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The Bible Standard June 1879

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    T~E

    iltlt ~taudard+ISSUED MONTHLY BY THE

    Bible Standard Publicatio n Society , St . P au l's Bui ld ings, 28, Patern oster Row, London.

    EDITED BYG eo. A . B R OW N, P a s t or o f Mint Lan e Baptist Church, Lincoln.

    THEBI BLE STAND ARDs devoted to the exposition of Biblic al Truth, e specially the d octrine of C onditi onal Immortality, the literal Resurrection ofthe D ead, th e Final Destructi on of the Wicked, the Signs of the Time s, the Second C oming of Christ, and H is Personal Reign on earth.

    " The Wages of Sin is Death; but th e gift of God is Et er nal L ife thr oug h J esus Chr ist our Lord."

    No. 21. JUN E , Price Id.8 79.

    KNOW LEDGE SHALL INCREASE.

    " But t hou, 0 Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even tothe time of the end: m any shall run to and fro, an d kno wledge shall beincreased . "

    IN the above p assage the a ssurance is given that at the" time of the end" th ere would be a search for a kno wledgeof the things which the ang el had rev ealed to Dani el, andsome wou ld obta in it, for it is written, "the wise sha llundersta nd.' '

    Dr. A. CLA RK 'S note on this pa ssage read s-"Many shall nm to and fro: many shal l endeavour to

    sear ch out the s ense, and knowled ge shall be incr eased bythese m eans. This s eems to be the me aning of thi s verse,though anoth er has been put upon it, vi z.: 'Many shallrun to and fro, preachin g the Gospe l of Chri st, and, th ere-

    fore, reli gious know ledge an d true wis dom shall be in-crease -d.' This is true in itse lf; but it is not the meaningof the prophet's words ."

    MATTH EWHE NRYcomments f reely on the p assage, andamong oth er th ings says: "They shall read it over andover, sh all meditat e upon it: th ey shall disc ourse of it , talkit ov er, sift out the meaning of it, and thu s knowl edge sh all

    be increased."The Fr ench Tr anslation. published by the American Bible

    Hociety, rend ers the p assage fo llowing "the time of theend" thus: "When many shall run all ov er it (or throughit), and to th em knowledge shall be incr eased ."

    The O ld English Bib le, printed by Barke r in 1580, ha sthis mar ginal note: "Many shal l run to and fro to searchthe knowl edge of th ese mysteries."

    Dr. GILL says: "Man y sha ll ru n to and f ro, and knowledgeshal l be increased; "that is, tow ards the end of the timeappointed, many shall be st irred up to inquire into thesethings d eliver ed in thi s book, and w ill spare no pains orcos t to get a know ledge of them; w ill" ;read and study theScriptures, a nd meditate on them: compare one passage with

    ano ther, spiritu al things with spiri tual, in order to obtainthe mind of Christ; will car efull y pe ruse the w ritings ofsuch, who h ave gone b efore th em, who have attemp ted any-

    thing of thi s kind; and will go far an d near to con versewith p ersons th at have a ny under standing o f such thin gs,and by s uch mean s, w ith th e blessing of God upon th em,the kno wledge of this book of pr ophecy will be in creased,and things wi ll app ear p lainer and cl earer th e nearer theaccomp lishment of t hem is, and especi ally wh en prophec y

    and f acts c an be compared; and not only thi s kind of know-edge , but knowl edge of all spiritu al thin gs, of all evangelic altruths and doctrine s, will be abundantly enlarged at thi stime."

    " The word translated run to and f ro is metaphoricall y.used to denote inve stigation, clo se, dilig ent, accurat e ob-

    servation,-ju st as the eyes of the Lord are said to run t oand fro. The re ference is not to mission ary exertions inparticular, but to the study of these Scriptures to find outtheir m~aning." _

    Luther 's rendering of it is as follo ws :-- .

    "And now, D aniel, shut up the se word s and s eal thi sboo k, until the la st times, when many s hall come ov er itand find great und erstandin g."

    We think that none who are at all acquainted with th eliter ature which h as been produc ed in thi s ce ntury o nprophetic subject s, can fail to r ecognize a wonder ful fulf il-ment of this rem arkable pas sage. Men in all p arts of th e

    wor ld have devo ted th emse lves to the special study of th emysteries record ed in the Book of Daniel, an d have beenenabled to brin g out the tru th revea led ther ein, in a remar k-able manner. In th e word s of Dr . Se iss, "M any of themdiffer with each other ; but the y differ mostly as the clocksof the same city,-onl y in minut es, not in hou rs. Theirleading conclusions are the sam e. In every denominatio n,and in every Chri stian co untr y, the subje ct of prophecy i sbeing studied and a gitated. Everyw here there are men of

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    194 THE BIBLE STANDARD.

    God proclaiming the gre at doctrine of Christ's speedycoming to reign with Hi s saints upon the earth (to whichevent the Book of Dani el is speci ally set apart). InEngland, in Scotland, in Fr ance, in America, in G ermany,in Norway, in Ru ssia, in Indi a, in the i sles of the sea, thecry h as been raised, " Behol d, the Bride gr oom cometh, g o ye

    out to me et Him." Never, never since the days of the earlyChristians, has there been so mu ~h earnest longing, exp ect-ing, preaching, believing, and pra ying upon the subj ect ofthe nearness of "Christ 's coming. "

    It cannot b e truthfully disputed th at, during the last halfcentury, the attention of the Church has been called to thestudy of the prophetic Scriptures, in a manner never b eforewitne ssed, and with an intensity and earnestness of investi -gat ion th at is irreconcilabl e with any theory that denies thatGod i s thu s movi ng upon th e people , and preparing Hischosen ones for Rome manifestation of Hi s deal ings withthem, the natu re of which can only be known by a car eful

    and pr ayerful study of His Word.Dear Reader, may we urge upon you the nec essity of It

    preparation to m eet your Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, forsurel y we a re come to " the time of the end, " when know -ledze sho uld incr ease , and the spirit of inve stigation shouldo take poss ession of m en's min ds and he arts upon the greatevents so mi nutely given in the " sure word of proph ecywher eunto," says an in spired apo stle, "ye do well that yetake he ed, as unto a light that shin eth in a dark place, untilthe d ay dawn, and the d ay-s tar arise in your hearts."

    VENERABLE ERRORS .

    By C. COLEGROVE .-

    ONEof the most commonly suggested objections, and one,in fact, scarcely ever wanting in the mouth of those who donot yet understand or r eceive the truth, i s this: "Yourdoctr ine wi ll en courage t he wicked. If they think they shallbecome ext inct, if that is all the penalty of sin, all thepuni shment of t ransg ressi on, they w ill not repent ; theywill continue in sin."

    Now let us consider thi s allegation, for it is b y many bothemplo yed and r eceived as an off-h and and in superablebarrier aga inst imagined error. It has a kind of solemnityand seriou sness in i ts seemin g, as if it w ere impos sible orsacril egious to refute or deny it. It is really, however, asolemn f alsehood, since error mak es sacredness a kind ofgarb for itself, and Sata n is the captain of this particularplato on. Untruth is no l ess untruth for being robed in sob erliver y. Error is no less error for b eing held conscientiously .For the v ery rea son that con science is a vital faculty , we seethe n ecessity of its illumin ation, Truth i s superior even toconscienc e, for truth cannot lie, but con science may be sadly

    dark ened.

    The first qu estion i s, and alw ays should be, Wha t is trueWhat has God said? What is the divid ing l ine b etweinspiration and tradition? One thin g I have found, anthat i s, not everything I have b een tau ght is tru e. Neverything which is affirmed or defended by great men itrue. Learning and erudition and reputation, and even

    amiable and excellent qualities, do not guarantee securityfrom error or doctrinal impurity. Personal dignity, influence, or estim ablene ss, do not answer for this guarantee.We should be Berean -like and se arch. A mere honesopinion that the doctrine of wicked men 's destruct ion wdo harm in encouraging wickedne ss, may after all be mitaken. It needs a long sight-an eye keen enough to lookthrough to th e end-to qualify for decision on this questionAt least, such a faculty is nece ssary to prov e that the m enaof endless mis ery will do more good in a wi cked worthan the men ace of de ath. We may assume h astily. Wmay decide from a long-ent ertained opinion , from education

    and especially we may think we must be right; because wehave such a peculiar and conscientious s ensitivenessdefence of what is venerable from lon g and able pulpi

    . ministrations.

    Before we can decide eff ectively in f avour of old opinionsand beliefs , we must con sider whether they have not doninf initely more mischief than we suppose the oppo steaching and faith m ay do. Here ar e purgatory, spiritu alismuniversalism, and infidelity to be surveyed , rising upAlpine ran ges of evil ; and how much has the t eachingendless torm ent done to rear these fearful and rugged ma sson e arth! Let the subject be surveyed imp artially an

    thorou ghly.Yes! the question we repeat, What h as God s aid? L

    us decide and divide betw een God 's truth and Satanfalsehoods. Is it not satanic policy to mingle li es witruth,-one great lie with twenty gre at truths for exampleIs is not di abolic cunning indeed, and i s it not a dut y aan advant age to detect and di scriminat e in such a ca .sBec ause God has borne with men who have b elieveduntruth, does God therefore love the untruth? BecauGod has mad e the great truth mighty in t aking out a. peoplfor His n ame, in spite of two or three prodi gious errorsdoes He therefore love or ble ss the errors ? No! A thousan

    times no ! And when the tim e has come for those error sbe expos ed and rooted out of t heolo gy, s hall we take tresponsibilit y of championin g the error s, because they avenerable? Because they have such a strong hold uponour minds? Because so man y exc ellent men, living andead, have taught them ? Because the y are so blendedour thoughts with gr eat and noble tru ths' Bec ause examinat ion is distasteful P Because we dread the possibility osuch a sad necessity as a revision of faith? Because we

    fear an el ement of distraction ? Because we cannot bea

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    THE BIBLE STANDARD . 195

    the thought of the odium of profes sing what may be thoughtby some a new gospel ora" damnable h eresy? "

    Which is better, error with eas e, or truth at all ha zard,or at any cost? Peace in the Church, with two or threerotten planks in our ship of doctrine , or agitation enoughto hunt out and ha ul out the dead timber, and put in the

    solid oak, where the dire defect is seen? Is not God 'shonour something, and is it not at stake? And in s uch anepoch of scorching, and agitation, and p erils, shal l we incurthe dreadful risk of being inundated wit h false dogmas,inv entions of Satan and wicked men, evils which haveactually grown out of or been enco uraged greatly by thevery errors we s till hold, a nd still affirm and p rotest . to betruth? I t is time to beware. Immense a nd alarming ev ilsare rising up whose roots in part, a t least, have s tartedfrom f alse doctrin es in the Church. Mighty st reams ofperil are rising and roaring around us, wh ich owe no t alittle of their turbid vi leness and alarming strength to

    certain confluent tides that have run out of f alse th eology,even in our Prot estantism. S atan's evil and bitter rootsshoot up their sure and b aneful st alks, and their branchessway and swin g wi th the poisonous fruit. Natural immor-tality and int erminable pangs, are fountains w hose cor-rupting water we see rushing forth in g reat a nd grimystreams of Satanic delu sion in these latter days. TheChurch, r ecovering step by step from su ndry dark inven-tions and f alse ide as of the middle ages, is sti ll hamperedwith a few, more subtile, long -rooted, and tenacious thanthe rest. The old falsehood, "Thou shalt not s urely die,"is not yet cleared o ut of our sacred p laces. Diaboli c

    heathenism still has life i n thriving erro rs, thrivi ng in ourvery gardens, th riving amid celestial plants, l urking likeserpents in our co uches.

    The question, we say, is, What is tr uth? Are we afraidto proclaim it? W ill not God take care of it? W hat shou ldbe the thought of that husbandman who dare no t sow hisseed for fear it would bring forth darnel? God will neverpermit the precious grains of truth to be transformed intotares . Nor will wheat destroy the e ater . It is made tonourish the body. We need not fear to utter boldly every-where what we beli eve, what w e know, what we have learnedfrom the Bible. "Bible versu s Tradition " is worthy t o be

    floated on our bann ers. That which has been se arched andsought and sifted and seen i s fit to be known. If we preachthe truth, God will see to it that it shall accomplish Hispurposes; and are not His purposes wise? ' A mere sug-gestion of harm, as incident to the f aithful p roclamation ofthe pure Gospel of Truth pre ached in correction of er ror,will never fright en a true man, a bo ld sta ndard -bear er.Faith is bold, and faith is bold whose basis is tr uth; truth ,tried, and fe lt, and seen. If I step on a rock, and stamp onit, and walk over it, and examine its stru cture and i ts

    strength, its vast and solid d epth , I have no f ear to stand onit, nor need have.

    Such is revelati on-the rev elation of man 's mort ality , andof sin's true penalty, death . Satan can no more charm m ewith the guise of sophi stry, or awe me with the he avenlysolemnity wi th which he raps up his d estroying poi sons.

    This is my comfort ; God will ta ke care of the truth. It i smy business to trumpet it, to utte r it, to promote it , todefend it, to stand s entry and sentinel to guard it.

    If it i s asseverated in apolo gy for the popul ar theology,that it has nouri shed and saved men, that it h as comfort edsaints, I answer , it is not the error in it that ha s producedthis result . By 110 means . Suppose it h ad bee n cu stom aryto mingle sugar of le ad in all our br ead by th e bak ers,under a vain a nd vague id ea that it was nutritious andesse ntial to hea lth. Or suppose a small atom of ar senicwas hid in eve ry mouthful of our me al because it be autifiesthe complexion, while life was not imm ediately destroyed

    by it . Shall such tampering be continu ed for u sage sak e,when the element is det ected and d eclared to b e poi son?It is v ery true this adult erated br ead has sustained life; ithas saved many a man from starvation; but i s it perfectlygood bre ad? Will we give it to our childr en? Shall wecontinu e to prepare and e at it simply becau se it is bett erthan no br ead? Sha ll we put in the ar senic or the leadbecause we have becom e accu stomed to it, and its absencewould be painful ly felt in some un wonted and unpl easa ntgastric sensation? By no means. We will hav e the p oisonout. We w ill no lo nger have it entering in to und ermin eour constitutions, alb eit we are k ept alive for year s by t hegluten and starch, in spite of the pernicious min erals. No.

    ,"Vewil lliave p ure bread. God has given it to us.We will wrest every advant age from our sl eepless and

    cunn ing enemy. Satan must be foiled. Let us join withGod in the good work. The universe shall be purified .Let us hold to no doctrines whose true origin can be trac edto the father of lies . We wi ll have no fellowship with thework or character of a being branded by the Son of God asthe one in whom the great first lie and all the les ser lieshave their paternity.

    Kind -hearted a nd honest read er, you p erhaps thin k thatyou are j ealous for the truth when you vi gorou sly def endthe common idea of man 's immor tality, and of an ete rnalhell . But what if you are defendin g false doctrin e? Youare hon est, and scrupul ous, and tenacious. You dr eadinnov ation s. You d eprecate new vi ews. You are st ronglyin favo ur of hol ding on to "se ttled point s." You b elieveyour d enomin ational creed and articles of fai th are Bible-based and indi sput able; but still, suppos e you are wro ng?Here are two grand pi llar s in revelation: "God only hat h.immor tal itq ; and" The sou l tha t sinne th it shall die." Lookwell, my brother, to your found ation . We a re in a siftin gand p erilous e poch. See th at you do not r eject th e lightshining on a creed, in which ar e visible certain assumptionsor declarat ions which never came from God.

    (To be oontinued-]

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    1 9B THE BIBLE STANDARD.

    WHEN?

    THE JUDGE and the criminal stand face to face. N ature,alone, smil es; how could it do oth erwise in Eden' s Garden?Still , wi thout, even it frown s. Th e penalty i s pronounced.God spake to Adam , sayin g, " In the swe at of thy fac e shaltthou eat br ead, till thou r eturn unto the ground ; for out ofit wast thou tak en; for du st thou ar t, and unto dust shaltthou return. " Then w as the criminal di smissed from theDivin e pre sence, thrust out of Eden with his guilty partner,and l eft to t aste the bitter fruit of sin. In anger the Judg ehides His face, withholds from His erring creature His f avourand c ommunion. ' This anger is just ; for his benefact ionshave been ill-rewarded. And so time flies, and thus it isrecorded : "And all the days th at Adam lived were 930years: and he DIED. " Now, sur ely, God's anger will belift ed and the human race for given? seeing that the ori ginaltrans gressors h ave paid the forfeit of their life and being, fortheir f olly of di sobedi ence. Nay, not so, for Eden still is

    sealed, and man's sorrow and suff ering continues.RARK,how the thund er roll s! the lightnings flash! S ee!

    how the h eaven s pour down their c ataracts, as though theatmo sphere had ch anged to tear s, for sin! See! how theearth r eels, and sta gger s as a drunken man; whil st itsspring s bur st through its surface, as though fed by the un-failin g ocean! Li sten! what shrieks of fear and d espairbur st from the terrifi ed multitud es, as they madly seek forrefuge in a r efugeles s flight! S ay! what means this?Read what i s wr itten: "For y et seven days, and I willcaus e it to r ain upon th e earth f orty days and forty nights;and every li ving sub stance th at I have made will I de stroyfrom off the face of the e arth. " Why? Because" Godlook ed upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for allflesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." And, thus,humanity-save Noah and his family-s-perished. Now,then, God's anger will be taken away! Surely! a new erawill now dawn upon the world? Surely! now we may singof joy , peace, purity, and gl adness? Nay, not so; noEden , yet. Paradi se lo st, st ill.

    WHAT m eans this mi ghty ho st, of seemingly endlesslength, marching, but not as to war? True, there areseemin gly countless numbers of stalwart men among them;but th ere are also t ender wom en and little children. Will

    the long column never end? What m eans this sight? TheWORD suppli es the an swer: "And the children of I sraeljourneyed from Ram eses to Succoth, about 600,000 on footthat were men, be side children. " These are God 's covenant -people, pa ssing from Eg ypt's bond age to Canaan 's freedom.On th eir way they are witne sses to God's mighty power, andEgypt 's just puni shment; as the Red Sea waters sing theirlullaby ov er the grave of th eir once ri gorous bondmasters ;whilst Israel's daughters sing-" Sing ye to the Lord , forHe hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider h ath

    He thrown into the sea." For th eir own sins, howe ver,their laughter i s soon turned into crying , and th eir joy intosorrow; for, exc ept Caleb and J o shua, not on e man orwoman who crossed the Red Sea pass es into the promi sedland. "Doubtless, ye shall not come into th e land, con-oerninq which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb

    and Joshua. But your little ones, which ye s aid should bea prey, them will I brin g in, and they shall know the landwhich ye have despised. " These latter, headed by Joshua,are, according to the unfailing promi se, brought into th e"land of promise." "There failed not aught of any goodthing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel;all came to pass. " Israel in Canaan; now will the cursebe lifted? The PEOPLEin the LAND; now will God's angerbe removed, and Canaan be Ed en restoredl Nay, not so;the end of Adam's sin is not yet.

    WHATstrange music is that which comes sweetly stealingo'er the plain? Surely, not human, but angelic! List!

    " Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good -willtoward men." Glorious words, these, and swe eter musicthan ever even . Israel 's sweet singer sounded abroad.What means this? The angel-herald answers , "Fear not;for, behold, I brin g you good tidin gs of great joy, whichshall be to all people. For unto you is born thi s day in thecity of David a Saviour, which is Christ th e Lord ." Joy!joy! joy! well may angels sing" Glory to God:" at len gththe promise made in Eden is fulfilled; the seed of thewoman is born to crush the serpent's head. R ejoice, all yelands , for God 's anger is turned away; Eden is restored;the curse is removed; the way is opened unto the tree of

    life. But, stay: what means this agony of G ethsemane?this cross-extended Man on Calvary? Why cries He thus:" My God! My God! why hast Thou forsaken Me ?" Whydrops He a heavy lifeless head upon a breast, the brokenheart of which has ceased to beat? "We trusted that ithad been He which should have redeemed Israel; " is thisthe end? "And when Joseph had taken the body, hewrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own newtomb." Woe is me, let man say, for my hope is departed;God 's anger is not turned away, and Christ is dead.

    JERUSALEMs in a strange commotion; m en are flockingto a central point as though animated by some common

    impul se, of more than ordinary power. What means it?List to this strong voice piercing through the crowd"Repent, and be baptized everyone of you , in the name ofJesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye sh all receivethe gift of the Holy Ghost ." This man, Peter, tells of aresurrected and ascended Saviour, and of a Comforter, theHoly Spirit. How wonderful the result! "Then th ey thatgladly received his word were baptised; and the same daywere added about three thousand souls." Now r ead we ofmiracles, gifts of healing, of tongues, of the ingathering of

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    THE BIBLE STANDARD. 1 9 7

    the hitherto outcast Gentiles, "Then "hath God also to theGentiles granted repentance unto life." "And a greatnumber believed and turned unto the Lord." Christ resur-reeted ; Holy Ghost bestowed; converts multiplied;Gentiles grafted on the Jewish stock; the Roman Empiregirdled with the truth; surely, hope may revive? may leap

    afresh from an opened tomb? at length God's anger is to beturned away? man 's sorrow and suffering to cease? Alas,no! A.D. 70, Jerusalem is destroyed by the Romans, underTitus; whilst the captive Jews are slain, sold into slavery,or scattered throughout the Empire . . The Christ ian Churchis torn asunder by the hands of violent men, and herhopes broken.

    Two Capitals of the mighty Roman Empire,-Rome, onthe banks of the Tiber, in the West, and Constantinople, onthe shores of the Bosphorous, in the East,-both Christian!Wondrous triumph of the Cross! Con stantine, Rome's 'chief Emperor, a Christian! The religion of Jesus

    acknowledged by the State! At length man's golden agehas come! Nay, not so fast. All is not gold that glitters;this State Christianity is but civilised heathenism. Theend is not yet.

    CATHOLICROME, in the Middle Ages, is everywheretriumphant; kings and nations lie at the Church's feet;none dispute her sway; all drink of the wine of her cup.Has the world's Sabbath then come? Nay, not yet! It isthe wine of her FORNICATION.

    REFORM! reform! reform! It is the voice of Luther, inGermany; of Huss, in Bohemia; of Wickliffe, in England;of Knox, in Scotland. It is the trumpet note of liberty?

    Alas, not yet!THENINETEENTHCENTURY.A new Era. Liberty of thought.

    Spread of education. Power of the long down-troddenpeoples. "Vox populi, vox Dei." A free and cheap pressMultiplied Church Organizations and Mis sions. Science,Art, Invention, with seven-leagued boots, striding on. Nowthe goal is reached! Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! Theangel-song realised" Glory to God, peace on earth." What?With famine, disease, death, sorrow, shipwreck, inundation ,war, pestilence, vice, brutality, strife between capital andlabour, drunkenness, as world-wid e pests, common as showersin April; Nihilism, Socialism, Communism, cherishing the

    assassin's stroke as sacred deed, and Iconoclasm as highestpurpose? With the Churches stricken of formalism; rottenof error; leprous of worldliness? In a word, with selfishnessas the highest good! Nay! nay! not y et has the Lord'sanger ceased, and the golden age dawned.

    SIN IN THE FLESHceased not with Adam. It reigns still.As long as it reigns will sorrow and suffering last. Wouldyou eat the fruit - of Eden, you must make the tree good.For 6,000 years man has striven to accomplish this-andmiserably failed. Is its accomplishment an idle dream?

    Shall we in bitterness of sorrow cease to hope? Shall w eseal our Bibles, close our Churches, destroy our schools andprinting presses? Say with the Sadducean sceptic, " L etus eat and drink; for to-morrow we die?" Take the adviceof a foolish woman, and" Curse God, and die?" God forbid!Rather let us bow as empty, broken, worthl ess vessels at

    God's feet. Acknowledg e before Him our sore need; cry toHim with earnest pleading; look with longing expectancyand yearning cry," Even so, come quickly;" for His dearSon from heaven; plead the promise made to His disciples," This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,shall so come in like manner as ye have se en Him go intoheaven."

    BRETHREN,ejoice, "The night is far spent, the day is athand,"-the day of peace and purity, of immortality andeternal life. God's anger shall be turned away. All tear sshall be wiped away. Only b elieve-the Lord is at hand;and, with the new birth of re surrection or translation, shall

    there be a new birth of this groaning creation. Bide a wee,and dinna worry.-C.E.B., Ch eltenham.

    SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

    Canye not disc e rn the sign s of the times.-lIfatt. xvi . 3.

    IN the first verse, we learn that the Pharise es and Sadduc eescame to Jesus, and desired Him to give th em a sign fromheaven. What kind of a sign they wanted, does not appear,nor for what purpose,-anything, probably, which wouldsettle the question of His Messiahship. The Saviour,knowing that they were not actuated by a sincere d esire to

    'know the truth, did not comply with th eir reque st, butrather upbraided them for their want of spiritual discern-ment. From their knowledge of natural si gns, they couldtell whether it would be fair or foul weather on the morrow,but they could not discern the spiritual m eaning of tho seimportant events which were passing before th em. It w astheir duty to do so. Hence we infer, that it i s still aChristian duty, carefully to observe the signs of the tim es.It is not every future event that is foreshadowed by si gns-only those of the most vital importance to men. Th e firstand second advents of our Saviour are events of thi s kind.The latter, no less than the former, is clearly pointed out by

    unmistakable signs.1. The era of the second advent will be immediat ely pr e-ceded by a gr eat running to and fro, and by a great incr easeof knowledge. (See Dam, xii, 4,) The prophet co nnectsthese things with the time of the end, and th e full unfoldingof his prophetic visions; see the same verse. But the endhere spoken of agrees in point of tim e with the coming ofChrist, for in the foregoing cont ext it i s conn ected with th estanding up of Christ, the Great Prince, for the deliv eranceof all who have their names written in the book of life. It

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    is also connected with that fearful time of trouble which willbe v -isited upon an ungodly world at the coming of Christ,with the resurrection and the rewarding of the righteouswith unfading glory. But we are now living in the timeindicated by these signs. Within the past forty years theworld has undergone an entire revolution in these respects.

    There is now a constant running to and fro -, a ceaselessmixing and mingling of the nations. Aided by the applica-tion of steam to the propulsion of the railway carriage andthe ocean steamer, and stimulated by an insatiable thirstfor pleasure, for fame, for gain, and for knowledge, thepresent age stands out boldly marked, and clearly defined,above and beyond all that have gone before it, as the ' age of .travel . But the present is no less clearly marked as an ageof knowledge. Not that we understand better than ourfathers the doctrines of Christianity; but in many, if notall the departments of human knowledge, we have far out-stripped all the generations of the past. There is not only

    great advance, but wide diffusion. The printing press, thetelegraph, the railway and the steamer, are rapidly de-veloping new thoughts, new habits and aspirations, in allplaces of the earth. It is doubtless, then, the age indicatedby the prophet,-an age of running to and fro, and of theincrease of knowledge.

    2. The coming of Christ will be immediately preceded bythe world-wide preaching of the Gospel . See Matt. xxiv-14: "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in allthe world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall theend come." The end here spoken of, is the end of theworld, that with which the coming of Christ is associated.

    Before this end comes, the gospel is to be preachedin all parts of the world, not for the salvation of allthe world, but for a witness unto all nations. For thepast forty years this work has been in a special manneraccomplishing. During this period have come into effectiveoperation, all our missionary, Bible and tract societies.These, aided by great improvements in the art of printing,and still greater facilities in travel, and stimulated by theMacedonian cry, from large portions of our world hithertoeffectually barred against the gospel, have even now, foraught anyone can decide pqsitively to the contrary, fulfilledto the letter, this witness-preaching of the gospel to allnations.

    But we have additional testimony on this point in Rev. xvi.6, 7: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,having the everlasting gospel to preach-to every nation,and kindred, and tongue, and people." The substance ofthis preaching is, Fear God, and give to Him glory andworship; and the reason assigned is, " For the hour of Hisjudgment is come." Hence we are told in the next verse,"And there followed another angel saying, Babylon isfallen, is fallen." The flying of this angel preacher marks

    the rapidity with which the Gospel is to be spread, a .ndidentifies it, beyond dispute, with our own day; while theimmediate subsequent fall of Babylon proves that it im-mediately precedes the coming of Christ, for the Romananti-christ is to be "consumed by the Spirit of Christ'smouth, and destroyed by the brightness of His coming."

    2 Thess. ii. 8.3. The age immediately preceding the coming of Christ,

    will be an age of great pleasure-seeking, and of businessenterprise. See Luke xvii. 26, 27: "As it was in the daysof Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man."They ate, they drank, they married wives and were given inmarriage. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, theydid eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted,they builded; even thus shall it be in the day when the Sonof man is revealed." Men have eat and drunk, have plantedand builded in every age. The Saviour knew this perfectlywell . But he also knew that the times of Noah and Lot

    were distinguished for these things, that then men andwomen had become so engrossed in worldly things, in thepleasures and business of life, as that they had in a greatmeasure lost all regard for the authority of God. Thesewere almost, or altogether, the only things for which theylived; even so shall it be, in the age immediately preceding

    . the advent. But here the question arises, Are not thesethe characteristics of our own day? Is not this a pleasureand a gain-seeking age? Was there ever an age like it inthe history of our race, unless we except those marked as itsparallel, by the Saviour? And they were only like in kind,not its equals in degree. Their facilities for acquiring gain,

    and gratifying pleasure, were comparatively limited. Thewonderful inventions of modern times have aroused andstimulated, to a degree hitherto unknown, both the power toacquire wealth, and the disposition to spend it in all theways which a voluptuous age can invent. Nor are thesealone the characteristics of the world. The Church, too,notwithstanding all her activity in the great and good workof spreading the gospel, is largely under the influence of thisworldly spirit. The Saviour, foreseeing that His Churchwould be in danger, from this source, issues a timelywarning. See Luke xxi. 34: "Take heed to yourselves,lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting,and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day comeupon you unawares." This warning has almost the forceof prediction. Is it not true that the Church is largelyengrossed with the cares of this life? so living, as thatshould the day of the Lord now come, it would come uponher unawares? And this word, unawares, reminds us ofanother point of resemblance between the times of Noah andLot, and the time of the coming of the Son of man. Foras the flood of water came on the antediluvian world, andas the rain of fire came on the cities of the plain unawares,

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    even so will the coming of the Son of man be. The greatmass will, as then, be taken by surprise.

    4. And this naturally brings into view another sign of ourtimes,-viz., the unbelief of the Church and the world as tothis great doctrine of the advent. The world will scoff atthe doctrine of the adve n:t altogether, while the language of

    the Church will be, " Our Lord delayeth His coming." Thesentiments of the former we find recorded in 2 Peter iii. 3, 4 :" Knowing this, first, that there shall come in the last days,scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Whereis the . promise of His coming? for since the fathers fellasleep, all things continue as they were ' from the beginningof the creation." What period of time is included by thelast days here named, need not be positively decided. It issufficient to say, that the last days of the gospel dis-pensation, those immediately preceding the coming ofChrist, are doubtless included. Yet in these days, down tothe period of the advent, the men of the world will scoff at '

    the idea. But is not this true of our own day? ," No,"says the superficial observer; "does not the Church preachthis doctrine of the future advent? and where is the scoffingof the world?" But hold; just give this subject a littleprominence, half that which the Scriptures give it, preach asthe Scriptures preach it, as an event near at hand, intensifythis truth, by the lapse of eighteen hundred years, and theconcurrence of all the signs of our times, strike boldly andplainly, until you arrest public attention, and, having doneall, mark the result. The man who will do so, who has thefortitude and ability to do so, effectually, will call down uponhimself such a tirade of abuse and ridicule, as no other

    course of action would secure, however simple, mean orcriminal .

    But the Church's unbelief is of a different type. Shedoes not, like the world, deny the doctrine in toto, shesimply postpones the event . " Our Lord delayeth Hiscoming." And should the question be asked her, How long?the reply would be, at least a thousand years. But why putthis language into the mouth of the Church? We answerbecause the Saviour puts it into the mouth of the evilservant, who would not watch for his returning Lord; andthat servant must be understood as the representative of aclass,-a class, who should be found in the Church just

    prior to the advent. And if that class does not constitutethe Church of to-day, it is not because her position on thesubject of the advent is not the same. If that unfaithful,unwatchful servant, does not represent the Church of to-day.on this subject, then we will look in vain for the represented.

    But again, the unbelief or indifference of the Church, justprior to the advent, as it respects this event, as illustratedin the parable, is a prophetic description of the state of theChurch immediately preceding the advent. We do notunderstand, however, that the definite numbers used, re-

    present the exact proportion of the true and false professorsof that day. There will be many of both classes . Butwhat we wish to notice particularly is, that just before themidnight cry is made, "Behold the Bridgegroom cometh,"these virgins" all slumbered and slept ." This languagepoints out the great want of watchfulness which will

    characterize the Church at that day. Now where shall welook for a realization of this prophetic picture, if not to ourown day? On this subject the Church of to-day is mostassuredly asleep. We are told the form of salutation amongChristians in primitive times, in very common use, was,"The Lord cometh." We know from the Scriptures, thatthe early Christians longed for this event. But it is not sonow. The subject is not talked of, nor thought of. Thepulpit and the press proscribe it. Truths pertaining to theChurch 's faith are discussed a . thousand times over, butthose pertaining to her hopes are neglected . Many excusethemselves by saying, "The great matter is to know tha .t

    we I are united to Christ." Yet the wise, as well as thefoolish virgins are censured, not because they had no oil,but because they went to sleep when they ought to h avewatched. We conclude, then, that the unbelief and in-difference of the Church and world on the subject of theadvent, constitutes a marked and well-def ined sign of the

    near approach of that event.5. The period immedi ately preceding the advent will be

    distinguished as a time of great trouble, anxiety, and con -sternation among all classes of society; see Luke xxi. 25,26: "And upon the earth, distress of nations, with per-plexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men 's hearts failing

    'them for fear, and for looking after those things which arecoming on the earth." The Saviour speaks of these asimmediate precursors of His second coming. They certainlyrefer to a time which is to be remarkable for the thingsnamed. But are we not now beginning to realize somethingof this distress of ;nations-much, very much of this per -plexity, and fear, and evil foreboding? Nations, l ike in-dividuals, sometimes have presentiments. Th is was true atthe time of the first advent. Men, as it were, held their breath ,sure that something remarkable was about to transpir e.And BO it is now. The civilized world is fairly oppressedwith the conviction that we are upon the threshold of some

    grand crisis; some great turning point in the history of ourworld . If we are not living in the time indicated by theSaviour, it is possible we will fail to know it when itcomes .....

    6. Finally, the last days, and therefore the days im-mediately preceding the advent will be not ed for great laxityof morals in the Church of God. S ee 2 T im, iii. 1, 5 :" This know, also, that in the last d ays perilous times shallcome: for men shall be lovers of their ownselves, covetous,boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, un -

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    thankful, unholy. Having a form of godliness, but denyingthe power thereof." This is a sad picture, yet since theapostl~ tells us that the persons spoken of have a form ofgodliness, we must look for its original in the Church ofGod; nor need we look long to find it in our own day. Isit not very largely true, that there is now scarcely any such

    thing as discipline known in the Church? What enormitycan the imagination paint which some one or more of theChurches does not tenderly cover over with the mantle ofreligion? Besides, it is an age distinguished for selfishness,pride, insubordination, and formality. No part of theChurch can plead not guilty to these charges. Is it harsh,then, is it uncharitable, to say that the apostle describes inthe above language the Church of our own times, and thatconsequently we are living in th~ time closely trenchingupon the coming of Jesus Christ?

    Such are some of the signs of our times-signs which allpoint with unerring certainty to one grand coming event-

    an event so glorious, that its prospect should fill everyChristian heart with an ecst acy of joy.From the foregoing we may notice the following practical

    deductions:1. We should study this subject. "Blessed is he that

    readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy.""We have, also, a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto

    ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth ina dark place, until the day dawn." The mariner examineshis charts, and takes his observations. He is not satisfiedunless he knows his latitude and his compass points. Sothe Christian should know his position upon the great streamof time. He, too, should take hi s daily observations.Prophecy is his only chart. Without its light, he can knownothing of the future; all would be impenetrable darkness.Without this light to guide and cheer us amidst the dark-ness and the storm, we are like the sea-tossed mariner, who,without compass or helm, abandons himself to the winds,and drifts-he knows not whither. We may know every-thing that is to be known: but diligent, prayerful study,here, as in every other department of Bible literature, willbe amply compensated.

    2. We should watch for the coming of Christ. It is notenough that we have the oil of grace in our lamps-that weare children of God by regeneration; we have a dutybeyond this; we must watch; for we know not at wh athour the Son of man corneth. Nor is this a watching forthe event of death. Death is no pl easant prospect. Butthe coming of Christ is to be regarded as a joyful prospect-" Looking for," says the apostle, "and hasting unto thecoming day of God." We are even taught to pray for it:" Ev en so, come, Lord Jesus."

    Preparation and watchfulness for death are not what ourLord enjoins in connection with His glorious advent. But

    how, says an objector, can I watch int ently, in any trusense, for an event which I believe, and Christians generallybelieve, to be over a thousand years distant? We answer,you cannot. But should you believe as you do ? Are yonot occupying the position of the evil servant who said," My Lord delayeth His coming?" Do not the Scriptures

    teach us to watch for it as an event which may transpire atany day? Let us watch, then, lest the day of the Lordshould overtake us as a thief.

    3. If the foregoing reasoning be correct, then we cannothave the millennium before the advent. If the advent isnear, as indicated by the signs, there is no room for themillennium this side of it. The signs cannot occur, and allpass away a thousand years in advance of the thingsignified. Then they would be no signs. They cannotoccur during the millennium-these, or any like them. Itwould suppose a state of things wholly unlike the millen-nium. Th ey cannot transpire at the close of the millennium;for between that and the final judgment, there is but a" little season," and that little season is so completelytaken up with events peculiarly its own, that there is notime nor place for these signs. Yet if we put the advent atthe close of the millennium, we must put the signs theretoo. And what a strange confounding and misplacing ofevents that would be! The kingdom does not come in itspower before the King; the millennium does not comebefore the advent.

    4. But, finally, if the advent is near, then what new zealand life should be infused into all who hear this good news.Now is the time when the servants are to make their lastand best efforts to gather guests. . . . We must go out intothe highways and hedges, and gather up the lame, the halt,and the blind, and compel them to come in, thay thewedding may be furnished with guests. The door of ourNew Testament ark is not yet closed. Let us t ell tprisoner to hasten and escape to Christ, the only ark ofsafety. Tell him that the time is short, that now is theaccepted time, and now is the day of salvation. Tell himthat the Master cometh. And let our prayer be, " Even so,come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." - United Prlsbyterian, U.S.A.

    ASSOCIATION NOTES.

    GLASGOw.-Our readers will remember the fearl ess utteance of Rev. Mr. Macrae, of Greenock, as recorded in ourMarch number. For that trumpet blast of truth, .he hbeen called to account, and put upon his trial . The cacame before the Synod on May 9th . The commit teappointed to confer with him presented the followingre~ort :-

    " After three protracted meetings with Mr. Macrae, andfull and frank conference with him, the committee are

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    grieved to find that he still adheres to the views expressedin his speech before the Synod in reference to which thiscommitt ee was appointed. The committee find these viewsare irreconcilable with the teaching of Scripture , as exhibit edin the Standards of our Church, and with any re asonableamount of liberty that can be allowed to Ministers of this

    Church in relation to its Standards. The committeetherefore feel themselves shut up to recommend the Synodto suspend Mr. Macrae from the exercise of his ministry,and to appoint a commission to deal with him, with powersto issue the case as they shall see cause, and to report tonext meeting of Synod."

    Mr. M acrae-being called in-expressed his desire thatthe evidence taken before the committee-in form of ques-tion and answer-should be presented to the Synod, toenable them to form a fair judgment of the case. This wassupported by several present, and carried out to som eextent. We cull a few of the questions and answers:-

    Questibn-" Do the lost in hell exist for ever? " Answer-"No; if in the state described in the Westminster Con-fession ." Question-c-v Will they exist for ever in anystate?" Answer-" We do not know. The Bible speaksexplicitly of everlasting life for the good; nowhere of ever-lasting existence for the bad."

    Mr Macrae subm itted the following statement of his viewson the matters in question :-

    "First. In r egard to the penalty of sin, I b elieve inthe scriptural doctrine that the wa ges of sin is death, but .I do not believe that death means what the WestminsterConfession says it means-existence in unspeakable torment,

    both of soul and body in hell, for ever."Second. I do not reject, and never have rejected, any

    of the ideas of the Confessional dogma taken separately.They are almost all scriptural . I do not reject the idea offire by itself. Fire, as set forth in Scripture as a purifyingand also as a destroying agency. God Himself is spoken ofas the" consuming fire," by which I understand that by Hisvery nature, if we may so speak, He is and ever must beopposed to sin; that sin can never in His universe haverest; that His everlasting law will meet it as consumingfire wherever it appears. But I reject the idea of a fierytorment of soul, and also of body, unspeakable and ever -

    lasting, which is the dogma of the Confession. I do notreject the separate idea of suffering as a consequence of sin-suffering proportionate in severity to the transgression. Ido not reject even the idea of fearful suffering ; such as fromone point of view might be described as torment. We seeit even in the world around us. We see it in righteouspunishment of disobedience or crime. A righteous rul ermay inflict the torment of the la sh: a just and loving fath ermay, in the e xercise of his discipline, have to inflict sev erepunishment on his child. God may, and I believe will, do

    the same wherever it is deserved and necessary, but that H ewill cast His children into hell-fir e, as the Standards sp eak,that H e will keep them alive th ere in unspeakable tormentof soul and body for ever, I do not believe, but resent as an

    outrage on God's eternal justice, as well as on His pity andlove. I do not reject the idea of endless duration, even in

    connection with punishment when taken by it self. A manwho loses his eyesight or a hand or foot suffers this loss allhis life, and similar and more serious losses might belong toan everlasting life. Even Christians who were careless andunkind and incon sistent will suff er everlasting loss of thehigh er reward they would have won by mor e kindn ess andvigil ance and activity in the Christian life. I do not ther e-fore reject the idea of endless duration, even as regards thepunishment of the wicked; but that punishment of oneerring f ellow-creature-even th e worst of th em will be ever-lasting-consists of everlasting torment, both of soul andbody, without intermission and in inten sity unspeakable, as

    the Standards teach, I do not believe, and cannot believe,without disbel ieving in the kindne ss and mercy of God.

    " Mr . Maorae 's attention having been called to the follow-ing quotation from the Confession in his speech on Tuesdaynight, namely :-' Every sin, both original and actual, beinga transgression of the righteous law of God, doth in its ownnature bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby h e is boundover to the wrath of God and cur se of th e law, and so madesubject to death, with all its miseries, spiritual, temporal ,and eternal,' was asked, do you believe this doctrine?Answer-If this means, as it seems to mean, that everyonesin, and even original sin without actual transgression,

    binds over to everlasting and unspeakable torment, both ofsoul and body in hell-fire, I do not believe it.

    "Mr. Macrae being asked-Does Mr. Macrae hold thatthe doctrine of unspeakable and everlasting punishment isnot the living faith of this Church or the doctrine nowpreached in its pulpits? Replied-If this means the Con-fessional dogma , I do not believe it is the living faith of theChurch, or the doctrine now preached from its pulpits.

    "Mr. Macrae was next asked-Does Mr. Macrae stilladhere to what he affirmed in his speech of the tormentseverlasting and for ever, applied in S cripture to the futurepunishment of the wicked, are not used to express duration

    absolutely? Reply-I adhere to what I stated in myspeech.

    "Mr. Macrae being asked-Does Mr. Macrae hold thedoctrine of the endless existence of sin in the universe ofGod to be contradictory to the scriptural representation ofthe character of God? replied-I do not consider it abso-lutely irreconcilable with the character of God that anendless succession of sinful a ges should exist in Hisuniverse, but I consider it more reconcilable with thecharacter of God and with what seems to be the teaching of

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    Borne portions of Scripture, that an absolute end should bemade of sin, or that the universe ultimately be purified fromsin; but I deny the reconcilability with the charact er ofGod of the W estminster dogma th at a lo st creature has aneverl asting life in unspeakable torments, both of soul andbody, in hell-fire.

    "Mr. Macrae being asked-Do the committee rightlyund erstand Mr. Macrae in his ha ving affirmed in his speechthat a period will come when sin and suffering will be ex-tinguished in the universe of God? replied-I refer thecommittee to my answer to the previou s question.

    "Mr. Macrae being asked-Does Mr. Macrae deny thereconcilability with the character of God of the perpetuationthroughout eternity of the same being in a lost condition,though not in unspeakable torments? replied-This dependsent irely on the condi tion.

    "Mr. Macrae being asked-Does Mr. Macrae hold thatGod's punishing of sin for five or fifty years with tenthousand million years of torment without br inging it anynear er to an end would seem to attach to God monstrousinjust ice? Repl ied-Yes.

    " The following quotation from Mr. Macrae 's speech wasread over to him :-' And in connection with the West-

    min ster dogma of everlasting torment, men (if there is anymeaning in Christianity at all) are more likely to be drawnto God by the fuller revelation of Hi s goodness and love thandriven to Him by fear . The fact is, that danger threaten sfrom quite the opposite quarter. The Westminster dogmais becoming so incredible that it is losing the power of ev eninspirin g terror, and the d anger is th at men may forget thepen alty of sin from living under thr eat of a penalty whichthey see rea son to treat as a mere superstitious dread. Ifthe dogma w ere a mere speculation, or if it involved a mereintellectual difficulty, it might be left alone, but it is aquest ion of enormous practical importance, But how aremen's hearts to be won to the true God-how are they tobe saved from their injustice and cruelty, and not ratherconfirmed in them, if they were to proclaim that God wasunju st-beyond even the injustice of men-so cruel beyondthe utmost cruelty of His rebelliou s creatures as to punishHis children with everlasting torment, keeping them alivefor ever in unspeakable agony both of soul and body?"This quotation from his speech having been read to him, hewas asked-Do you still adhere to what you here affirm?-A. Yes.

    The case was continued on the following day, when Mr.Macrae replied at length. It was eventually decided, " Thatthe Synod appoint a Commission to de al with Mr. Macrae,with Presbyterial powers to proceed in the case as they seecause, re servin g to Mr. Macrae and the members of theCommis sion a right of app eal to the Synod, to whom thereport is to be made." Our orthodox brethren evidentlythink the Jewish resource " stone him, " the most effectual ,if not the m ost satisfactory weapon, to combat thought with-wh en it moves in the pathway of free enquiry.

    CHELTE NHA1>I.-Our brethren h ave recently held theirAnnual Church Meeting. A decre ase of 11 . was reported,owing to no l ess than 25 losses by death, removal, andwithdraw al. The balance sheet (August 1st to April 30th,1878-79) showed a total income of 108, leaving a d eficitof 16 . Owing to "p erils from false brethren, " the littleChurch h as been severely tested, and its minister subjected tomuch anxiety and severe pecuniary loss. Mr . Brooks re-ported his engagement in London, as Secretary and Publi sh-ing Manager of the" Life in Christ " Association; but pro-mised to continue to return to Cheltenham weekly, for theS~nday servicefJ--II -t l~lI-st for the present.

    BIRMINGHlll .-Arrangements have been made for hold ingthree public meetings, when Lectures will be given byMessrs. S. Wright, on "The S econd Comin g of Christ;"A Crosbie, on " The Distinction betw een the Tw oJerusalems ; " H. Brittain, on "Eter.n al Life throughChrist,-what does it mean? "

    LONDoN.-A United Meeting of our friends has been heldat Holborn, attended by the President and Editor. It wa sintended to make it chiefly a gathering for prayer, but thepresence of our esteemed brethren was largely turned toaccount, and a Conf erence held.

    OURNEWOFFI CE-Is now open in St. Paul' s Buildin gs,Paternoster Row, from whence this number of the Standardis issued. Our warmest thanks are due to the Presidentand Editor for their earne st and active interest in, andeffort for, this much-need ed central office and publishing -room. We enter upon our duties with a deep s ense of theirimportance, seeing that much work remains to be done, andthe time is short in which to do it. We are, however,cheered by the knowledge of a loving F ather's favour, and bythe . kind co -operation of many brethren. Thanks to thekindness of our revered friends and . helpers, Capt . H. J.Ward and Gen. H. Goodwyn, we open our offices with alarge and valuable stock of book s and pamphlet s, bearin g onthe Life and the Kingdom. With re gard to th ese w e have apractical purpo se-to circulate them throu ghout the country-we want, to this end , the pr actical aid of all belie vers inConditional Immortality. We, th erefore , ask our friends tointroduce our literature to their friends , and especially theBible Standa rd as the or gan of the As sociation, and ourprincip al adverti sing medium. Especially would we ask ourfriends to get a few copies exposed for sale by booksell ers,and at the railway bookstalls; a guarantee should be givento purchase personally the unsold copies at the end of eachmonth. By combination, believers, in their s eparate town sor districts, might secure for a month, or qu arter, anadvertisement in some local paper, setting forth the BibleS tan d ar d, in its distinctive peculiarities, and, p erhapsaddin g the titles of a few of our principal works. Kindly

    stat e that they may be ordered through any bookseller. Weshall be happy to forward, post-free, a parcel of our newhand-bill, to any who will undertake the distribution ofsame.

    CYRUSE. BROOKS,St. Paul's Buildings,

    28, Paternoster Row,London.

    VISITORS ' GUIDE.

    [HITHERTO,t has beencommonfor those holding" Conditional Immor-talit y, " to have to hear and supp o rt a ministry ofwhich the y could notapprove , and the teachings ofwhi ch were utterly repugnant t o th em 'or, to come out . and bear the cross of i solation. Y ea , in s om e cas e s'eve n wh en there has be en in the lame neighb our hood others, h o ldin g th ~truth; or , banded tog e ther to d eclar e it . We wi sh to pr event thi s in

    future, and have ther e fore desi gned this Guide. B y it s h e lp , br et h rencan see at a glancewhere to find suitable fell ow ship , and e n joy a s u ita blemini s tr y. Seein g that our aim is to m ak e the cir cul a ti o n of th eSt and a rd (as our A ss ociation or g an), co- ex ten s ivewith tho se holdin g ourcomm on f a ith, to ?nable us t o dir e c t ~ u ch to suit abl e fell owship , w ene ed the eo-operation of our f e llow -be lie ve rs, and particul a rs o f everypl ace in the United Kingdomwh er e su ch f e llowshipand t each in g m aybe obtained . See foot-note. ]

    BIRMINGHAM-19,Hagley Ro ad. Chri stians m eet for Br eakingof B~ead and .Fellowship on Sunday mornin gs at 10- 30;evenmg S ervlCe,6-30. Wedn esday, 7-30. Vi sitor s canapply to Mr. G. Whitehouse, 2, Yew Tree Road ; Mr. A.Crosbie, York Road i or Mr. H. Brittain, 26, All Saints 'Road.

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    THE BIBLE sTANfiAitb. 2 03

    BRADFORD, YORKSHIR E-Temperance H all, Chapel -street, aMeetin g of Chri stians (holding" Life in Christ" ) eachLord's Day evening at 6-30, for Preaching and theBreaking of Bread. On Wednesdays, at 7-30, aBible Clas s.

    BRADFORD,ORKSHIRE-Shaw's Temperance Hotel, Rawson-street, 7 -30. Every other Sunday, 3, Burley-street,Bolton Woods, 630. -

    BIl>GLEY,YORKSHIRE-Odd Fellows ' Hall, at 2-30, everySunday. Monday evening, 6-30, at Mr. Harrison's,Rook-street.

    CLOTTINGEY,ORKSHIRE-At Mr. Lot Moors's, 7 p.m.CHELTE NHAM-Christian Assembly, St. Georg e's Place. Cyrus

    E. Brooks, Minister. On Sundays, Service with Sermonat 11 and 6-30; Bible Class at 3. On Thursdays,Lectur e at 7-45.

    EDINB URGH-98, South Brid ge. A Church of baptised be-liever s, lookin g for et ernal life and the Kingdom of ourLord J esus Christ at His coming, meets here everySunday at 11 a m. and 6-30 p.m.

    GRAVE SEND ,ENT.-Public Hall , New Road. B iblicelDie-cussion Clas s each Tuesday evening at 8 o 'clock. Free

    and open to all, A cordi al invit ation given.HULL- Christians' Me eting Room, Prote stant H all. Room

    No. 6 , Up-stairs. 1st day, Sund ay, 11 a.m ., BreakingBread; 6-30 p.m. , Read ing or Pr eaching. Thur sdayevening, 7-30, Reading Meeting, at 79, Hessl e Road.

    LINCoLN-Mint Lane. G eo. A. Brown, Mini ster. Sunday,Service at 10-30 and 6. Mond ay, Prayer Me eting at 7,Wednesday, 7.

    LIVERPOOL-Club Moor Hall, Townsend Lane. Sundays,Service s at 10- 45 and 6 30. Mutual ImprovementSociet y, Monda y 8. Pr ayer Meeting, Thursday 7-30.Applications to W. H. Miller, 11, Belmont Road.

    LIVE RPOOL-9, Cl ayton Square. In connection with "theAssociation for the Dissemin ation of the Truth of Lifeand Immortality through Christ alone j" a WeeklyMeeting on Friday at 7 -30.

    LONDON,N-Maberley Chapel, Ball's Pond Road, Dal ston.Minister, Rev. Dr. Wm . Leask , Editor of The Rainbow.Sundays, Services at 11 and 6-30. Thursday, Serviceat 7-30.

    LONDON-Clapham , Gauden Road Go spel Hall (oppo site Cl ap-ham Road Station). Lord's Day morning at 11 o'clock,for Wor ship and Br eaking of Bread according to theScriptur es. All Christians welcome.

    LONDON(North West)-St . John 's Rooms, Lisson Grove.Sund ay, Worship at 11 ; Preaching at 7. Tu esday,Bible R eadin g at 7. All Christi ans welcome . Addre ssletters, "R . J. Hammond, 62, Maida Vale, London, W."

    LONDON,E.-Union Chapel, Victoria Park-road, SouthHackney. Minister, Mr. N. Starkey. Servic es :-Sundays, at 10 .45, 3.0, and 6.30. Monday, Wednesday,Thursday, and Saturday at 8.0 Tuesday (Temperance )6.30 and 8 .0 Come and welcome.

    NEST ON,Cheshire-Neston Gospel Hall. J. J . Grylls,Minister. Services-Sunday at 10-30 and 630.Wednesday 7 o'clock. .-

    N.B .-To make this guide really useful, we need theinsertion therein of all places of Christian Worship wherethe pulpit teachings are in harmony with the truth of"Life and Immortality " in Christ alone, Who hath broughtit to light. The Subscription fee is 5s. per annum. Address-Cyrus E. Brooks, 4, Oriel Place, Cheltenham.

    MONTHLY CATALOGUEOF TH E

    BIBLE STANDARD PUBLIOATION SOOIETY,ST. PAUL 'S BUILDINGS , 28, PATER NOSTER ROW,

    LONpON.Catalogues post free. All order s of Is. upward s p ost f ree by return ;

    or m ay be had of any Book se ller.

    By H. CONSTABLE, M,A.,(Lat~ Preb endary of Co rk, Irel and).

    DURATION AND NATURE OF FUTURE PUNISH-MENT. 5th Edition, 3 40 pp. An e laborate a rgum ent touchingthe Punishment of th e Unsav ed. It is particul a rly fine in itsphilological ch apt e rs r es p ec tin g th e m ea ni ng o f th e G ree k w or dsus ed by the in spired writers to indic a te the do om of th e los t.Price 3s . 6d.

    HADES: or, The Intermediate State of Man. Crown8vo. Price 3s . 6d . Thi s w o rk pr esent s the Bible doctr ine of th est a te of man bet w een d eath and the resurr ecti o n .

    RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS-The all things spokenof by the mouths of th e Holy Prophets who have been since theworld b eg an . Price 8d.

    By MILES GRANT.

    NATURE OF MAN: Is he Mortal 01' Immortal? Notesand Quer ies . Thoughts on the S oul, &c . Pri ce Is.

    SPIRITUALISM UNVEILED, and shown to b e the Workof D emons: with an ex amin a tions o f its Ori g in, M o ra ls, D o ct r in es,and Politics. Thrillingly interesting. Sec ond E diti o n . Pric e 6 d.

    It . is a produ c ti o n o f gr ea t fo rce; in th e editor 's out sp o k e nman ne r ." -H e ra ld 01Gos pe! Liberty _

    WHAT IS MAN? and the Meaning of Soul, Spirit,Death, and Hell . Price 3d.

    SPIRIT IN MAN: What is it? Price 4d.THE SOUL: a Bible View of its M eanin g. Price 4d.RICH MAN AND LAZARUS; THIEF ON THE CROSS;

    with other interesting matter. Price 3d.By J. H. WHITMORE.

    THE DOCTRINE OF IMMORTALITY-Jewish andEarly Christian Beliefs; Arguments from Reason and Scripture ;Adamie P enalty; Traduction v. Creationi sm; Lif e and De a th;Intermediate State; Christian Redemption . Price 3 s . 6d.

    By GEORGE A. BROWN .

    FORGOTTEN THEMES: or, Facts for F aith. A generalsynoptical view of the subject of Life only in the Chri s t, and ofoth e rs p e rtaining. Price Is.

    By W. DICKSON.THE EASTERN QUESTION: In the Light of Scripture.

    Being a short ex am in a tion of the Prophecies con ce rnin g th e tim e ofthe end; w ith a Word of Warnin g to the Church and th e W or ld;to which is alsoappended , a cop y of the Will of Peter the Great .Price Sixpence.

    THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. By W. 4. HOBBS.Price 3 d .

    FUTURE PUNISHMENT. By same Author. Price 1s .,Is. ea ., 2s .

    GREEK AND ENGLISH LEXICON AND CONCORD-ANCE TO THE NEW TESTAMENT , by E. W . B U LLIN GE R ,.A. ,

    c on s isting of over a thou sand ro y al 8 vo . page s . In thi s w o rk , th eBibl e student will have in his h and the l e arning o f th e Gr ee kscholar, with the r esult of pati ent r ese arch . His studie s wi ll b emat e r ial ly a ss is ted, many m is tak es will b e co rr ect e d, and m anyword s and pa ssa g e s elu c id a ted.-Pri ce 1 10s., cl o th.

    THE GREAT DOCTRINAL REFORMA TI ON.THE RAINBOW: Edited by WILLIAMLE ASK,D.D., and

    Published by ELLI O TS TOCK,2, Patern o st er R ow , o n the fi rs t ofe very month, price Sixpence-i s th e first pub lic ati o n i n En g land onthe great doctrines of the coming King domof G od and Imm o rtalityonly In Chris t. Those who wish to examine th e se doctrine s , andcollateral topics of profound interest in relation to Chri s tianit y,should order the RAINBOWof their Booksellers. The DoctrinalReformation of which this Ma g azine is the advocate is nowen g ag -ing the attention of thoughtful Christian men everywhere .

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    204 THE BIBLE STANDARD .

    THE BIBLE STANDARD: Edited by G. A. BROWN,Lincoln. The Organ of the "Christian Assoeiation for the Dis-semination of the Truth of Life and Immortality through Christalone." Published by the Bible Standard Publication Society,monthly. Price Id. The following charges are made for allpapers going through the Mail :-

    1 Copy, 12months Is. 6d'16 Copies, 12months 7s. Od.2 Copies, " 2s. 6d. 12" ,,14s. Od.4" ,,5s. Od.

    Special ,rates for quant it ies over 12 Copies.LAST YEAR'S "BIBLE STANDARD."-Bound . . Price

    in paper Is. 2d.QUARTERLY, ONE SHILLING, (POST-)'REE, Is. lid,)

    THE BIBLE ECHO: Edited by W. KELLAWAY;Magazineof Christian Literature, treating especially upon the truths of theMortal Nature of Man-Life only in Chr ist -The Coming of Jesus-The Kingdom of God-The Destruction of the Ungodly. Backvolumes at the following prices: VoL I, 6s.; VoL n, 4s. 6d.;VoL Hr, 3s.; Vo! . IV, 9s.; VoL V, 5s. 6d.; Address orders toW. KELLA WAY, 4, Elm Villas, Cedars' Road, Stratford Green, E.

    By GENERAL H. GOODWYN. ,ANTITYPICAL PARALLELS; or, the Kingdom of Israel

    and Heaven. Royal 8vo, price 8s., with Notes, Illustrations, andspecially-prepared Maps of the original occupation of the Land ofCanaan and the Millennial Kingdom.

    THE LAST ADAM. (" The second Man, the Lord fromHeaven."-l COR.xv. 47.) Crown 8vo., 250 pages, price 2s.

    TRUTH AND TRADITION: a Defence of the Doctrine;that" The Wages of Sin is Death, but the Gift of God is EternalLife, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Second Edition, enlarged.Is. 6d.

    THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR . Acontrast to the immaterial and speculative system of Anti-Millen-arianism, expressed in" The End of All Things," and other kindredworks. Price reduced, 6d.

    THE "GERSHOM" TRACTS. Packets of 3, Threepenceeach Packet. No. 1, THE MORNING STAR. No. 2, DAYBREAK.No. 3, SUNRISE. A Serial Record of Events according to Scripture,in connection with the close of the present Dispensation, ThePersonal Advent, and Mil lenial Reign of the Lord Jesus .

    THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD. An explanation ofthe Christian Conflict and the Divine Panoply. Price Is. 6d.

    THE COMFORTER IS COME: or, The Ministry of theHoly Spirit. Price Is. 6d.

    .THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION, with Diagram.Price 5s .

    THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS. Price 2d.THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD OF THE SON OF GOD.

    Price 2d.A LECTURE, delivered at Hull, on the "Extinction of

    EviL" Price 2d.HOLOKLERIA; or, an Enquiry into the Nature of Man-

    Body, Soul, and Spirit. Price 2d.

    SALVATION PREFIGURED IN THE BAPTISM OFTHE SON OF GOD. Price Id.

    THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST. Price 3d.

    T R U T H F U LA N D U SE F U L B O O K SA N D T R A C T S .s. d.

    Immaterialism-by Sheldon 0 3Hell according to Scripture 0 4A New Bible: or Scripture Re-written 0 4

    Report of Cannon-street Conference on Conditional Im-mortality 0 6

    The Harmony of Scripture 0 6Popular Theology-by Laicus 0 3Life in Christ only-by White 0 6Hudson's Greek Concordance 10 6The Glory of Christ-by S. Minton 5 0Struggle for Eternal Life-by Petavel 2 6Biblical Psychology-by J. L. Foster 6 6Life of Jesus--by Greenwell .. .. .. .. 1 0Earnest Words for Honest Sceptics-by Mrs. H. V. Reed 2 0

    " Oxford Theology--by J. Harrison . . . . . 2 0The Bible Triumphant-by Mrs. H. V. Reed; being a complete

    reply to an American work entitled, "144 Self-Contra-dictions of the Bible ." .. '. . paper Is,"; cloth 2 0

    - The Bible Doctrine of the Soul-by Ives paper Is .; cloth 2 0

    The Voice of the Church-by D. T. Taylor; being th e testi -, mony of the Church from the earliest times, to the

    Coming and Reign of ChristJoyful Message-by Rotherham ..The Way Everlasting-by S. MintonThe Great Controversy-by H. L. Has tingsThe Soul: Is it Immortal ?-by Ellison"Christ our Life-by Kerr . . .God Misunders tood-by W. Scott >


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