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ESTABLISHED 1821.
©he (Christait Index
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Regent’s Park College, a Baptist insti
tution, Loudon, honors Dr. .Joseph An
gus, who recently retired from a presi
dency of thirty years, by establishing an
“Angus Theological Lectureship’’ with
an endowment of $15,000. A fine way to
perpetuate a name among a people; well
worth trying by < leorgia Baptists, not for
a Mercer only, but for a Crawford, a
Mell, a Mallary, a Tucker, an Irwin, a
Burney, a Campbell, a Brantly,—and
scores of other..
The religious press is a much more
potent influence in certain departments
of secular life than we have been want
to think it, if the opinion ascribed by an
exchange to the “Florida Baptist Wit
ness” is correct: the opinion, namely,
that the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key
West railway, which has gone into the
hands of a receiver, owes its misfortunes
to the exceeding selfishness that con
ferred no favors on the religious press.
Only think of the editors so dreadful
and yet after all religious.
The editor of the “Texas Baptist
Standard,” not long ago, “heard a Bap
tist, in a Baptist prayer-meeting, ask
that prayer be made for a dead man!”
Was this request the result of loose
teaching, or of that scarcely less harm
ful thing—loose neglect of teaching? By
the way, it would be a natural issue, if
the Romish doctrine of prayers for the
dead should gather some acceptance to
itself among Protestants, from the pleas
of the Andover theologians among Con
gregationalists in favor of probation in the
future state for those who had no satis
factory probation here, and the pleas of
Dr. Briggs and his like among Presby
terians for a gradual growth in grace
hereafter on the part of deceased Chris
tians generally. We are not apprehen
sive. however, that the views of these
agitators will obtain currency among
Baptists, ami draw any such practical re
sult in their wake. But it may not bo
imiss for the pulpit to guard, at least
incidentally, the truths thus put in
question.
The Philadelphia banker and philan
thropist, Anthony J. Drexel, who died
recently, left a fortune valued at $40,000,-
000. , If we remember correctly, the late
Rev. Dr. W. T. Brantly, in early man
hood, received an offer to embark with
him in business, but declined it from the
conviction that he was called cf God to
devote his life to the gospel ministry.
In subsequent years, the Dr. saw how
the wealth of which he had refused a
share grew, but he never regretted the
choice he had made, of what is more
than all wealth of earth—the work and
the reward of the soul-saver. Men of the
world often fail to lay to heart many a
name, for the sake of writing itself
among preachers and pastors, has put
away as a temptation, the opportunity to
write itself high on the list of the
“merchant princes” and the “money
kings" of our country, and took no grief
in after times as though a hitter loss had
fallen on it. They can form no concep
tion of the personal disinterestedness in
hering in genuine love for Christ and in
the “passion for souls’, which he in
spires.
Rev. F. W. Richardson, a “Disciple’
(or “Camphellite”) of Denver, Col.;
writing, in the “Christian Evangelist,’’
about tlie anniversaries of our Northen
brethren in that city, "expects the Bap
tist to presently unite in complete fellow
ship with all Jinmersionists," Perhaps
so; after the pattern of a recent incident
in Providence, R. 1. A “Church of the
Yaoch” there, numbering over three
hundred members, and occupying a tine
house of worship built by themselves
several years ago. has. almost as a unit,
with Rev. Samuel Osler, its pastor for
thirty-six years, renounced the belief of
the Adventists,accepted bodily the “New
Hampshire Confession of Faith of the
Baptist Church,” and applied for mem
bership among us. Our Northern breth
ren, we dare say, are open to overtures
of that kind from “all Immersionists,”
not having the fear of “alien baptisms”
before their eyes as we of the South
have; anil if anything in their anniver
saries persuaded Mr. Richardson that
they were tending toward a Broader
Churchiam than the present as the basis
of fellowehip, it must have been some
thing, we are sure, which he miscon
strued.
“Donahoe's Magazine,” Boston, for
July, brings out these two facts: first,
that no Romanists are known to have
been in that city one hundred and thirty
seven years ago; ami secondly, that now
probably one-half of the population of
the city are Romanists. As Boston is
credited by the "Gazetteer” lying before
us witli 3*I3,(XX) inhabitants, it is obvious
that so great a change could not have
been brought about, us it were blindly,
since 175 G. by the mere natural operation
of social laws. There must have been a
mind that planned it and a power that
labored for its accomplishment. That
mind ami power were those of the Roman
hierarchy; and the change achieved was
the fruit of Rome's purpose to get into
her hand the reins of control over the
great cities of our land, as centres of in
fluence over tiie land Itself. Now, wo
are not afraid of Rome. We have no
shadow of apprehension that she will
ever prove the mistress of our country.
But we arc not inclined for that reason
to give her our cities. They are not
hers, and whenever the issue comes for
freedom or for truth, she will find that
they cannot be. Christ has other and
higher heritage for them—not the Pope’s,
but His own.
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
REV. ROSWELL H - GRAVES-. M- D
BY REV. W.M. B. MCGAIUTY.
I interested in Missions to
Cli.i. . ->ut love this consecrated
man. i. / years after he was baptized
in 1848 into the fellowship of Dr. Rich
ard Fuller’s church, in Baltimore, he
heard Rev. J. L. Shuck make an appeal
for China. Mr. Shuck had spent many
years in and around Canton, and made
the heart of young Graves "bleed for the
four hundred million without the knowl
edge of Jesus>' After taking the de
gree of Doctor of Medicine, he was ac
cepted by the Board, ami ordained by
bis home church. He sailed for China
April, 17,185(1. He began his work with
unusual earnestness and determination.
After mastering the language sufficient
ly for ordinary purposes he began preach
ing and healing the sick, and did much
good distributing tracts, copies of the
Gospel, and other religious books. In
a few years his companion missionary
Bro. Gaillard died, and left him alone on
the Held, but he pressed his work with
great zeal. Dr. Graves believes in train
ing the native converts to preach and do
other kinds of religious work, so as ear
ly as 18(>(i he had eight assistants who
“aided him to carry the work far into the
interior.” This year he traveled 1000
miles on Chinese boats, distributed near
ly ten thousand tracts, maintained two
dispensaries which were visited by near
ly seven thousand patients, kept up the
work at two stations, eighty and two
hundred miles, respectively, from Can
ton, besides his regular work at Can
ton.
Dr. Graves has done much work among
the students who tloek to Canton to the
government examinations, The students
frequently cry out “Foreign Ghost,” but
Dr, Graves says “1 thought of that king
dom whose foundation 1 was laying in
this land, a kingdom that will go on in
creasing when lam in the dust. 1, its
only representative, might be a gazing
stock and a butt of ridicule, but afte
awhile the glorious Head will come, and
to him every knee will bow and every
tongue will confess him to lie the Lord.”
This was written twenty-live years ago.
He has continued Ids work during this
period, except while in America for rest,
lie has seen the foundations laid, and
hundreds brought to Christ; while thou
sands have heard of him. No constitu
tion could long stand the work above
spoken of, so in 18(18, Dr. Graves’ health
failed and he was ordered by the Board
to return to America, but he would not
quit his post till he hail finished his
chapel in Canton. Two years later, he
left the mission in charge of trained
native preachers, ami sailed for America.
Our Canton mission church had one
hundred and twenty members at this
time. There has been a steady increase
in the number of conversions at this
mission. Last year there were sixty
one.
While Dr, Graves was in America, the
mission was re-enforced by Rev. E. Z.
Simmons. After a rest of two years, Dr.
Graves resumed his work in China, as
sisted by Mrs. Graves, formerly Miss
Jane W. Norris, who until her death,
sixteen years later, labored with great
efficiency for the salvation of- Chinese
women.
Since 1891, the work of Dr. Graves and
Bro. Simmons has been somewhat one
and the same. So we cannot say what
eacli has done, but through the efforts of
these, and our other noble missionaries
at Canton, the little band has increased to
seven hundred and ten, and gave last
year, fourteen hundred dollars to the
Lord’s work.
In reading Dr. Graves’ letters and
studying his work, one is impressed with
the amount of work he has done. He
was not satisfied witli the ordinary
knowledge of Chinese, and so as early
as 1807 he had sufficiently learned writ
ten Chinese to publish three works. In
the midst of Ids many duties lie has con
tinued the study of the language till he
has become one of the best linguists
(Chinese) in China. He has published a
book on Homiletics for his theological
students, Notes on the Parables, a hymn
book, a .Scripture-Geography and a Life
of Christ. A year or so ago he was ap
pointed on the committee to revise the
Old and New Testaments, which it is
hoped will be used all over the Empire.
Besides this immense amount of liter
ary work, he has kept up his regular
preaching, treating patients—some years
as many as ten thousand cases, distribu
tion of tracts and teaching a theological
class. In May. 1880, he writes that he is
growing weak and unable to preach
more than two or three times per week,
besides his Sunday services.
Dr. Graves believes in multiplying
himself by projecting his personality on
his converts. 8o for twenty-five years
he has selected the most promising from
the converts and formed them into theo
logical classes. The phenominal success
of this mission is due largely to this wise
policy. Some of these trained converts
have become efficient preachers. At
present this mission has twenty-one na
tive assistants, three of whom are or
dained preachers. Many who have at
tended this school are laymen, but be
cause of thorough training in Bible doc
trine, are good Christian workers
Dr. .Simmons writes thus of one who
died last year: “Deacon .Sin was seventy
live years old and has been a member of
the church for more than thirty years.
Ho has always been a zealous, consistent
Christian. It is largely due to his influ
ence by precept ami example, that the
Shin Hing church has attained its present
efficency.”
Os course Dr. Graves could never have
accomplished his great work without
an unswerving belief in Christ. With
him, there is no doubt about the conver
sion of China. He believes that their
great need is Christ, and has used every
thing in bls power to give them a knowl
edge of Christ.
His letters tell about his work, but lit
tle about him. God has greatly blessed
the work of this noble Christian man.
Mexico. — Rev,W. IL Stevan after six
months tour among the Baptist Mission
Stations in Mcxlo reports the Ameri
can Home Mission Society a deplorable
spiritual condition among the Mexicans.
The Gospel however is progressing and
the Baptists are encouraged. The gov
ernment now affords protection to Pro
testants and the time is at hand when
great progress can be made, if only the
proper effort Is made.
In tno City of Mexico the need for in
creased school accommodations and
printing facilities has become so urgnnt
that Mr. Sloan hjis been directed by the
Board of the Homo Mission Society to
visit Baptists in the East and raise—if
possible—the sum of thirteen hundred
dollars, with which to meet the immcr
goncy. so that our press in the city can
do bettor work for Our Sunday-Schools,
and Gospel helps can be provided for
the children.
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. AUGUST 24.1893.
THE MAN OF SIN.
BY S. G. UILLYEB.
Continued from August 10.
Constantine, no doubt, meant well,
in calling the Council of Nice. • His
aim was to restore peace to the
churches, which at that time were
infested with various heresies. These
had given rise to fierce and angry
controversies. What could be more
desirable than, if possible, to heal
these divisions? The council of
Nice was an honest effort in that di
rection.
But mark: If there had not been
a departure from the primitive
teachings of the Apostles, the coun
cil of Nice would never have been
called—there would have been
no use for it. It was because the
“falling away” had commenced that
such a council was deemed neces
sary.
But mark again: That council
was itself “a falling away.” It was
the first step towards the union of
church and state. Here was a de
parture from the church polity of
the Apostles, more pregnant with
evil than any that had yet occurred.
The bishops soon found that it was
to their interest to court the favor of
the Emperor. On the other hand,
the Emperor had already found out
that the Christians liad become a
a powerful factor in the state,
which it was his interest to concil
iate. The union between them was
meretricious and its outcome has
been evil and that continuously.
Not long after this union was es
tablished, there emerged, from the
confusion of the times, the fascinat
ing theory of a universal or Catho
lic church, including, in one vast or
ganization, all the churches of the
world. The gradual assumption,
by the bishops of ecclesiastical au
thority over weaker and neighboring
churches, was making rapid progress
towards diocesion episcopacy. This
naturally led to struggles among the
bishops for supremacy over wider
territories, and for pre-eminence over
one another. This so-called Catho
lic church must have a head. Long
and fierce was the struggle “who
should he the greatest.” And just
about 225 years after the council of
Nice. Boniface 111 of Rome was pro
claimed by the Emperor Phocas the
universal bishop of all Christendom.
In Him we have standing up before
us the embodiment of Romanism.
For want ot space, 1 have given
the merest sketch of the order of
events among the churches, prior to
the time of Boniface. Could 1 give
the details of history, I feel sure the
points which I have taken, would be
confirmed. And we could see how
truly Paul foretold the events that
should precede the “day of Christ.”
History shows that there was a
“falling away” from the faith of the
Gospel; and that the out-come of
apostery was the revelation of Ro
manism with the pope at its head,
Romanism stands,in history,exactly in
the same place that the “man of sin”
stands, in the prophecy. Hence, we
must conclude that Romanism with
the pope, was clearly represented by
the “man of sin,” —the lawless one.
In further support of the forego
ing conclusion, history shows that
the characteristics, ascribed by Paul
to the man of sin, agree in sense and
meaning with the blasphemous as
sumptions of the Podes.
Now, 1 know, very well, that many
able commentators do not accept the
above conclusion. Os course Catho
lics could hardly bo expected to ac
cept it. And yet,it is a significant fact
given by good authority that Gregory
the Ist sometimes called Gregory the
great who was the immediate prede
cessor of Boniface 111, “applied the
prophecies,concerning the beast,in the
revelation;and the “man of sin,” and
the apostasy, mentioned by St. Paul,
“to him who should presume to claim
the title of universal priest, or uni
versal bishop in the Christian
church.” (See Rel. Enc. by J. N.
Brown, page 89. Art. Antichrist.)
On the same authority we are told
that a few other Catholics, a few
centuries later, were candid enough
to advance the same opinion. Greg
ory Ist did not bear the title; but
his successor, Boniface,did accept it,
and transmitted it to his successors
down to the present time.
Protestant commentators have
been divided upon the subject. Some
have tried to find the “little horn”
of Daniel, the “man of sin,” of Paul,
and the beast and false prophet of
John, somewhere else, than in Ro
manism and the Pope. But these
writers are not agree among them
selves. On the other hand, there are
many commentatoes equally able
and candid who while they may
vary as to many details and in their
modes of statement, yet agree that
the above symbols all point to one
and the same power, whoso charac
teristics, as given by the prophets are
found in Romanism with the Popo
at its head.
In view of these facts I was sur
prised to find that the American
Commentary, though written by a
Baptist, rejects the interpretation
just given. The learned writer of that
Commentary finds Paul’s “man of
sin,” in Judaism and the Jews! But
the chronology, implied in Paul’s
words, lenders such an explanation
of the symbol (impossible. Paul’s
design was, primarily, to settle a
question of time. The Thesalonians
had been told, by somebody, that
“the day of Christ was at hand.” To
correct this error, the Apostle, in his
second letter, assures them that there
must bo, first, a wide .spread “falling
away” from the true faith, and a
“revelation of the man of sin” before
the “day of Christ,” (whatever that
may mean) should come, —thus plac
ing its coming in the indefinite future.
True the Jews had fallen away from
the Law which Jehovah had given to
their fathers at Mt. Sinai; they had
“taught for doctrines, the command
ments of men ;” and had “made the
Law of none effect by their tradi
tions.” It is also true, that the Jews
were intensely anti-christian. From
the beginning of the Saviour’s minis
try “they sought how they might
destroy him ;” and they never rested
till they had crucified him. And
after his death they continued to
persecute his followers, as long as
they had tho power, and might well
be called “an antichrist;” for John
says: There are many antichrists.
Again, it is true that tho power of
the Jews was, in a few years later,
destroyed by the Lord’s coming (or
presence) in bis Judicial providence,
through the instrumentality of the
Roman legions.
It may be claimed that these facts
do give support to the interpretation
of the American Commentary. But,
1 still insist, that its crucial test is
its want of harmony with Paul’s
chronology. The apostasy of the
Jews had already occurred. Their
opposition to Christ was then present,
and their power was broken within
that generation. Now Paul was evi
dently speaking of things which he
foresaw in the indefinite future.
And history tells us, that in that
future, there did occur a falling away
from the faith of the Gospel, which
did, at length, lead to the revelation
of the Papacy, the greatest apostasy
of all, which embodies in itself the
characteristic marks of the “man of
sin.”
Having thus found Romanism with
the Pope nt its head to be tho man
of sin, we have now to look for the
destruction of this great and anti
christian power. The same prophe
cy which foretold its coming, fore
tells its overthrow. How shall this
be accomplished? Tho Lord shall
destroy the man of sin “with the
breath of his mouth, and by the
brightness of his com w.” In these
wolfs we liaw t'-.c ‘l.n .uer to tlm
question, provided we can rightly
interpret the figures. I think “the
breath of his nioutn” means the
preach-ed Gospel; for his breath gave
forth his words, and his words make
tip his Gospel,—which is both the
power and the wisdom of God. Then
in connection with the preach-ed
Gospel, shall be “the brightness of
his coming.” Now, I know that
some understand these words to de
note the visible return of Christ to
reign in person over the earth. But
it has been shown in former papers,
that the “coming of Christ” is often
used to denote an invisible coining
in tho exercise of his judicial provi
dences, and in the power and demon
stration of his spirit. And I think
this is the sense of the text before
us; for it is not only in harmony with
the meaning of other passages, where
his coining is mentioned; but the
Greek seems to favor it. Our old
translation is not accurate. Tho
Revised Version gives it thus:
“Whom (the lawless one) the Lord
Jesus shall slay with the breath of
his mouth, and bring to naught by
the manifestation of his coming” (or
presence which is given in the mar
gin). With this translation the
sense is plain; for the manifestation
of Christ’s presence with his people
is often evident while his person is
invisible.
So I conclude that Romanism
shall be overthrown by the preach
ed Gospel, under the influences of
the Holy Spirit, ami the co-operation
of divine providence. And I think
its fall will be closely connected
with the triumph of Christianity in
all the world.
POWER OF GOD.
BY BEV. F, JOHNSON.
Romans 1: Hi, IT, 18, 19, —“I am
not ashamed of tho gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God unto sal
vation to every one that believeth ;
to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek. For therein is the righteous
ness of God revealed from faith to
faith: as it is writen, the just shall
live by faith. For tho wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of
mon, who hold tho truth in unrighte
ousness : Because that which may
bo known of God is manifest in
them ; for God hath showed it unto
them.”
There arc hero presented to us
throe of the greatest things that we
can think of. The power of Gpd, the
righteousness of God, tho wrath of
God. And these are not presented
as merely subjects of speculation,
interesting to curious inquirers, but
without any practical bearing on
human lives. On the other hand
they are presented as most nearly
concerning each one of us, both now
and forevermore. It is not their
grandeur which attracts the attention
of learned hearers.(?) Rather is it
their most intimate connection with
the hourly wants and eternal needs of
immortal but weak man, whom
Nature impels to shun danger and
seek safety. It is, I say, not a phil
osophical interest, but the feeling of
their transcendent importance to us,
that engages our attention to these
things.
We look not upon the wrath of
God, as a traveller upon the 1 limma
laya Mountains, with a certain feel
ing of awe, but wholly unconnected
with any personal interest of his.
But we look upon the wrath of God
as a dweller in some Alpine Valley,
upon the Avalanche, ready to fall up
on him, and destroy both him and
his.
Power of God. Paul says, “I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God,etc.” Power
is not a thing to "be ashamed of. The
very least degrees of power do not
excite shame. The power of God,
which is the highest of all power, is
least of all, something to be ashamed
of. The power of God is omnipo
tence. In all displayes of Omnipo
tence there is something admirable.
In some displys of it, it may excite
terror —never can it be a thing to be
ashamed of. Power may be shown
in two ways,—in saving and in de
stroying.
Power to save is greater than
power to destroy. The Omnipo
tence to save is greater than Omnip
otence to destroy. It was a more
admirable exertion of power to save
Noah and family in the ark, than to
destroy the rest of mankind by the
flood. Again, it was a greater thing
to save Israel by means of the Red
Sea, than to destroy Pharaoh’s host
by means of tho same Sea.
But now the salvation of believers,
through the gospel, is the very high
est exhibition of the power to save,
that either men or angels have ever
witnessed. For in Ephesians 3 :10,
11, we read that the manifold wisdom
of God is made known to tho princi
palities and powers in tho heavenly
places, through the assembly, accord
ing to the purpose of the ages, which
he purposed in the Christ Jesus our
Lord. That is to say, of all the dis
plays of God’s power, tho one he
selects to make known his many
sided wisdom, to the heavenly hier
archy, is this exhibition of power,
made in the Ecclesia (wo misrender
church) the whole assembly, called
out of all nations, tongues and fami
lies of mankind, by the voice of God
in the glad-tidings which th" C'.u 1-1
brought from heaven, and conducted
safe through time, into the haven
of God’s eternal rest.
All the power of God displayed in
destruction, has a relation to some
following and more glorious recon
struction. Any power of destruction
without such subservience to a fol
lowing reconstruction, however vast
the range, and however frightful the
violence of it, would betray a power
short of God’s power.
We see in Nature, that death and
destruction are antecedents of life
and reconstruction. All God’s de
structions and damnations have a re
lation to reconstructions and salva
tions, though neither 1 nor any man
that ever lived or ever will live (sav
ing only the man Jesus the Christ) can
either see it or point it out to others.
Destruction, pure and simple, pro
ceeds from Hate. Now God is Love,
lie destroys, but ever with a view to
rebuild. He kills, to make alive.
The wrath of God. That from
which the gospel is God’s power to
save the man who believes it, is the
wrath of God.
Tho wrath of God is always rep
resented in Scripture as something
in the highest degree terrible and to
bo feared. Thus in tho Ist chapter
of Nahum : “God is jealous and the
Lord revengeth ; the Lord revengeth
and is furious ; the Lord will take
vengeance upon his adversaries and
reserveth wrath for his enemies.”
The Lord is slow to anger, and
great in power, but will by no means
leave always unpunished. The Lord
hath his way in the whirl-wind, and
the clouds are the dust of his feet.
He rebuketh the sea, and maketli it
to dry, and dricth up all the rivers.
Bashan languisheth and Carmel, and
tho flower of Lebanon languisheth.
The mountains quake at him, and
the hills melt, and the earth is burn
ed up at his presence, yea the world
and all that dwell therein. Who can
stand before his indignation? and
who can abide in the fierceness of
his anger? His fury is poured out
like fire, and tho rocks are thrown
down by him.” I might multiply
passages from other profits. Moses
saith Isral’s God is a consuming
fire.
But now, one may ask how this
fierce wrath is consistent with those
passages which declare the mercy of
God, and particularly with what
John says, “God is love.”
Observe in answer Ist. It is in
conceivable that ho who loves should
not hate ; and that tho hate bo pro
portioned to tho love, Infinite love
begets infinite hatred of that which
is the opposite of the infinitely loved.
God infinitely loves truth and justice.
Ho must infinitely hate the lie and
injustice. Wo are the image of God.
Do we not hate what hurts our loved
ones ? He that hateth nothing lovetli
naught.
Hear tho Psalmist, 139th Psalm,
verses 21-22, “Do not I hate them
oh Lord who bate Thee? And am
not I grieved with those who rise
up against Thee ? 1 hate them witli
a perfect hatred, I count them mine
enemies.”
2. In man anger and specially a
very fierce anger, upsets his reason,
and hurries intojunreasonable, unjust
and unbecoming acts. Not so witli
God. God is perfect. When most
angry He is just as reasonable, just,
and observant of what is proper, as
he is when not angry. God’s love
to me will never make him wink at
my sins, nor will his anger ever in
flict a penalty disproportioned to
those sins.
Our anger makes us mad. Not so
with God. His anger is as just, as
his love is kind. 1 expect from his
love the greatest kindness, but from
His anger 1 need fear no injus
tice.
Os this anger it is said, it is re
vealed from heaven against all un
godliness and unrighteousness of
men, who hold the truth in un
righteousness.
Let me explain some words hero.
Ungodliness is not reverencing
God, irreverence, impiety, unrighte
ousness is injustice, wrong-doing to
man, this has two main forms, vio
lence, fraud. Either tho unjust man
abuses his superior power to oppress
; his fellow man, or else lie abuses his
j superior knowledge to defraud him.
These two forms of injustice are of
ten in the Scriptures mentioned to
gether.
In Isaiah 53: 9-10, in sotting forth
tho sinlessness of the Christ ’tis
said when rightly translated and
punctuated, “Though he had done no
violence, neither was any deceit in
his mouth, yet it pleased Jehovah to
bruise him.” Sometimes our trans-
I lators use tho word guile, instead of
fraud or deceit.
Impiety springs from want of lovo
to God, and shows itself in breaking
the commandments written on the
first table of the law. Injustice springs
i from want of love to man, and breaks
j tiie commandments on the second ta-
I ble of the law. Thetwo words,impiety
j and injustice express tho whole com
i pass of sin, which is lawlessness.
To hold the truth, in injustice, or
with injustice, is to know the truth
and do it not.
Tiie truth moans tiie true idea of
God, as made known to man in the
works of creation, ami the word of
revelation. God the father and man
tho brother. This is tho aggravation
of man’s hnpietv and injustice that
i he knew (»o<l a /. Lis father, ami loved
I him not and revered him not as fa
i tlier ; and knowing man as brother,
| he loved him not, but wronged him,
I sometimes by violence, and some
| times by fraud.
Now observe, this wrath is rcveal-
I ed against all tiie impiety and injus
: tice of men who know their duty
I but will not do it. Against all. It
j is impartial.
It strikas a -Tew as well as a Gen
! tile, the mitred priest as well as the
| bare-headed peasant. Il strikes tiie
i crowned King, housed in Cedarn
' palaces, as well as tiie meanest beg
; ger, houseless and unsheltered from
tiie pitiless storm. It strikes the
fruitless professor of Christianity as
' well as tiie avowed atheist, tiie pas
tors and deacons as well as tiie of
licelessjmembers of the church. All,
I no matter who they are, wiio know
, their duty and do it not.
The wrath of God strikes them,
j And nothing in heaven, earth or
I he 11 can screen him from the stroke
of his wrath, who knows his duty
| and does it not. It struck angels
1 from heaven. It banished Adam
from Eden, and drowned the Antedi
i luvian world.
This wrath struck Miriam at tiie
' door of tiie secret tent, ami over
shadowed by the cloud, that wrap
ped Jehovah from mortal eyes. It
burned to aslies, 25(1 priests in the
act of burning incense at Jehovah's
altar. If it struck I’haroah’s host
pursuing Israel, it also slew all the
men of war in that pursued Isarael
| excepting only two. It was as im
partial and terrible in its stroke,
j whether tiie sinning one, was an
j Egyptian or an Israelite. In the
Sanctuary, on tiie throne, in the
palace, or tiie hovel, in tiie city and
in the field, on land and by sen, Jews
and Gentiles, Christian ami heathen,
this wrath of God is revealed against
them all, who know and will not do
their duty. And there is nothing
which can shield the impious and
unjust man.
Oli man! so often warned, so
abundantly taught—why wilt thou
persist to hold tiie truth in unrigh
j teoiisness, until tho wearied out pa-
I tienee of God forbear no longer,
' and His wrath reveals itself from
1 heaven, as the lightning resistless,
I swift and sure? and thou how a
j man at heaven’s gate and within
' Mercy’s reach, art oast into hell,
I where no hand of mercy is stretched
out to thee, and no voice of mercy
! is heard forevermore? It is revealed
from heaven—Whence shall it be
revealed but from heaven, since God
is in heaven ?
This word “from heaven” ex
presses tho helplessness of tho man,
who knowing will not do his duty, in
tho day of God’s wrath. A danger
that assails mo from earth, I may
make some defence against it. It
approaches mo on a horizontal plane.
VOL. 70—NO. 33-
I may build a wall against it. But
this ruin from heaven, when my
destruction comes perpendicularly
down from heaven right over head,
what can I do? You know the doc
trine of falling bodies, that they fall
witli a rapidly augmenting velocity’,
being as the squares of the seconds
they are in falling, so that it is easy
to conceive that a bullet elevated to
a sufficient height, would in falling
require a momentum, a destructive
force, greater than the mass of the
earth would have if falling from
only the Height one mile. Suppose
a mass like this globe fell on thee
from the height of cne mile, what
would or could save thee? The
wrath of God falling from heaven
upon thee, what is, what can be thy
defence ? Face tiie cyclone in its
fury, plunge into tho crater of an
active volcano, brave any and all
dangers—but provoke not the wrath,
of the just God!
The next tiling to be noticed is
the word “is revealed”—Better, “is
revealing itself.” It denotes not an
accomplished fact, but a process. It
expresses a general truth to which
there is no exception. This wrath
has been revealing itselt from tho
moment, when the Serpent’s lie be
got in Eve’s soul, tho lust of eating
tiie forbidden fruit, down to this mo
ment, and will continue to unfold
itself, so long as our earth harbors
one man, who knowing his duty
will not do it. It revealed itself
from heaven, (to specify a few in
stances) as a flood blotting sinners
and their works from the face of tho
earth. Again a shower of fire and
brimstone from heaven, on Jordan’s
well watered plains, when 4 cities
with their crowds of sinners sank be
neath the dead sea’s salt flood, to
rise no more, till the heavens and the
earth be no more. It revealed itself
in Jerusalem’s destruction twice re
peated, and in the dispersion of the
Jews ’till this day. It revealed it
self in the overthrow of the Egyptian
Assyrian, Persian, Greek and
Roman Empires.
It reveals itself throughout every
period of the middle ages, and is
now revealing itself in the death
struggles of dynasties, Civil and Ec
clesiastical, in the agitation of every
society of sinful man.
It reveilles itself, when the drunk
ard squanders property, alienates
his friends, wrecks all hopes founded
on him, loses health, darkens a
splendid reputation, and ruins the
noblest faculties pf his immortal
mind, and then Hings his whisky—
rotten carcass into tiie •Irunkan.’s
unhonored grave. In all the misery,
the wars and diseases, the mischances
and the failures, floods and droughts,
poverty's famine and wealths glut,
powers oppression and weakness’
outcry ; in heart aches and salt tears,
in fiendish curses, and abject en
treaties, in 10,000 forms ami at every
tick of the clock, to 1,500,000 human
beings sinning against knowledge—
in their collective groups of nations,
in their subdivisions as families and
as individual units, in every step
from the cradle to the grave, this
wrath, this punitive justice of God,
exacting the penalties of violated
law, is revealing itself. He tiiat
hath ears, let him hear, and lie that
hath eyes, let him|look and see.
Tiie righteousness of God. If I
had not been able to point out to
you a safe refuge, and storm-proof
shelter from this tempest of tho
wrath of God provoked by your sins,
tiiat is even now falling upon you,
from heav< n, but will in the last day
culminate in such violence as to
sweep away not earth only, but even
the heavens. Had I not known a
way of escape God provided—l had
preserved a sad silence and waited
speechless for the universal ruin.
But to point out this sure refuge
from the comini; storm, in the rinh
teoiisness of God, bestowed through
faith on the believers, would make
this discourse too long. Tiie only
shield from tiie wrath of God, is the
Righteousness of God. That you be
not involved in and destroyed by tho
wratli of God falling on you from
heaven,you must be clothed witli the
righteousness of God, through faitii,
which is unto and upon all them that
believe in Jesus tho Christ.
THE BRAKEMAN AT CHURCH-
Tho Burlington Hawkeye gets off
tho following good tiling on “Tiie
Brakeman at Church:”
(>n the road onco more, with Le
banon fading away in tho distance,
tiie fat passenger drumming idly on
tlio window pane, the cross passeng
er sound asleep,and tiie tall, thin pas
senger reading “Gen. Grants Tour
Around tiie World,” and wondering
wliy “Blair’s Keystone Stationery”
should be written above the doors of
“A Buddhist Temple at Benares.” To
me comes tho brakeman, and seating
himself on the arm of the seat says:
“1 went to church yesterday.”
“Yes?” 1 said, with that interested
inflection tiiat asks for more, And
what church did you attend?”
“Which do you guess?” lie asked.
“Some union mission church?” I
hazarded.
“No,” he said, “I don’t like to run
on these branch roads very much. [
don’t often go to church; when I do,
1 want to run on the main line,where
your run is regular and you go on
schedule time; and don’t have to
wait on connections. I don’t like to