The Advent Review

THE ADVENT REVIEW "Here is the patience of the Saints: Here are they that keep the Commandments of God, and the Faith of Jesus." Rev. 14: 12. VOLUME 39. BATTLE CREEK, MICH., THIRD-DAY, APRIL 16, 187~. NUMBER 18. Christians in the world-less than one "in their steps, who evasively deify nature, but to the we find the following, touching the present utter exclusion of prayer, of providence, of worship, fourteen of the entire population. But condition of the Jews :- IS ISSUED WEEKLY BY of everything, in short, that associates with itself the even this number includes, excepting the ideas of reyerenoe and responsibility. It can no "It is a very interesting question, to what relig fhe Seventh- day Adventist Publishing Association, Catholics, the entire population of all the longer be disguised that atheism, blank atheism, with ious issues they are tending. In the Jewiak Meuen BATTLE CREEK, MICH. Protestant nations ; so that children, on all its desolating horrors is becoming the character ger, of this oily, edited by the Rev. S. M. Isaacs, are istic of modern unbelief. H is fast sweeping all the some very interestin~ views of the course of religious professors, infidels, spiritualists, Mormons, more timid forms of doubt into its bottomless abyss thought and practice among them. Nothing is said ELDER JAMES WHITE, PRESIDENT. and persons of no religion, are numbered as ot darkness." of conversions to Christianity. It is tacitly assumed so many Christians ! How many, then, of that they do not occur, and, so far as we are in Q-TERMS: See Last Page. Horace Greely, in the N. Y. Tribune, . formed, they are not numerous. Address REVIEW & HERALD, BATTLE CREEK, IIIICH, these eighty-eight millions are even pro confirms the above facts thus:- "The second great fact is that, as to the synagogue fessors-church members? recent writer A "Science and literature alike rejoice in augmented itself, there is a division of the Jews into three par states that the entire number of Protestant ties. One, of those who are consenative of old forms HEAVENLY GLIMPSES. treasures which they proffer wiLh open hand to all. and habits in synagogue education and worship; church membership is only sixteen millions But lhere is no corresponding progress in our average another, of those who, in education and synagDgues Oua mortal eyes have never seen, three hundred and fifty thousand (16,350,- moral culture; na.y, the number of those who blend Our mortal ears have never heard the knowledge of a. Humboldt with the ethics of Dick and worship, conform to progressiYe Americ~n id~as; 000). That is, taking the entire popula a third, of those who, under the name of r1tuahsm, The glories of the world unseen, Turpin or Jonathan Wild, would seem to be rapidly propose to drop all the externals of Judaism, and Prepared for those who love the Lord. tion of the world, out of every thirteen increasing. That one is master of many sciences retain only a pure deism, not differing essentially hundred inhabitants only sixteen are pro and many tongues, affords na trustworthy assurance The Holy Spirit doth reve11l that he may not at any moment stand forth an Aaron from the absolute religion of Theodore Parker, or fessed Christians ! that of the Society of Free Religionists." A foreta.ste of immortal bliss; Burr in lack of principle, and a Rulloff in revolting, "Of the second system, he thus speaks: • Some rays of heavenly light and joy But if we now inquire still further what hideous crime." Reach from that brighter world to this. "'What is the modern system? To adopt every proportion of these church members are Such men as these do not make such means to attra.ct worshipers; the ritual to be revised, actually real, Bible Christians, it will dimin abridged, and rendered suitable to modern ideas. The Faith lifts the soul above the earth statements without sufficient facts to war advent of a Messiah, the resurrection of the dead, the To those bright realms of bliss afar, ish this number very much more. Proba rant them. Here is another witness of Dispele the mist of doubts and fears, ingathering of Israel-these subjects, which a vast bly we should be making a very charitable good authority :- majority in Israel deem important, were to be ex And sees the gates of Heaven ajar. allowance, if we reckon one half the church punged from the Prayer-book, but in their stead "The saience of our age is intensely skeptical. It By faith we view the pearly gates, members as real Christians. This would vocal and instrumental music were to form adjuncts throws more and more doubt upon accustomed relig to the service.' Swung open wide to let us through; give us only about eight millions (8,000,- ion, and strives more and more to make it appear " The tendencies of this system, as set forth by The wall of rainbow-tinted gems 000) of CHRISTIANS in the world out of a that there is nothing in it beyond mere forms of him, are to throw off finally all that is peculiar to the Looms up to our enchanted view. doctrine, and that the question of the day is whether Jewish ritual, and to retain only the spiritual deism population of thirteen hundred millions there is a.ny religion at all, or any God whatsoever." We see the crystal waters flow of the third pariy. One Jewish clergyman is a. vice (1,300,000,000), or only eight out of ev -II. W. Beecher, Friday evening, Aug. 28, 1871. president of the Free Religious Society of Boston. Laving the banks of golden ore, ery thirteen hundred ! This is not a very And Eden's fair, life-giving tree In one of the most popular and influen The Jewish Tintes copies in full from the index the flattering prospect for those who expect the prospectus of the course of free religious lectures in Whose branches reach from shore to shore. tial papers of the day, I find the follow immediate conversion of the world ! Boston. and gives it a conspicunus position, as if in ing:- sympathy with it. The efforts of Christians to pro There Sharon's fadeless roses bloom But let us look at the present condition duce united prayer for the conversion of the Jews There deathless beauty ever reigns, "STATISTICS OF ATHEISM. No tint of death no foul decay, or' the world from another point of view. to Christianity the Jewish papers treat with ridicule." What is its present tendency so far as faith "The statislics of the various religious bodies are Upon those ever-verdant plains. This is a dark picture for those to con and the fear of God is concerned ? It is a carefully taken. But of atheism, one of the most powerful elements of the coming future, no accurate template who expect the conversion of the No sin, no pain, no death, no tears, sad fact which comes to us in all the pa These are forever wiped away. statistics have ever been taken. But in order fully Jews to Christianity and their return to old pers, is noticed by all public men, and is to comprehend the conflict before us, we need an ac No night through allrhe endless years, Jerusalem. Their whole tendency is di God's glory makes perpetual day. painfully prominent in all classes of society, curate idea of the extent and power of the great atheistic movement of the age. But to obtain the rectly the other way. that unbelief, infidelity, and even blank My soul enamored, longs to soar, needed statistics is a matter of no small difficulty. But this infidelity of the age is not con atheism, are rapidly growing in all parts of We know that the followers of Comte are avowed From all earth's sorrows to be free. fined to scientifie men, worldlings, and Jews~ Oh! shall I tread the blissful shore, the world. Of Buddhism, the great religion atheists, but we know not exactly how many of them there are. Those who ignore God as out of the range It largely pervades the professed church, And stand beside the crystal sea? of India, Japan, &c., a recent writer says:- of possible knowledge and as act}ng only in law, are from the old mother to her latest child. " If ever there was a religion going to decay and many, but how many we cannot say. We know that Yee, in the strength of love divine Look at the following picture of the spirit I must-1 will that glory share. ruin, it is Buddhism in Japan. Its temples and the leading founder of the . International was an 0 Sa.viour! take this heart of mine; shrines are being deserted. The number of its &theist, and that atheistic lectures are delivered in ual condition of the herds of the Roman Me for that glorious rest prepare. priests has decreased nearly one third within five England under the auspices of that association, and church. It is from Rev. Mr. Langdon, of years. Geography and chemistry are sapping its R. c. BAKER. probably extensively in other land!!, but we know foundation. Sintooism, a cultured and intellectual not the number in that association, or the opinions Florence, Italy :- atheism has taken its place."-Ohristian Union. of all the members. One thing, however, is clear, "Break through but the thin surface crust of Present Condition of' the World. We could rejoice at the downfall of this that the atheistic element has 'fery great power in names and forms, and old associations, and the fact Christendom, and is preparing for a conflict more is revealed that there is nothing spiritual left; tha& false religion, if something even worse fearful than most Christians anticipate."-qhristian BY ELD.

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