“ IWILL SHAKE ALL NATIONS, AND THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS SHALL COME; AND I VVILL FILL THIS IIOUSE VVITII GLORY, SAITH THE LORD.”

and under the direction of the Mt. Lebanon Bishopric.

Published Monthly, by,

Von. I. SHAKERS,

ALBANY CO., N. Y., DECEMBER, 1871.

No. 12.

Love and Fire.

Religious revivals are the resultant of
the love of God toward humanity. Love
is fire, in its ultimate inearnated. “ God
and this makes God a consum-
“I am a

is love ;”
ing fire through jealousy.
jealous God,” hating idolatry and adul-
tery above all things, and always operating
to destroy the idols as Abraham destroyed
the images of gods and goddesses, which
his father made his living by creating.
Christendom is “full of idols;” conse-
quently, when the righteous in a city pray
to God, as Lot did in Sodom, they are
praying for the destruction of that city,
unless timely repentance—-a turning from
idolatry—averts it. As Jefferson afiirms,
all great cities are the cancers of the
nation; being produced by false organic
laws, permitting the monopoly of life ele-
ments, and destroying the taste of the
people ‘for rural pursuits——agrieulture in
its various branches—it is merely a matter
of time when such a city as London will
be destroyed, and by what agency. VVe
may hope that it will be through the soil
of England being returned to its owners,
the people; and that the soil will allure
the people from London, leaving it, like
Babylon, to “the owls and bitterns ;” for
the prophecy of desolation upon that city
is as applicable to all cities as it was to
Babylon.

The fact that a certain city is destroyed,
does not prove that its wickedness exceeded

“‘above all other cities,” but that it was

more ripe, and that the love of God was
towards it in an especial manner; and
that as it has perished, so likewise will all
other cities perish, unless their inhabitants
repent.

Under the law of “the co-relation of
forces,” the love of God may be trans-
formed into material fire, sweeping away,
as in a moment, the accumulated labors of
many generations, who had not wrought in
God sufficient to preserve “ their works.”
Not that there was no go0d——no religion——
nor yet that there was no natural fire to
begin the conflagration at Chicago. In
Rev. 9:23, “ Moses and Aaron went into
the tabernacle of the congregation, and
came out and blessed the people, and the

glory of the Lord appeared unto all the
people, and there came a fire out from
before the Lord and consumed upon the
altar the burnt offering and the fat, which
when all the people saw, they shouted and
fell on their faces.” In this case, there
was no physical fire as a nucleus; but
when “Nadab and Abhiu, the sons of
Aaron, took either of them his censer and
put fire therein, and put incense thereon,
and thus offered strange fire before the
Lord—“natural fire ”—whieh he com-
manded them not, “there went out fire
from the Lord, and devoured them,'and
they died before the Lord.” They lacked
faith as spiritualists.

How far, and to what extent, do the
modern priesthood offer strange fire, when
they offer their gifts——sparks of their own
kindling—-eloquent prayers, and learned
essays——-fires of ambition, impelled by the
love of self——in place of the true spiritual
gifts of the primitive church? Will they
not, one of these days, originate a confla-
gration that will burn up them and their
Works? In Ist Kings, 18:34, Elijah said
to the prophets of Baal, “ Call ye on the
name of your gods, and I will call upon
the Lord; and the god that answercth by
fire, let him be God; and all the people
answered and said: it is well spoken.”
“ They, the priests of Baal, took‘ the hul-
lock which was given to them, and dressed
it, and called on the name of Baal from
morning till noon, saying, 0 Baal, hear
us l But there was no voice, nor any that
answered; and Elijah mocked them, say-
ing: Cry aloud; for he is a god; either
he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is
on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth,
and must be awaked. And they cried
aloud, and cut themselves with knives as
was their manner, till the blood gushed
out-, but with no avail. \Vhen it came
Elijal1’s turn, they filled four barrels with
water three several times, and poured it
upon the burnt sacrifice and the Wood, and
the fire of the Lord fell, and no.t only con-
sumed the burnt sacrifice, but, as in Chi-
cago, it burnt “the wood, and the stones,
and the dust, and licked up the water that
was in the trench.” And the people said:
“ The Lord, be is the God; the Lord, he
is the God;” and the unspiritual prophets

were themselves destroyed. This descent
of fire frequently occurred during the his-
tory of the Jewish nation.
would not injure the righteous any more
than water would injure fish.

“VVho amongst us,” Isaiah inquired,
“ will dwell with the devouring fire? VVho
shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
The Lord descended upon Mount Sinai in
fire, and the people were afraid because of
the fire, and said: Let us not see this
great fire any more.”

In Numbers, 35, after the earth had
swallowed up the houses and all the men
that pertained unto Cora, with their goods,
“ there came out fire from the Lord and
consumed the two hundred and fifty men
that offered incense.” But, of all the
prophets of Israel, none exceeded Elijah
as a medium of spiritual power over the
material elements. I

2 Kings i: The king sent a captain and
fifty men, to bring Elijah down from the
top of a hill on which he sat. Approaching,
the captain said (mockingly), “ Thou man
of God, the king hath said come down ;” and
Elijah answered: If I be a. man of God,
then let fire come down from heaven, and
consume thee and thy fifty; and there
came down fire from heaven, and con-
sumed him and his fifty. And when a
second captain and fifty was sent, being a
little afraid, he said: “0 man of God,
thus bath the king said: ‘ Come down
quickly.’ ” Again the prophet called for
fire to consume them, and the fire of God
came down from heaven and consumed
him and his fifty. And the captain of the
third fifty was sent, and went up, and,
like the Egyptians, being thoroughly con-
verted to a belief in Spiritualism, fell on
his knees before Elijah, and besought him,
and said to him, “C man of God, I pray
thee let my life, and the life of these fifty,
thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
Behold there came fire down from heaven
and burnt up the two captains of the for-
mer fifties, with their fifties, therefore let
my life be precious in thy sight.” This
humble and candid confession showed that
the fire of the Lord was going back from
whence it came, towards the interior of

things. It had burnt up unbelief in the

This fire

90

TI-IE SHAKER.

captain’s soul, and become again a spiritual
fire of faith and zeal towards God. The
angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, “ Go
down with him." The fire had reached
the soul of the king also; and “Elijah
said to him: Thou hast sent messages to
inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron;
therefore thou shalt not come down off that
bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt
surely die. So the king died, and Elijah
was not injured. And Elijah went up by
a whirlwind into heaven,” from whence
the fire came. It was not his body that
went up, but his soul and spirit that had
already ascended into the heaven—the
paradise of the Jews.

Thus did Elijah subdue military power
by Spiritualism, according to the true
design of the Mosaic dispensation, where
the war power was transferred from the
physical to the lower sphere of the spiritual
world. It is on this wise that war will be
abolished, and the millenium inaugurated,
in which the nations shall cease to learn
andvpractice it any more. In that epoch,
the male and female will be equally repre-
sented in the earthly government, which
will become the image of the government
of the universe.

War Raised One Step Higher.

The Christ Spirit, with which Jesus
was baptized, converted and convicted him
first from the Jewish plan of war—the
application of physical force——by means
of which, he. cleansed the temple of the
commercial people who were trading and
traflicking under -a cloak of religion, call-
ing them “ thieves and robbers,” who
were desccrating the house of prayer.
This was one step upwards. “ The zeal
of the Lord’s house had eaten him up.”
Furthertravail prepared him for another
step; so that when a. village of the Sama-
ritans refused to receive him and his dis-
ciples, because his face was set as though
he would go to Jerusalem, with whose
inhabitants they held no social communion,
James and John said: “Lord, wilt thou
command fire to come down from heaven,
and consume them, even as Elias did?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them, and said :
“Ye know not what manner of spirit ye
are of,” in respect to the spirit and prac-
tice of war. Ye are good Jews, after the
pattern of Elijah; but are not yet con-
verted to Christianity, which will save you
from destroying your enemies even by
spiritual agencies, and even when they
are heretics, and have refused to receive
and entertain the Son of Man, having
turned their backs upon the kingdom of
heaven, which had come nigh unto them.
“For the Son of Man has not come to
destroy men’s lives, but to save them,
both body and soul, provided they will

obey the truth.” This obedience will
never be secured, except through a baptism
of fire and love, which shall create. as at
pentecost, a genuine spiritualistic, reli-

F. W. EVANS.

gious revival.

Shaker Iconoclasm.

While millions are seeking their heavens in the
indulgences of perverted passions, We are called to
work ours out by severe chustisenicnt of our affections
for sinful 1usl.s—by rigid self-denial to all that en-
genders worldly ambition or selfish aggramlizement.

After tlmusumls of years’ activity in the habitual
practices of war, marriage, private property; ofcar-
nal desires, and the gratification of those desires by
our ancestors; we are commanded to turn back the
tide of nature, and build the foundations of a new
str-u.ctm'e, that condescends not to the use ofa single
material, good nor had, that constitutes the bulwarks
of the old order oflifel Who, then, wonders at our
persecution ? Who is surprised at the few who
bear the ordeal and comply with the command?
Or \vho Wonders at the worldly cry of the failure of
S1I.u;EI:Is.\I, and the desires that it should fail, while
it is inaking such devastation with worldly institu-
tions? It has already proved itself a successful rc-
gencrator; and what has been done by it, can with
it be accomplished again. *

I
True Wealth.
Be my mind a sacred treasury,
’Stored With gems and diamonds bright,
Where no dross shall ever gather,
That would dim their lustrous light.

Garnered there the wealth of knowledge,
Truth and Wisdom‘s golden sheaves,
Richest fruits and fragrant flowers,
Not alone life's fading leaves.

‘Valle of sapphire form the chambers,
By eternal Goodness made,

I will fill this heavenly structure

\Vith the snnsnine. not the shade.

I will hang it round with pictures,
That shall give me joy to see.

Not the imagery of (lemons,

That would haunt and follow me.
Like the ghosts in ancient story,
Protcan forms of passions base,
Sordid loves, and gross dcsircs—-
These the temple would deface.
Innocence and pure afl'ectiou,

Deeds in consecration wrought,

Holy thoughts and aspirations,

To this temple shall be brought.
Germs of good my soul shall cherish,
Spurn the false and prize the true,
Look beyond the things that perish,
Where bright glories rise to view.
Brighter now appears the prospect,
And the angel life is mine;

Growth and progress are eternal,

In the spheres of truth divine.

luxnrna Asnnnsox, Mt. L.

Christian Equality.
“ Ye are all brethren."

There is nothing in the teaching of Jesus
Christ more apparent than the thorough and
absolute change he purposed to effect in the
lives of all those who should become his dis-
ciples. This change had reference not only to
the individual character of each, but also to
the relations they were to sustain toward each
other as a community of believers. He taught
not only humility, in contradistinction to pride
and vanity; gentleness, in opposition to an
overbearing spirit; faith and patience, as ar-
rayed against distrust and heart-consuming
anxiety ; love to God and the neighbor instead
of hatred; but a change in the fundamental
condition of Society. In it there was to be
neither noble nor plebeian, rich nor poor, bond
nor free, as they had hitherto existed in all

human societies, not excepting that established
by Moses. Not only were these distinctions
to find no place in the community of his fol-
lowers, but even the titles, which were wont
to foster the pride of those installed into any
oflice among men, were to -be discarded. “ Be
ye not called Rabbi, or Teacher, for one is your
Teacher ; call no man your Father upon earth,
for one is your Father.” There is but one
simple relation to be Sustained among all the
disciples of Christ, that of brethren, the
children of one common, divine parentage.

This teaching is thoroughly radical, and aims
to eradicate a disposition that has had a con-
trolling influence upon mankind for ages upon
ages—that of exalting one’s self at the expense
of others. It is not surprising that it has pro
duced so little effect comparatively in the world,
nor is it a cause of discouragement to one who-
has studied the Divine method of working, that
this doctrine was so soon abandoned by many
of the professed teachers of Christ’s religion ;
that the head of one of the divisionsinto which
the church was split should be styled Papa,
Pope, or Rather ; that the chief of another
division should be called Patriarch, or Chief
Father ; and that the teachers of other divisions
should assume or accept the title of Doctor,
which is simply another term for Rabbi. The
Infinite has an eternity in which to accomplish
his plans.

Nothing else was to be expected, when the
professed disciples of Christ discarded his
teachings in this respect, but that they should
seek to justify their conduct ; nor is it a matter
of Wonder that those who disallow his authority
altogether should style him fanatic, because of
his extreme doctrines. Chateaubriand, the
celebrated defender of " the Church ” against
the infidels of his day, conscious that Jesus
had uttered some radical sayings respecting
equality, says : “ The Christian religion estab-
lishes the doctrine of moral equality, the only
kind which can be preached without overthrow-
ing the world.” That is, to give his own ex-
planation, Christian priests can remind the
great ones of earth that they are made of no
nobler dust than the plebeian,- which truth the
priests of ancient Paganism did not dare to
utter in the ears of a Nero ora Tiberias. This
wonderful gain, then, has been made by
Christianity over Paganism ! To preach more
than this would be to overthrow thé world!

But Christian equality, whenever practiced,
does overthrow the World, and that is the very
design of it. It banishes at once and forever
all those distinctions created and fostered by
human pride, Whether of ruler and subject,
nobleman and vassal, or clergy and laity. It
discards not only the secular titles, as they are
called, of Emperor, King, Duke, etc., but eccle-
siastical as wel1——Sovereign Pontiff, My Lord
the Archbishop, or Bishop, being as open to
Christ’s reprehcnsion as any other title. It
puts an end to that selfish abuse of God’s
gifts, by which a few appropriate to themselves
that which belongs to the many. It diffuses
an abundance of everything needful among all
without distinction. It establishes not merely
What the French writer styled “ moral
equality,” which still leaves the haughtiness
of the haughty undisturbed; allows every
distinction in Society which human pride has

.\.;.._;\ L ~._n -. .-inn

 

TI-IE SHAKER.

91

devised, together with every ‘display in dress,

equipage and residence that tends to keep up

those distinctions, but also actual equality,
bringing the proud down to the position they

should occupy, and raising the degraded to a
"condition in which they may enjoy God’s

It makes short work with
everything that cnkindles wars or engenders
strife of any kind. removing all the causes that
lead_to them. It strikes a deadly blow at all
pleasure, passions and lusts, Whose tendency
is to weaken and destroy the physical, intel-
lectual and spiritual man, and to introduce into
the world of God’s creation whatever causes
hatred, divisions, and moral disturbances. It
not only brings society upon a level, but gives
to the individual subject of it perpetual quiet
of soul,

“ It makes the rough paths of peevish nature even,
And opens in each breast a little heaven.”

greatest blessings.

Christian equality, therefore, tends to over-
throw both the great world that exists in the
form of human tyranny and slavery, of in-
equality in wealth and privileges everywhere
prevalent, and the world of pride, ignorance,
passion, lust, envy and hatred, and every
ignoble thing that exists in the individual
breast. In overthrowing these, however, it
does not leave society in a state of chaos, nor
the individual to float ruddetfiess over the dark
ocean. Gradually it brings order out of con-
fusion, dispels the darkness of the mental
horizon, brings in the dawn with its resplendent
colors, and ultimately diffuses everywhere the
heart-cheering and invigorating light of the
perfect day. VVhen the former heaven and
earth have passed away, the Sons of God
chant the anthem that celebrates the creation
of the new; they sing of peace and love, of
order, equality, and perpetual unanimity. Their
melody inspires and fills the souls of all who
constitute the family of heaven. '

WM. H. BUSSELL.

Life in ‘God.

The First Great Cause has deeply implanted
in human souls the laws of righteousness, for
the government of his children in their conduct
towards each other; and in the revelation of
His Divine will, these laws in the mind are
confirmed.

The Saviour said: “Whatsoever ye would
that men should do unto you, do ye even so
unto them.” His whole life was a dedication
to the laws of love and divine justice.

In the laws of life, there is a fitness, an ap-
propriateness in human action; we will call
this fitness Justice. Human beings feel that
they are entitled to be treated justly in all the
transactions of life. Every one feels that he
or she has an inherent right to the bounties of
a kind Providence, and cannot feel satisfied
when any of these rights are withheld or
denied.

Integrity in man will scrupulously allow all
these rights to a fellow being ; not only allow,
but bestow kind acts to aid his fellow man.
In the wide domain of commerce, the man of
integrity will make known the quality, age and
condition of his produce, and regard in weight
and measurement the same honesty.

Every citizen should feel safety in person,
character and property; uncertainty in these
destroys our happiness. Each man should

feel a concern for the life, character and pro-
perty of his fellow man, not only to guard
against casualties, but to render, in sickness
or affliction, a kind and willing assistance.

Common prudence should teach that We are
all human beings, and, as such, may need the
same kind attention; and that the human heart,
full and running over, will be ready and desir-
ous, under these generous impulses, to render
back the measure more than full. The gifted
and fortunate should voluntarily be guardians
for their less-gifted and unfortunate fellow
beings, and, in kindness, counsel them, show
them, entreat them ; for they lack understand-
ing of the conditions, proprieties, duties and
dangers of life. Suffering mortality is beseech-
ing, and must not be turned away empty. 0,
for the compassion of the Christ spirit!

To the young man or woman in nature,
whose life is to begin as the future father or
mother, these inquiries should arise: Do I
start with integrity in every purpose and de-
sign in this highest, earthly prerogative, to do
the will of my heavenly parents, in perpetuat-
ing my likeness and representative in time?
Or, am I looking forward to scenes of volup-
tuousness, irrespective of my call, obligations,
or consequences ? Do I consider that life and
death are set before me, and that I am account-
able for the use of my endowments and for the
consequent good or evil that may arise in my
connection, through time, and for ages to come ?

In the matrimonial union you have pledged
yourselves to verity and integrity without
reserve; and in keeping this solemn declaration
in accordance with the laws of nature, depends
your future fruitfulness and blessing.

In the family relation must be instituted
good government ; faithful obedience for the
child, and religious, rational instruction for

youth, all conducted in the spirit of the true

Christian. A sacred veneration for God and
His divine attribute, Truth, should be deeply
planted in the juvenile mind. In the family
mansion is laid the foundation of future govern-
ment of state and nation; may it be laid on
the basis of truth and obedience to law and
order, for God works through these principles
for the salvation of nations.

Let us examine the inmost recesses of
thought, for in the laboratory of the mind are
manufactured the intentions, designs and con-
summations of human existence.

WM. REDMON.

Are the Shakers Ascetics?

In all ages, mankind have felt the desire to
appease an offended Deity ; for men have erred
since the early days of earth’s history, and
consequently felt the sting of remorse and
unhappiness, the natural result of violating
God’s laws. And as most men will relent and
forgive an injury, when approached humbly
and sorrowfully by the offending party, so men,
in their short-sighted conception of the Eternal,
have thought to propitiate Him, and regain
their own peace of mind, by vows and sacri-
fices, or the observance of an ascetic life.
Others, again, stimulated, doubtless, by a pious
longing after holiness and purity, proposed to
subdue the inherent inclination to evil, and the
inordinate desires of their minds, by seclusion,
fasting, the recitation of long prayers, bodily

torments, and the abjuration of every comfort
or innocent pleasure! They are called Ascetics
—persons who, secluded from the world, live
a rigid and austere life, and employ their time
mostly in devotions and mortifications. Are
the Shakers Ascetics? This epithet is not un-
commonly applied. Let us look at their every-
day life, and thereby see whether the name
“ Ascetics ” properly belongs to them.

Do they live secluded from the world? De-
cidedly they do, in a. certain sense. They
claim to live in retirement from the world, in
a life of self—discipline and preparation for a
future state. There are no high, cloister walls
around their buildings, and no dark courts lead
to their dwellings; but God’s bright sunlight
is invited everywhere, to cheer with its rays,
this simple and unassuming people. The visitor
or traveler will not find the forbidding words,
“ No admittance,” written on any of their gates
or doors, but meets with a kind and hearty
welcome, with an invitation to examine and
judge for himself; while hardly a day passes
by in which hundreds of strangers do not come
through their farms and villages. The hermits
of old retired from the world, and buried them-
selves in the inaccessible wilderness, and many
a weary and sad heart now, will retire behind
the gloomy walls of a cloister. They were
and are Ascetics. Are Shakers? They retire
from the world so far as not to take part in
political movements, which certainly tend to
abstract the mind from higher and purer pur-
suits; nor in the usual pleasures of the world
—the principles that make the world (see John
ii. 15, l6)—considering them as not consistent
with a life devoted to spiritual progress. They
have separated from the principles of the world,
but do not live in seclusion; they shun the
evils of the world, and all which leads to
worldliness, but do not shun its children, in
whose souls are the images of God ; they come
in contact with those who are of the world,
but live not according to the demands of the
world—are they, therefore, Ascetics?

Is their life rigid and austere? It may appear
so to the egotist or the devotee of pleasure, but
not to the philosopher or Christian. The
ancient axiom, “ The fewer wants, the more
happiness,” is still true. All the riches in the
world will never suflice to supply the wants of
a depraved appetite, for every sensual gratifi-
cation excites a desire for new indulgences of
a more refined kind, and in proportion to their
fulfilment, the passion demands those that are
more extensive and‘ luxurious. “Shakers,”
or “ Believers,” enjoy the products of nature,
with which they are amply supplied, and use
all the comforts and conveniences which the
fruits of their industry permit. They live not
in luxury, but in comfort; not in extravagance,
but in sufficiency. And is their manual labor
hardship ? Labor is pleasure, if performed
moderately, and for a good purpose; it has a
salutary effect upon body and mind, and no
one among them is required to Work beyond
his capabilities. An evidence that their daily
life is far from being austere, is afforded by
their records of mortality, which prove a greater
longevity among the Shakers than any other
class of people.

True piety will not showa solemn, Puritanic

932

 

THE SEIAKER.

countenance, but will enjoy a hearty laugh, a
mirthful and agreeable conversation. And let
any visitor call at a Shaker village, and he will
not meet many faces of a forbidding or down-
cast aspect, but the peace within will show
itself in the serene and happy countenances of
those who have devoted their lives to purity
and soul—developiiient, and who feel that they
are at peace with God, and beloved by their
companions.

Do Shakers employ their time mostly in
devotions and mortilications? Their devotional
formalities occupy a very small portion of the
day, for labor is prayer, and useful occupation
more acceptable in the sight of heaven than
the recital of long and meaningless prayers.
But they most emphatically claim that their
lives are spent in mortification, not of the body,
but of the carnal will.
written, as the essence of wisdom, on the
portals of the temple of Ephesus; and “Know
thyself,” and “Conquer thyself,” is written
now on the standard of Believers. To subdue
themselves, and even eradicate that which
“the still small voice ” condemns, and to
restore the soul to its native purity, as a fit
emblem of its l\Iaker—to replace in their minds
the spiritual instead of the» sensual, is their aim
and daily labor. Can such an end be reached
without a struggle ? Without mortification 3
God alone knows the fierce combat that has
raged in many a soul aspiring after holiness;
and often He alone has seen the silent tears,
and heard the suppressed sobs of many a weary
traveler towards His kingdom of eternal rest;
and He alone knows the agony which the
demand, “Conquer thyself,” often extorts. And
were it not for His help, who would succeed ?

But success is certain. His help, and the
observance of the eternal truths established in
the Church of Christ’s Second Appearing, will
enable every soul to conquer the enemy within,
and then the state of happiness will commence,
an_d the soul will find heaven on earth. Then
the words of Christ will be fulfilled '. “ Every
one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or
sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or
children, or lands for my name’s sake, shall
receive a hundred fold, and shall inherit ever-
lasting life,” and peace, comfort and bliss will
dwell in abundance in the soul, which will then

, receive a forshadowing of the eternal,heavenly

joys. There cannot be victory without a com-

bat, nor holiness without struggles and morti— T

fications of the carnal mind. Ascetics mortify
the body; Shakers mortify the principalities
of evil.

But let Shakers be called Ascetics, or
fanatics, or a deluded people—it will not alter
the truth. There is only one way to salva-
tion, and every soul, at some period of its ex-
istence, either in this world or in the world to
come, will have to enterit—the way that Jesus
taught in the words : “ Forsake all, and follow
me.” God speed the day when the light from
above will shine on repentant and sorrow-
stricken souls ; when Ilis angels will point out
to an anxious and burdened multitude the true
and only way of salvation from evil: Confess-
ing and forsaking sin, and living alife of purity,
humility, and unselfishness ! A. VVAGER.

Union Village, 0.

“ Know thyself,” was ,

The Knell of the Dying Year.
Hark ! what is that low, inuriiiii'ring sound,
That faintly falls upon the car?
So distant, yet it jars the ground,-—
lliisli l ’tis the knell of the dying year.-f
All nature seems to hear the tell,
The teinpests pause in their wild career,
E’er they have reached their destined goal,
And list to the knell of the dying year.
The stately trees of the forest bend
To catch the sound, and, appalled with fear,
A niiiimiiring dirge in their sorrow lend,
To bewziil the knell of the dying year.
The stars look down from the murky sky,
Tlirough a veil of clouds their sad faces appear’,
And the moon, enmantled with mists on high,
Seems to weep the knell of the (lying year.

And wilt they not join in the solemn scene ’
0, man ! while thy death toll approaclies near ?

And would’st thou listen with downcast mien,
To the s01'r0Wi'iil knell of the dying year ?

" Let thy footsteps tread pure virtuc‘s way,
And thou shalt never shed a tear ”——

_ A voice to my spirit seems to say—-

“ As thou he-arest the knell of the dying year.”
Wii.Li.iM CALVER.

Charity.

Charity has been defined to be a. principle
which leads us to make use of the best means
to bring about the best results. St. Paul said
that “ charity rejoiceth in the truth.” All the
Christian virtues and graces, which adorn the
character of the good, harmonize; they never
are antagonistical. If “ charity rejoicetli in the
truth,” it also rejoices in justice and righteous-
ness, as well as in mercy and kindness; and

as all these harmonize, the greatest charity to _
_any soul is to hold it to strict justice, and not

to indulge it in any wrong, because, “ he that
doeth wrong shall suffer for the wrong he

doeth,”
Indulgence, instead of being charity, is in-

justice and wrong to the very individual to
whom it is extended, and in a social point of
view, indulgence to oneis injustice to the whole
community. This individual indulgence being
intrinsically unjust, it can never promote har-
mony, peace, nor righteousness in any society
where it exists. Indulgence is exceedingly
prone to assume the name and garb of charity,
and, under this false color, often deeeives and
has sometimes ruined very good men. The
oft-repeated maxim, that “ it is better to err on
the part of charity, than do otherwise,” is
losing its effect, and, with some, has become
entirely obsolete, and not without good
reasons.

To make this subject plain to the under-
standing, we will give some brief illustrations:
VVe' remember to have read of a millionaire in
France who, out of charity, undertook to sup-
port all the poor in a large district, and by his
profuse liberality ultimately spenthis immense
fortune. Although his funds were exhausted,
he still felt it his duty to support all the poor
within his reach, indiscriminately, and, finding
no other resource, he took to highway robbery !
In this he was for a time very successful.
Several heavy robberies were committed in the
neighborhood, but no one for a moment mis-
trusted the good philanthropist.

At length he waylaid a priest, who was
carrying a large sum collected to build a
cathedral, and he murdered the priest and got
the money ! All these sums were freely appro-
priated to feed his poor. This good philan-

thropist was at length caught in the very act
of robbery, to thesiirprise of everybody. He
was brought to trial, pronounced guilty, and
condemned to be hung! lVhen the judge pro-
nounced his sentence, he only replied, “ Alas!
who will take care of my poor!”
see that erring on the part of charity proved
the utter ruin and destruction of this man,
and it will of every individual family, or whole
community, who persist, perseveringly to err
on the part of this kind of charity, at the
expense of justice, righteousness, and without
regard to the moral character of its objects.
Thus, we see one great theme seemed to
have taken possession of this man’s mind, so
as to overshadow all idea of justice, and even
to conceal the horrid crime of murder! Has
there not been something like this transacted
among Jelievers, only differing in degree, but
not in nature 3 Have there not been some un-

principled, dishonest creatures indulged, and-

sufl'ered to trample on and outrage the feelings
and faith of all the more faithful part of com-
munity, under the plausible pretext of extend-
ing charity to the poor? Thus, the innocent
and worthy members of community are im-
posed upon, and robbed of their just rights,
and their confidence and better feelings crushed,
murdered, for the sake of indulging some lazy,
shiftless, self-willed unworthy individuals; all
done by erring on the part of charity, when
great injustice is done to all parties.

To ‘illustrate this subject further, we will
make an extract from the Weslmivzster Review:
“ Victor Hugo, of France, tells us of a very
philanthropic bishop, who spent all his wealth
and revenue on the poor———gave up his palace
to be used as a hospital, and lived in a small
cottage. He had no furniture but of the
piainest kind; nothing that indicated wealth,
except a set of massive silver plate, which, as
an heirloom, had descended to him by legacy.
This he would display on his table when he
had guests. On a certain occasion, a desperate
convict, who had served several terms in the
penitentiary, amounting to nineteen years,
called on the good bishop, soon after he had

served the last term.
“ The convict made a clean breast, and intro-

duced himself in his true colors, as an outcast,
and spurned by mankind. To his astonish-
ment, the good bishop did not appear shocked,
but looked upon him with kindness. The con-
vict repeated the terrible fact, and, in proof,
showed the passport given him on leaving the
prison. The good bishop still smiled on him,
and invited him to partake of food and lodging.
Supper being prepared, and the silver plate
paraded on the table in honor of the guest,
they sat down and ate together. The convict
eyed the silver plate and two massive silver
candlesticks. The bishop was all goodness
and loving-kindness toward the stranger-—the
convict carefully watched where the servant
put the silver plate, and was finally conducted
to bed by the good bishop.

“ In the dead of night the convict awakes,
and makes his way to the place of deposit and
grasps the plate—all but the candlesticks,
which he could not readily find, goes back to
his chamber, and escapes through the window.
The next day he was arrested by the police,
and brought back to the good bishop, with his

Thus, we‘

 

THE

SHAKER

93

stolen plate, and the bishop, in the deep charity
of his soul, told the policeman that the said
convict was his friend, and that he had given
the plate to him ! The zealous policeman, morti-
fied at his mistake, immediately withdrew.
The bishop turned to the convict, and quietly
presented him with the silver candlesticks,
which the robber had omitted to take with the
plate, and, laying his hand on the man’s arm,
said: ‘My brother, you belong no more to
evil, but to good. It is your soul that I now
purchase of you; I Withdraw it from the spirit
of perdition and give it to God l’ The convict
departed with his booty, and that very day
committed another robbery!”

Says the Review : “ The prominent feature
is an unbounded benevolence, before which
every other consideration, even justice, as well
as prudence, gives way. This is particularly
displayed in the last scene in which he appears
before us, when, in order to extricate the
robber from the hands of the police, he dis-
missed the latter with a falsehood, thus sacri-
ficing truth itself to the benevolent purpose of
accomplishing the convict’s conversion, and
saving him from his just deserts. Would it
not be better for spiritual teachers to feed and
stimulate the minds of their flocks with a
desire for spiritual improvement, and a spirit
of obedience, instead of encouraging, by undue
and perilous indulgence, that which is at once
a cause and symptom of mental degeneration P”

VVe will now make the application, and close
the subject. Have we not seen something like
this in the course of our experience? How
many there are who, if they have not stolen
directly, have unjustly spent the “ silver plate,”
and, after all, have been presented with the
“ silver candlesticks,” too! And how many
of these unjustly-treated ones have ever re-
formed, and their “souls thereby redeemed
and purchased to God P” Have we not failed
as utterly as did the good bishop? And have
we not, by thus giving away our “candle—
sticks,” let our candles go with them, and thus
gradually been left in darkness P Consequently,
are there not some among us who will have to
exclaim, in the language of the foolish virgins
to their more honored, faithful brethren and
sisters: “ Alas! give us of your oil, for our
lamps are gone out P” so that they are left in the
dark, and are scarcely able to “ discern between

the righteous and the wicked, between him that

serveth God, and him that serveth Him not P”

VVhen charity, the greatest of three distin-
guished virtues, is made tributary to. crime,
and subservient to vice, then it is that we have
arrived at a point beyond which charity ceases
to be a virtue. The same may be said of true
Christian forgiveness, for they are inseparably
connected, and we cannot be in the exercise of
one without being in possession ‘of the other.
The true ground of Christian charity and for-
giveness is always on conditions ; thus, “if thy
brother trespass against thee, rebuke him ; and
if he repent, forgive him.” Here is the found-
ation of true charity and forgiveness, but be
sure that his repentance is genuine, and not
feigned. A brother is not a reprobate. If his
repentance is genuine, he will be willing to
suffer the just penalty due to his transgres-
sions, and not to complain of the innocent be-
cause they withhold their sympathy.

How was it with Jesus, our Elder Brother,
when speaking of the baptism of sufferings
through which he must pass, in order to find
his redemption from that fallen nature which
he took upon him, and when Peter began to
sympathise with him, and said, “this shall
never be unto thee, Lord P” VVhy, Jesus re-
buked that false spirit of sympathy in Peter,
and said: “Get behind me, Satan! for thou
savorest not of the things that be of God, but
of men.” How was it with Mother Ann, our
first—born Elder Sister, when she was suffering
the just penalty due afallcn nature P Did she
complain of the innocent for their want of
sympathy P Never! She sought rather to
hide herself, “lest some should pity her with
a pity which God did not.” Let us go and do
likewise, and then sympathy will flow spon-
taneously. JAS. S. Pnnscorr.

The Last Night of Jesus on Earth.

Beautiful for situation,-
As Jerusalem of old,

Is the Lord’s new habitation,
Where His truth and power unfold.

Built of His eternal treasure,
Is the City from above ;

Vainly would our spirits measure
llalfits glory, peace and love.

We. whose hearts and homes are lighted
With the radiance ofllis face,

Know that bloom will reach the blighted,
As the sun the darken’d place.

Here. among the hills and mountains,
Revelations we can gain ;

Drink from spiritual fountains,
Ne’er to thirst for earth again.

Here the future is unfolded:
From the shadows of the past,

From wild chaos, God has moulded
Beauties that will live and last;

And His power is not diminished,
Greater wonders IIe will do,

Ere His work on earth is finished,
And all things are made anew.

Hope, with joyous, starry pinion,
Speeds into the coming day ;

Love goes back, through time’s dominion,
On the pilgrim’s rugged way-—

Love goes back to him who sorrowed
O’er the wicked and perverse,

Back to him who toil’<l and snlfcred,
To destroy the Eden curse.

Love, like Mary, bows and listens
\Vhen the multitudes are taught ;

In her eyes emotion glistens
When the miracles are wrought.

\Vhat, to her, is lenrniug’s station,
W'ith its pompous iron sway ?

Better for the soul’s salvation,
Spoken of in simple way.

Parables, from nature taken,
Illustrate the law divine,

And the honest soul awaken
To the truths that round it shine.

Still the world will kill the lowly ;
For it loveth but its own,

Hearts that would be pure and holy
Still the press must (read alone.

Jesus gave his life for others ;
None could minister to him,

Though he fain would make them brothers,
Yet their spirit-life was dim ;

All they knew he had imparted,
Streams their source cannot supply ;

They were faithless and faint-hearted,
W hen the darkened hour drew nigh.

~ When the last sad meal was ended,

And the solemn hymn was o'er,

They the mountain slope ascended
\Vith a grief unknown before.

All their love to him had centered ;
They had known him as a man ;

But their hearts had never entered
Into God’s deep, holy plan.

\Vhen his grief he could not smother,
Pressed on him with heavy weight ;

They were striving with each other,

\Vho among tliem should be great.
They were children, and he led them 3

Their afl'ections round him grew :
Carefully he taught, and fed them

In the life and spirit new.
Oft he gathered them together,

To baptize their souls in flame-
They, like lonely, desert heathen,

Knew not whence the spirit came.
Theirs was fervent, human feeling--

Tender sympathy and love ;
God was to his soul revealing

Elements they knew not 01'.
Every human creed must perish ;

Fairest (lowers will fade and part ;
And the closest ties we cherish

Break and wreck the trusting heart.
Let this lesson ever waken

Strength within the struggling soul :-
Principles are never shaken ;

God has kept them true and whole.
They will grow and brighten, ever,

‘Neath the Angels’ chastening rod 3
They will form our home forever—-

“ Stones” approv’d a.nd blcst of God.
0 my spirit, thou art lifted

With a burst of holy song ;‘
And thy inmost sight is gifted

With a. vision, sought for long.
What, to thee, is earthly trial ?

O, behold the heavenly state S
In the clouds ofself-denial,

Toll, and for fruition wait. .
Numbered not with any nation,

Israel, here shall dwell alone ;
But his glory and salvation

Shall throughout the earth be known!
' CECELIA D1; VERE.

DEAR EDITOR :—The following, from the American
I’In‘e:nolog1'.ca.l Jourrrml, is so excellent and true to
life, that I call your attention to it for the beneilt of
your readers.

I have thought that judging any by their features
was an unsafe and unjust criterion : but am now satis-
fled that our spiritual beings become transformed into
the likeness of those virtues for which we have admira-
tion, or reflect the vices we endorse and p]'.'l(:li(:0.

C. DIBBLE.

THE MIND BUILDS ITS OWN HOUSE.

“A sensual disposition deforms ‘the hand-
somest features. A cold, selfish heart shriv-
els and distorts the best looks. A mean,
groveling spirit takes all noble character out
of the countenance. A cherished hatred trans-
forms the most beautiful lineament into an

_ image of ugliness.

“ It is impossible to preserve good looks,with
a brood of bad passions feeding on the blood,
a set of low loves trampling through the
heart, a11d a selfish, disdainful spirit enthroned
in the will.

“ Badness and beauty will no more keep
company than poison will consort with health.
The experiment of putting them together has
been tried for thousands of years, with one
unvarying result. The laws of spirit work
with unfailing effect, making sin punish itself.
Every bad passion turns tell-tale, and publishes
its disgraceful story in the features of those
who have given themselves up to every sort
of wickedness. This may not be all, but this
transforming a. face once full of hope and inno-
cence, into deformity, is terrible.

“ There is no sculpture like the mind. The
man who thinks, reads, meditates aright, has
intelligence in his features, stamped on his
brow, and gleaming in his eye. There is
nothing that so refines and ennobles face and
mien as the constant presence of great thou ghts,
a high determination, a virtuous principle, an
unquenchable enthusiasm. But more power-
ful still than any of these, as a beautifier of
the person, is the overmastering purpose and
pervading disposition of impartial kindness in

94:

 

THE SHAKER.

the heart, a universal benevolence, and desire
to make others happy. The soul that is full
of pure and generous affections, fashions the fea-
tures into its own angelic likeness, as the rose,
by inherent impulse, grows in grace and blos-

-soins into a lovliness which art cannot equal.”

Resurrection of the Dead.

The fol-lowiiig literal translation of, and ob-
servations upon, the XV Chap. of St. Paul’s
First Epistle to the Corinthians, v. 35 to 52,
are presented in the hope that they may ren-
der this difficult passage more intelligible to
the ordinary reader than it is at present.
Several reasons combine to make this portion
of scripture hard to be understood. The trans-
lators of the New Testament did not under-
stand St. Paul’s meaning; and, evenvif they
had, it Would require, for the reader to under-
stand the words, an amount of spiritual intel-
ligence which few possess. But the persons
to whom St. Paul was writing, though in some
respects enlightened, were not sufficiently ad-
vanced to comprehend his meaning: therefore,
St. Paul had to give a portion of his own light
to them in the best manner he c'ould. This
has, naturally, produced a mingling of spiritual
truth and figures which must be very con-
fusing to the unenlightened reader. We must
bear in mind that the early apostles’ great
difficulty was to give the Gentiles a real belief
in a future existence. Lastly, the apostle him-
self, though far superior in spiritual light to
most of his contemporaries, and though his
spiritual perceptions were much opened, had
not himself the full light, which was reserved
for the future.

In the first part of the chapter the apostle

. labors to convince the Corinthians that there

is a resurrection from sin in this life, and a
life after the death of the body. He uses the
appearance of Jesus to himself and others, as
a means of enlightening their darkened minds.
But, that the real meaning refers to spiritual
life, is evident from the expression, ‘ye are
yet in your sins.’ Then he explains, that not
only is there a spiritual life while on this earth,
but a life hereafter. If there were not a future
life, why run hourly risk of misery in this? he

42. “ And thus (is) the re-
surrection of the «lead ;
(the man) is sown in cor-
ruption, is raised in in-
corruption;

43. “ Is_sown in dishonor,
is raissd in glory ; is
sown in weakiiess, is
raised in power;

44. “ ls sown ii soul body,
is raised a spiritual
body: there is a soul
body and there is a
spiritual body.

45. “And thus it is writ-
ten: The ii rst m an
Adam was produced in-
to a living soul ; the last
man Adaui into a life-
giving spirit.

46. “ But not first (is) the
spiritual, but the soul
(principle); aftei'wards,

. the spiritual.

47. “ The first man (is) of
the earth. earthy; the
second man (is) the Lord
from heaven.

48. “ Like the earthy (are)
the earthy; and like the
heavenly (are) also the
heavenly.

49. “And as we bore the
likeness of the eai-tliy,
we shall bear the like-
ness of the heavenly.

50. “ This I say, brethren,
that flesh and blood are
not able to share the
kingdom of God. nor
does corruption share
iiicorruptioii.

51. “Behold, I declare im-
to you a mystery: All
of us shall not die. but
we shall all be changed:

5‘l. “ In a moment, in the
winking of an eye, in
the last trumpet [for it
shall sound], both the
dead shall be raised iii-
corruptible and we shall
be changed.”

N01‘E.—\Vords inelosed
Greek.
Greek.

THOMAS I.

He comes to the subject
of \\'lll('ll the foregoiiig is
illiistral.i\'e: The resin‘-
rection of the dead is just
the same ; the man is
sown in corruption, but
the lcgitiinate fruit 01' that
inaii is an incorruptiblc
Slilrlli.

The man is sown. pos-
sessed of a soul, but re-
gciicnited or raised ; his
spirit is evolved and be-
coines his actual body:
for the soul has a form or
botly and the spirit has a
form or body. ‘l’suclii-
kon ’ means ‘ soul,‘ as an
adjective, and cannot, in
reasoii, be contorted into
anytliing else; ‘ pliusikon’
is iliysical or iialiirul.

he first Adain had a
a soul, existing. indeed.
but capable of giving life
to no other; the last Adam
is a spirit. able to give life
to others .- i. c., the first is
retreating froin l’)cit_v. the
l2ittei' is advaiieing toward
Deity.

The soul is first gener-
ated, the spirit is subse-
quently evu lvcd. .

To prevent the possibili-
ty of mistake, he says that
our physical bodies will
not rise.

The spirit of this pro-
phecy is now fulfilled ; no
doubt the_change that the
Apostle speaks of has
been experienced by them
in the spirit land; and
many dead are now being
raised within the sound
of the last trumpet; but
like all the early Chris-
tians he expected the
change too soon, and
nianifestly expected that
both the change of the
living, or spiritually en-
lightened, and the raising
of the dead, in sin, would
be much more rapid than
it is in re.‘-.lity. He has
doubtless found by this
time that nothing is
gained without effort.

thus ( ) are omitted in the

Words inclosed thus [ ] are bracketed in the

STROUI), Enfield, Conn.

Were Moses and Jesus Free-

asks :

Ll’l‘l<]R.-XL 'l‘RAl\'SLATlON.

Y. 35. “ But some one will
sav : ‘ How are the dead
raised? and with what
body do. they come ?

36. U. benseless! that
which thou sowest will
not produce, except it
die.” ‘

37. “ And as to that which
thou sowest, thou sow-
est not the body that is
about to be, but the bare
kernel, as it may hap-
pen, of wheat or ofsonie
of the other kinds (of
grain).” _ _ _

38. “ And God will give it
a body as he willed, and
to each (kind) of the
seeds its own body.”

39. “ All flesh (is) not the
same llesli; but (there
is) one flesh of men, an-
other flesh of beasts, au-
otlier ot' fishes, another
ol'bii'ds.”

40. ~‘ And (there are) bod-
ies lieavenly, and bodies
earthly; but the glory
oftlie lieaveiily (is) one,
and the glory of the
earthly .'inothc1'.”

41. ‘- The glory of the sun
(is) one, and the glory
of the inoou one, and
the glory of‘ the stars
one; for star difi'ci's from
star in glory.

EXPLANATIONS.
Some one will ask the
question : " What kind of
bodies have the dead ?”

Paul answers: ‘As the
husk of the seed dies, and
another body springs from
the life principle in the
seed.’

He continues: “ We do
not sow the fruit, but
grain of various kinds,
and

God gives the several
kinds of fruit.”

He continues to enforce
the same idea by another
simple illustration, vary-
ing kinds ofaniiiials.

Now he carries the idea
fartlier: There are heav-
enly bodies as well as
earthly, and the glory of
the heavenly differs froin
the glory of the earthly.

Illustration of the fore-
going, the difference be-
tween the heavenly bod-
ies.

Agents '2

Who was Jesus of Nazareth? What was
his mission? Was it possible that he might
have failed in performing his mission? If he
had so failed, would the present race of beings
have been hopelessly lost, or would there have
been another i\lcdiuni, Teacher, Christ raised
up, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to have
done the same important work which he per-
formed for humanity?

I wish that I were a thorough historian, a
theologian and something of a logician. Then,
if I could bring my wayward pen under the
rules of rhetoric, I could solve some knotty
questions which now I find much more diffi-
cult to answer than to ask.

I was taught in early life, by a pious, devo-
ted Baptist mother, that Jesus was one of the
Gods incarnated in human form ; that he was
snugly ensconced in the bosom . of the All
Father before the worlds were framed, and
that he was the only son. That this Loving
Father, who saw the end from the beginning,
did, from all eternity, predestinate that certain

portions of the race should be lost, and that
at some time he would send this beloved son
to rescue a part from utter destruction, and
thus manifest his love and justice as also his
great mercy.

Religious teachers give children some hard
nuts to crack when they talk to them about
predestination and trinity of three male Gods
conjoined in one; and full grown children oc-
casionally are puzzled to understand how it is,
and often find themselves in a maze from which
it is difficult to extricate themselves.

I have always thought it the wisest way for
me to avoid great mysteries, and as much as
possible to keep on a plain, even road, where
the fool, for Christ’s sake, may travel and not
err; keeping a good conscience and using what
little common sense was given me. Reason is
God’s gift to man, and is given for use.

A few years ago an intelligent female friend,
whose father was an Episcopal clergyman, said
to me: “Oh! do not try to reason upon the
doctrine of the Trinity; that is just the_cause
of so many infidels in the world.” I said:
“Is not God the author of reason; and will
He require us to believe anything that will not
bear the light of reason?” She replied, “ It
is a true doctrine, but too high for finite com-
prehension.” '

We will leave the Trinity and return to the ‘

Sonship. If Jesus was the Christ, the only
begotten of the Father, who are they who call
upon God as their Heavenly Father? Chil-
dren by adoption, are they, or is Jesus the
Father upon whom they call? Hardly that;
for they say “ grant our petitions for Christ’s
sake.” When we go back upon Bible history,
we see that the Great First Cause who framed
the universe, gave the dry land and the sea
their bounds, and marked out times and sea-
sons and set the wheels in motion, designed
that under law and order there should be
eternal growth and progress. Never has the
infinite mind lost sight of the universe of its
own creating, nor left it wi-thout a controlling,

moral force sufficient to hold it in its course,

and keep it from returning to chaos. Mineral,
vegetable and animal life have progressed.

At particular periods of time, when growth
and development called for higher and more
progressed teachers, there have been what we
might call especial providences. Teachers and
rulers have been raised up to meet the needs of
the people for the time being. Then prophets
would come forth, and, through inspiration,
point them to a greater work, a more perfect
day in the distant future, when they should
have progressed unto it; a light ahead in the
ascending upward scale. Moses was provi-
dentially raised up to perform a certain work.
He was a powerful minister of physical truth to
the J ews——prel:isely what they needed and must
have in order to progress. Now, was it possible
for Moses to have proved recreant to that people
—the Jews ? If so, would there have been
another provideiitial teacher or law giver
raised up unto that people, or would the chain
of progress have been broken and the machinery
reversed? If there could have been another
Moses found, there might have been a little
delay, but no failure. So we say, blessed is he
or she who, being called and appointed to any

95

work, are found faithful. That depends upon
their own volition.

If Jesus was a divinely inspired teacher, pos-
sessing larger powers of receptivity than any
that had preceded him; had risen higher in the
scale of purity by reason of his own obedience
to laws given through Moses, and’ also on ac-
count of the progressed physical and moral
condition of his ancestry, and was thus fitted
to receive a baptism of the Christ Spirit that
would induct him into a higher sphere of
spiritual life, he thereby became the High
Priest of a new dispensation wherein the law
of an eye for an eye should be annulled by
substituting love for force, rendering good for
evil.

Could Jesus have refused the call and offer
of the teachership and inductor of the Jews
into this higer law—the new dispensation? If
it were possible, and had thus refused to re-
ceive the Christ Spirit which was seeking a.

‘medium through which to Work, could or

would that same spirit have sought and found
another prepared vessel into which the oil
through the golden pipes from the bowl or
church in the invisible world, have been con-
veyed to the people, or would the race have
been hopelessly lost? A. DOOLITTLE.

Appreciation.

I have been an attentive reader of every
number of THE SHAKER. It certainly has
able expounders of our beautiful and soul-
invigorating faith, and to this class of writers
we need not add more. One after another of
the brave veterans of a holy cause —those who
might have retired with well- earned laurels,
that shed lustre and joy over declining years-
have come forth, as to the sound of a trumpet,
and with pens that seemed dipped in the fires
of truth, and in the light of revelation, are
thus proclaiming the pure principles of salva-
tion.

Noble fathers and mothers! may God send
the angels to watch over you, to give light to
your dimmed eyes, and strength to your fail-
ing hands, that the glorious work of expound-
ing the principles of “heaven on earth ” may
not fall into less eflicient hands !

VVe read in the July number an expression
that strongly unites in sympathy with its
editor in making THE SHAKER “ a home edu-
cator.” I have greatly desired to see this
idea advanced, so that those who are children
in years, and those who are willing to “ become
so for the kingdom’s sake,” may find the
desiclerata that will enable them to become
wise in spiritual things. Though not a youth,
I am still near enough to that condition in
life to know of its attendant temptations and
dangers. This age needs just such “a home
educator” as our little paper, to balance its
perversions——to rebuke them—for it is an age
that is too fast for the culture of virtuous
deeds and eternal life. “ Youth is the time to
serve the Lord,” a period when the song of
life should be as fervent as the little bird’s, that
seems to sing with all its might, and to the
utmost expansion of its little bird’s harp :
“ Oh God, I praise thee ever !”

It is before the young tree has sufiiciently
developed, to produce perfect fruits, that it
requires the most attention. The careful gar-

dener never neglects to train, prune nor graft,
nor to protect the young trees from worms,
hurtful insects and the “little foxes that de-
stroy.”

Great care must be taken in every depart-
ment of the juvenile age-—physically, morally
and spiritually. Much pruning is necessary
to prepare souls for the scion of faith, in ex-
treme purity of life, and failure to be thus
grafted is despair. Oh, the blasting of bright
hopes that make up despair! For the right
culture of youth, is required the sacrifices of
noble souls unto untiring zeal in their behalf.
And it may be encouraging, for all to know,
that such there are; and youthful minds, “ the
buds of promise,” who read THE SHAKER, are
not to be neglected.

A. M. WHEELER, U. V., Ohio.

JUVENILE DEPARTMENT.

-.

Truth. ‘

DEAR Cnn.DREN:—In God, our Heavenly
Father and Mother, are embodied the living
principles of all truth. If you love God, and
desire to express your love, live in the element
of truth — speak the truth, act the truth.
Adopt as the motto of every day’s life: “I
will speak the truth at all times, and under all
circumstances.” You will meet with circum-
stances that will tempt you to stray from this
path of duty, and which promise more pleasant
inducements. Beware of the tempter, stand
firm by your motto! The real heroes upon
our earth, who have striven in the past, and
who are now zealously striving to elevate the
race, have ever scorned to speak or act an
untruth. Learn to be heroic, and you need
never fear any harm when clothed with the
armor of truth. God will bless, if you will be
truthful. The spirits of love and purity will
journey with you daily, and with pleasure;
and your spiritual fathers and mothers will
own you and admire you if you resolve to
stand upon the ground of truth. Endeavor to
rise in love with truth, and then the kingdom
of heaven will not be far off—-you will be in a
condition to enjoy life; or, preparing for death,
you will find peace and happiness with Christ,
in those mansions, not made with hands, eter-
nal in the heavens. O. M. BEAVER.

Formation of Character.

DEAR EDITOR :-—Some time in my youthful
days, I remember to have read in some author
a very interesting description of two distinct
characters. One was of a character of firmness
and integrity of purpose, who was somewhat
cautious on what he resolved or promised ; but
the resolution once formed or the promise once
made, was never to be swerved from or vio-
lated, no matter what unforseen difliculty
might arise in the performance. The other
character, though amiable in many respects,
was quite forward and ineautious with his
resolves and promises, and that too with sin-
cere and good intentions. But he was weak
and wavering: the least unexpected trouble
would disconcert him, and away went all his
good resolutions and promises! In a word,
he was wholly unreliable, and as men became
acquainted with him, they set him at naught

and dropped him. On the other hand, the
first named character, when inquiry was made
concerning him, the reply would be: “ Well,
he is not as ready to enter into promises and
engagements as some others, but if you once
secure his promise you are just as sure of the
performance as you are of his life and ability
to perform his engagement. IIe is a man of
integrity and faithfulness; one that may be
perfectly relied on.”

As I read the amplified description of these
two characters, I instinctively decided in favor
of the man of integrity. After reading, refiec-
tion came on, and the question was put home :
To Which class of these characters do I belong?
Looking back over my life, I had to pronounce
judgment against myself; I decidedly belonged
to the weak, wavering, unreliable class, which,
in my conscience, I despised ! I had been
whiffiing, shirking and dodging on meeting
the least unexpected difficulty. I could not
quietly sit down, or go on under the just im-
peachment of being such a character. It was
a crisis, a turning point in my career. I then
and there resolved, and covenanted with my-
self, that I would break up that mean habit of
Whiffling and changing, and I laid down the
following rule for myself:

“ Whatever I promise or resolve to do,
nothing shall ever prevent me from accom-
plishing but the absolute inability or want 0.
power, or the discovery that the fulfillment
would be morally wrong.” From that . day I
have striven, and not in vain, to live squarely
up to this rule, and it has changed my whole
character and course of life. Ilence, I have
come to the conclusion that .every youth or
young man can, if he will firmly and with all
his heart set about the work, change off a low,
mean and degraded character and course of
life, for one that is far more excellent and
lovely. I mean, I believe he can do this by
the aids and means which the Gospel furnishes
him. This conclusion is the pith of the mat-
ter. I do not expect that the character I have
drawn will suit every one ; but I do mean that
every one has some defects of character which
he may discover by honest and faithful self-
examination, and extirpate by decided efforts
made in obedience to gospel principles. This
is the work of regeneration. There are no
mysterious depths in it; it is the regeneration
of your spirit; it is putting off the first coarse
husks of character, and putting on these re-
finements of spirit and consequent refined
external accomplishments, which the Gospel
alone can give and firmly establish in the
character. It is embellishing our character
and mannew with all those glorious virtues
which all good men love and respect, and
which will enable us to love and bless man-
kind. I cannot do better here than to finish
with a paragraph from a good, old, enlightened
author.

“ ]f thou hast any thought of being here-
after a member of that blest society of chosen
spirits, of the excellent ones of the earth, of
souls framed to love and peace and harmony,
thou wilt set thyself in earnest to enrich thy
mind with the heavenly graces of meekness,
patience, forbearance and benevolence; and in
the exercise of these virtues thou wilt find
joys inconceivable to the sordid sons of earth;
thou wilt endeavor to be to thy fellow crea-
tures, even in this life, a guardian angel and a

God.” R. VV. P.

96

_TI-IE SHAKER.

Words by E. T. LEGGETT.
A

True Love.

Music by G. A. LOMAS.

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Now like rippling wa - ters meeting, murmuring gladness

2 Oh, it is a glorious feeling, deep'ning as we heavenward go,
Spotless as the sunlight. stealing softly through the falling snow;
"Its a fount of living waters, with rich blessings running 0’er,
Where all Zion's sons and daughters, drink of bliss and thirst no more.

3 Love will heal the broken hearted, it will cure the stricken soul;
’TwiIl unite whom death has parted, where no waves of sorrow roll.
It will triumph when the mountains. time, at last, shall overthrow,
And when silent, all lit‘e’s fountains, love shall bright, still brighter glow.

XI — I 4 I . r

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Now Within our hearts ’tis beating, march - es to the brighter spheres.

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to our ears,

W-1'43 7. ¥ vi-:2 .5 ii

4 Like the light of hope that’s beaming, o’er the dark clouds rolling high,
Love reveals far o’er them gleaming, brighter worlds beyond the sky.
Grant, thou Great Almighty Giver, o'er our wild and bleak domain,
Love may, like lost Eden’s river, make this world to bloom again.

5 ‘Tie: to God and to each other, love unites us heart and hand,
And will guide us, sister, brother. homeward to the promised land;
Wliile we pray to be forgiven, while we hope for heaven above,
May our strife be all for union, and our contest all for love.

The Shaker to its Readers.

The present number of our-self completes;

the first volu1ne.- VVe have attempted, and

information of'the peculiar people whose nick-
name We bear. We might animadvert some-
what upon the writings of those who have
filled our pages, but prefer to look with a
charitable eye upon those whose theology has
been unable to keep pace with the increase of
the revelations of the Good Spirit. VVe pur-
pose being a special agent for the enlighten-
ment of the household of SHAKER principles,
and with it, leaving the dead of the past,
“go on unto perfection.” (Heb. 6:1.) We
have traveled far and wide before we are one
year old. We have had more than seven thou-
sands of ourself circulated each month—sia:
thousands and more reaching actual subscribers
and agents. We purpose, with the aid-of
every lover of virtue-—every friend to the re-
form of vice and admirer of purity of life, to
reach a circulation of ten thousand, the coming
year, if possible. We mean to meet our
patrons with an improved appearance, on supe-
rior paper, and with living and life-giving ma-
terial of enhancing value, the coming year;
We therefore beg to meet our old subscribers-
every one—on New Year’s Day. Our sub-
scription price is the same; and, while it does
not pay the cost, we are no poorer in spirit
for all of ourself we have given aWay.- Let
each of the Shaker Societies give us a day’s
labor, or an acre of ground benefit, remember-
ing the reward of giving to the poor. \Ve
know We are the advocate, in the missionary
line, of principles that are eternal, that will
not down at the bidding of worldly pride, lust
nor selfislmess. WE MEAN T0 LIVE-——aI1d by
your help, kind readers, we mean to do a great
deal of good. Though the following may seem
a little irreverent for our pages, may not some
of us find therein a valuable hint?
0

l\lAKING HER FLY.———0ld Aunt Dina was a
shouting colored saint of the city of Charles-
ton, who would sing at the top of her voice

i and cry “Glory!” above all the rest of the

have measurably succeeded, in giving correct , c0ng,.egati0n_

It was common at the mission-

ary prayer meetings of the colored people to

take up a collection while singing the hymn,
“ Fly abroad, thou mighty Gospel 1"

In the midst of which Aunt Dina always threw
her head back, shut her eyes and sang lustily
till the plate passed.

The sable collector observed her habit, and
one evening stopped when he came to her and
said bluntly:

“ Look aheah, Aunt Dina, you needn’t be a-
singing ‘ Fly abroad, thou mighty Gospel ’ if
you doesn’t give nothing to make her fly !”

The responsibility of receiving and preparing
material for our columns, as well as directing
each individual wrapper, rests upon the Resi-
dent Editor. The folding and wrapping, ready
for mailing, is the gratuitous offering of Sister
Harriet Bullard with her able corps of youth-
ful assistants. This is to be appreciated.
Bowing in gratitude for past favors, we invite
your immediate renewal of subscriptions that
we may continue to “ fly abroad ” many years
to come. THE SHAKER.

3%“ Bound copies of the first volume of THE
SHAKER, may be obtained by application to the
Resident Editor. Price, Two Dollars; extra binding,
Three Dollars.

3%“ Any parties sincerely solicitous ofa thorough
explanation of Shaker views of religion; and who
would willingly bear the expenses, in transitu, of a
Lecturer, to discourse upon “Religious Commun-
ism; " or “ Ann Lee and the People called .S'ha.I:e1's ,' ”
may communicate with this Oilice. G. A. Lomas,
Shakers, Albany 00., N. Y.

EUBLICATIONS.

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Tracts free, where postage is paid.

THE SHAKER.

A

MONTHLY JOURNAL,

DEVOTED TO THE EXPOSITIONS. 0F,.ZRELIGION,
ACCORDING T6) SHAKER THEOLOGY.

FIFTY CENTS, PER ANNUM. IN ADVANCE.

 

G. A. LOMAS, Resident Editor, Shakers, Albany Co.,
N. Y.

MEMBERS OF SOCIETY}

flppoinled to answer C'orrespondents, among
whom are the Board of Editors.

Elder F. W. Evans, Mt. Lebanon, Columbia Co., N. Y.
“ Issachar Bates, Shakers, N. Y.

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N. Y.

Simon Mabec. \Vest1’ittsIield, Mass.

Stoughton Kellogg, ’l‘hompsonville, Conn.,
Shakers.

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Mass.

Wm. Leonard, Ayer, Mass, Shakers.

John \Vhite1ey, Shirley Village, Middlesex Co.,
Mass.

Nehemiah Trull, Shaker Village, Merrimack
Co., N. H.

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Co., Me., Shakers.

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Shakers.

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