that all the Evangelical Churches of Christendom are engaged in this great work. In the Church papers connected with the different denominations we have reports of very gracious out- pourings of God's Spirit. The more numerous and the more glorious are our Church revivals the more will the Church grow in large proportions and in glorious spiritual results. We have seen wonderful achievements in the last twenty-five years, but we look to the future for such spiritual victories as we have never before witnessed. 4 i, m I ' !-|»i5 III i m. CHAPTER XII. COMMERCE. ^AN was not made to live alone, hence men have associated together, forming cities, towns, villages, and neighborhoods. The exchange of commodities is probably coeval with this grouping of mankind. This is a matter of convenience between two parties, each of whom is anxious to obtain a share of the other's goods for a share of his own. Such desires and practices have existed from the earliest period of time, and in the most savage stages of society. The European can procure from the African or the Indian, an ox or a sheep for a worthless toy, because the latter do not know the value of the merchandise of other countries. As mankind advances socially, men find it necessary to adopt and hold one fixed employment. This is called manufacturing, and they sell to others the product of their labors. These second or middle men, buy in such quantities as to prevent their retail- COMMERCE. 145 ing to the people, so they sell to another class of inerch who devote all their time to the disposition of, not only one, but all kinds of merchandise. It is possible for merchandise to pass through these three channels and yet there may be no violation of the rules of equity and justice. At the same time to prevent injustice there must be the presence of Chris- tian principle and morality. All human beings have to buy or sell, and miny do both. Our commerce must be Christianized in order that all classes may possess their rights. Here T would like to address a word to the young as a k ledge of the Christian rules of commerce is neeesstii^ co the formation of a perfect character. Christianity presents certain principles of COMMERCE. Strict honesty and integrity are funda- mental qualities, both of *he buyer and the seller. The merchant must be honest, both in word and deed, and the articles he disposes of must be what he declares them to be, not inferior. If there are any blemishes they must be announced to the buyer before the bargain is completed. The goods, also, must be of market value ; if there is an overcharge, the fraud is as great as if the merchant had put his hand into the buyer's pocket and had taken from him the amount overcharged. A merchant must be faithful in the fulfilment of all his promises. The breaking of a single promise may prove injurious to a great many ; as a great many K I : 1 f!!lii4.«ii<.aL I lli Sii! I 111 'ill! 146 THE NEED OF THE W<^nLD. other promises may depend on the fulfilment of this one. If these things are necessary to pure commerce, then we see that Christianity is the great need of man in his commercial character and position. Christian law is more binding than that ok ANY MONEY CORPORATION. It IS, therefore, necessary for young persons entering upon commercial life, to see that they do not place themselves in circumstances where it would be necessary for them to come in con- flict with the sacred law of God. In commercial circles there are to be found men, and societies of men, who are determined to enrich themselves at all hazards. To accomplish this purpose they are regard- less of the rights of others, and of the sacred law of God, and of the obligations of the Christian Sabbath. Those who are connected with such people sell, Esau- like, their birth-right for a mess of pottage, and pave the way for misfortune and disgrace, through the whole course of their lives. Any man who enters a pursuit the Word of God has interdicted, does so at the sacrifice of his spiritual well-being, and will find his positic^ hurtful to the growth of piety, and hostile to the development o2 Christian character, and, there- fore, destructive of his best interests. A YOUNG MAN STARTING IN LIFE. The writer knew a man, who, when young, had the care of a widowed mother, and he was very poor. After a time of suffering, through poverty, he procured a situation on a railroad, which promised to be very good financially. ■■{ 15' \i' r ' COMMERCE. 147 Soon after he started in this new work, he learned that it would be necessary for him to be in attendance one or two hours on the Lord's day. He could not avoid this if he retained his present situation. His mother was a Christian, and when he explained to her his position, she advised him to give up his situation, saying trustingly, " The Lord will provide for us." This being in accordance with his own judgment, he gave it up, preferring poverty to riches, rather than to desecrate God's holy day According to his mother's prediction the Lord did provide, and from that time the young man prospered in the world, and he became what we call in this new country a rich man. In the commercial relationships of life, you must seek the countenance and help of God. Do not say to your soul thus, and thus, will I do, depending upon your own native strength, the power of your own arm, and the might of your own intellect. Except God build the house, they labor in vain that build it. You may possess in yourself all the elements of success, intellect, energy, and perseverance, and many have possessed all these, and have not succeeded, because they neither received the countenance nor the help of God. I have known men who have com- menced commercial life under great difficulty and embarrassment, but having respect for the law of God, and being possessed of Christian principle, they have rejected many situations with splendid financial prospects, wherein they could not retain their Chris- m ,i- 1 i-r i 1 ^iili !'■;!; Hi 11 1 V i [j^BBB ia| 1! i '■ 1 ,1 ■ ll ■ ■ 1 ' i t: Hll 1 i'i HI i| !' li^BllH 1 i h lIHlii |l ^'ii'^ iillll III il 148 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. tian character. They have struggled for a time, but the providence of God has at length opened up a way for them. They have entered it, and many of them now stand among the merchant princes of the world. The mind should be properly instructed in what CONSTITUTES REAL PROSPERITY. There are men who seem to act independently of God, who care but little for Christian law or principle, who believe themselves to be the carvers of their own fortune, and the framers of their own destiny. They seem to be wonderfully successful. They heap up gold like the sand, and silver like the small dust. Is theirs real prosperity ? It is only, as one writer has said, " like an ox fattening in rich pasture fields against the day of slaughter." Their riches are a burden, and occasion them sorrow of heart. Could we enter into their present experience we should pity rather than envy them. David exclaims, " / have seen the wicked in fjreat power and spreadinij himself like a green hay tree (margin) ' a green tree that groweth on its own soil.' Yet he passed, away and, to, he loas not, yea, I soiight him hut he could not he found!' * And Christ says, " A man's life consisteth not in the ahu7idance of the things he possesseth." The sad confession of many rich men in the hour of death is : our lives have been sad failures. It is because they have lived independently of God, and the sacred laws and claims of Christianity. * Fsalm xxxvii. 35, 36. COMMERCE. 149 There is one royal law which should influence ALL Christians in the great commercial enterprises of the world : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, ivith all thy sovl, and with all thy strenyth, and thy neiyhhor as thyself" When there is perfect obedience to this law no other righteous law will be infringed. God will be honored, and man be equitably dealt with. These are golden pillars on which rests all social and commercial pros- perity. The man obedient to this law will not engage in business simply to make money, but to honor God and benefit his fellow-men. A merchant should be larcje hearted. One of narrow views and selfish heart is not likely to be either rich or great. Young men, who read these pages, go forth, act your part well in the drama of life ; but do not forget, that in order to do so, Christianity must be your strength, and your adornment, your pillar, and rock of defence. ^\4 !i .1, A- .,'V^A'i' ;k;£i I 1^ Ih I i'i CHAPTER XIIT. THE ARTS AND SCIENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. ^|HERE seems to be a prevailing opinion, that one of the greatest difficulties in the path of Christian progress is the advancement of science, and that the hardest battles of Christianity in the future, are to be fought against the different forms of unbelief, generated by scientific enquiry, and that there is, even now, a great conflict between the two. Christianity has never opposed science, but rather always fostered it when valuable. what really appears to be a conflict between Christianity and science, is only one phase of the universal struggle between old ideas and new ones. Whenever new theories are propagated, no matter whether in politics, science, or theology, they are sure to meet with resist- ance. Old ideas have taken hold on society, and are interwoven with private and public life. To disturb them is to disturb social equilibrium. It is no ARTS AND SCIENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 151 marvel, that the new often triumphs over the old. Governments have always been hostile to new politi- cal theories, but no one would think of dragging before the public the wide differences of the past, and publish- ing them to the world as the result of a conflict between government and progress. It exhibits equal ignorance and unfairness to gather up the crude no- tions of past ages, and charge them to the credit of Christianity, as many of the most absurd of these were scientific notions. I think that scientists have no cause for complaint against the hostility of Chris- tianity to science. If there is any cause for complaint it is the hostility of what is called science, but is not truly science, to the Christian religion. In THIS AGE WE HAVE DEMONSTRATIVE PROOF THAT Christianity will use science for the furtherance JF ITS OWN TRIUMPHS AND GLORY, will bring her in as a helper, and not treat her as an enemy. She will bring the heavens an^l the earth still to bear testimony to the power and glory of the Christian's God. Does the tempest of doubt and anguish rend the souls of men as it did that of Job ? The Almighty will answer them from the whirlwind, and lead them to consider His wonderful works. " Where ivast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth ? Declare, if thou hast under- standing. Who hath laid the measures tliereof, if thou knowest, or who hath stretched the line upon it ? Where- upon are the foundations tJiereof fastened, or who laid the corner-stone tliereof^ when tlie morning stars sang f i-lHS ]\4 ' ; ■ J . % 152 THI'. NEED OF THE WORLD. together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy ? " * Like Job, they will bow their heads in submission and faith. This divine sermon from the creation will be sufficient, and every doubt and difficulty will vanish. As Christian parents we lead forth our children morn- ing and evening to gaze upon the wonders of God's works, and, like David, we exclaim, " The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the firmament showefch his handy work. Day unto day utteretL speech, aid night unto night showeth knowledge." -f There is nothing in all the discoveries and teachings of science that can overthrow the evidences of the divinity of our holy Christianity. The testimony of Jesus himsei, the testimony of His disciples, the miracles of His liie and death, the power of His resurrection, the testi- mony of Christian experience, the most subtle teach- ings of scepticism cannot overthrow. All that science has established has not only FAILED TO overthrow THESE EVIDENCES, BUT HAS BEEN AUXILIARY TO ITS INFLUENCE AND ITS POWER. Time after time infidels have rejoiced and Christians have feared as science has unveiled some secrets of heaven and of earth ; but when Christians have become calm enough to ask themselves whether it was the Bible, or their own interpretation of the Bible that was at fault, whether it was the meaning put by God into His Word, or the meaning and function attached to it by the presumptuous reason of man, that should be * Job rxxviii. 4-7. + Psalm xix. 1, 2. I .IIUi^i|lll«f w ARTS AND SCIENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. 153 questioned, they have discovered that this new knowledge which they have attained of the works of God, only throw new lustre on His Word. Astronomy has lit up the chambers of heaven, revealing unutterable splendor and inconceivable magnitude. And geology has revealed to us the vast antiquity of the earth, and the footprints of the Creator in the remote past. Christianity has hailed these developments with joy and gladness, as they have all been realized in the countries over which her influence extends. Christi- anity helps to diffuse the light of science. By this means she enlarges, and enlightens the human mind, shedding at the same time her balmy influence upon human souls, producing a most perfect manhood. Christianity is needed in the wide domain of science. The arts. There is a sacred and inseperable connection between christianity and works of ART. Though the one is spiritual and the other material, the connection is not weakened on that ac- count. The great God has spoken in favor of works of art, in the works which He himself has made, in their form, adaptation, and beauty ; in the starry heavens above, in the million objects that deck the landscape ; indeed, the wonders of the universe are the stupendous works of art wrought out by the Divine Architect. If you study the tabernacle in the wilderness, and the first temple reared and dedicated for the worship of God, you will see that the great Divine Master Builder was not indifferent to works of art. i|! : ! - ,■ ■ ' "tIi 154 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. Christianity is eminently adapted for the fur- therance OF USEFUL ARTS, AND EMPLOYS THEM TO EXTEND HER GLORY AND GREATNESS IN THE WORLD. Music. Sweet entrancing music ! Heaven-born and heaven-inspiring music ! A power on earth, and one of the sweet employments of heaven. A liundred years ago the sweetest tunes were placed with earthly song, hence J. Wesley regretted that the devil had all the good tunes. A writer m the New England Chronide, in 1728, thus observes, " Truly I have a great jealousy that if we once begin to sing by rule, the next thing will be be to pray by rule, and then comes Popery." In 1700 there were only four tunes in existence in America, and when the first music book was published, costing sixpence, and containing about 28 tunes, it was considered a great innovation on the old time-honored customs of the country. Those days of darkness have passed away. Now skilled, Christian singers lead the congregations of Israel. The melodious organ sends forth its soft peals to our ears. The sacred melodies of the sanctuary touch our hearts. Christianity uses sacred song to lead the people to Christ. In the revi- vals, under Sankey and Moody, more have been con- verted under the ministry of sacred song, than under their most earnest and eloquent discourses. Architecture. What has Christianity to do with stone walls and wooden fixtures, is a question often put by persons possessing much piety. The answer is, it has much to do. God will not be worshipped in mm vn ARTS AND SCIENCES OF CHRISTIANITY. ^ m wf loo I ii temples like those dedicated to idol gods. They may be ornamented with gold, and garnished with silver and precious stones, but the Most High will not dwell there. His feet cannot tread such courts : such gaudy glitter, and sensuous symbolism, will shame the place of the Christian solemnity, and imperil the spirituality of worship. The Christian sanctuary must be rich, solid, and at the same time beautiful, chaste, and simple. When the word of life is preached earnestly in such a temple, the words are verified, " Thy way, O (xod, is in the sanctuary." Thus we see that God is using Architecture for His glory. Sculpture and painting. I would not like to see the productions of either of these arts adorning our churches. In the picture gallery, in the hall, or in the parlor, the beautiful picture, or life-like piece of statuary, setting forth the grandest truths of Scripture, I cannot but admire. They press home upon my soul these truths in a way that word-painting will not do. It i« because of the marvellous effects produced by im- ages and pictures that Rome so extensi v^ely uses them in her churches. Here Rome outsteps the bounds of rec- titude, as men are liable, in their admiration of images and pictures, to be forgetful of the true worship of the one living God, and the only Saviour of the world. We have only one work to do in our churches, and that is to worship God, and anything that will interrupt that worship will be injurious to the Christian. At other times the Christian will be benefited as he gazes upon 156 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. works of art, symbolizing the glorious Word of God, confident that Christianity uses these for her own advancement and glory. ■ -III M' it W'il >l>lpl^ CHAPTER XIV. THE LITERATURE OF THE AGE. )1TERATURE is a branch of the tine arts, and may be defined as imagination, knowledge, and learning, written or preserved in writing. It comprehends all branches of learning, as f:^rammar, logic, history, rhetoric, criticism, and poetry. A man of literature, or letters, is one who reads, or who acquires knowledge by reading. The end of literature is improvement 'and pleasure. A fact worthy of our consideration is, that the character and manners of a people are generally formed by their reading. As a proof that Christianity is the great need of the world in this special department of the world's pro- gress, we need only refer you to the fact, that ac- cording to ■* ae advancement or decline of Christianity lias been, marked the advancement or decline of useful literature. All through the centuries of the Christian era, this has been apparent. Hall am informs us that "the establishment of the barbarian nations on the ruins of the Roman Empire in the West, was accom- i y ]•; ' u I " ll ■ iilli M.I' M'i 158 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. panied by an almost universal loss of that learnin<,' which had been accumulated in the Latin and Greek languages, now called ancient or classical." This revolu- tion had been prepared for by the decline in taste and knowledge for several preceding ages, but was acceler- ated with oNerwhelming rapidity by public calamities in the fifth century. The preservation of sacred litera- ture, and the books of learning, secular and profane, through all the darkness of the middle ages must be due to the clergy of those times. Though gross ignorance and spiritual destitution was prevalent among the clergy, there were to be found among them men of culture, taste, and piety, who looked upon it a,s a sacred trust committed to them to preserve the litera- ture of the ages gone by. Among these honored ones might be mentioned B(ETHEUs, Benedict, Theodore, the first primate of England. We might class with them Adrian and the Venerable Bede, as he is named in English History. The tenth century used to be reckoned by mediaeval historians as the darkest part of this intellectual night. Ignorance and superstition reigned supreme. It was the awful intellectual night-time of the world, when some writers say, " there was no light, no light." Even in that age there were found men in Germany and France, who guarded with scrupulous care the literature of past ages, and even added to it important and useful works. Whenever there was a revival of pure and undefiled religion there was also a revival of THE LITERATURE OF THE AGE. 159 ectual light." the purest and best literature of the ages. Ah it is luy province here to deal with the literature of our own times, I can only notice a few facts in connection with that of the past. What we universally need for the literature ok this age is the influence of the christian HEi-iGiON. A. man who apparently lives without this priceless treasure declares to the world that he is without virtue, however he may otherwise conceal his vices ; for when the obstacles to virtue are surmounted, the obstacles to religion are few. What should restrain him who has broken the bonds of appetite from risino- at the call of devotion ? Will not he who has accomplished a work of difficulty, secure his reward at all events, when to secure it is easy ? Will not he who has panted in the race, stretch forth his hand to receive the prize ? Every man is happy either negatively or positively in proportion as he is virtuous or religious. These two things, virtue and religion, put him in possession of all that is essential to human felicity. Manners of life adorn knowledge and smooth its way through the world. Knowledge, I'xe a rough diamond, may do well to lay away ior its intrinsic value, but it will never be worn so as to (^mbeliish the life until it is polished. tiow MEN DESIRE KNOWLEDGE, and what arduous laoors they will perform, in order to obtain it ! In the days of chili ihood and youth, man will wade through whole libraries, and in after-life he will spend I'i III lii: ! .uiuki 160 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. fortunes in the acquisition of books. He will compass sea and land, will travel ove* the rugged mountain steep and pierce the trackless forest, will pursue the deep river and the meandering brooklet ; will thought- fully meditate amid the beauties of the glen, or sit by the sea, and listen to the wild waves as they dash upon the rc?ky beach. It is not until man has reached the very limit of human knowledge and arrived at the unknowable, that he will, in the slightest degree, relax his eftbrts. It is perfectly right to employ all the powers of our minds here in the acquirement of knovvledge during our short life-time ; but ere long we shall pass beyond the bounds of time. We shall then have a wider range of vision, and see unveiled before us those mysteries which are too deep for our present clouded reason, and are not intended to be solved this side of the grave. With all man's reading and knowing, he makes one great mistake in not seeking spiritual good to .control and influence him in seeking temporal things. This would help to extend his influence to future generations, to prevent the prevalence of vice, and extend and promote virtue ; for the influence of a wise and good man will live when he is numbered with the dead. I might divide the literature of this age into four parts — infidel, fictitious, secukr, ard sacred. Infidel. Never was there an age when so many infidel works issued from the press as do now. It is not that infidelity is really advancing, but rather that •^mmmm^ good sacred, many It is ftr that THE LITERATURE OF THE AGE. 161 its agents are more laborious and zealous. It is not that infidel literature is more popular with the masses than in times gone by. Several years ago, the Liberal Christian Society of New York was organ- ized in opposition to the Christian Young Men's Association. Though the former retains the name Christian, it is a society holding sceptical views. It published a volume of sermons and lectures. The first edition numbered only two thousand, and yet strange to say there were not infidels enough in the United States to purchase it. A publisher almost gave away somewhere about a score of the volumes, and the person who foolishly took them, afterward threw them in the fire. In Germany a few years ago the Evangelical Christians were full of alarm because of the free circulation of infidel literature. Now all +heir fears are hushed as some of their most able writers are sending forth from the press works which are more than answering the questions of doubt and difficulty raised by the infidel class. Evangelical Christianity is moving the hearts of multitudes. The days of faith are shining upon the homes and churches of the people. The days of doubt were as stormy as chaos, as dark as the dark- ness th?^,t covered the land of Egypt ; but in Germany there is a great calm, the infidel darkness is lifting, and the "Day-spring from on high is visiting the people." We should feel thankful for this, for he who preaches to the people unbelief and anti-Christianity, instead of L m I ! |li^3 li 162 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. giving them bread, gives them a stone, and instead of an egg a serpent. The eflfect of this preaching is to dwarf the intellect, deaden the sensibilities, and poison forever moral life. It is a disgrace to ministers de- nominating themselves Liberal Christian to join with publicans and pamphleteers in the nefarious work. There is an inseparable connection between faith AND MORALITY : SO there is also between unbelief and sin. The two are married and cannot be separated. There is a oneness of nature. Paul says, " Whatso- ever is not of faith is sin."* If there is an infinitely spiritual being, God, all duty, all faith, all love, and all life must stand related to Him. God is the moral Governor of the universe. He has from His throne in glory revealed His laws and will to man. He who heeds not His calls, nor obeys His laws, is a practical atheist, and is guilty of sinning against the infinite Jehovah. Infidel literature teaches man to disbelieve in God, in Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, the Atonement, heaven and hell, the inspiration of the Scriptures. It takes away the whole Scripture foun- dation for man's faith, hope, and love. It gives him nothing in return. A dying woman said to her in- fidel adviser, " You have taken away my Saviour, and what have you given me in return ? " As the Christian's faith is weakened, hope is blasted, and his joys are withered. Infidelity gives him nothing in return. * Rom. xiy. 23. ilMl 'llflWW^' IV THE LITERATtrrtE OF THE AGE. 163 Fictitious Literature. There are many kinds of fictitious literature ; the influence of some is exceed- ingly vici'ous, of some others very harmless ; of some puerile and useless, of others both entertaining and use- ful ; of some only worldly and secular, of others very sacred and religious. There are many beautiful and entertaining narratives found in the Bible, and in religious books. There are works illustrating some facts in history ; there are also political works, the aim of which is to rectify certain political wrongs. This, how- ever, is the most cowardly mode of attacli a man can adopt, but sometimes the most effective. It may not be proper to class these with the love and murder novels, the stories of highwaymen and murderers, and the stories of love, coquei y, marriage, separation, divorce and seduction, all of which are abominated bv lovers of order and good society. And there is an un- chaste literature so vile that it cannot be described in these pages, the reading of which corrupts the body, soul, and spirit, and destroys t '\ ^ life of our race, and which is everywhere detested by the wise and good. It is my opinion that the influence of much of the fictitious literature of the present time is seductive and exciting, therefore cannot be said to be (jood. On this subject, I think I stand on the same platform with the purest and best thinkers of the age. Goldsmith, who was himself a novelist, in writing to his brother, respecting the education of his son, ll'I'I^i^ 164 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. m~i— 1_. ^~ 11 is ^^HH •iir H A : i^l^H ;, ■!,< i^hSh t f'i'i H^^H ■■■ : •!■■: HH i ' 't ■ 4 llfll^l i iilii uses this strong language : " Above all things, never let your son touch, or read a novel or romance. How delusive ! How destructive are these features of con- summate bliss ! They teach the youthful mind to sigh after beauty and happiness that never existed, to de- spise the little good that fortune has mixed in our cup by expecting more than she ever gave ; and in general take the word of a man who has seen the luorld, and studied it more by experience than precept — take my word for it, I say such books teach us but very little of the world." Robert Hall gives his opinion of Miss Edg- WORTH. He says : " Miss Edg worth is the most irre- ligous writer I ever read ; not so much from any direct attack she makes on religion, as from a universal and studied omission of the subject. In her writings you meet a high strain of morality. She delineates the most virtuous characters, and represents them in the most affecting circumstances of life, in distress, and in even the immediate prospect of eternity, and finally sends them oft' the stage with their virtue unimpaired, and all this without the slightest allusion to religion. She does not directly oppose religion, but makes it appear unnecessary by exhibiting a perfect virtue without it. No works ever produced so bad an effect on my own mind. I did not expect to find any irre- ligion in Miss Edg worth's writings. I was off my guard, their moral character disarmed me. I read nine volumes of them at once ; but I could not preach with THE LITERATURE OF THE AGE. 165 any comfort for many weeks afterwards. I never felt so little ardor in my profession, or so little interest in religion. She was once called to account for the charac- ter of her works, and asked her reasons for represent- ing a mere ideal morality, without attributing any influence to religion. She said, If she had written for the lower classes, she should have recommended religion ; but she had written for a class for whom it was less necessary." How absurd ! Hannah More gave it as her opinion, that many books of fiction may be read with safety, some even with profit ; but the constant familiarity, even with such as are unexceptionable in themselves, relaxes the mind that wants hardening, dissolves the heart that wants fortifying, stirs the imagination which wants quieting, irritates the passions which want calming, and above all, disinclines and disqualifies for active virtues and for spiritual exercises. The habitual indulgence in such reading is a continual minimj mischief. Secular Literature. I shall not say much upon this subject. It is that generally used in the schools, and for self-improvement. It is useful, designed for the enlargement of the mind, and to promote the real interest of the race. It is the gate to all useful, and even sacred knowledge. A strictly religious man, if he be ignorant, will be mere liable to make mistakes, than if he is educated and refined. Ignorance is the mother of all kinds of vice and sin. It is proper, there- irj. I III. Vi 166 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. fore, to promote secular knowledge of all kinds and degrees, intended for the improvement of the mind and for the general good of society. Thousands of books on useful knowledge deserve the appellation of good books. Sacred Literature. Mr. Moody recommends three books as a library, the Bible, Cruden's Con' ordence, and the Bible Text-br ok. I would not limit an / one as to the quantity of sacred reading he should stu.'iously wade through, but the quality is the most important thing to be considered. Books containing as little error as possible, and containing at the same time pure sentiments and lofty principles, intended like the Bible, the purest fountain of truth, to elevate the mind, and to purify the life. By the study of Sacred History much light will be thrown upon the Bible. By the study of its biography, you will be likely to imitate the purest and hest of human beings. By the study of sacred poetry, the tenderest cords in the believer's soul will be touched so as to excite joy and gladness. Many of the stories given to the world by the pure and good are intended to lead us in our ad- miration of the most liolij and useful characters, to imitate them in their excellencies. There is a wide field in sacred literature, and we have only time to touch it. He w^ho loves a good book will never want a com- panion. When all othev.i are dead, or have forsaken him, here is one to cheer and bless him. '^■"'P^^W THE LITERATURE OF THE AGE. 167 ids and le mind ands of Eition of ds three )rdence, /one as iJiously portant IS little me pure ike the ate the Sacred e Bible. kely to By the in the oy and orld by our ad- ters, to a wide time to a com- 5rsaken He who loves a good book will never grow weary of life, he will always find entertainment. Mrs. Browning says, " Books are men of higher stature, and the only men who speak aloud for future times to hear." Milton says, " As well almost kill a man as kill a good book. He who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, but he who kills a good book kills reason herself." Reader, next to taking care of the heart, take care what books you read. It is not safe to go to a general book store and select from the shelves unless you know the author, or the publishing house. There are some reputable publishing houses which publish noth- ing base or vile ; but there are many having the name of reputable, which issue publications inexpressibly vile, and most demoralizing in their influence. A lady said upon her death-bed, " Oh ! the New York Leriger, it has been the cause of my eternal damnation." What the world needs to-day is a Christianized literature. iPB CHAPTER XV. INFIDEL LITERATUllE vevSUS THE DUTY OF THE CHURCH. N presenting this essay to the public I know right well that thousands of readers cannot be induced even to enter upon a discussion of this subject. They will not even give time to con- sider whether or no a government, founded upon the Christian religion, has a right in her dominions to pre- vent the free circulation of pernicious infidel literature ; and even if she has the legal right, whether it is wise for her to use it in this age of liberalism. My work in this essay is to show the duty of the Church of Christ and the duty of Christian Governments in their rela- tions to the Church and the State. In nearly all Christian countries laws have been enacted for the suppression and destruction of vile and obscene litera- ture and pictures, while the most blasphemous infidel works have had free circulation. What is the cause of this widespread evil ? Why is it that the Christian world is deluged with infidel productions of INFIDEL LITERATURE. 169 the basest and most blasphemous kind ? The cause is general unwise liberalism, and very general apathy among Christians upon this great question. In 1822, in the most public street of the metropolis of Eng- land, a shop with ample windows for the exhibition of the titles of infamous publications and blasphemous placards was kept open. This, in a country professing Christianity, and in all of whose institutions there is a recognition of it. Although it was a cause of alarm to the better classes of the community, yet it was suffered to remain an incentive to vice and crime, striking at the root of public morals, and opening the flood-gates of iniquity. After some delay the Christian people arose against this terrible scourge, that shameless mart of blasphemy, the shop of Carlyle. After a long and audacious struggle with the laws of the country, by enforcement of fines laid upon the proprietor, and the punishment of the agents employed by him to carry on the guilty traffic, it was closed, to the joy of the whole Christian community. Had this shop been suffered to remain, " Temples of Reason " ^J^^ould have been opened in every city, town, and village, and it would be hard to estimate the evil, which might have followed in the train of these moral pest-houses. It was fortunate that laws were made and enforced to check, as far as possible, this great evil. It was an obvious benefit to society, as the open propagation of infidelity is a pernicious evil, in condemnation of which too much cannot be said, and over which too close a vigilance cannot be exercised, !1> 1^ 1 1 nil 170 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. What we want in this age ia some force or power that will act surely against this same evil. We should give ourselves no rest, until we have laws sufficiently powerful, and rulers to enforce them, to close all shops retailing vicious and obscene publications. Objections. — Some Christians argue that legal prosecutions give the works in question moke NOTORIETY. Very true, we are willing to admit this, but then they render them more difficult to procure, and deter the publication of others. Though they give them publicity in one instance, they ultimately suppress them. When Paine's " Age of Reason " was first published it was prosecuted. The result was that a generation passed away before it was even known that such a book had been published, and its circulation was very limited. The governments of all Christian countries should enact and enforce laws against infidel publications as well as against obscene works. They are in many respects equally injurious in their influence upon society. It HAS ALSO BEEN SAID THAT THE ABSURDITY AND IGNORANCE DISPLAYED IN ALL INFIDEL WORKS ARE THEIR OWN ANTIDOTE. This may be the case where they are read by thoughtful persons, conscientious in their religious connections, but in a great many instances it is not true. There are two classes of persons, who do not reflect upon the evil of the circu- lation of such works. There are those with whom errors of this class are rendered popular by their •^^mt^m INFIDEL LITERATURE. 171 power should iciently 11 shops r LEGAL f MOKE dt this, procure, ^h they imately q" was lit was as even and its bs of all ;e laws obscene ijurious TY AND KS ARE where nous in many isses of e circu- whom y their vicious habits of life. It is because, in such works, there is nothing to rebuke their wickedness and folly, or to bar their progress in vice and sin. There is another class of persons having thoughtful minds, who do not see it a duty incumbent upon them to interfere. Like one in the Gospel they may say, " If it is not of God, it will come to naught." This is a dangerous principle when applied to all systems of error, as they generally exist long enough in the world to do a serious amount of harm. A PRINCIPLE HAS BEEN LAID DOWN THAT ERRORS MOST GRATEFUL TO THE VICIOUS HABITS OF MEN ARE RIGOROUSLY SCRUTINIZED BY THE UNDERSTANDING. This principle is false and exceedingly dangerous. There are two important witnesses against it, the his- tory of man, and the truth of God, which is greater, and which affirms, "When men have pleasure in unrighteous- ness, they obey not the truth." The great effort of men holding dangerous errors is to stifle conscience, and thus remove the apprehension of punishment from their minds. The temptation, " thou shalt 7iot mrdy die'' has as great an influence over them as it had over Eve in Paradise. Error in its first attack is generally plausible, and its influence upon the minds of those unskilled in the Scriptures, and ignorant of the evidences of Christianity is such, that they easily fall into the coils of that ever watchful serpent. Other objections are suggested, said to be based on historical, critical, or metaphysical :« .ll 172 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. 1 ■ ■ ■ i ■1 s fwU li 9HK i 1 1 1 ' ' 1 ' 1 j; i i^' mm m 'I : i i 'li grounds, which seem at first thought, to be more im- portant because of their lofty connections. It has also been said that the public should HAVE the benefit OF BOTH SIDES OF EVERY DISPUTED question. In giving a vile work to the public you give it to very ignorant persons, and also to children. When you designate infidel teaching, one part of a great religious question, you convey the idea, that it is questionable whether Christianity is Divine or not, and that every person has a ri(/ht to dispute its Divine authority ; that ignorant persons, and even children are judges in this matter. To such God speaks, " Alt the words of my mouth are in righteousness ; there in nothing froward or perverse in tfiem. They are all plain to him that under standeth, and right to them th it find knoivledge. Receive my instruction, and not silver ; and knoivledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies ; and all the things that may be desh'ed are not to be compared to it."* "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."f " Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them."J It is the duty of parents and friends, should obscene or infidel works come in the way of their children, to explain the evil tendencies of such, and sound an alarm lest the cloud that has come upon many a household, should fall * Prov. viii. 8-11, + Prov. xxii. 6, % Eccl. xii. 1. m ^^^m INFIDEL LITERATURE. 173 upon theirs. Two things are needful to be done by Christian parents in this matter — to histrud and to enforce parental law. Christian governments are at tlie head of the national household, they are the parents of the nation, and it is their duty to supply useful instruction to their people, and to supply and enforce laws to prevent the prevalence of error and vice among them. Upon this, in a great measure, de- pends the strength of a nation. It has sometimes been said that governments HAVE NO right TO INTERFERE WITH RELIGIOUS OPIN- IONS, EITHER WRITTEN OR ORALLY EXPRESSED, AND WHEREVER THEY DO SO THEY VIOLATE RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. All governments on earth have been con- structed on a religious foundation, except the French Republic, during what was called the " reign of in- fidelity^' which lasted but a short time. In all Christian nations Christianity is a part of the law of the land. The laws for the punishment of different crimes are all from the Bible. The recognition of the Sabbath, the appointment of days of humiliation, fasting, and religious feasting, are taken from the Christian's Text Book. If a man commits murder, he is hung until he is dead ; if he steals, he is imprisoned, and no one questions the right of the law-makers to enforce these laws. It is equally the duty of Christian governments to enact and enforce laws against the criminal spread of obscenity and infidelity. Let all Christians assist in this important work, by upholding their govern- iff II >fl< lil ■I . : 174 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. ments, by spreading instruction in the principles of the Gospel, and, as far as possible, diffuse religious in- fluence among the masses of the people. i' 'i 'i«i CHAPTER XVI. THE PRESEIIT AN AGE OF READING. HIS is an age of reading, when the steam press is sending forth thousands of books upon all branches of literature. Men are thrown upon this sea, and are showing their appre- ciation of it by reading more than they have ever read before. And so they should. It would be a great sin, unpardonable neglect, and a tremendous injustice to themselves not to read. The great difficulty in their way is, to rightly discriminate between good and bad, vile and pure. Yet nothing is more important than that men .should so discriminate. Christianity will help more than anything else in the choice of such as are really beneficial to man. Paul was about to send forth Timothy his beloved son in the Gospel as a preacher of the truth. Timothy was converted and had known the Scriptures from his youth ; yet the Apostle found it necessary to counsel him to give at- tention to reading.* As a minister of Christ he ^ 1 Tim. iv. 13. I l! 176 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. needed to read, both for his own intellectual and spiritual good, and that he might be increasingly qualified for the ever-important duties of his office, both as a pastor and teacher. The same advice might be given, and it is now no less important, to all Christian ministers, having th-- oversight of a church and congregation. It is also important to every private Christian, +''^r all are lights in the world, and have a spiritual work to perform, to glorify God, and bless their fellow-men. The first duty Christianity urges upon the at- tention OF believers, is to search the Scriptures. " Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have eternal life : and they are they ivhich testify of me."* The Scriptures, God's writings, contained in the Old and New Testaments, Jewish and Christian, are put into our hands. They are called the " Word of God," " The Book of the Lord," " The Law of the Lord." " The Oracles of God." They contain the promises of the Gospel, and reveal the laws, judgments, and statutes of God. They are able to make one wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not sufficient that we occasionally hear this Word read, or expounded. We should appeal to it, study it prayerfully, search it daily, lay it to heart, and keep it in remembrance. We should teach it unto our children, and use it against our >piritual enemies. This is the Christian's great Text Book. Is he a * John V. 39. " — 1 T>"'i,"r!T THE PRESENT AN AGE OF READING. 177 fnemies. traveller over earth's desert wastes ? this is his map to direct him. Is he a mariner out upon the voyage of life ( this is his chart and compass that he may not be wrecked upon the i-ocks, or buried in the sands of the ocean. It is for universal man, and it is for each individual. It is man's great repository of truth, the rule of both his faith and practice, and he must give an account in the day of judgment for his conduct vvith regard to this Word of God. Seeing then that (iod has given him such a revelation of his will, it would be ^^'■'^ ^'asest ingratitude on his part not to study it though tail Iv and prayerfully. The 1 lllfl" '"^% THE PKESEXT AN AGE OF READING. 179 grossed with the transitory affairs of this lii'e. Men needlessly involve themselves in the cares of this world. They thereby voluntarily deprive themselves of opportunities for intellectual and spiritual improve- ment; of doing good to their fellow-men, and of glorifying God. The business of the day-laborer does not require all his time, but leaves a portion for tlie cultivation of his mind and heart. How is it with the man who is master of his own concerns ? He has much more time for proper cultivation, if he will but liiisband it with care. Those who seem to have but little leisure for mental or spiritual cultivation allow considerable portions of it to pass away without being used to any good or valuable purpose. Much is wasted in needless self-indulgence, in trifling conversation, or in frivolous pursuits. Man in the daily walks of life can sometimes speak a word in season, and "a word in season HOW GOOD IT IS ! " How can a man speak a word in season, who neglects to furnish his own mind out of the rich mines of intellectual and spiritual wealth, the accumulation of ages ? The desert exhibits no beauty, the netjlected garden after a time exhales no sweet perfume. So the mind, destitute of know- ledo'e, cannot convev advice and instruction to others. Paul reproves the Hebrews for this sinful neglect when he says, " For tuhen for the time ye oiigld to be teachers, ye have need that one teach yo it again, ivhicli he thejirst principles of the oracles of God." * * Heb. V. 12. 180 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. It is pleasant sometimes to see poor luen who have enjoyed in early life but few educational advantages, but have improved their leisure hours in reading good books, speaking with readiness and Huency upon great religious subjects to the edification of others, and in this way glorifying God. In order that a taste be cultivated for good reading, you must begin with the young and rising generation. There cannot be too much attention given to this subject. I have read of a lady who was visiting in the family of a friend where there were several interesting children. One day as she was sitting at her window, she heard the sweet voice of her own little son, now ten years of age, reading aloud to an interested group of Itoys and girls. She was greatly pleased with the sight and regarded it as one fit for a painter's pencil, so beauti- ful, so refined, so literary ! This reading to others was a habit of each day The mother watched the happy group for some time, when suddenly she th«.)ught she caught a word which indicated that the story was of an immoral and shocking character. Calling her son, she examined the paper ; she trusted to his candor in explaining the nature of the fiction. He put on an air of bravado and p''()n()unced it " Imlly." and said, 'he read such every week." The motht i was horrified and forbade him buying or reatling any more such books. Several weeks afterward she reproved the newsdealer, who told her that he had a large custom among the juveniles ^m THE PRESENT AN AGE OF REAI)IN(J. 181 of th ; neighborhood, and moreover, her son was still a regular purchaser at his stand, even now he surrep- fciously procured and read the forbidden slieets. An intelligent, lespectable people are not fully aware of the nature and extent of this evil. As they pass the window of the newsdealer, they are disgusted with the trash there oftered for sale. They forget that their children do not share in their feelings, but they gloat over these tiesh-pots of Egypt, and roll the polluted paragraphs under their tongues as a sweet morsel. Men generally are not true to themselves, to their friends, or to God. Of all the cnjatures of God, man alone has made himself a lanu^itabh' failure. From a knowledge of his own heart, and from his experience, he fears his brother nian, and turns away to the rocks and rills, the mountains and the forests, to admire the beauties and the harmonies of iiature, and lie finds no treachery, no selfishness, no hatred, nothing untrue in these works of God. We pity the soul that is not pleased with the music of the rippling stream, the ocean's roar, the zephyr's touch, the thunder's and the whirlwind's voice, or the eye that sees not the mountain-top kissing the blue sky and lifting its snowy crown to the light, that sees not the beauty of the valley with its golden fruits and streandets, and the stars of niijht stud m to the word " sect," as it simply means a body of per- sons who follow some teacher, and are united in some settled tenets; as in religion, or in philosophy; a . religious denomination, or a philosophical school. There is certainly nothing corrupt indicated in the term. The religious denominations are the only re- presentatives OF THE Church of Christ at the PRESENT TIME. I cannot find, by careful study, that God has ever suffered the dark, and immoral world to exist without the enlightening, and purifying influences in its midst, of an organized church, under the im- mediate direction of God. In patriarchal times, as re- mote as the age of Job, there were altars, sacrifices, and worship, and the patriarchs held the three offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. We have in the Christian church to-day the sacrifice of Christ, the teaching of the Word, and the governinent of Christ, the three im- portant elements found in the Patriarchal Church. The Jewish Church was called Israel, was loved and nourished of God, and received His word. Her sacrifices symbolized the sacrifice of Christ ; her people were the people of God ; her laws were holy. She had her prophets and her priests, and God was her King. At last she was superseded by the Christian Church which is to continue to the end of time, and never give place to any other religion. Christ, when He commissioned His apostles to preach and govern His church, promised to be with them unto the end of THE EVANGELICAL DENOMINATIONS OF THE AGE. 193 the world. " Oo ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the narne of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : Teaching them to observe (dl things luhatsoever I have commanded you : and, lu, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen"* This Church is in the world to-day. Where is it represented if it is not in the Evangelical denomina- tions ? What orgainized body of people outside these denominations hold and propagate the truth of Christ, and save souls out of the world, and build up believers ? Where is there an asylum for the outcast and wanderer when he is reclaimed ? And where is there a home for the people of God ? Let th^e people who are constantly opposing the different branches of the Church of Christ tell us where she is to be found to-day ? Has she finished her work and entered into her rest ? Or is she hiding her light in some unknown wilderness ? I look into the evangelical denominations of this age, and I find that Christ walks in their midst as once He walked in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, representing the seven Churches of Asia Minor. The denominations illustrated by these seven golden can- dlesticks are golden ; they are vsolid and precious in the sight of God, and they bear up the ligh^, of Christ before the world. They are the representatives of Christ's Church on earth, and I can find no other. As ORGANIZATIONS THEY ARE PARTS OF THE ChURCH * Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. N ■ -' , ' ' ■ _;■' " 194 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. OF Christ. What constitutes the Church of Christ ? It 18 made up of human beings who are united in mie body, having Christ as their head. Thus united, they have one Lord Jesus Christ ; one faith, faith in Christ ; one baptism, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is made 'up of human beings, existing among human beings for Christian work, havins: a visible form called an " Assembly,"* " Church of God,"f " Congregation of Saints," J " Family in Heaven and Earth,"§ " Golden Candlesticks,"|l " God's Building,"*! " House of God,"** " Temple of God."tt The Church of Christ is an organization as a SOCIETY, "A Congregation of Saints ;"f]: "Flock of God;"§§ " A Family."|||| All who belong to this congre- gation, flock, or family, have one aim and work, under a constitution, and laws. First, their aim is their own salvation, God's glory, and the salvation of their fellow-men. Secondly, the laws by which they are governed are found in the New Testament and in tha Moral Law, which says : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself." The division of the Church of Christ into dif- ferent BODIES is unavoidable IN HER PRESENT CIR- * Psalm Ixxxix. 7. t Acts XX. 28. t Pialm cxlix. 1. § Eph. iii. 16. II Rev. i. 20. T 1 Cor. iii. 9. •*lTim. iii. 15. ttl Cor. iu. 16, 17. tt Psalm cxlix. 1. §§ Ezek.xxxiv. 12,13. III! Eph. iii. 15. THE EVANGELICAL DENOMINATIONS OF THE AGE. 105 CUMSTANCES. I think it is in accordance with God's plan of extending His Church in the world, and does not in the least interfere with the essential principles found in the true Church of Christ, which is the union of faith, spirit, and life. A great army under one general may be well disciplined and have one given object in view, the defence of a nation, or the overthrow of one, and yet it may be divided into regiments, brigades, and companies. This is necessary in order for it to be properly officered, equipped, and employed. The Church numbers millions of members. No building or place would be large enough to contain them all; yet, when divided up into small companies, they may meet in our churches, and, officered in every place, can be usefully employed, and no part of the work need be burdensome or oppressive. This same Church exists in different countries, speaking different languages : England, France, Ger- many, Asia, or Africa. It is the same Church in evefry place. The seven Churches of Asia Minor were golden ;" they all held up light to the world, and " Christ walked in the Tnidst " of them. The same is observable in the denominations of our own times. The Church of Christ exists in the form of DENOMINATIONS . In the fundamentals of the Chris- tian religion these denominations are united, in non- essentials they allow liberty to all. They hold the same truths, believe and worship the same Saviour, 106 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. and in spirit, in faith, and life are one, holding one Lord, one faith, one baptism. The division of the church into diffkrent denominations is a benefit hathkil than othehwisk. if each possesses the spirit of christ which fs UNLIMITED CHARITY TOWARD ALL. I do not believe in denominational bitterness, strife, or bigotry. In a qualified and limited sense I do believe in division, as I do in a nation, an army, or any great l>ody of people appointed under different leaders to do either different kinds of work, or work extending over a large field of operations, wherein a divided form they can do more work, and better, than they possibly could in one great body. No one denomination knows all the truth. As our churches are made up of different classes of persons, some ignorant and unlearned, some prejudiced by early influences, such as erroneous teaching and example ; some self-willed, holding too high an estimate of their own abilities, and indeed of their piety, there must necessarily exist in the de- nominations more or less error. Should the Church of Christ form only one body, these many errors would of necessity exert a more damaging influence than now. The Church being thus divided, w^e strive to correct each other's errors, and emulate each other's excellencies. As brethren in Christ we approve what is excellent, and we strive to correct what is defective. In short, we strive to help one another. There is a great difference in the denominations, some are more TT wfm THE F.VANOETJCAL DENOMINATIONS OF THE AGE. 197 spiritual and useful than others, while there is a large amount of good in all. All the Churches have pecu- liarities adapted to the character, conditions, and cir- cumstances of the thousands of thoir adherents. A certain class of persons can be more useful in the denomination adapted to its own mental states, and to its peculiar surroundings, hence I think the.^ divisions are important, and of Divine appointment. What I object to is denomination al higotky, which holds that the Church of which 1 am a member is the oiix^ safe Church, th'^ only true Chiiich, The Cl.Mirch. In other words all who are out of this Church are not Christians, and, therefore, must perish. A good little work was published some time ago entitled : The Voyage to Glory. The author represented the different denominations as ships out upon the ocean of time, laden with hundreds of precious souls saved by the grace of Christ, bearing them on to the port of glory. What if one of these ships should sink midway in the ocean ? Must the souls she bears perish ? Ah, no ! There are other .ships sailing for the same port, they have room enough, and the souls are safe though the ship may sink. If the Methodist, or Episcopalian, or Congregational Churches should cease to exist, the souls saved through their instrumentality need not perish while the Evangelical Churches are doing the same soul -saving work. This I conceive to be God's plan, that if one ship sinks, one Church fails, He has others in which He can save precious souls, and the work of 198 THE NEED OP THE WORLD. if extending His kingdom may thus go on. Finally, upon this point read :* "And^as they went through the cities they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem, and so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily." Here notice : 1st. Paul and Timotheus went through the cities visiting the churches. 2nd. Thev delivered to these churches the decrees for to keep that were ordained of the apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem.*!* 3rd. The result of the delivery of those decrees was — the churches increased in numbers daily. The Church of Christ is officered, and the officers are all found in the different denomin- ATIONS OF THE PRESENT AGE. There are two classes, ministers and deacons. Of ministers in the early Church, there were bishops, elders, prophets, and evan- gelists. Paul says : " And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."! Again, in his Et '-tie to the Ephesians, "And he gave some, apostles ; and some, pro- phets ; and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a per- * Acts xvi. 4, 5. t Acts xv. 23, 29. 1 1 Cor. xii. 28. THE EVANGELICAL DENOMlKATlONS OF THE AGE. 199 feet man, unto the measure of the stature of the full- ness of Christ."* No one will doubt that this ministry called by Jesus Christ, and qualified by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, was necessary to strengthen and increase the early Church of Christ. But did the necessity for this ministry cease at the close of the apostolic period ? No one of common sense will admit of this. You employ an architect to build a magnifi- cent palace, he lays the foundation, and partly builds the walls, you then dismiss him, and substitute no other. I ask, if neither he nor any one else equally gifted should complete the structure how could it be finished ? If the godly and self-denying ministers of this age are not the minsters of Christ, who are, and where are they to be found ? If ministers such as Christ called and qualified to preach were necessary at the commencement of the Christian Church, are they not equally so in this age of infidelity and sin ? Most enlightened people of this age believe in the Divine appointment and usefulness of the ministers of Christ, while others urge the indiscriminate abandonment of that department of Christian toil performed by them in the churches. On this subject there are two classes of persons in the religious world who go to extremes. One class will uphold a despot and tyrant if only he is named a minister of the Christian Church, and another which will hinder as far as it can the usefulness of the most godly, humble, and self-denying ministers, who *Eph. iv. 11, 13. I I! 200 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. ill have only two aims in their lives, the glory of God, and the salvation of man. The qualifications for the work of the ministry IN the early church were precisely what are needed by the ministers of the modern church :— 1. Physical strength. "They were in labors many." 2. Intellectual gifts to enable them to understand the truth, and impart it to others. 3. The gift of language, to enable them readily to communicate their knowledge to others. 4. A well-directed judgment to discriminate between right and wrong, good and evil. 5. Spiritual gifts, a regenerated nature, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Ministers in our denominations possess the same qualifications, accomplish the same work, and their labors are crowned with the same success. From the whole we learn : 1. That true ministers in all ages are called of God. All possess the same general qualifications, and do the same work. 2. All are instrumental in the salvation of souls, some more so than others because of the quality and extent of their labors. 3. Common sense teaches us that there should be this ministry. 4. The Bible clearly defines it, and its work. It points out a certain class of persons for the work, and these shall be provided for in the 'work. " Moreover mm w THE EVANGELICAL DENOMINATIONS OF THE AGE. 201 he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the laiu of the Lord." * And Paul in his epistle to the Galatians says, " Let him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. "-f- Here you have proof that a paid ministry is according to God's plan, and to the usages of the Apostolic Church : — 1. It is God's plan that ministers should preach the Word, and spiritually govern the churches.:]: Those who oppose the ministry of the churches believe in lay agency ; so do we. 2. It is God's plan that private members shall re- gard his ministers and treat them as messengers from Him. § 3. That they shall attend to their instructions. || 4. That they shall hold them in reputation and even love them.ir 5. That they shall help them. ** 6. They are ordained. -f-f- Surely such a ministry appointed by God, to which is given such prominence in the Scriptures, and which is doing Apostolic work, is worthy of the esteem and confidence of every right-minded religious person. Illustrations. — God has made his ministers fishers * 2 Chroii. x.Kxi. 4, 1 1 Cor. ix. 7-14; Gal. vi. 6. + Aots xvi. 1, § 1 Cor. iv. 1. II Matt, xxiii. 3; Phil. ii. 29. II 2 Cor. viii. 7. »* Phil. iv. 3. ft Mark iii. K, Titus i. 5 ; 1 Tim. ii. 7; Acts xiv. 23. !■ ¥WW m 111 I ,]Bl ii III 202 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. of men. This image is very fine. The fisher easts his net not knowing whether he will gather any or not, or whether many or few. The fisher takes his prey alive, and draws them together, and to himself. The work of the fisher is one of art and not one of force and violence. And even the death of the fish when it is drawn out of the waters has its analogy in the higher spirit world. A man drawn forth from the Gospel nets — from the worldly, sinful element in which he before lived and moved — dies to sin, to the world, and out of this death he rises to a higher life in Christ. — Trench. To stand up between God and man, to deliver God's message, to preach to man, is truly beautiful. It is among the most lovely and touching sights to be be- held on earth. The position of a man striving to save the souls of men, to remove human sorrow, to alleviate the misery of man, is the highest, noblest, and truest of all public functionaries on earth. Is any one worthier of the livelihood he has than himself ? I be- lieve not. How hard some people are toward their ministers ! A person called on his minister to tell him he could not enjoy his preaching as much as he once did. "Well, my brother," said the minister, " before you tell me what in me you have to find fault with let us pray together. Will you kneel down and pray for me ? " They knelt down and prayed, and when they arose, the minister said, " Now, dear brother, sit down and THE EVANGELICAL DENOMINATIONS OF THE AGE. 203 tell me what fault you have to find" The man said, " I am ashamed of myself. I have no fault to find at all." " Why, how is that, my brother ?" " Why, sir, since you asked me to pray for you I cannot find fault with you ; I believe now, sir, the fault is in myself ; I never prayed for you before, but now I will." CHAPTER XIX. THE DENOMINATIONS GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF CHRIST. fiHE great end of Christ's mission on earth was to form a Church that should extend her influence to the utmost limits of earth, and to the end of time. Daniel saw Christ's ■nission fulfilled in the vision recorded in the second chapter of his book, where he saw the destruction of tlie image, representing the four monarchies of the ancient world ; the Assyrian, the Medes and Persians, the Grecian, and the Roman. The head of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly of brass, and the feet and legs of iron and of clay, illustrated these four great monarchies. "He saw till a stone was cut out of the rock without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and of clay, and brake them to pieces." * "And in the days of . . * Daniel ii. 34. m ! .AWS OF DENOMINATIONS GOVERNED liY LAWS OF CHRIST. 205 those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed ; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God hath made known to the king what shall come to ])ass hereafter."* In the extension of this kingdom, now the kingdom of the stone, but in after ages to become the kingdom of the mountain, and to fill the whole earth. Ministers, teachers, evangelists, and deacons, appointed by God himself, and qualified for this great work are to take a prominent and important position. They are to en- force and explain the doctrines of Christ, and thus to confirm the people in a holy profession and the practice of Christian virtues, for the purest systems of religion must become corrupted, or dwindle into nothing if they are not perpetually inculcated and explained by a regular standing ministry. So the best historians affirm. A body so large as the Christian Church can not be governed without definite, just, and righteous laws. The laws of the Christian Church are clearly GIVEN. Neither Christ nor His Apostles commanded anything as to the external forms of the Church. The regulation of this was to be left in some mea.sure * Daniel ii. 44, 45. i:- ii i;i i , ,!l- ■■ 206 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. to times and circumstances, and to the wisdom and piety of the rulers. Yet there are definite laws laid down by Christ, and His inspired Apostles for thle. That it may appear to be the work of His own hands, He has 218 THE NEED OP THE WORLD. m i 5 . ,1 i sometimes ordered and armed natural canses to this end. The stars in their courses fight against Sisera ; a mighty wind from heaven beating on their faces discomfitted them. So the Christian armies under Theodocius against Eugenius the tyrant, were de- fended by the winds of heaven which blew away the weapons out of their enemies' hands to make good that promise. "No weapon that is Jormed against thee shall prosper." The Lord slew the enemies of Joshua with hailstones, and on another occasion the Moabites were overthrown by the sun shining upon the water. The Lord has sometimes employed phantasies and frightful apprehensions in the minds of His enemies for the defence of His Church, as in the cases of the Midian- ites and the Assyrians. He caused a voice to be heard in the temple before the destruction of Jerusalem, warning the faithful to go out of the city and escape for their livep. He employed Cyrus and the Medes and Persians to overthrow the mighty Babylon, to restore the captive Jews to their own land, and to re-establish them and their temple. Cotton rags, thrown aside as good for nothing, drew Jeremiah out of the pit ; and so in searching the pages of history we may find thousands of other instances illustrating the love of God in securing the safety of those who have been rescued from the power of sin, and brought into His banqueting house. In THE Churches of Christendom is to be found A SUITABLE HOME FOR God'S SAVED PEOPLE. There m 3 to this ; Sisera ; eir faces }s under were de- iway the food that thee shall liua with ites were ;er. The frightful 3 for the J Midian- be heard Brusalem, id escape le Medes bylon, to . and to ion rags, MIAH out history ustrating who have ight into JE FOUND There THE DENOMINATIONS PLACES OF SAFETY. 219 are to be found in them all the true elements of home, love, friendship, unity, and mutual forbearance. The elements of a happy home are peace, cleanliness, order, and necessary temporal and spiritual supplies. In the pure Church, living under the smiles of heaven, all these elements will be found. The love that will influence all hearts is spiritual. Its brightness can never be dimmed, nor its ardor ever be quenched. It is of the nature of the love of God ; it reaches out to others, and is never wearied nor discouraged. When felt towards God it is ardent and desires only His glory. When directed towards the members of the family group it seeks both their honor and their happiness. Often it extends its influences beyond the boundaries of home, ai^d seeks to rescue and save the lost. Its friendships are also spiritual, therefore of the highest type. They are bonds that should never be broken except by death, and then to be re-united in the better world. They are the closest bonds because they are of the heart, sanctified by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are the delight of youth, the pillar of age, the blossom of prosperity, and the joy of adversity. An important question is, where is a true friend to be found ? Many who wear the title are unworthy of it. He is to be found in the circle of the spiritual, and when found he is valuable and can be relied upon. " A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." * * Prov. xviL 17. lii.i ■ ii ,1 , i-'-i' I'll m 220 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. Then there is mutual forbearance amid the little obstructions and inconveniences of life. There is more of real happiness to be enjoyed in this state than in any other on earth. These are order, social purity, and rich and heavenly supplies. In this home nothing is wanting to make man holy and happy. It is the only real home of God's people upon earth. The Churches of Christendom are typical of THE Church in Heaven. They are formed of the " faithfid of the land" The best, the most spiritual beings upon earth. Those who after death inherit heaven are gathered within their circle. God sits upon His throne in heaven, and the blessed influence of His presence is felt by all the heavenly company. The same glorious influence is felt throughout His Church on earth, wherever a waiting and worshipping people are to be found. John, when he saw in his vision the heavenly state, said : " Audi saw no temple therein, for the Lord Ood Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it ; for the glory of the Lord did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it : and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it."* Heaven will be enriched with the glory of earth ; and this glory can only be found within the denominations, among the people who live in the Lord, and who die * Rev. xxi. 22-24. THE DENOMINATIONS PLACES OF SAFETY. 221 in the Lord. " / heard a voice from heaven say- ing unto me, Write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit, that they ni'iy rest from their labors ; and their luorks do follow them"* Believers will carry their light, purity, and life with them into heaven. In the higher life on earth we have the earnest money, or foretaste of the heavenly life to come. We sometimes call it heaven begun below : " By faith we already behold That lovely Jerusalem here ; Her walls are of jasper and gold, As crystal her buildings are clear. Immovably founded in grace, She stands, as she ever hath stood. And brightly her Builder displays, And flames with the glory of God. " The saints of God, who are the sons and daughters of the Most High, are all found in the churches. They have no suitable resting-place outside these sacred enclosures. What they are here, they will be in a more perfect state in the better world. What they possess here spiritually they will possess in a higher degree in the better land. The death -bed experiences of many show that there is but a short distance between the Church of Christ on earth and the Church of Christ in heaven. Example. — A Christian on the morning of his death asked of his daughter some food, and then medita- * Rev. xiv. 13. I • I ■ .1 ; 1 1 !1 [■[■■ iiiK 222 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. :k ■■! ■■ \ m,'< •« Mi r. 11 ting a while said, " Hold ! daughter, hold ! My Master calls me." With these words his sight failed and he asked for the Bible and to have his fingers put on the text in Romans. " I am persuaded that neither death nor life," &c.* " Is my finger upon it ? " he asked. Being told that it was, he added, " Now God be with you, my dear children. I have breakfasted with you and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ this night," and then expired. Is not such an experience heavenly ? The influence of the denominations is precisely THAT OF THE Church OF GoD. Luminous, peaceful, and converting, from the very beginning of the Christian Church, the Gospel has been preached in the denominations, and such has been the effusion of the Holy Spirit that millions have been converted. The work is still advancing. We have no reason to believe that there is any change for the worse ; but we have abundant evidence that there are signs of constant and unceasing improvement. One of the evidences of this improvement is that Christians are active. Suppose that during a war between two nations, a recluse should shut himself up in some cave in the mountain side and meditate upon his country's glory, would you call him a patriot ? You would say, " Bring him out into the camp, arm Kim and equip him for the war," and then as he waved his colors, or brandished his sword, you would say, " There truly is a patriot." • Rom. vUi. 38, 39. THE DENOMINATIONS PLACES OF SAFETY. 223 mi In his mountain den a fungus would be of as much use as he. There are some useless members in the Church of Christ to-day, this we will not deny ; but there are many loving, active, earnest workers too, and, because there are, the Church is advancing. When you see a little stone grow into a mighty mountain and make inroads upon all the kingdoms of the world ; when you see kings and emperors submit to a doctrine, proclaimed at first by weak and unlettered men, op- posed to the natural inclinations of men, and teaching nothing but self-abnegation ; when you see that doc- trine spread and prevail, you behold the power of the Gospel. It is not human but divine. It is not the might of intellect, wealth, or social relationship. It is the influence of the Spirit of the living God upon the hearts of men. There is unity, not separation, in the Evangeli- cal DENOMINATIONS OF CHRISTENDOM. WhAT THAT UNITY MEANS. Perhaps the strongest reason urged against the denominations of Christendom is that of sectarian bigotry. This, which in nearly all cases is regarded as a foul blot, is often nothing more than a strong love of home. Here is a Christian who has received all his good in a certain branch of the Christian Church. By experience he knows nothing of the good to be gained in others. This is his spiritual home. Why should it not be to him the happiest place upon earth ? The home of his second birth, and the channel through which he receives the largest amount 1 1 iir ' HI SiiLM.:lmi I ' > li; ; 224 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. of spiritual good. As Christians come more together they learn to love each other. As the churches frater- nize, they become more united in spirit, which I think is the true union, such as that explained and illustrated in the Word of God. If they hold Christ as their common Head and Saviour, one atonement, one faith, one baptism ; if they are agreed upon the fundamental doctrines, and the true life of Christianity, they are Scripturally one. If the enemies of the denominations can show that this oneness is not found in the churches of Christendom let them do it ; we think they have a difficult task before them. Illustration. At a meeting held some time ago, I mentioned the apocalyptic account of the seven churches of Asia Minor, and that there then existed seven churches distinct and separate, but united in spirit. They were denominated churches which were in Asia, unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. I stated that these were real churches, rsxisting in the cities men- tioned. A person who had been preaching a good deal against the denominations stated, that the passage above referred to, was not to be understood in a literal sense, but in a symbolical one, that it was intended to symbolize the present state of the churches, their cor- ruption and separation. I replied that for the sake of argument we would admit so much. Then we must come to the following conclusions : — 1»plfi n THE DENOMINATIONS PLACES OF SAFETY. 225 1. These churches wor^ separated from each other as far as the cities were distant. 2. They were one in doctrine and spirit. 3. They were golden. Seven golden candlesticks. Gold is the purest, rarest, most precious, and durable, of all metals. If these churches were symbolical of the churches of Christendom, then they are the purest, rarest, most precious, and dui'dble of all systems of religion. 4. With all their imperfections, Christ walks in the midst of them. According to the above exposition, Christ walketh in the midst of the churches to-day. We have no doubt that this is so, and notwithstanding hundreds of persons holding the positions of religious teachers are trying to pull down and destroy the churches of Christendom, they cannot succeed, for Christ walketh in the midst of the churches, and as they are built upon the Rock of Ages the gates of hell cannot prevail against them. r CHAPTER XXI. THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. WILL not believe what I cannot comprehend," said one who regarded himself as a seeker after truth. He could not understand why a revelation was necessary when the will of the Creator could have at once made man good ; why that revelation was made to man at the time, and under the circumstances in which it was ; nor why it was made to the Jews, a people often in rebellion against God, and who crucified His Son. He had also great diflSculty in comprehending why pure and undefiled religion should be confined for many centuries to a small part of the human race ; why this favored portion should be divided into many sects, and why they should manifest a certain amount of hostility to each other, when the spirit of this religion is that of peace, and good-will to men. He could not see why the supreme Being should veil Himself in human flesh, and cume into our world to die for our race. These "FWf rV THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 227 difficulties have perplexed many, are still doing so, and will continue to do so though they have been explained and made as easy to be understood as is possible over and over again. Is anyone justified in his unbelief on those grounds? I think not. A man may study to acquaint himself with the laws of nature and science, and will he not find at every step mountain barriers in the way? Can he expect a full, clear insight into their nature and operations, though he may devote to them a life- time of study, and profound investigation ? Nothing less than the infallible mind, and the infinite intelli- gence can reach these hidden mysteries. Who is there among naturalist and scientific men that has fully understood even the elements of any science, or pene- trated any distance, without being interrupted by difficulties, and mysteries as great as those which envelope Divine revelation? Let us take a thoughtful glance at the science of common things. Take the smallest portion of matter called an atom, who can explain it ? It has been described as so minute as not to admit of ^eTng divided. This is a human definition of an atom. Upon this subject, however, there have been diflferences of thought and many conflicting criticisms, the atheist maintaining that it favors his peculiar views; while the Christian philosopher sees in it the wisdom, power, and goodness of God. These differences de- monstrate that there is mystery in the smallest par- r:t: ,; i 228 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. tide of matter, even an atom. One ounce of gold contains four hundred and thirty -two thousand million parts; and each part contains all the quali- ties found in the larger masses of metal. Even this tiny thing is shrouded in mystery, so that the mightiest minds have been confused in seeking to understand it. Ecphantus and Archelaus asserted that the corporeal world was made of atoms, and held that there is an incorporeal Deity, distinct from the same as the first principle of activity in it. While V. Molecule contends that the doctrine of atomism tends to materialism and atheism, and Gassendi has attempted to reconcile it with belief in God. Thus we see Ecphantus, Archelaus, Democritus, Leucippus, Epicurus, and his followers, Kanada, Empedocly, Anaxageras, Gassendi, and V. Molecule, all holding conflicting views upon the science of atomism. Modern scientists have been no less puzzled about this little creature of God. In the science of chem- istry, the researches of ages conducted by reasoning and experiment, have made us acquainted with the properties of an infinite variety of substances. We have been able to resolve these into simpl: substances, and again into still more simple, until we have come to elements incapable of further division. And yet doubts may be entertained, as to whether these are jmre and simple, or whether they may be composed of quite a variety of other minute substances. Water you say is formed by the burning together THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 229 of two gases, oxygen and hydrogen. One half of the solid globe, three-fourths of the animal creation, and four-fifths of the vegetable are oxygen gas. But who can demonstrate that either this or hydrogen is a simple element, and is not a modification of other matter ? Who can tell us how the oxygen or how the hydrogen appears ? Here is a common thing seen and handled every day of time ; yet the most learned in the principles of chemistry cannot explain it. Mineral alkalies were long believed to be simple substances ; but now they have been decomposed into others, at present thought to be elementary, but which, perhaps, may yet be decomposed. So there are hundreds of things in this science in which there are new discoveries every year. Scientific men may con- tinue to analyze as far as they can, and they will always come upon principles, the nature of which is unknown. Professor Stewart says, " In the inves- tigation of physical laws it is well known, that our enquiries must always terminate in a general fact, of which, no account can be given, but such is the constituticn of nature." The substratum on which our knowledge rests is, therefore, to us a mystery which we cannot understand. Mechanics, in natural philosophy, has been studied much by men of great genius, aivd is supposed to be well undei3tood, and some of its laws are well known. We understand that machines are constructed for three reasons : (1) to accommodate the direction of the t i I- i 230 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. moving force to that of the resistance which is to be overcome. (2) To render a power, which has a fixed and certain velocity, efficacious in performing works with different velocity. (3) To enable a natural power, having a certain determinate intensity, to balance or overcome another power or obstacle whose intensity or resistance is greater, Yet of the real nature of these subjects, we are ignorant, and also of the nature of the matter of which they are formed, and even the form of the particles. Equally unknown, is the cause of their cohesion in its different degrees. Then there are some doubts as to solidity, extension, space, and time. Dr. Reid says " What is body ? " " It is," say the philosophers, " that which is extended, solid, divisible." Says the queriest, " I do not ask what the properties of bodies are, but what is the thing itself. Let me first know what the body is, and then consider its properties." Here is a mountain difficulty, a mystery ! We know that the body is something extended, solid, and divisible, but we know nothing more. Of magnetism and gravitation we observe their phenomena, and understand some of the laws which govern them. Of their real cause we know not any thing: so in every phenomena that falls within the compass of natural philosophy. It has been said that the man who knows most is he who knows really nothing, or but very little indeed. While the science of mathe- matics imparts a knowledge of the relation of bodies to each other by a comparison of their qualities, they THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 231 do not afford us the slightest insight into the nature of bodies. We look INTO THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM AND IT IS SURROUNDED WITH MYSTERY. Take for instance two seeds of exactly the same size ; one produces a tree, and the other a small shrub. In some instances the smaller seed produces the larger plant, and in others the larger seed the smaller plant. The mustard seed is the smallest seed sown by the Eastern husbandman in his field, yet it produces a great tree " so that the fowls of the heaven lodge in the branches thereof." Who can explain how a large tree can spring from a small seed, and a small shrub or flower from a large seed! Man is a combination of mysteries. His formation, threefold nature, growth, nourishment, development, and maturity, all admit of no explanation. How the offspring resembles the parent from the first to the third generation is all a mystery. A greater one still is that in the intermediate generations, where these traces of resemblance are sometimes lost. How many mighty minds have theorized in vain on the mode by which the impressions of the senses are conveyed to the sensorium, and on the way in which they produce thoughts and passions ! The way in which the brain operates in these instances is as much a mystery now as in the days of Plato and Aristotle. Hume was so dissatisfied with the narrowness and fallibility of our knowledge that he did not believe men justified in iM 232 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. believing anything. Popular errors spring from three sources, the imperfection of the senses, incorrect judg- ment, and the combining of the operation of the senses with those of the judgment. Hume, therefore, believed that the chance of forming a right opinion was too small for the ground of believing anything. In thus under-estimating human reason, Hume made as great a mistake as those who consider reason adeqj itr the mastery of all subjects, and who would expel from philosophy and religion all that cannot be brought '"illy i der her domain. How unreasonable it is, then, to suppose that the Christian religion, that which carries our thoughts from the human to the divine, "from nature up to nature's God ; " from the visible to the invisible world ; from the scenes of time to the wonders of eternity, should be entirely free from mystery! All Christians believe in the being of a God. His unity, eternity, omniscience, omnipoteribe, omni- presence, and immutability. His holiness, justice, mercy, and truth ; but who can explain these wonder- ful attributes ? Are the wisest of men capable of com- prehending any of them ? Nay, every one of them is shrouded in mystery. You strive to understand what it is to exist from eternity to eternity, but this is beyond the grasp of your intellect. How can the Supreme Being exist everywhere at the same moment of time ! We can only believe ; we cannot explain the fact. Does God know all things ? " Such know- THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 233 III IIP" PI \l > I ledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee from Thy presence ? If I ascend into heaven Thou art there, if I make my bed in hell behold Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Thy hand shall lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me." * How wonderful the thought of Immensity! We look away to the firmament. We seem to be in the midst of the universe with the heavens for our boun- dary ; but where is our boundary, and in what does it consist ? Do we find ourselves incapable of understanding the mysteries of natural religion ? How, then, can we expect to understand everything in revelation ? and should we demand that everything in connection with revealed religion should be made clear to our under- standing before we admit its truth ? When we are told that God himself appeared in human form to the inhabitants of this globe, we enquire whether the powers and acts of this Being coincided with His Divine and human nature. We are told by credible witnesses that He was born a helpless infant, and a star was seen in the East and came and stood over the place where the young Child lay ; that while the shepherds watched their flocks by night an angel appeared unto them, and they were afraid. To prepare them for the tidings he was about to * Psalm czxxix. 7.10. :!':i *J I'l 234 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. convey to them, he said, " Fmr not, for behold I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. " At twelve years old, Jesus as a boy, journeyed with His parents to Jerusalem, and tarried behind them as they returned to their home. On the third day they found Him in the temple at Jerusalem, disputing with the doctors, hearing, and answering them questions. As man over- come with fatigue. He slept in the ship ; as God he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. A s man He wept at the grave of Lazarus ; as God he said, "Lazarus, come forth, and he who was dead arose and came forth, and the Lord gave him to his sisters." As man. He was crucified between two thieves ; as God he caused the heavens to be darkened, the graves to open, and the dead to come forth from their resting-places, and the temple's veil to rend in two from the top to the bottom. As man, He lay three days and nights in the sepulchre ; as God, on the third day. He burst the barriers of the tomb, and arose from the dead. This is evidence sufficient and we are satisfied ! It is evidence as clear as can be attained on any other subject. We, therefore, yield our belief, however mysterious the facts may seem to reason, and we yield freely and fully, without attempt- ing to bring them within the compass of our reason. The opponents of our holy religion sometimes say, that the mysteries of Divine revelation, the divinity THE MYSTERIES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 235 of Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity are not only beyond our reason but contrary to it. This, however, is not more true than that the notion of the eternity and infinity of the Supreme Being are contrary to reason. All these subjects are placed in the invisible world where everything is entirely out of the reach of our faculties, except so far as the Supreme Being has revealed them to us in His revelations. We may enlarge our minds, stretch our imaginations, cultivate the most exalted and enlarged thoughts to reach a true conception of these three wonderful subjects ; but we will be continually humbled and abased by a sense of our littleness, and weakness, and we will feel ourselves to be an imperfect and feeble race, which the Creator for' His own good purposes has endowed with reason to behold and adore His mys- teries, though we cannot penetrate them. The greatest minds are most sensible of their own littleness. While there are in the Christian religion the mysteries of which we speak, yet everything con- nected with the salvation of a soul is so simple that the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein. Illustration. A French artisan questioned much the dispensations of Providence in the government of the world. One day in visiting a ribbon factory his attention was attracted by an extraordinary piece of machinery, countless wheels, and thousands of threads were twirling in all directions. He could understand nothing of its movements. He was informed, however, IP HlliiLii lijiii 236 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. llJi that all this motion was connected with the centre where there was a chest which was kept shut. Anxious to understand the principle of the machine, he asked permission to see the interior of it, but was told that the master had the key. These words were like a flash of light. Here was the answer to all his perplexed thoughts. Yes, the Master has the key to all the mysteries in the universe, both of nature and religion. An intelligent skeptic cavilled much over the mysteries of the Christian religion. After a while he was soundly converted to Christ. A friend said to him, " Well, my dear sir, what do you think now of the doctrine of the resurrection ? " " Oh, sir," he replied, two words from Paul conquered me: Thou fool! Do you see this Bible (taking up a beautiful copy of the Scriptures, fastened with a silver clasp), and will you read the words upon the clasp that shuts it?" His friend read, engraven on the silver clasp, " Thou fool." "There," said he, "are the words that con- quered me. It was no argument, no reasoning, no satisfying my objections, but God convincing me that I was a fool. And thenceforward I determined that I would have my Bible clasped with these words, * Thou fool,' and never again would come the consideration of its sacred mysteries, but through their medium I will remember that I am a fool and God only is wise." CHAPTER XXII. ■'"'y'w\r I'll THE SABBATH DAY AND ITS OBLIGATION. ^ T would not be proper to finish this work with- w^ out introducing a chapter upon this important iM question. I need not remind the reader that while in this country multitudes believe in and reverence the Christian Sabbath, and regard it as a most " Holy Bay," there has been all throusfh the ages, and is now a considerable diversity of opinion, both on the Divine character of the Sabbath, and the extent of our obligation to keep it holy. Churches have differed in their observance of it, and the most profound theologians have held different views upon this very important subject. The worldly, the gay, and the dissipated have been glad to find in their spiritual guides lax views upon this question, because it has afforded them a plausible excuse for utterly disregarding this most sacred institution in the pur- suit of wealth, pleasure, or dissipation. Some have maintained that the religious obser- vance OF that DAT IS NO WHERE ENJOINED UPON THE ,1'i. i'li i * 238 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. h^ U i I -i^' i 1 Christian Church either by Christ or His Apos- TLBS, that its obligations have all through the Chris dispensation rested upon the ground of inference only. Therefore, Christians are at liberty to keep or not to keep it, and the power to do either is denominated Christian liberty. In order to be clear upon this sub- ject the first question is, " What is the will of God ?" The sacredness of the Christian Sabbath and our obli- gation to keep it holy can only be decided by answer- ing this question correctly. Is it the will of God that Christians should devote one day out of seven wholly to rest and worship, without engaging either in bu * ness or pleasure ? In the Word of God there are two sources from whien we may ascertain most clearly His will. He has either given some explicit injunction to reverence, and keep holy the Sabbath, or He has placed before us incidental circumstances favoring such a course. Either bears positive evidence of what the will of God is. Certainly nothing can be gleaned from the Book of the Sacred Law against thus keeping a seventh portion of our time. The argument that it is not forbidden, though not a strong argument is nevertheless useful ; as useless and injurious rites in the Jewish Church were ex- pressly forbidden : " When ye come to appear before Me who hath required this at your hand, to tread My courts, bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me. The new moons and Sabbaths, W'W I THE SABBATH DAY AND ITS OBLIGATIONS. 239 the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with ; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth, they are a trouble unto Me ; I am weary to bear them. When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you ; yea, when ye make many prayers I will not hear ; j'our hands are full of blood. Wash you, and make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil."* The Sabbath is mentioned here but in connection with its use, of idolatrous worship, with unwash' n hands and impure hearts, and with evil doing ; when it should be kept holy. When God created the worlds He "rested ON THE seventh DAY AND HALLOWED IT." When the Israelites journeyed in the wilderness God gave them mam. a from heaven ; but He withheld it from falling on the Sabbath, giving a double supply on the sixth day. This occurred previous to the giving of the Law from Sinai, which Divine Law God wrote with His own finger upon the tables of stone, and intended for the moral government of man down to the end of time. The keeping of the law is connected with the most precious promises, and the breaking of it with the severest maledictions. "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work ; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt ♦ Isa. i. 12-16. m. 240 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day : wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath and hallowed it." * It was held among the Jews as a day of solemn religious assembling, and was so observed in our Lord's time. When it was changed to the first day of the week, it was the day on which the Christians assembled, and was then by way of eminence designated the Lord's day. John, in his lonely grotto, in his solitary island home at Patmos "was in the spirit on the Lord's day." Every Bible student must have observed that there is not a passage in the Word of God, which tends to weaken in the slightest de- gree, the keeping of the Sabbath as an iinportant branch of the Moral Law, or, as it was changed by the authority of the Apostles to the first day of the week. In both the Old and New Testaments it is represented as a type of the heavenly rest. Here the will of God is most clearly stated. Doubt, therefore, upon this question is unreasonable, to say the least of it. We might still add, that God treats of this subject not only by express command, but by examples, praverbs, songs, incidental allusions, and occurrences. To all this glorious chain of evidence the Divine finger is pointed, illustrating the will of God and * Exod. XX. 8-11. i TT-;-:? — '--r--/' THE SABBATH DAY AND ITS OBLIGATIONS. 241 II showing, that both morals and religion arfe upheld and promulgated by means of keeping holy this sacred day. The moral law has never been abrogated. It is the law of Christians and Christendom, as it was the law of the Jews. Our Lord says, "He came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil." You may say, He meant both the Moral and Cere- monial Law. The latter could only be fulfilled by Him by realizing its types, the Moral Law by up- holding His authority, and the prophets may be explained in the same way. The prophets enjoin morality by uttering prophecies concerning Christ. These were fulfilled in His life, His ministry, and His death. Here is a plain fact. The observance of a seventh portion of our time for rest and worship is enjoined in the Decalogue ; is included in the doctrine which , our Lord sums up in the moral duties of loving God, and our neighbor, and was often referred to by the prophets in their discourses. It has never been abrogated nor set aside. Further the Great Teacher says, the Sabbath was made for man. He here clearly shows that this institution was orginally intended as universal law, not binding on the Jews only, but reaching out to the universal brotherhood of man. It was made for man, not as a Jew or a Christian ; but as a creature of God, by which he is bound to love and obey, I if t 242 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. « f !•■ honor and worship the Great Creator, and sovereign Law Giver, while here on probation for eternity. Another important proof that the ten command- ments, including the law of the Sabbath, are binding upon Christians, is found in an argument * ployed by the A.postles in defence of the doctrine of justification by faith. He says, " Do we then make void the law through faith ? " As much as if he had inquired, if Christianity teaches, that the law is not binding upon Christians, because it teaches, that no man can be justified by it. To this he answers in the most solemn manner, " God forbid !" * Now the sense in which the Apostle uses the term " the law " in this argument is indubitably marked in, " / liad not knotvn sin hut by the laiv." -f- For I had not known lust except the law had said " Thou shalt not covet." Which is a plain reference to the tenth commandment. No one doubts that the ten commandments included the law of which he speaks. This is the law which the Gospel establishes, which can mean nothing other than the establishment and confirmation of its authority, as the rule of all inward and outward holiness. Whosoever, therefore, denies the obligation of the Sabbath on Chris- tians, denies the obligation of the whole Decalogue, and there is no medium between the acknowledgment, and denial of the divine authority of this sacred institution as a universal law. Nor is there any force in the dilemma into which the Anti-Sabbatarians would * Rom. iii. 31. tRom. vii. 7. THE SABBATH DAY AND ITS OBLIGATIONS. 243 r^i' push us, when they argue, that if the case be so, then are we bound by the same circumstantial exactness in this command as in the other precepts of the Deca- logue ; and that, therefore, we are bound to observe the seventh day, reckoning from Saturday as the Sabbath day. As the commandment is part y moral and partly j^ositive, it may have circumstances that are capable of being altered, in perfect accordance with the moral principles on which it rests, and the moral ends which it proposes. Such circumstances are not indeed to be judged of on our own authority. We must have either such general principles for our guidance as have been revealed by God, and cannot, therefore, be questioned, or some special authority from which there can be no just appeal. Now, though there is not on record, any Divine command to the Apostles, to change the Sabbath from the day on which it was held by the Jews, to the first day of the week, yet when we see that this was done in the apostolic age, and that St. Paul speaks of the Jewish Sabbath as not binding on Christians, while he contended, that the whole moral law was obligatory upon them, we may readily infer, that this change to the first day was made by Divine direction. But it is more than an infer- ence, that the change was made with the sanction of inspired men, the appointed rulers of the Church of Christ, whose business it was to " set all things in order" which pertained to its morality and moral GOVERNMENT. We may rest well satisfied with this, .ir » iti. 244 THE NEED OF THK WORLD. u Ptf that, as a Sabbath is obligatory upon us we act under apostolic authority for observing it on the first day of the week, thus commemorating at once the creation, and the redemption of the world. The Sabbath of the creation was God's seventh day, but man's first, thus the original Sabbath was restored. Even if it be conceded, that the change was made by agreement of the Apostles, without express direction from Christ, it is certain that it was not done without the express authority confided to them by Christ. It does not follow from this change, that they did in reality make any alteration in the laws of the Sabbath, either as it stood at the time of its original institution at the close of the creation, or in the Decalogue of Moses. The same portion of time which constituted the seventh day from the creation, could not be observed in all parts of the world, and, therefore, it is not probable that the original law expresses more than that the seventh day, or one day in seven, the seventh day after the six days of labor, should be thus appropLriated from whatever point the enumeration might set out, or the hebdomadal circle begin. If more had been intended, it would have been necessary to establish a rule for the reckoning of days, which has been diffeient in different nations ; some reckoning, from evening to evening, as the Jews now do ; others from midnight to midnight. Hence those in England and ii. America, who hold their Sabbath on Saturday with the idea of exactly conforming to the Old Testament, THE SABBATH DAY AND ITS OBLIGATIONS. 245 and yet who calculate the days from midnight to mid- night, desecrate a part of what, according to Jewish law constituted the sacred day, beginning as the Jewish Sabbath now, on Friday evening, and hallow a portion of the common day beyond Saturday evening. Even if this were ascertained, the differences of latitude would throw the whole into disorder, and it is not probable, that a universal law would have been fettered with that circumstantial exactness, which would have rendered difficult and sometimes doubtful astronomical calculations necessary in order to its being obeyed according to the instruction of the Lawgiver : — 1. The evidence of the Divine authority of the Sabbath independent of these, is written on the shrine of man's heart. 2. Before the duty of keeping the Sabbath is en- forced, its sacred character should be understood, or at least presented. 3. As t J the relation of the Jewish to the Christian Sabbath, the history of the Church of God demon- strates that the Christian is more glorious and better kept. In it the original Sabbath of the creation is restored. It was man's first day. 4. The Sabbath was observed before the time of Moses, heYice before the Decalogue was written by the finger of God.* 5. The Sabbath was made for man, that he might rest from bodily labor. Weekly rest is a physical necessity. * Gen. ii. 7 ; Exod. xvi. 23-30. i' ^\% 'i' M 246 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. It 14 6. Religious work is always sanctioned in the Word of God. 7. The Sabbath was made for man for relaxation, enjoyment, and spiritual advancement. 8. The legitimate sphere in which all these may be attained is in the fitTiiily and in the Church. 9. In the Church we are taught to worship God. This is everywhere Christian Sabbath work. 10. There is a moral necessity for the Sabbath. We morally need it, and our moral sense is guided by God's law, and by the Holy Spirit to keep it. Illustrations. The elder John Adams, President of the United States, was returning home to his family in Boston, from the country, when he was interrupted by a New England snow-storm which effectually blocked up his way. He was then at Andover, twenty miles from Boston, where his family, as he had learned, were waiting his arrival. On Sabbath morning for the first time the roads became passable. On the question of going to Boston that day, the opinion of the clergyman of the place was that it would be perfectly justified by the circum- stances of his detention and the sickness of his family. His reply was that, " The justifiable occasion in this case would not counteract the bad influence his example might have over those who might see him travelling on Sunday without knowing the cause." He, therefore, decided to wait until Monday. On a bright Sabbath morning, by the side of a ^"""Pl ace was THE SABBATH DAY AND ITS OBLIGATIONS. 247 country road on the Hudson, not many miles from New York, two men stood talking. One was a judge, of high social standing and legal distinction, the other was a stone-mason. The conversation was about the building of a new wall near the place where they were standing. Just coming in sight, walking along the road on his way to church, was a plain Scotch farmer, well-known as a God-fearing man. In the midst of an animated explanation of what was wanted in the new wall, the judge caught sight of the farmer. Stopping suddenly he said, " There comes David S — ; it will never do to let him see us talking business on Sabbath morning ; we will just step behind this wall until he passes ; " and the judge and the mason crouched down behind the wall until the farmer passed out of sight, when they crept from their hiding place, one would think with a sense of belittled man- liness, and a consciousness of having desecrated the Lord's day. The Christian farmer was unconscious of what had happened ; but the mason on the following day said to him, " Who would have thought, man, that you had such power in you as to make the judge hide behind the wall for fear." Is not this a forcible illustration of thg mighty influence of a good man's life ! A Syrian comert to Christianity was urged by his employers to go to work on Sunday, but he declined. His master said to him, " Does not your Bible say that if t« man has an ox or an ass fall into a pit on the 248 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. It is'* Sabbath day, he may pull him out ?" "Yes," answered Hayoh, " but if an ass has a habit of falling into the same pit every Sabbath day, then the man should fill up the pit or sell the ass." The story has a moral which will fit a great many Sabbath-breakers in these days. Gladstone says, " Believing in the authority of the Lord's day, I must, as a matter of course, desire the recognition of that authority by others. But over and above this, I have myself in the course of a laborious life signally experienced both its mental and physical benefit. I can hardly overrate its value in this view ; and for the interest of the working-men of this country, alike in these, and in other yet higher respects, there is nothing I more anxiously desire than that they should more and more highly appreciate the Christian day of rest." THE LESSONS. 1. I must be more particular in many things, if I am to enjoy the benefits for which the Sabbath was intended. 2. I must not forget that there are as many hours in a Sabbath day as in any other day, and the neglect or misuse of any one of these is robbing God and my- self. I must begin the day at the right time, as well as in the right way. 3. I must be punctual in attending upon the worship of the sanctuary. It is not only a day of rest but one THE SABBATH DAY AND ITS OBLIGATIONS. 249 ■"^Yt of devotion. When in the sanctuary I must try to be a true worshipper, 4. I must pray for a blessing upon the Sabbath and its privileges. I must ask that my own heart may be prepared for its duties. I must pray that the blessing of heaven may rest upon all pastors and teachers, and in the public assembly, that God's grace may descend as the dew upon the hearts of those who assemble for His worship. 5. I must dismiss secular things, worldly thoughts, conversations, and employments. The plough and the ax 3, politics and business, must rest until the Sabbath is gone. How sadly we fail here, especially in our thoughts and conversation ! 6. I must not forget that the Sabbath, well spent, secures the blessings of heaven upon the other means of grace. It greatly increases the spirit of prayer. It secures the profitable reading of the Scriptures. It helps us to realize the sweetness and profit of the fellowship of the saints. It makes us joyful in God's house. 7. I must try and remember that the Sabbath is a type of that rest that remaineth unto the people of God ; that every one as it comes may be the last, and should be spent as if to be succeeded by the eternal Sabbath in heaven. 8. I must carefully review my failures in regard to the Sabbath, and repent, mourning over my sins and turning from them. 250 THE NEED OF THE WOULD. God is revered by the services which multitudes pay Him on the Sabbath day, as they take an offering and come into His courts. We look upon these Sabbath gatherings all over the land as the evidence of a deep-seated and far-reaching piety, which clings to the arm of God as the nation's only fortress and refuge. They are the exponents of a devotional sentiment which the world cannot smother or repress. They are a hopeful sign of good, both present and future, springing from the liberal hand of a Father who loves to pour down benefactions in answer to the adorations of beseeching souls; and so long as the Sabbath is observed in its integrity we will not tremble for the safety of the ark, either of our civil or religious liberty. Hail, blessed one in seven ! When from the gates of Heaven Are wafted to the faithful souls of earth. Strains from the angel-choir — Sparkp from the quenchless fire Of Love Divine, and thoughts of sacred birth. When in the bright'ning East Night's solemn gloom has cease'd, And soft grey clouds lead in the hallowed day, In rapt, expectant mood, Nature awaits the flood Of golden light — bright herald of its sway. When dawns the day of rest — It's cold and selfish vest With gladsome haste the busy world puts oiF ; * wm THE SABBATH DAY AND ITS OBLIGATIONS. 251 The holy calm that reigns Allays the thirst for gains And treasured gold, and stays the sncerer's scoff. The chimes of morning bell Make Christian's bosom swell With ardent love— the peaceful joys to share, And myriad voices blend As unto God ascend The melodies of grateful praise and prayer. Fit emblem of that time, When in celestial clime The music of the Sabbaths here below Shall rise to loftier song. And from one blood-wash'd throng Perpetual harmonies of praise shall flow. Tha Sabbath that we have This side the narrow grave Are shadows of the nobler one above ; There none of earth's alloy Will mingle with the joy, Or dim the splendor of that home above. The Sabbath here, at best, Is only partly blest — Its fleeting hours soon yield to time's control ; But when the land is won Where Jesus is the Sun, No cloud of coming night will ever roll. — ClIAKLES WkSLKY. (i'l'i. - '^'■> "^'i iinlii 1 m CHAPTER XXIII. HOW MEN OF BUSINESS MAY ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD. |HERE is a principle lying at the foundation of human society. It is that all labor, physi- cal, merdal, and moral, should he divided, so that no one is too much burdened while others are free. All raen are not adapted to all kinds of labor, but all should perform the work for which they are qualified, the work being adapted to them in their own state and social standing. What I have to do with in this essay is not the dif- ferent departments of labor, but religious work only. It might be shown very easily that extreme physical labor is not adapted to a man whose spher< > is i-rgei^ mental, and vice versa; but religious v lovolves upon all classes of a Christian communi none are excluded from the privilege of doing souKithhig to promote the glory of God and the welfare and happi- ness of man. Upon this question great mistakes have been BUSINESS MEN MAY ADVANCE CHRIST'S CAUSE. 253 CAUSE OF made, perhaps on the following grounds: Many- suppose that close thought upon the doctrines and evidences of Christianity, and a faithful use of the means by which Christianity is inculcated and propa- gated among men, belong only to ministers of the Gospel as official agents, duly qualified, and solemnly set apart to the great work of studying, defending, and diffusing the Gospel. They think that it is unbe- coming in men of other professions and pursuits, to take a prominent stand and exert themselves in pro- moting this cause. The Bible is clear upon this point. It presents illustrious examples of men who held different posi- tions in society and in the state, and at the same time devoted a large amount of labor to promoting the cause of God. The precepts of Scripture seem to be addressed to the universal brotherhood of the Church of God. Every son is commanded to go and work in his father's vinej'^ard, and Divine promises are made alike to all. As I carefully study these three great branches of Bible theme, I cannot but think that every sincere Christian is bound bv the stroncjest obliga- tions, whatever be his station, to employ his time, talents, and the whole weight of his authc^rity to promoting the truth, power, and extension of that religion which forms the groundwork of his hopes, an'^ the source of his own consolations. If he is engaged in secular affairs he is to be " dilujent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lard." His "'ir^'M ^3 254 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. ordinary occupations, \vrhich bear on the interest of religion, must be connected with those sacred duties and generous designs which have a reference to the great realities of eternity. The subject of this paper will be : — The grand opportunities which men of business ENJOY FOR ADVANCING THE CAUSE OF ChRIST IN THE WORLD. Some men when pressed with worldly engagements may ask, what opportunities there are, while their heads and their hands are full of the urgent concerns of the world, for exerting themselves in spreading the religion of Christ ? There are more, perheps, than they have ever yet fully used or fairly estimated. Men of business have as many facilities as the hard student or the ministers of the Gospel for aiding and promoting piety. Their knowledge of character is drawn from observation, rather than from books. Into this department of knowledge they may have had a closer insight than the minister of the Gospel can have. Approved remedies for the mind and heart, as well as those for the body, are of little or no use unless skill- fully applied. And to properly apply them there must be thorough acquaintance with the symptoms of the malady. Business men 3oming in closer contact with men, the subject of moral maladies, have a better uuderstanding of the symptoms and, therefore, should be able better, or in a more effectual manner, to apply the remedies. BUSINESS MEN MAY ADVANCE CHRIST'S CAUSE. 255 hi. nterest of red duties ice to the his paper BUSINESS 3T IN THE worldly there are, il of the lemselves are more, or fairly facilities rospel for dedge of han from Ige they nister of IS well as ess skill- ere must s of the act witix la better , should to apply Business men should be guided and governed BY Divine truth and influenced by the love of it. Under these circumstances they will have access to individuals who cannot be induced to study the sacred Book of Truth or sit under the faithful ministry of the Word of God. And there are times in which they are brought into immediate contact with the gay, the pro- fane, and the dissipated ; and these are the only points where these people touch the religious world. How important, therefore, that the Christian business men should be careful of their temper, conduct, and conver- sation, that they may honor God and commend to others that religion so dear to themselves, and that lies so near their hearts! Business men tn the possession of property, character, and standing cam, if they choose, greatly advance the cause of religion. they possess a talent that, if rightly used, will do much good, and the value of which cannot be over-estimated. Hence great responsibility rests upon those who possess it. He who, in relation to any of his fellow- beings, occupies a kind of vantage-ground, from which he may rationally hope to benafit them, and refuses to make the necessary efforts, and sacrifices to attain such an object, is answerable for all the consequences of his culpable apathy. The HISTORY of the Church of Christ in the EARLY AGES BURNISHES ILLUSTRIOUS EXAMPLES OF MER- CHANTS WHO CONTRIBUTED LARGELY TO THE EXTENSION 'r|. i a 'iii '4 256 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. OF THE Gospel. Thus through the channels of trade and commerce the " healing waters of life " flowed to the perishing people of all nations. Milner, in his Church History, has observed, that the knowledge of Christianity was first introduced into Gaul (or France) through the influence of certain pious merchants of Asia Minor. The same may be said of the introduction of Christianity into many other countries. Instances, not a few, are known of Christian merchants employ- ing both their ships and men in carrying missionaries, Bibles, religious books, and tracts to heathen lands free of charge. These often have furnished the Christian Church with information as to suitable fields for the exercise of Christian zeal and labor. John Thornton, one of the merchant princes of Europe, devoted both time, influence, and money to the cause of God. He had his agents and almoners in a well- concerted system of benevolence. Some years he expended thousands of pounds in the gratuitous circu- lation of the Scriptures and religious works. There are many classes of business men, and this treatise should not be limited to merchant men. It applies also to manufacturers. Laborers and artificers crowd together in our great manufactur- ing cities, and debase and corrupt one another by filthy conversation, and lewd and ungodly actions. In many cases decency is forgotten and order is trampled under foot. Nothing is so well calculated to counteract the progress of vice and maintain decency and good order BUSINESS MEN MAY ADVANCE CHRIST'S CAUSE. 257 as the dissemination of the Everlasting Gospel, which teaches men to " deny ungodliness and wordly lusts, and live soberly, righteously, and godly in the world." In a large manufacturing establishment, where hun- dreds of human beings are laboring under one master, if he is kind, wise, and devout, how much good he can do ! I might cite a number of instances in the cotton factories of Manchester, and the silk factories of Mac- clesfield, in England, as illustrations and proofs of this point. In some instances by a mild and firm system of Christian management hundreds of persons may be kept decorous and moral, and render, as far as their limited resources will admit, support to the ordinances of the C hristian religion, and other benevolent enter- prises. Men of culture and wealth often boast of being the patrons of taste, science, and literature. All this is worthy enough, but it is not so important after all as seriously and resolutely ar^ vancing the cause of religion, which requires higher mo.. ves, warmer zeal, and more self-denying exertions. The Lessons. — The business man should have definite plans of action in setting ai'art a pro- portion of his time, talents, and property to the CAUSii OF God. A few accidental precarious moments, vague random thoughts, or small and casual donations will not suffice. These are shreds and broken fratj- ments having no coherence or combination, and are often swept away with the first blast. His aim should B in iM! I'i'f ir •I I 258 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. be the glory of God, in the diffusion of His Word, and the extension of His Kingdom. Wherever this is his motive he will adopt the best means, and the fittest measures to that aid. He will seek associates like himself, that their mutual plans may be communicated, and results known, and all their efforts in doing good be strengthened. He will not forget that there is no pursuit or engagement in life in which he is allowed to abandon for one moment his Christian principles, or forget his high and holy calling. Should business open one avenue for the communication of any spiritual light, though it be but a single ray, or a little comfort, he will not allow this occasion to pass unimproved. Illustration. St. Tyllo, of Cologne, was educated as a goldsmith, and was noted for his skill, honesty, and piety. He wrought curious vessels and set rare gems for the king. His motto was : " Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." As he worked he studied the Bible, which he always kept open before him. He was a saint in a workshop, and was called from it to the office of an abbot. Thus his piety and usefulness were rewarded in this life, as well as in that which was to come. Every man is bound by th ? law of his being to have a primary care for himself and for his own affairs. He is also under obligation to help others as well as himself. The Scriptures command us to be industrious and self -helpful, then to help others. It teaches that. thi -T- W Ml^, BUSINESS MEN MAY ADVANCE CHRIST'S CAUSE. 259 that which elevates and dignifies the pursuit of per- sonal well-being, is the consecration of it to the promo- tion of the well-being of others. Hence the command, " Love thy neighbor as thyself." " Bear ye one another s burdens and so fulfil the Law of Christ." " Who being rich for our sakes became poor, that we throiu/h His poverty might be made rich." " Who died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto Him who died for them." Here then is the law that Christ enunciated, and enforced by [His example, that those who are strong should bear the infirmities of the weak, and those who have should give to those who need. This is a duty incumbent upon all men, and especially upon all Christians. Selfishness is always shott-liyed. The man who lives on himself cheats himself, narrows his own sphere, weakens himself, on the whole, though he intensifies his power. In some things exclusive thought of him- self, of his own plans and prosperity, will at best produce friction and opposition, and he finds his way growing harder the more selfish he is. But if a man makes his prosperity always work for the good of his neighbors, when it is known, all men will help and re- ward him. " There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that ivithholdeth rtwre than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." * That which is true of temporal is equally true of spiritual things. God gives spiritual as well as temporal blessings that men may use them for * Prov. xi. 24. .1 I ill .It 1^1 M if :"'" jfl ill:ll I I ft III 1 -I 1; f I I I I i '■■ lilt 260 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. the benefit of others. " The love of God is shed abroad ffi our hearts hy the Holy Ghost which is given unto us "* as an ispiration to active obedience and beneficence. When a man is converted he immediately tries to per- suade his friends to be reconciled to God. The great liiw of spiritual growth is, that in helping others our own souls ere richly blessed of jrod, '• Give and it shall be given unto you." " The lib al soul shall be made fat," and he that watereth others shall be watered also himself. We need to confess Christ in the world of testimony, but Christianity is not a thing of the lip merely. " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." " And this is the will of God, that we love one another, not in word only, but in deed and in truth." There is more religion in one act like that of the good Samaritan, than in all the utterances of men's lips. The man who lends his hand to help the distressed, to relieve the wants of the widow or fatherless, or lift up a suffering fellow-man, feed, clothe him, and give him another start in life, is doing more to commend religion and to enrich his own soul than he possibly could by all the professions and confessions he might make. Illustrations. In a speech lately given by a large employer of labor in the midland counties of England, he said, that eighteen years before his firm had only a * Kom. V. 5. \d abroad mto us "* leficence. is to per- 'he great ihers our d it shall be made ered also stimony, merely. )rd, shall lat doeth "And r, not in is more maritan, nan who ieve the suffering another n and to y all the a large England, d only a BUSINESS MEN MAY ADVANCE CHRIST'S CAUSE. 261 single lathe with which to commence business opera- tions, and had to borrow steam-power from a neigh- bor. Now he employs no less than one thousand three hundred hands in Birmingham alone, besides large numbers in London, Newcastle, and South Shields, and ev^ry mechanical improvement for making work cheaper, and doing it in shorter time, is in full operation. The business has grown into tremendous proportions, and its productions are sent all over the world. What can be the secret of this success ? We are told that strikes, unmanageable workmen, short hours, and all the other evils attaching to labor are ruining trade, but here is a trade which has become a splendid triumph in spite of all ! Said the master of this establishment : " There has not been one strike among our men, and all our differences have been amicably arranged." It appears that the most paternal and confidential relationships are cultivated continually between the employer and his people. The physical, mental, and moral welfare of every workman is a matter of practical interest to the master. Schools, places of worship, science classes, baths, reading-rooms, and everything that can minister to their comfort and convenience are provided them. They, in return, have felt a fixed esteem for him, and a de_ anxiety for his personal interest. Would that this state of things between master and people existed everywhere ! While labor and capital hold each other at arm's length there will be trouble and strife ; where they 111 > ril;:; -11 f1 11 ■ih'ii ■:!i| r. m m ■ ' 262 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. 11 grasp each other's hand in mutual confidence and trust a better day will dawn for both of them. To all Christian business men I would say, " While there is a man of your acquaintance unsaved, work for his spiritual benefit." Dr. Guthrie gives a beautiful illustration in point : " During a heavy storm off the coast of Spain, a dis- mantled merchantman, drifting before the gale, was observed by a British frigate. Every eye and glass was upon her. A canvas shelter upon her deck al- most level with the sea suggested the idea that there might be life on board. The rough and hardy mariner with all his fjwilts is more alive to the wants of humanity than many other classes of people. Instantly, in this case, the order was given to put the ship about and a boat was despatched to bear down on the wreck. Away through the swell of a roaring sea row these gallant men until they reach the floating hulk. They shout, and a strange object rolls out of the canvas screen. It proves to be a man, bent head and knees together, so shrivelled and light that a mere boy can lift him on board. When laid on the deck, with pity and horror the crew gather round him. He shows signs of life. They draw nearer, and he moves and mutters in a deep sepulchral voice, * There is another man.' Saved himself, the first use the saved one made of speech was to seek to, save another." We should learn a lesson, that so long as in our homes and among our friends and neighbors there is an uncon- L uncon- BUSINESS MEN MAY ADVANCE CHRIST'S CAUSE. 263 verted one, there is another man to whom we should go and plead for Christ ; and let us go and plead for that man and say, "Lord, save him or he must perish!" .! ! MjV^ %B III s CHAPTER XXIV. m F.! I -i WORKING FOR GOD. ^HE book of the Sacred Law says, "Work," the philosopher says, "Work," our humanity cursed by sin, wounded and dying from its deadiy stroke,says, "Work," Christianity says " Work," and sets before you a glorious example and points you to your heavenly reward. Jesus at twelve years of age, said, " I must be about my Fathers business;" at thirty years He said, " / must work the works of Him that sent me ; " " My meat is to do the will of Hiffi thai sent Me and to finish His work" and when He died He said, " / have finished the work Thou gavest me to do." There was no word more upon the {Saviour's lips than " work," and He expects His people to follow His example. Throughout the Church of God those who are really Christians work, encouraged by the glorious testimony of the voice from heaven which John heard. He says, " I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me write, blessed are the dead that die in \f\ WORKING FOR COT). 265 the Lord from henceforth saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labors and their works do follow them." The work which is to be done. Jesus disputed with the doctors when twelve years old. This was the first work He ever did, and He did it in a loving, humble spirit, and spoke of it as His Father's work. His disciples like Him must dissipate the clouds of error, superstition, and sin by spreading spiritual light and truth. This is their great work, " Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." In the New Testament account of the early life of Christ, we are taught that immediately after He said : " / inust be about my Father's business," * He was subject to His parents.-f- Theirs was a humble, worldly sphere of labor, and Jesus was subject to them in it, and " increased in stature and in favor with God and man." It would seem from this/ that His growing, toiling, bearing, and His obedience to His parents was the work of God.- Hearken to this, you who think it a degradation to perform manual labor in serving a fellow-man, and you children who regard proper obe- dience to parents burdensome and oppressive. Your Divine Saviour, the God-man in His human relation- ships, was above all worlds as God, yet as man became subject to man. Christian parents may learn that in instructing their children to be industrious and obedient they are instructing them to do the work of the % n I w 1(1' - *Luke ii. 49. +Luke ii. 51. 266 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. t 11 Lord. A child thus taught will get accustomed to the idea that God's plans include all of life, and it is better, and still better farther on. When Christ came to the years of maturity He fed the poor, healed the sick, preached His Gospel, and showed a good example. Among the subjects He taught was that God "feeds the lions and the young ravens, that He clothes the grass of the field with flowers, and clothes and feeds man." God's plan includes all good, both temporal and spiritual. Some of the things enumerated here are within the reach of our under- standing, but myriads of the works of the Deity ex- tend through the universe, and who can comprehend them ? There are unrevealed mysteries in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, in the long blade of grass and in the little wild flower that grows without the aid of cultivation. It is God's plan that man shall work, sometimes dig ; he shall be diligent in business, bear burdens, care for children and companions, be honest, true, and benevolent, and live a godly life, taking up his cross, denying himself, and all for the glory of God. Men who dig foundations do not always understand the glory of their superstructure, and when they are doing things which seem to be the drudgery of life they forget that if it be for God there is glory in it, and eternal life when it is finished. 1. The first work for every man to do is to im- prove HIS OWN TALENTS. He must Cultivate him- self. He who feebly works for others while he totally T l.t WORKtNC, FOR OOH. 267 neglects himself, does nothing either tor himself, CJiod, or man. True spiritual culture is what a man needs, and this is work that he does for himself. 2. The next in importance is the work done in the FAMILY ; to train all within its limits to be industrious, happy, and spiritual ; to read and expound the Scrip- tures ; to otter earnest prayers ; to talk over sermons and lectures, and to point out important thoughts. They, like flashes of light, will illuminate the atmos- phere of home, and like polished diamonds will enrich all. 3. And still there is a further work to do, and that is for the world; a Christian's charity is far reach- ing, hiffh as heaven, and broad as the world. He can say, " The world is my parish," and he seeks to exem- plify in his life the precept : " Bear ye one another s burdens, and so fulfil the will of Christ" Men are generally sensible of even little tokens of kindness or unkindness. The most brutish or ferocious may be softened by a kind word or a woman's gentle- ness. That acrid feeling, churlish disposition, petulant word spoken hastily, or spiteful word, in anger, always reaches some heart that feels it. It always produces pain, frequently reproduces itself and the contagk)n spreads like a raging pestilence. On the other hand, a sweet, gentle disposition, kind words, and kind act's, a soul-elevating precept, or a holy example will promote human happiness, soothe silent suffering, relieve the rankling suspicions of our fallen nature, !' :i 'lii :;lfl '.I i -L-kJH^ H 1 1 hi 268 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. r-. Il'i soften hard hearts, cheer all life scenes, and reflect mellow rays of light into the dark chamber of death. A very large portion of the race are dependent on others for the development of character, and for hap- piness. One-half of the race, on account of the refine- ment of their sex and the childhood of t/he other sex, are thus dependent. Therefore, our work should be like the flowing of a sweet placid river, flowing amid ^^erdure, beauty, grace, and perfection, enlivening all and making all happy. Dr. Bothwell says, " There are many who faint when they look on almost any duty or good work, and because they are so consciously unequal to it. Why, if they were not unequal, or felt themselves to be equal, they had better for that reason decline it ; for there is nothing so utterly impotent as this conceit of strength." Brethren, the day is wearing away ; this is a desert plaoe ; there are hungry c.nd perishing multitudes around us, and Christ is saying to us all, " Give ye them to eat." Say not, " We cannot, we have nothing to give." Go to your duty, every man, and trust your- selves to Him ; He will give you all supplies, just as fast as you need them. You will have just as much power as you believe you will have. Suppose, for example, that you are called to be a Sabbath-school teacher and you say within yourself, " I have no experience, no capacity, I must decline." That is the way to keep your incapacity for ever. A vYuce to those cowardly suggestions. r ^^ WORKING FOR GOD. 269 Be a Christian, throw yourself upon God's work, AND GET THE ABILITY YOU WANT IN IT. So if yoU are in charge of any effort or institution, or are called to any work or office in the Church, or any exercise for the edification of others, say not that you are unable to edify others, undertake the work, and God will give you ability to edify both yourself and others. I^o Christiin will ever be good for anything without courage and faith. Take upon you readily, and make it a law to be always doing great work, that is, work that is great to you. This is the faith that God so clearly justifies, that your abilities will be as your works. Make large adventures. Trust God for great things. With your five loaves and two fishes He will show you a way to reed thousands. The SPIRIT OF the work. Working for God has its peculiar spirit. That spirit is found only in spiritual life. All life is real and interesting if it is considered. It is a mystery, enlightened reason cannot realize it ; science cannot explain it. Like many of the great laws of nature it is known only by its effects. Life is a worker though you cannot see it, nor hear it, nor touch it. You cannot see those mighty forces in nature that govern the universe, that control the planets in their orbits, the sun in its course, and the earth in its revolutions ; yet you know that they exist, for through refractors, the inventions of mighty minds, you can behold the orbs of night rolling through space in ever- lasting and unvarying motion. So it is with life, "' |! 1;; !! 1/ I |: i m m 1 1 • lilt ti' f!i 270 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. physical or .spiritual, you know that it exists, for it builds its own dwelling-places and enriches and beau- tifies them in manifold forms, as God endows and directs it. Moral life rises immeasurably higher than the ANIMAL. Initarist self-consciousness,a realization that I exist, that I can behold the world as real, a world of order ^nd beauty. The past and the futur- are gathered into the present. Facts become science and philosophy becomes truth, as they place us in close relatiorship to God and duty ; if we spiritually live, our principles, motives, and actions t.re good, and we are led on to a pure and happy destiny. If spiritual life is in a healthful state, its tendencies will be against evil, and its aspira- TIONS TOWARD God its all-sufficient GOOD. The Spirit of God will be present. This Spirit departed from man when he fell, and when he is restored to the lost image and favor of God it again takes possession of the soul with its infinite grace. It presents us with the forgiveness of sins, and also the renewal and sanctitication of our natures. It gives us back the spiritual life we lost when we fell from our primeval state of holiness. This redemption offers a new life, salvation from the death of sin to the life of holiness. Christ our Saviour is designated Life, because He came to give life to those who were dead in sin. This life is secured in union and communion with Him. If ye i "!" !l s, for it id beait- >ws and IAN THE ion tliat ►vorld of ur- are ince and in close lly live, and we lte, its ASPIRA- p. The Spirit n he is it again e grace, md also es. It len we dvation Christ .'ame to life is If ye WORKING FOR GOD. 271 abide in Him as the living "branch" in the living " vine," ye have this spiritual life, and in no other way can it be secured and retained. In connection with this there is the presence of the Spirit of Life. He plants it, and nourishes it in the human spirit. As God in providence permeates all nature, so the Spirit of God in His sanctifying power per- meates the soul ; indeed there is no true spiritual life without His presence and agency. We have no doubt that He is the mighty, acting power upon the nves of the saints and angels in the spiritual world, and so on earth. This is the o^reat need of our humanity ; without it we cannot attain to true spirituality, and after we have attained to it we cannot permanently retain its holy and happy in- fluence unless He abide in our hearts. If the Christian reader has this life, in the Spirit, he has a holy presence, a quickening power, a sanctifying agency, a Divine helper, a new life v ithin, producing a holy influence, Divine illumination, and all the fruits of the Spirit, " love, joy, peace, long-suftering, gentle- ness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance;" and these will influence all his aspirations and aims in life. 'J'HIS SPIRIT AND LIFE WILL PRODUCE A HOLY EN- THUSIASM. It is really necessary in every kind of work, if we desire success, to have our hearts in it, to be enthusiastic in pursuing it. It is related of the great mathematician, Archimedes, that, when wounded at the siege of Syracuse, he drew a geometrical figure ;•■ i i;i I ,-\ m 272 THK NEED OF THE WORLD. in his clotted blood upon the floor of the cell in which he was confined as prisoner ; afterward this figure and the dead mathematician were found side by side. It is remarked of Cicero that amid the fiercest political convulsions that shook the Republic to its foundation, he often retired to his literary pursuits and felt as serene as in times of peace and plenty. During the siege of Alexandria, Geoffrey, amidst the thundering of cannon and the awful sound of the war-bugle, did not abate, but rather increased his great mental work. He said afterward, " Knowledge is so sweet, that it never entered my thoughts how a bombshell might in an instant have cast into the abyss both me and my manuscript." When the French in- vaded Germany, while the country w^as thrown into a state of great consternation, and tumult reigned supreme, Hegal was quietly composing his philoso- phy, and carried ihe manuscript of his first book to the printer upon the day of the Battle of Jena. Humboldt was so entranced in his philosophical researches that he scarcely knew of the revolution which was raging in the streets about him. While the Germans w^ere throwing shells into Paris, Victor Hugo pursued his oook writing. Cervantes starved to death in the pursuit of literature. The immortal Locke, while composing pages wliich were to go on influencing human destiny down to the end of time, lived in a garret and subsisted on bread and water. WORKING FOR fJOD. 27:J Elliott, the apostle to the Indians, in his eightieth year and on the day ot* his death, was found teach- ing an Indian child the alphabet from his bedside. " Why not rest from your labors now ? " said a friend. He replied, " Because I have prayed to God to render me useful in my sphere, and now that I no longer can preach. He leaves me still strength enough to teach this poor child the alphabet." Charlotte Cushman said to the school children of Boston, " You must give yourselves up, or you will get nothing back." She always pursued this course herself, and, therefore, was always successful in what- ever her hand found to do. Confucius said to his followers, " Coarse rice for food, and water to drink, and the bended arm for k pillow, is sufficient to confer happiness upon the man who is virtuous and in love with his task." 1. Where there is this spirit, this enthusiasm, there will be obliviousness to all surrounding influences. 2. There will be untiring and almost endless appli- cation. S. There will be unbounded cheerfulness and pleasure. 4. There will be intentness amid distractions. 5. There will be delight amid suiTering and diffi- culty. 6. And finally, there will bo mighty heroism amid affliction, danger, and death. Men and women of God ! go to your work with the ; \"\ i I I; 274 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. i f! 1:.': it If" glorious spirit contained in tlieso propositions, and a brilliant success awaits you, the curing- of moral blind- ness and the complete salvation of the deathless souLs of men. You will by your heroic eftbrts thin the ranks of the perishing and help to people heaven. " WhATEVEIv' is WOKTH doing is worth doing WELL,' is a maxim which too many forget. That all kinds of work may be done well there is needed a spiritual, well-stored mind, which is a mighty power in the world. It is sad that so many young minds are as barren as the sandy waste or the rocks by the sea shore. They have many helps, teachers, lectures, books, and papers ottering to cultivate and fill the mind with valuable knowledge and useful principles- Were they to avail themselves of these, as they should do, error and scepticism would not be as wide- spread as they are, and the fallacies of unbelieving Huxley would not pass purrent as they do. One does not need to make much progress in mind and heart- development before discovering that materialism is an absurd and injurious doctrine. In every department of life a thorough man is in demand, capital is needed. When I speak of capital I do not mean money, but what is of infinitely more value than money, capacity, culture, character, and the possession of good Christian principles. How is it that the young are not prepared to DO THE WORK OK GoD AND OUR HUMANITY ? There is a boy, he starts out into business on a small scale, he WORKING FOR GOD. 275 sm IS an watches carefully every improvement and constantly applies it to his business, and at the close of every day he is wiser than at the beginning. He investi- gates into causes, and knows well the relation between cause and effect. He is possessed of pure Christian principles, and his influence is felt in many countries as his business becomes far-reaching and enriching. This is what the world neecii. The Church of Christ makes provision for utilising the talents of all its members, and should realize its privileges and be faithful to its obli- gations and its God. In the family it is the sacred and imperative duty of the parent to provide for the health, growth, culture, and character of the child. It is no less the duty of the Church of Christ to make provision for all who are born into the kingdom of Christ, that they may stand fast in the liberty of the Gospel, and receive the final recompense of the reward. What we need to do more than anything else in the Churches of Christendom by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, is to utilize the forces at our command yet dormant. There is stagnation where there should be action. There are men and women of good ability who are anxious to have something to do, and yet who remain unemployed. They are rather retiring, and because they are not pressed into work, they become discouraged, yieW to temptation, and often settle down into a state of apathy. •I; i ' ' II ';• I 11 27^) THE NEED OF THE WOULD. Fin Active .seiivice in the cause of Christ is neces- sary TO OUR SPIRITUAL GOOD : those who do nothing for God soon spiritually die. Confine the limbs of an infant and he will never develop into manhood. Pre- vent the free exercise of the intellect and the mind will become imbecile. Cramp the soul of man and it will not grow up into Christ, or become great and useful. Illustration. Two travellers were crossing the Alps and were overtaken by a snow storm. There was a piercing wind, the cold was intense, and the air was tilled with sleet. One at last became benumbed, a heavy drowsiness came over him, and as it was diffi- cult for him to proceed, he lay down on the snow to indulge in that fatal sleep which is the last stage of extreme cold. At this moment he saw the other, who seemed to be in a worse condition than himself, if this were possible. His sympathy was aroused, he made an effort to reach his dying companion, took his hands in his own and tried to warm them. He rubbed his temples, his hands, and his feet, applied friction to his body ; soon the man began to revive, his powers were restored, and he felt able to go forward. His bene- factor, too, had recovered by the efforts he put forth to save his friend ; he grew warm in trying to warm the other, the drowsiness passed off, and the two went on their way and reached their homes in safety. So in working for God there are reflex benefits. If your heart is cold, try to do good to another. Help 1 1 WORKING FOI? GOD. 277 one to Christ, and you will warm and gladden your own soul. The Christian's opportunity of doing good. There are many doors open through which the dis- ciple of Jesus may enter. He need not wait to bo appointed by his pastor. God has appointed and opened the door for him. Every member of the Church of Christ has the ability to labor with profit in the cause of Christ. Each has a fitness and adaptation to some special work. When Christ opens the door He commands to enter, some to visit the sick, to look after widows and orphans who are in distress ; others to visit strangers and to invite them to the house of God, to aid the friendless, to assist the pastor, to on- encourage believers, and to lead the unsaved to Christ. If you have the ability to become a true minister and a faithful pastor, enter the work, and do not allow any temporal interest whatever to deter you. The work is great and glorious. In meetings for worship all have an oppor- tunity TO TAKE A PART, either publicly or privately. In the social means of grace, invitations are usually given to all to sing, speak, or pray. In a large meet- ing of four or five hundred it may be difficult for persons of retiring habits to take part publicly, but there are prayer circles adapted to meet this want, and Jesus said, *' Where two oi' three are asi^emhled in My name, there am I in the miihtJ' The writer knew iii!:' 278 THE NEED OF THE VVORT.H. (:i a young man who, at his conversion, promised the Lord that he would not allow a good opportunity to pass away without speaking, praying, or singing for God ; his life is useful. This work can be accomplished in several ways: 1. By a holy life. The testimony of a godly life is more eloquent than words. It will carry conviction to the most sceptical and unbelieving. The sufferings of the apostles have been a stimulant to the Churcli throughout past ages. The flames that consumed the martyrs fastened conviction upon the minds of the persecutors. When a person is converted, and makes a public confession of religion, thoughtless people say, "We will see. By their fruits ye will^know them." His life must demonstrate the truth of his conversion. Neither the Church nor the world will be satisfied with any- thing short of this. Christ shines in the life of every believer in whose heart He abides. Sometimes the most unpretending Christian, by his spiritual life, has been able to accomplish grand results, and in this way preached the most eloquent sermons. A Chris- tian brother, deaf and dumb, stood before an audience with hands uplifted toward heaven and with stream- ing eyes thrilled and overwhelmed all present. 2. You can work by a cordial and hearty support of the institutions which have for their object the exten- sion of the Redeemer's kingdom. 3. By conversing with others upon the great WDRKINfi FOR r;f)D. 270 subject of religion, and rccomnionding them to the Saviour. 4. By earnestly praying for the outpouring of the Divine Spirit upon the hearts of men. Andrew, when he became a follower of Christ, brought his relations to the Saviour. This is the very spirit of Christianity. Illustrations. A person some years ago devoted an hour every Saturday evening to the work of calling upon those who never attended the services of the house of God. He would converse with them upon religious subjects, and, if possible, prevail upon them to attend the means of grace on the ensuing Sabbath. This work was crowned with abundant success. Many became regular in their attendance upon the means of grace, some were converted, who at death passed to their heavenly reward, others remained faithful mem- bers of Christ's Church on earth. In the early history of one of our great churches we have an account of a Captain William Robinson, who in that communion was a pillar for more than fifty years, a remarkable example of zeal, diligence, and self- denial. Sometimes he was the subject of the bitterest persecutions, yet he was not deterred from his work. He was the means of blessing multitudes, and when ninety years old he was found on Bridlington Quay with his pockets full of religious tracts to distribute among the seamen and others who had been led by contrary winds or tempestuous weather to run into * lilt 111;; m i IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) w^ ^ 1.0 f.^ 1^ 1.1 l.-^liS 1.25 1.4 11= •« 6" — >■ s% Ph y PhotDgraphic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO (716) 872-4503 ^ iV \\ V ^'^v s ^.^*' ^ ^"^ ^ 6^ U.x #%. r-: % ■>-•■-. / ■■■ .,.- ,• ,;• ^ -.,.-. . 2H0 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. the harbor. When presenting a tract he usually accompanied the gift with a few words of advice, and an invitation to the house of God, giving the time and place of worship. A Second case. A pious fisherman, a member of one of the societies founded by Captain Robinson, was for sor^e time very successful in bringing seamen under the preaching of the Word of God. On one occasion he prevailed upon a Captain W. S., to attend with him the house of God, and God's word found its way to his heart. The captain returned to his ship the subject of deep conviction. He afterward, in company with his wife, went to the same place of worship. His wife also received the truth. He called together his crew and related to them what God had done for him. He now evinced the reality of his conversion by making restitution to any whom he might have wronged, and a short time afterward found a watery grave. " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do" for God or man, " do it with thy might." CHAPTER XXV. SPIRITUALITY AND SECULARISM. jHESE two great forces have a wonderful in- fluence upon the characters, lives, and des- tinies of men. Some there are, who from the dawn of intelligence wholly surround themselves with the influence of one, and totally neglect the other. This is a mistake, as man possesses a threefold nature, body, soul, and spirit ; and all his interests are one for time and eternity. Therefore, whatever will promote the real good of man for this world, or for the next, should be regarded with thoughtful interest and careful attention. Each of these forces has its own laws, and it is necessary that human beings understand these laws from the very beginning of life, if they wish to be honored, useful, and happy. It is far easier for the young, starting in life, to lean toward secularism than toward spirituality, because of the corruption of our human nature. Very much depends upon the starting 282 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. point, whether one lives a life of light and happiness, or a life of darkness and misery. Near the summit of one of the Rocky Mountains is a small, crystal spring, which pours its waters down the mountain side. In- creased by other springs and brooklets, it becomes the great Missouri, pouring its waters through the Mis- sissippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. On the top of the mountain, where this river has its source, is another sprin^, sending its waters westward to the Pacific Ocean. From the mouth of one of these rivers to the other, around the sea shore, there are thousands of miles ; yet at the top of the mountain, it would only require a little labor to convey the waters of the one spring into the other. The waters that now How through the great Mississippi might be turned west- ward to the Pacific Ocean. Thus it is in human life. Let a young man in the beginning of life surround himself with the influences of secularism, and totally disregard spirituality, and he will become a worldling. This earth will be to him a " toilderness without a God." If he should degrade secularism, and whoUj' devote himself to spirituality, he will shut himself out from all the temporal blessings of life, and live in seclu- sion, the life of a monk or friar. Nothing is more important than to know how you should live, so as to be useful, and happy to the end of your earthly probation. This is the need of the world. Some are wholly devoted to secularism and TOTALLY DISREGARD SPIRITUALITY We have a re- SPIRITUALTTY AND SECULARISM. 283 markable case presented before us in the history of " Manasseh," who " vjos twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem."* He was king of one of the most glorious nations one^rth, a nation of prophets, priests, and kings. He was the son of good Hezekiah, given to him during the prolonga- tion of his life. Hezekiah committed the sin of pride, and God sent to him the prophet Isaiah to threaten him with death. He turned his pale face to the wall and prayed, and God added to his life. It was after this that Manasseh was born. Look at him as a son. His sire was scarcely cold in the grave before he began to undo what his pious father had done. The Scripture says, " He built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made a grove, as did Ahab King of Israel, and worshipped all the host of heaven and served them^f Here you see this youth- ful king, raised to the highest pinnacle of greatness, governing one of the most spiritual nations on earth, possessing a low, base, and infamous spirit, and de- based to the lowest degree. But few characters in our sinful world, in any age, have been more corrupt than that of Manasseh. Yet this son came from a spiritual home. There have been instances, not a few, of per- sons coming forth from the most spiritual of homes, themselves so debased as to be scarcely fit to live. So there have also been instances of persons coming forth * 2 Chroii. xxxiii. 1. f 2 Chrou. xxxiii. 3. 284 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. from the most godless of homes, yet surrounding them- selves with better influences, and becoming patterns of godliness and usefulness. Isaiah says : " The seed of evil doers shall never he renowned.'' This is the rule. Yet there are, and ever have been, exceptions to this general rule. Manasseh had from his childhood been surrounded with the very best religious influences, yet when thrown upon his own resources he moved in a different sphere from that of his father : he utterly degraded spirituality. Look at him as a parent. He did not seemingly possess a spark of parental sympathy or affection. " He caused his children to pass through the fire of the son of HinnowJ' The god Moloch was a brazen statue which was ever ke^t red hot. Into the arms of this brazen image, this furnace of fire, Manasseh cast his own helpless children ; nor was his heart touched with their sufferings and cries of despair. Look at him in his religious relations. The nation which he governed was one of the most spiritual on earth. Yet he was a slave of the most vile imposture. He observed times, and used enchant- ments and witchcraft, and dealt with familiar spirits, and with wizards. He made altars and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. He also built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, " In Jerusalem shall my name be forever. And he built altars for all the hosts of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he set a carved SPIRITUALITY AND SECULARISM. 285 image, the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, in this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen, before the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever."* Look at him in his political relations. "He made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do more than the heathen whom the Lord had de- stroyed from before the children of Israel. And the Lord spake to Manasseh and to His people, and they would not hearken." -f* Thus Manasseh, by his evil example and godless precepts, opened up the flood- gates of moral pollution, and caused to flow down over his people an overwhelming tide of woe, of mental and moral degradation. So great was the evil in- fluence of his life that when he himself became reformed, he could not reform his people. He could not undo the evil he had done to his subjects. So it is with our influence, we may reform ourselves but we cannot undo the moral evil we have done to others. Entire devotion to aecvlariam exhibits the 'perversion of the whole nature of man, body, soul, and spirit. If the Parent of all Good has given to man much of earthly substance, has surrounded him with wealth and honor, has given him a throne and sceptre, the greater are his obligations to love and serve the great Giver. Here was a nature so perverted, that while God loaded him with benefits, he despised and forsook i! i'l • 2 Chrou. xxxiii. 4, 5, 7. t 2 Chroii. xxxiii. 9, 10. 286 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. God. The more secular good a man possesses, the more easy is it for him to lead a life of spiritual in- telligence and holiness. Under these circumstances the perverting of the capabilities of his nature is a shame, and should be a cause of great alarm. Entire devotion to secularism exhibits the dis- organization OF the world of matter and of mind. Such a state of things is not in accordance with God's original plan of creation. His providential government, or the divine scheme of human redemp- tion. Is wickedness to be enthroned ? Are vicious criminals to hold the sceptres of earth ? Surely if this be so, " the foundations of the world are out of course." The social world has become a wilderness, a desert, a great moral chaos, without light, purity, har- mony, or moral perfection. Entire devotion to secularism exhibits the PROBABILITY OF A COMING JUDGMENT DAY. We look out upon the world of mankind, and we see men wholly devoted to the world and worldly pursuits. God is not in their thoughts. Time rolls on. They have everything for which heart can wish. They feel no pang, " they spread out their branches as a green hay tree!* "They live in palaces and are clothed with purple and fine linen, and fare sumptuously every day." We see others who have not enough to supply the wants of nature. They are the earnest and happy children of God. How can the circumstances of these two classes be properly balanced without the transactions of the SPIRITUALITY AND SECULARISM. 287 judgment, day ! On that day the righteous will receive the reward of their righteousness, and the wicked the just punishment of their wickedness. " For we Tiiust all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things do'iie in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or evil" It is POSSIBLE TO GO TO THE OTHER EXTREME OF DEGRADING SECULARISM. Those who Completely shut themselves out from the world, as monks and friars, are examples. History, observation, and experience teach us, that the peaidiar circumstances of human life are not unfavorable to conversion, when the sun of prosperity shines upon our pathway, and we possess ease, wealth, and comfort. When Providence blesses with every good, and the mind is free from all care and anxiety, and we have every facility for religious meditation and godly living, it is easy to live a spiritual life. Manasseh was taken by the Assyrian general among the thorns, and bound with fetters, and carried to Babylon, and shut up in prison. Now, when in a strange land and among strangers, deprived of his kingly glory, he humbled himself before God, and God forgave him, delivered him from his prison, and re- stored him to his throne and kingdom. He sought to undo so far as he could the evil of his former life. He destroyed the groves, and images which he had set up, and he removed the idol, and altars for idol worship out of the temple of God, and restored again the true worship of the temple, the worship of the living God, ^! ,i m ii m^ M 2SS THK NEED OF THE WOULD. who made heaven and earth. The aiflictions, trials, and difficulties of human life should not hinder any man from coming to Christ ; for surely under such circumstances he has great need of the Divine presence and help. We often hear men say, " If I were in different circumstances from those in which I am now, I would live a godly life." Some are rich and they say : " If I were poor, and had not so many cares pres- sing upon me, I would be a Christian." They do not realize that they have fewer cares than the poor, and it would be very easy for them to become Christians. The poor sometimes say : " If I were rich, and life was not so burdensome to me, it would be easy for me to become a Christian ; but as it is I cannot." They for- get they have great need of Christ to comfort them amid their trials, and to strengthen them for the future conflicts of life. The man of business, amid the din and bustle of city commerce, says : " If I lived in some ijiiet glen, some rural spot on earth, under the clear blue sky, amid the pleasant lields, beholding the beauties of nature, and listening to the songs of birds, away from this eternal din of trade and commerce, I could become a Christian." On the other hand, those who are thus circumstanced say : " If it were not for the monotony of life, did I live under more favorable circumstances, I would become a Christian." The great lesson for all is that the peculiar circumstances of human life are not unfavorable to piety, and we have the strongest reasons in every position for giving our hearts to God : — SPIIUTUAMTV AND SKd'hAIUSM. 280 1. Tlie tendency of spirituality is to sanctify secu- larism. . 2. In every man's experience the tendency of pfodli- ness is to elevate serularism, and thus promote man's secular elevation. 3. The material condition of mankind depends in a great measure upon spirituality. 4. Godliness is material as well as moral gain. 5. That system which best promotes godliness, pro- motes the temporal good of mankind. G. The Gospel is that system. Secularism is transitory. All things are liable to change. Fleetino is written upon all the creatures of God. The stars in their courses have rolled on from age to age, from century to century; but we read of the death of worlds. Some of those mighty orbs have reached old age, and they no longer swarm with life. John saw them pass away and there was no place found for them. "/ beheld" said John, "till the earth and heaven Jled away, and there was no place found for them." In the springtime all nature comes forth into life and beauty. The trees send forth 1 saves and fruit ; the flowers blossom and pour their fragrance upon the air ; the green grass, the beautiful carpet of nature, is spread forth. The autumn comes and with it the blight anYl then the death of winter. Man is born, lives, ripens, and «lies. Thus all material things are changing and passing away. When the Roman Emperors went forth upon their great feast days, an T I ' 200 THE NEED OF THE WOULD. officer burnt flax before them, crying out, " Sic trannit gloi^a mundi," to remind them that all their glory and honor would soon pass away liko the smoke from the flax. So we are reminded that every earthly thing will soon pass away like smoke out of a chimney, or like the flowing waters of a river. Secularism without spirituality is emptiness. Secularism in its inflnite range is not capable of sup- plying the wants of the deathless souls of men. Where spirituality is not present, there is the feeling in every intelligent person's heart that in earthly things there is utter emptiness. Belteshazzer, the proud monarch of Babylon, at a time when Babylon was in the zenith of her glory, assembled his thousand lords, and wives, and concubines, and revelled in sumptuous pleasure, drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, and called for the sacred vessels that were taken out of the temple at Jerusalem, and drank wine out of them, thus triumphing over the Church of God. But what became of all this glitter and show, this grand revel ? When the mysterious hand was seen writing against the wall: Mene, Mene. "Ood hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it." Tekal. " Thoit art weighed in the balances and found wanting." Upharsin. " Thy kiTigdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." That proud monarch could exclaim, Oh, the emptiness of all earthly things ! Can a man quafl' with pleasure from the wine cup on the way to execu- tion, or feast on earth's dainties at the point of the SPIRITUALITY AND SECULAUISM. 291 sword ? A certain king went about with a sad coun- tenance from day to day. One day the queen's brother enquired of the king the reason of his sadness. The king requested him to come to him the next day and he would give him the rea.son. During t\e night the king had a deep pit dug, and filled with fire. He placed over the burning pit a single plank, and over the plank he hung a drawn sword, by the side ot the pit he placed a table covered with the richest viands. When the queen's brother returned, he pts led Mm upon the planl- and said, " Here, brother, are icii viands, eat and rejoice." The other said, " Hov, ran I eat ana rejoice with a burning pit under me, and a flaming sword over my head ? " " Ah," said the king, " how can I be happy with hell under my feet, and the sword of God's anger hanging over my head ? " The splendor of royalty could not afford pleasure under these trying circumstances. The danger of trusting in secularism for SAFETY, OR FOR FUTURE GOOD. The men who do this are like the man who in a storm sought shelter under a tree. Instead of affording him the defence he sought, it fell upon him and caused his death. Those who trust in secularism for safety are trusting, in that which may cause their ruin. Sometimes it is a bless- ing to be deprived of what we esteem secular good, riches, honors, or pleasures, and sometimes even dear friends. Manasseh's imprisonment was the means of his conversion. A son lay at the point of death. His 292 THE NEED OF THE WORLD. mother mouraed over her supposed bereavement, and her minister tried to comfort her by reminding her, that, if her son should be spared he might come to some bad end. The mother in a fit of excitement ex- claimed, " I do not care, if he only recover !" He did recover, and ended his days on the gallows. It would have been a great,blessing had he died when so near the portals of the grave, and the foolish mother had escaped an infinitely greatei; trial. Secular-mindedness a hindrance to spiritual- MlNDEDNESci. Secular-mindedness is the state of the mind of a man wholly devoted to secularism. The moral effects are something like the sun's eclipse. Sometimes another body passes between the sun and the earth, thus producing dimness, in some instances There is quite a change in the light, for the time being you cannot see the sun. So when we allow the world to come between Christ and us, the mind is darkened and we cannot by faith see Christ. I have seen a pictorial representation of a beautiful being arrayed in white, stamling behind a globe. A person on the other side of the globe strives to see the being in white, but cannot for the globe stands betvy^^on them. The person in white is Christ, the globe is the world, and the person standing on the other side of the globe is one whdlly devoted to secularism. More of secularism than is necessary should NOT BE ALLOWED IN SPIRITUAL WORSHIP. In true worship there are three elements : — SPIRITUALITY AND SECULARISM. 293 (1) Form, kneeling, standing, or prostration. (2) Thought, mental worship, including reflection. (3) The heart tvorsJiip, including contrition, faith, con- fession, and tha7iksffiviiig. Form is the only portion of secularism that should be admitted in spiritual worship. Sir William Cecil, Lord Treasurer of England, when he retired to his rest, threw off his gown and said, " Lie there, Lord Treasurer, adieu all State affairs." So we, when we go to our religious duties, should say to the world, " Stay thou here, while I go yonder to worship." Abraham, when he was about to offer his great sacrifice, went awav to the solitude of a mountain. So did the Master when He went to pray. " So when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hri,st shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret ; and thy Father which seeth in secret," and who has promised to, " re- ward thee openly." * * Matt. vi. 6. \m m ma CHAPTER XXVI. CHRIST IN NATURE AND HISTORY. |HE history in which you crnnot find Christ is not worth a moment's thought. In the greatest and most important of all histories you learn that Christ, the God -Man, the Second Person in the Trinity, is the Author of all things, the God of Creation, Providence, and Redemp- tion. The Preacher said: "/ hnow that, whatsoever God doeth it shall he forever : nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it : and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him.*'* The Apostle Paul says : " For by Him (Christ) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they he thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him and for Him^'f Here by a syllogism we may prove the God-head of Christ. He that made all things is God. Christ made all things, therefore Christ is God. His works are wonders. Look at the starry * Eccles. iii. 14. t Col. i. IG. CHRIST IN NATltRE AND HlSTORV. •29/ heavens. Some men have devoted a lifetime in con- structing refractors through which to gaze intelligently upon the millions of celestial orbs, some of which are far distant, and can only be seen by the aid of the most powerful telescope. Others have spent their whole lives in endeavoring to make new discoveries by the aid of these powerful telescopes, and yet after the in- telligent and laborious work of ages shall have been accomplished, the science of astronomy will still be envelop' )d in mystery. Surely His works are wonders ! The wonders of the atmosphere. It is so ar ranged by its great Creator, as to be a fountain of life to all living creatures. 'The slightest atmospheric changes are felt throughout the animal, and vegetable kingdoms, and often great changes produce a plague, with widespread sickness and death. The effects u])on the atmosphere produced by the two kingdoms of nature are very different. By the animal kingdom air is polluted. By the vegetable kingdom it is purified. This is a wise arrangement of the great Creator, be- cause by these means the atmosphere is preserved pure from age to age, and from century to century. In the animal kingdom all things are won- derful. Millions of living things can be seen by the naked eye ; but there are myriads more of tiny creatures, scarcely perceptible by the most powerful microscope. You have listened in a soft, balmy summer evening to a low, buzzing sound around you, you then heard the voices of myriads of tiny, 'iii 29fi THE NEED OF THE WORLD. invisible creatures. And when you consider that these, in infinite variety, till the atniospliere, and cover the earth, how wonderful are all his works ! Have you ever thought of the wonders of the sea, in which there are living creatures infinitely more in number, in variety, in size,, and in form, than upon the land, or in the atmosphere ? There are mountains down in the ocean depths composed of my raids of little living in- sects, feasting, and sporting, caring nothing for the storm above that causes the terrible shipwreck and the loss of life. Look at the vegetable kingdom. See the in- finite varieties. Nature swarms with the life of trees, shrubs, plants, flowei-s, and the green grass, spread out as a carpet for us to walk upon. Can you explain anything here, even the blade of grass ? Try, you will find you have a great work to do, for even the smallest of His works is wonderful. rj - Study things as they present themselves to YOUR MIND IN THE MINERAL WORLD. The mountains and hills, earth's stratas, her rich stores of gold, silver, and precious stones, lie open to your inspection. Turn away from this infinite variety, and explain, if you can, an atom, that tiny creature of God. It is so minute that it cannot be divided. Here is one of the wonders of the world. Explain it if you can. Ask the naturalist to explain it. He will tell you that the more he studies this little creature of God, the more and greater are the difficulties, that crowd in his pathway. CHRIST IN NATURE AND HISTORY. 297 Christ's works are words speaking to human HEARTS. They speak to us of the greatness of His character, His wisdom, power, and goodness. Of Him as the Creator of the universe ; as the Disposer and Governor of all things ; of the infinity of Jehovah, and of the insignificance of man. " When I consider the heavens^ the work of thy Jivfjers, tlie nioon and stars which thoti hast ordained ; What is man that thou art mindful of him ? or the son of man, that thou visitests him .? " * These works of God call irpoN us to render to OUR God intelligent life service. We are His by righo of property. He can demand of us our homage and service, our love and woi'ship. Can we withhold it ? We render willing service to earthly beings from whom we receive but a slight remuneration ; can we refuse to serve Him from whom we receive all things in this life, and have the promise of the life that is to come ? This argument is indisputable. It is written in letters of light upon the pages of history. Christ has entered the dark corners of the earth, full of the habitations of cruelty, and WHAT wondrous CHANGES DO WE BEHOLD ! There were millions with blinded passions doing deeds of blood and violence. He, by the benign and peaceful influence of His presence, curbed and bridled those passions, or substituted for them the sweetness of love and compassion. He punished murder, repressed in- fanticide, branded suicide and all cruelty, either • Psalm viii. 3, 4. 29S THE NKED OF THT. WORLD. toward ourselves or others. He rescued the serf and slave, and protected them. He did away with cruel entertainments, such as the gladiatorial combats, the bull-fights, and the dog-tights. He has given the promise that He will abolish wars, and bloodshed throughout the earth, and thus put a final end to cruelty and human suffering. He has blessed man in all the relationships of LIFE. He exalted man, when man had degraded and brutalized himself, to a sad and alarming extent, and had no higher life-aims than those of the inferior creatures, to eat, drink, and find shelter. He taught him to glorify God and love his fellow-men, and bo tender-hearted toward the helpless, and the dependent. He has elevated woman. Woman in an unchristianized state, cannot hold her proper sphere as man's companion and equal. She is sorely oppressed and disheartened, more likcj a beast of burden, than that beautiful, delicate, and refined creature she is in Christian lands. He has protected and provided for infant life. In heathen lands an infant is not as valuable as a sheep or cow. Thousands of them have, in all ages, been cast into the fire, and into the water, and thus have been destroyed. In Christian lands the infant is cared for with the most tender solicitude. A Bible-loving and Christian mother will even sacrifice her own life for the welfare and happiness of her infant. This is Christianity. , ' ' THllIST IN NATURE AND HISTORY. 209 He has cared for the widow, sheltered the orphan, caused the sick and the dying to he tenderly cared for. His people in all ages have not been afraid of toil and self-sacrifice in helping the needy. The Christian philanthropist is present where there is sorrow and suffering, and where he can lend a helping-hand to lighten the burden of the afflicted, or to set the cap- tive free. He has dignified poverty and ennobled labor. When He came into this world. He took the place of a poor man. He was cradled in a stable. When he entered upon his ministry he could say: " The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." His life was one of unceasdng toil and wearisome labor. Let not the poor man repine, or think his a hard lot, because he has to toil for a living; Jesus did this, and not for himself, but for others ; for us all. He has sanctified marriage and exalted virtue. When Christ entered upon His ministry, the principal schools of learning, held and propagated tenets, the tendency of which was to strike at the foundation of all virtue and religion, and to stmd down a tide of pollution, producing moral desolation and death, wherever its waters flowed. The Epicurians taught that virtue was not preferable to vice. The Acade- mics held it uncertain whether virtue was preferable to vice, or not. In either case the effects were exceed- ingly demoralizing. In nearly all nations, destitute of 300 THE NEED OF THE WOULD. Christian privileges, the marriage bond has not been held sacred ; and in many countries, both religion and law have sanctioned polygamy. He has shed forth the benign rays of charity over a needy world of human beinys. Christian charity is not confined to the Church, or limited to the family or neighborhood. It extends to the whole race, even to the enemies of Christ. It looks upon the human family as one brotherhood, and wherever its influence has been felt it has created pure lives, sweet, and peace- ful homes, and happy neighborhoods. The truthful- ness of the angelic message has been realized over and " On earth peace aiid goodvnll to men'' over again And one of the last utterances of Christ, " My peace 1 give unto you : not as the world givcth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."* There is a great contrast between the Christian AND OTHER RELIGIONS. In other religions there is much of the glitter and show of outside ceremony. This is the religion of the heart. It is inward, in the soul. The Christian religion is real ; others are ideal. It is submissive; others obstinate. It is reforming; others are corrupting. ' ' History shows the rapid progress and won- derful CONQUESTS OF CHRISTIANITY THROUGH THE AGES. The progress, and conquests of the king- doms, and empires of earth are insignificant in comparison with this. Christ will reign King this. Christ * John xiv. 27. CHRIST IN NATURE AND HISTORY. 301 of kings, and Lord of lords, and will subdue all enemies under His feet. He will overcome death, and free its victims, whether in the sea or on the earth, in catacombs or in tombs, whether under rocks or under mountains. He will set them all free, and will un- lock the gates of Hades, and the spirits of the departed shall come forth, and shall be re-united to the body, and man shall stand before God in judgment, after which he shall live forever, in happiness or in misery. Illustrative incidents. Arnobius, a heathen philosopher, who became a Christian, says of Chris- tianity : " Who would not believe it, when he sees, in how short a time it has conquered so much knowledge. Orators, grammarians, rhetoricians, lawyers, physicians, and philosophers, have thrown up their opinions, which but a little before they held, and have embraced the doctrines of the Gospel ! " Tertullian says : " Though but of yesterday, yet we have filled your cities, islands, castles, corporations, councils, your armies themselves, your tribes and com* panics. We have entered the palace, the senate, and courts of justice ; only your temples have been left you free." Pliny the Younger, Governor of Pontus and Bithynza, applied to the Emperor for directions as to his conduct towards the Christians. He wrote about eighty years after Christ's ascension. He says : " Sus- pending all judicial proceedings, I have recourse to your advice, for it has appeared to me a matter highly de- 302 THE NEED OF THE WOULD. serving consideration, especially on account of the great number of persons who are in danger of suffering, for many of all ages, and of every rank, of both sexes likewise, are accused, and will be accused. Nor has the contagion of this superstition seized cities only ; but the lesser towns also, and the open country. Nevertheless it seems to me that it may be restrained, and corrected. It is certain that the temples which were almost forsaken are beginning to be more fre- quented, and the sacred solemnities after a long inter- mission are revived. Victims likewise, are every- where bought up, whereas for sometime there were but few to purchase them. Whence it is easy to imagine, that numbers of men might be reclaimed, if pardon were granted to those that shall repent." Justin Martyr wrote about thirty years after Pliny, and one hundred and six after the ascension of our Lord, and says : " There is not a nation-, either Greek or Barbarian, or any other name, even of those who wander in tribes and live in tents, amongst whom prayers and thanksgivings are not offered to the Father and Creator of the universe in the name of the Crucified Jesus." This empire of Christ is to continue its triumphs to the end of time, and over the remotest boundaries of earth, and universal man shall crown him lord of all. INDEX. Adam':! fall, 27 ; what influence his fall had upon him, 28 ; how his sin atTected his descendants, 29. AfTections, how legulated, 55. Arithusicus, his martyrdom, 64. Amiability and the forgiving spirit, 73. Assyria, first and second empires of, 76. Age, the present, remarkably in- ventive, 105 ; one of effort, 109 ; one of activity, 11 ; of great events, 127. Austria, religious state of, 121. Afflictions, individual, 138. Arts and sciences, 150 ; connection between Christianity and the arts, 153 ; Christianity furthers the arts, 154. Architecture, 154. Atoms, 227, 228, 296. Alkalies, mineral, 229. Boaz, meaning of, 64. Benevolent instiiutions, 81. Brazil, religious state of, 121. Biblt, its importance, 176, 177. Books, religious, 177. Business men, how they may ad- vance the cause of Christ, 252 ; their opportunities for, 254, 255 ; they should be guided by Di- vine truth, 255 ; examples of in history, 255 ; rajiny classes of, 256 ; they should have definite plans of working for God, 257 ; illustrations of, 258-263. Creation, 18. Chesterfield, Lord, at the house of Voltuire, 26. Conversion, illustrated, 49. Christianity, imi>ortance of spread- ing, 49. Christianity, vital, calculated to bless universal man, 50 ; com- f»ared with other systems of re- igion, 50, 300 ; as the religion of Christ it subdues the will, 51 ; controls the passions and afftc- tions, 53-55 ; gives liberty, 51,52; destroys bad habits, 56; is a defence, 56 ; produces in the human mind the most sacred emotions, 56 ; exalts the human intellect, 58 ; sanctities the heart, 58 ; is the need of the world, 55, 71, 72 ; its influence on literature, 157-159. Christianity and crim«, 135. Christianity and hard times, 136- 138. Christians and their responsibility to God, 101. Christian law more binding than any money corporation, 146. Church of God, 82 ; in the family, 82 ; the gospel church, 188 ; defective, 187 ; in the world, 193 ; made up of human beings among human beings for Chris- tian work, 194 ; an organization, 194 ; divided into bligation8, regularity jfitable ex- f, 120. nseparable. cement of, r . sve in, 232. )illar in the family, 82 ; 82 ; obliga- untains re- ly worship, Hallam on the influence of Christi- anity upon literature, 157. Keart, the human, its leanings, 13. Heaven, to the intiJel, 14 ; to the Christian, 14; foretastes of, 221, 222. Ignatius, his martyrdom, 64. Innocence illustrated, 66. Innocence and peace, 06. Ignorance of the plan of salvation, 95. Ideas, old in conflict with the new, 117, 118. Italy, state of, 121. Infldelity, spread of, 122. Introduction, 10. Joy, Christian, 56, 57. Jacob's pillar, 61. .fohn in banishment, 63. .lachin, me>ining of, 164. .fustice, 73 Knowledge, nian's, in his original state, 19. KnowloJge, spiritual, the world's need, 22 ; found in the book of nature, 23; found in the book of of providence, 23 ; found in the booK of revelation, 23 ; men desire it, 169 ; they will endure much to acquire it, 160. Light of good men commingles, 63. Lily-work on the pillars at the entrance of Solomon's temple, 65. Light, Christian, needed, 77 ; for making and enforcing righteous laws, 77 ; for the right under- standing of the diff'erent relation- ships of lite, 78. Literature of the age, 157 ; Christi- anity, great need of in, 157 ; Infidel, 160 ; the duty of the church, 169-173; fictitious, 163; Goldsmith's opinion upon, 163 ; Robert Hall's opinion upon, 164 ; Hannah More's opinion upon, 165. Literature, secular, 165 ; sacred, 166. Literature, importance of, 167 ; Mrs. Browning's oj^tinion upon, 167 ; Milton's opinion upon, 167. Laws of the Christian church clearly given, 205 ; taught in our Lord's sermon upon tlio mount, 206, 207. Law, moral, never abrogated, 241. Life, Christian, pure, 210. Man, his original state, 17; crea- ted in the imagu of God, 17 ; Lord of the creatures ; 17, 24 ; his creation, 18 ; all things were made for him, 18, 19; God's love to him, 18 ; the three quali- ties of his nature at his creation, 19 ; he was taught of (}od, 20 ; his capabilities, 24. Man, God deals with him as in- telligent, 85, 86 ; as u social being, 86. Man immortal, 25. Man, a combination of mysteries, 231. Morality, its real value, 38; differ- ence in the opinions of writers upon this subject, 38. Moral qualities, 38. Moral men earth's nobility, 39. Morality, its intiu uce upon moral men themselves, 41 ; its influ- ence upon society, 43. Moral men influence their circle of friends, 44. Morality, its relation to the Chris- tian religion, 48 ; something more is needed, 46 ; illustrative incident:^, 47, 48; Christian morality needed, 79 ; perfect, 79. Monied corporations, 81. Mountains of difficulties in the way of the Spirit's work, 95. Ministry, weak and defective, 101. 30(5 INDEX. -^■* Mecb.'inicfil inventions, 107; of the ancimits, 107 ; one of the .signs of till! times, 107. Mental pleiisures, 113. Missionary enterprise, 113 ; its udviiniienient, 114; school work in connection with, 114. Al ssions, tlie great power of. 111 ; their extension, 114; the spirit of, 114. Molesworth, iiOrd, his work on Denmark, 118. Mexico, its religious state, 121. Maximin, his persecution of the Christians, 1^3. Mercliants should be large-heai ted, 149. Music, 154. Men, generally, are not true to themselves, 181. Ministry, Christian, (jualifications for, 200. Ministers, some people hard towards, 202. Mechanics, 229. Magnetism, 230. Men generally sensible of little tokens of kindness, 267. Manasseh, wholly devoted to secu- larism, 283-285 ; as a son, 283 ; as a parent, 284 ; in liis religious relations, 284 ; in his political relations, 285. Network, 66- symbolizes unity, 6(3. Nations, God's government of, ex- hibits both judgment and mercy, 128, 129. Negations, of our age, how men are dealing with them, 11. Nature's laws are true, 181. Owen on worldliness, 103. P-^ter in prison, 63. Patriotism, or love of country, 75. Principles, Christian, how acted upon, 75 Pl:^asure, places of, 81. 1 Pillars in the temple of God, 60 ; I Jacob's, 61 ; the two at the en- I trance of Solomon's temple, 62 ; their names, 64; symbolizes im- portant (lualities in Christian life, 64 ; lily-work on, 65 ; net- j work on, 66; poraegraneteson,68. 1 Prayer, our obligations in reference '' to, 85. I Praise, a proper part of family wor- j ship, 91. ! Prayer, family, 92. I Prejudice, 96. I Progress of the age, 105. Printing, art of, 106. I Providence seen in the events of the world, 127. Painting, 155. Righteousness the world's need, 20-23. Riches, 53. Recreations, 54. ' Resentment, 72 ; two kinds, 72. Puiilroads, 106. Raleigh, Sir Walter, 117. Romanism and Protestantism, con- flict between, 119. Revival age, 123. Revivals, 139, 140; prevent decay in churches, 140; restore spiritu- al life, 140; three great revivals, 141 ; importance of, 142, 143. Religious changes of the last centu- ary, 125. Pussia at d Turkey, war between, 130, 133. Reading, the present an age of, 175 ; no time for, 178 ; reading to others, 180 ; sometimes vic- iou.s, 180. Religion, Christian, 46, 183 ; the need of the world, 184; mys- teries of, 226 ; illustrated, 236. Romanism, 184, 186. Resurrection of Christ preached by the apostles, 209. INDEX. 307 Reid, Dr., on matter, 230. Society, 70 ; foiuulation of eivil, 72. Sympathy, 75. Socially, man must be pure, 80 ; man must bo fraternal, 81. Spirit's work, 91 ; outpouring of, needed, 102. Steamships, 106. Spain, religious state of, 120. Science, Christianity not opposed to, 150 ; Christianity will use, 151, 152. Science cannot overthrow Christi- anity, 152. Science of common things, 227. Sculpture, 155. Scriptures, our duty to search them, 176. Sabbath, its obligation.^, 237 ; proofs of, 238 ; to keep it not forbidden, 238 ; God vested on, 239, 240 ; John was in the Spirit on, 240. Sabbath for rest and worship, 241 ; made for man, 2ll ; its divine authority, 245 ; sacred character of, 245 ; the Jewish and Christian, 245 ; was observed before Moses gave the law, 245 ; work, 246 ; moral necessity for, 246 ; incidents, 240 ; lessons from, 248-250 ; a pooin on, by Charles Wesley, 250, 251. Spirituality and secularism, 281 ; each has its own laws, 281. Secularism, some wholly devoted to, 282 ; Manasseh wholly de- voted to, 283-285 ; entire devo- tion to, exhibits the perversion of man's whole natifre, 285 ; ex- hibits the disorganization of the world of matter and of mind, 286 ; exhibits the probability of a coming judgment, 286 ; de- grading of, 287. Secularism transitory, 289 ; empti- ness of, 290 ; danger of tru.^ting in, 291. Secuiar-niindedness a hinderance to spiritual-mindcdness, 292 ; shouUl be guarded in public worship, 292, 293. Tegranus, his submission, 53. Telegiaphy, 107. Temperance work, 109. Unity illustrated, 67 ; needed, 67. Unbelief, 98. Virgin Mary, invocation of, 187. Vegetable kingdom, mysteries of, 231. Word of God read in family wor- ship, 90; an important part of family religion, 90. Worldliness, spirit of, 101. Words in season, how to speak, 179. Water, how made, 228. Work, religious, 252, 253 ; ex- amples of, 253 ; precepts of Scripture on, 253 ; promises of Scripture are to those who work, 253. Working for God, 264; Christ's example, 264-266 ; man's first work, 266 ; work in the family, 267 ; in the world, 267 ; Dr. Bolhwell on, 268 ; (.'liristians exhorted to, 269-270 ; spirit of, 269-L73 ; spiritual life in, 270 ; Elliott on, 273; Cliariotte Cush- nian on, 273 ; should he per- formed well, 274; the young, 274; the church of Christ makes pro- vision for, 275 ; employs useful talents, 275 ; need of the Spirit's influence in, 275 ; men should be active in, 276 ; illustrations of, 276, 279, 280 ; Christianity affords opportunities for, 277; in meetings of worship, 277 ; how to be performed, 278. feBAUTIPUL GIFT BOOKS TO A FRIEND. By rev. S. G. PHILLIPS, M.A. SACRED NAMES, CONTAINING CHOICE VIEWS OF THE Many Characterlstics of Christian Life. Full gilt, $1.25 ; White edges, $1.00. This book has had a large sale, and is recommended by Rev. W. M. Punshon, M.A., LL.D. ; Rev. G. Douglas, LL.D. ; Rev. S. S. Nelles, D.D., LL.D. ; Rev. A. H. Reynar, M.A. ; Rev. S. D. 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