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Zion’s
andmarks
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“TO THE LAW AND TO THE TESTIMONY.”
YoL ix--No. 5.
Wilson, N. C., Jaeiiarj. 15, 1876.
W^liole No. 197.
Zion’s Landmarks,
P. D. GOLD, Editor.
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X
f t
JESUS WASHED THEIR FEET.
BY R. AYNA PHILLIPS.
Thou gloriou.s Head of all the host,
The heavenly world reveals—
More than an earthly King may boast,
Or all the world unseal.
Thou bright—thou morning star of all
The glittering lights above;
To whom adoring angels fall.
And all the heavens do move.
Ah ! was it thou, in that dark night,
Tliat f^aw thee clothed as man :
That stooped thee down, as menial might ?
As servant only can ?
To wash the feet of that poor hand,
While words of heavenly cheer
Fell from thy lips, as thy dear hand
Was serving lowJy there.
The hand that fonglit their deadly strife,
And gained them heaven complete ;
That broke to them the bread of life,
Could lowly wash their feet.
And having thus done to the few,
In binding words most sweet
He said : “So do, as done to you—
'Wash one another’s feet.”
And shall we dare to disobey ?
Ily law and love we meet.
And gladly get ns down, to-day,
And wash each other’s feet.
THE JOY OF INcSfLETENESS.
I fall our lives were one broad glare
Of sunlight, clear, unclouded ;
if all our path were smooth and fair,
By no soft gloom enshrouded ;
If all life’s fiowers were fully blown
IVitfeout the sweet unfolding,
And happiness were rudely thrown
On hands too weak for holding—
Should ive not miss the twilight hours,
The gentle haze and sadness ?
Should we not long for storms and shower.s,
To break the constant gladness ?
If none were sick and none were sad, ^
'Whatservice could we render?
1 think if we were always glad,
We scarcely could be tender.
Did our beloved never need
Our patient ministration,
Earth -would grow cold, and miss indeed
Its sweetest consolation ;
If sorrow never claimed our heart.
And every wish -were granted,
Patience would die, and IrOpe depart—-
Life would be disenelianted.
And yet in heaven is no more night,
In heaven is no more sorrow !
Such unimagii'.ed new delight
Fresh grace from pain will borrow—
As the poor seed that underground
Seeks its true life above it,
Not knowing what will there be found
W'hen sunbeams kiss and love it.
So we-in darkness upward grow,
And look and long for heaven,
But cannot picture it below,
Till more of light be given.
J. Besemeres.
[From Huntington.]
of
—AISD—
THE SIEVE OF VANITY.
“And his breath, as an overflowing stream,
shall reach to the mid.st of the neck, to sift
the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there
shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people,
causing them to err,” Isaiah 30: 28.
prophet, in the preceding
verses is predicting Jerusalem’s
destruction, and the abund
ance of God’s grace and spirit
upon the little hills of Zion, botiij,,
arnpp YJJl'V l>oJi:-vi;’P. J-- •
tiles, at that time, vm’sc 25.* lie next
prophesies of the super-abounding
light which, in gospel days, should
exceed that of the formeiy dispensa
tion ; that if the church of God was
then, it should
called the
now be called the
“ moon ”
a
sun and that.
if there were children of the ch y in
that state, the light should be as the
light of seven days in this, verse 26.
He then proceeds to Christ, calling
him '‘ the name of the Lord,” in al
lusion to God’s charge to Moses, "Of
fend him not for my name is in him;”
and because the name of the Lord,
proclaimed before Moses, “ The
Lord, the Lord God, gracious and
merciful, slow to anger, abundant in
goodness and in truth, pardoning in
iquity, transgression, and sin,” was
now, in a most wonderful manner, to
be verified, to be made known, and
to be experienced and enjoyed by all
the elect of God. But, as this name
of the Lord w^as sadly provoked for
forty years together by the unbeliev
ing Jews in the wilderness, so it
would be provoked again by those
who refuse to hear his voice, and
harden their hearts against him, as in
the provocation, when their fathers
tempted him, proved him, and saw
his works forty years. And so like
wise it would be with the unbeliev
ing Gentiles, against whom, as well
as against the Jews, he would come
burning with anger ; and those who
set themselves against him should
find and feel the burden of his indig
nation ; for his word as a fire shall
kindle in them, and at last destroy
them; and my text informs you how.
" And his breath, as an overflowing
stream, shall reach to the midst of
the neck, to sift the nations with the
sieve of vanity : and there shall be a
bridle in the jaws of the people?
causing them to err.”
In this work I will endeavor to
give you my thoughts in the follow
ing order:
1. What I understand by the
Lord’s " breath.”
2. Why compared to a " stream.”
3. The “ neck ” which this stream
reaches to.
4. The “sieve of vanity” used
among the nations; and,
5. The “ bridle in the jaws of sin
ners, which shall cause them to err.”
The first account that we have of
the breatli of the Lord is in Gen. 2;
7. “ God breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life, and man became a living
soul.” A livingsoul was breathed iuT
Adam’s body, which animated it, ac
tuated it, influenced it, and possessed
it; and man was pronounced good ;
for God made man upright, yea, in
the image of God created he him.
But, alas ! Adam sinned, and all that
was good left him, and the sentence
ered into him: “Sin
}v,issed upon ail, for all have sinned.”
But God promises to the house of Is
rael that he will breathe upon them
once more. “ Behold, I ivill cause
breath to enter into you, and ye shall
live; and ye shall know that I the
Lord have spoken it.” The New
Testament will inform us of the go
ing forth of this breath of the Lord
among the nations. “ As my Father
hath sent me, even so send I you.—
And, when he had. said this, he
breathed on them, and saith unto
them. Receive ye the Holy Ghost.—
Whosesoever sins ye remit,they are re
mitted unto them ; and whosesoever
sins ye retain, they are retained,”
fire, and
water ; two of
mentioned
which
in my text
IS
John 20 : 22, 23. This is the
forth of the breath of the Lord into
the nations; for they were to go into
all nations, and to preach the gospel
to every creature; and the Spirit of
the Lord was to speak in them, and
these effects were to follovv—some
men’s sins were to be remitted, and
the sins of others were to be retained;
those that believe are to be saved, and
those that believe not are to be
damned. Hence the servants of the
Lord are a sweet savor of God in
them that are saved, and in them
that perish ; for Christ by his Spirit
speaks in his servants ; and hence it
is said that “ with the rod of his
mouth he smites the earth ” (and
heals it again,) “ and with the breath
of his lips he slays the wicked;” and
these things are done by the words
which are in the mouth of every
, minister of the Spirit; “and thus life
and death are in the power of the
tongue :” for some are quickened by
the Spirit, and others are left twice
dead, plucked up by the roots. 1
come now to treat of the “ stream ” to
wdiich the Lord’s breath is compared.
The Holy Spirit’s well-known
emblems are those of breath, wind,
which are
the last ot‘
tiiat of an overflowing
stream," which carries all before it;
for he fits, qualifies, and sends the
Preacher; directs him where to go,
and where not; and furnishes him
with matter and manner ; and always
works with and by the word. Some
souls he enters into, ai 1 abides with;
and “ they are saved by the washing
of regeneration, and by the renewing
of the Holy Ghost:” while those who
resist him, and oppose themselves to
him, and endeavor to counteract his
work, and ridicule and abuse his
power, influence, and operations, ho
leaves dried, blasted, and withered,
under the rebukes and reproof of
heaven, which kindle in them, as fit
fuel for everlasting: burnings. “ To-
phet is ordained of old; yea, for th(3
king it is prepared ; he hath made it
deep and large ; the pile thereof is
, ^ ^fire and much wood ; and th* breath
A. .
stone, doth kindle it,” Isa. xxx. 33.
Under the wrath and curse of God
the gospel finds such sinners, and un
der the same it leaves them; when,
hardness of heart, desperate wicked
ness, or a fearful looking-for judg
ment, is sure to follow, to find out,
and, sooner or later, to consume the.se
adversaries. This stream I'eaches to
the midst of the “neck” which is
what I come next to describe.
The “ neck ” is that part of the
human bodv which unites the head
and the body together ; and to this
the scriptures often allude; for in
stance, Christ is called the “ head,”
as he is the head of influence, from
whom all grace flows; and the “ cov
enant head,” who represents the
whole church in his body. “ Now
ye are the body of christ,” saith Paul
“and members in particular :” and
going
again, “the husband is the head ot
the wife, even as Christ is the head
of the church.” But, then, what can
the neck be, that unites this glorious
head to this mystical body? I thinic
tliis neck must be the covenant of
grace ; for God tlieFatlier first choose
that human nature, which the Word
was to assume, from everlasting, and
then chose us in him, gave us to him,
and made us one with him: and he
fixed his eternal love upon Us in him
before the world was made. By the
tenor of this covenant elected sinners
were espoused to Christ from ever
lasting, and are openly betrothed to
him in time. “ 1 will betroth thee
to me in righteousness, in metcies,
and in loving kindness ; yea, I will
betroth thee to mfe in faithfulness,
and thou shalt know the Lofd.”—