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time, written books amounting to more than twenty-one hundred pages, besides many articles for several periodicals. And all who are acquainted with her teachings know that any statement that they are not in strict harmony with God's standard of morality, is a slanderous untruth. Then let her enemies point to one impure sentence in all her writings, or prove that in her religious teachings she has uttered one unchaste word, or cease their slanderous persecution of a self-sacrificing Christian woman.

But I do not indulge the thought that whatever may be said to show the falsity of statements concerning ascension robes, and the views of Mrs. W., will silence the tongue of slander. No. These ministers know the influence they have with the public mind, and the advantages they have over us in this respect. Regardless of justice and truth, they will doubtless continue to do this scandalous work, wherever the glorious doctrine of the coming of Jesus shall be proclaimed. We can only expose their sin in this thing, and disabuse honest minds.

The dragon is wroth with those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. The Devil will use any willing tool to slander and abuse the followers of Jesus Christ. Scoffers will scoff, and liars will lie, whether they bear the 'title of Reverend, or be patrons of brothels. And the higher the position, the greater the criminality. But for all these things will God bring them into Judgment. Those who fear God and keep his commandments, and suffer reproach for the sake of Christ and the truth, will have their reward. Those who employ the vile tongue of slander against them, in order to crush their influence and keep others from obeying the command

ments that they may live, will perish in all their villainy. They, also, will have their reward. The True Witness has spoken relative to the present controversy and the final destiny of both classes of actors, as recorded by the prophet John.

First Class. "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. xxii, 14. These are doing right. Although they suffer for well doing, all the hate and slander that wicked men and demons can invent, their reward is the holy city and the tree of life.

Second Class. "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." Verse 15. These are commandment-breakers, and commandment-haters, and haters of those who keep the commandments of God. They are also noted for two things in particular, namely, loving and making lies. The application of these two items is so natural to these reports of ascension robes and the like, that no further comment is needed. They make lies, and love to publish them from the pulpit and the religious press. But, thank God, in the Judgment they are without. The happiness of those who love God and keep his commandments is then no more to be marred by their poisonous influence. Would God that they would repent of, and forsake, their wicked course, and live, and finally share the holy city and the tree of life. But as they will not

do this work, that they may share that reward, their corrupting influence must be borne with Christian patience and fortitude while the controversy lasts.

PRESENT POSITION AND WORK.

1. Seventh-day Adventists have nothing to do with definite time, only to show that the prophetic periods served the design of the Author of prophecy in the first angel's message, and that they terminated with the midnight cry in 1844. Having no definite time to which to look for the coming of the Lord, yet seeing from the signs of the times, and the fulfillment of prophecy, the great Advent movement thus far, that the event is at the door, they regard the present as emphatically the waiting, watching time. Their position since their disappointment in 1844 has been a trying one, requiring faith and patience to hold fast the Advent movement in the past, and to meet in a Christian spirit the opposition to the observance of the Sabbath of the Lord. Hence it is said of this time, and of this people, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Should we become weary of watching and waiting for the return of our Lord from the wedding, impatiently cast away our confidence in the great Advent movement, cease to keep the Sabbath, draw back, fall away, and crucify the Lord God afresh, it might then be said of us, Here is the impatience of the saints, (?) here are they that break the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

2. We solemnly believe that it was the design of God that definite time should be proclaimed, and that the 2300 days reached to the Judgment, referred to in the words of the first angel, "Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his Judgment is come." In the great Judgment of mankind there are two distinct parts; first, the investigative; second, the executive.

The investigative Judgment takes place prior to the second advent, and the resurrection of the just, that it may be known who are worthy of the first resurrection. Those who have part in that resurrection are first ascertained to be "blessed and holy." Rev. xx, 6. The executive Judgment, both in the reward of the righteous, and the punishment of the wicked, will be at the close of the great day of Judgment.

The grandeur of the sitting of the great court of Heaven in the investigative Judgment is described by the prophet thus: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The Judgment was set, and the books were opened. I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom." Dan. vii, 9, 10, 13, 14. The best authorities give the words "cast down" just the opposite meaning. They render them set up," or or "established." Thus, Adam Clarke says: "The thrones were cast down] might be translated erected; so the Vulgate, positi sunt, and so all the versions." Dr. Hales, in his "Sacred Chronology," Vol. ii, p. 505, renders Dan. vii, 9, thus: "I beheld till the thrones were erected, and the Ancient of days sat," &c. The Douay Version reads, "were placed;" and so Bernard, and Boothroyd and Wintle in the Cottage Bible. Matthew Henry in his Exposition renders it "set

20, 21, 24; vi, 17. Dan vii, 9; comp. the Septuagint is ed, according to thrones were set."

up." Of the original Hebrew word, Gesenius, in his Lexicon says, "R'mah, (1.) To cast, to throw, Dan. iii, (2.) To set, to place, e. g., thrones. Rev. iv, 2." The term used by póvoi érénσav, which literally renderLiddell and Scott, would be, "the Other authorities might be given. The Judgment scene here introduced opens with, 1st. The establishment of thrones and the sitting in Judgment of the great God, amid the brightness of that glory, feebly represented by fire and flame, accompanied by the millions of his attendants.

2d. The opening of the life-records of men, from which they are to be judged.

3d. The Son of man approaches the Ancient of days, attended by multitudes of angels, here represented by the clouds of heaven, to receive dominion, glory, and a kingdom. This does not represent the second appearing of Christ to this world, unless it can be shown that the Ancient of days is here.

3. Seventh-day Adventists believe in the perpetuity of spiritual gifts. They believe that the spirit of prophecy was designed to be with the people of God in all ages, and that dreams and visions are a medium through which God has spoken to his people in past time, and through which he will speak, till faith is lost in sight. "If there be a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream." Num. xii, 6.

They find no prophecy in the Old Testament pointing to the opening of the Christian age as the time for spiritual gifts to be removed from the people of God, and no declaration in the New Testament that the church would not need them, and that therefore they