What Malachi Says.


 IN the last book of the Old Testament, the last

chapter and last verses of that book, we read:

 "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet

before the coming of the great and dreadful

day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the

fathers to the children, and the heart of the 

children to their fathers, lest I come and smite

 the earth with a curse."

What does this mean, and to whom and when

does it apply? It applies just before the Lord

"smites the earth with a curse." It is addressed

to those who are "disobedient to parents;" and

means that just before "the great and dreadful 

day of the Lord," there will be a great religious 

movement among the children. As the Saviour is

 finishing his last work in heaven, the church will

 become imbued with the spirit of Elijah, and a

 powerful work will be wrought for the children.

 Their minds will be especially turned to that 

command which says, Honor thy father and thy

 mother. Parents will get a burden for their 

children, and children will become alarmed for 

themselves.

Dear youth, do you not believe this prophetic

work has already commenced? Has not the angel

of mercy whispered in your ear, Son, give me thy

heart? Have you not heard a still, small voice, 

saying, Remember now thy Creator in the days 

of thy youth? If you have, stop, reflect, ponder,

 and think that this is but the voice of Elijah to 

the children of the last times. Now is the day of

 salvation.

Today you may seek the Lord. The Spirit invites

you. The church entreats. The Holy Spirit 

attracts. Heaven, with all its bright glories,

 beckons you to come and have eternal life.

Why then delay?



W. S.




 

Unprepared.


NOT long since I drew a good lesson from the

remark of a young school-girl, which was a

benefit to me, and it may be to the readers. 

She was committing some

verses of poetry on the incident of Gen. Banks'

giving the little slave-girl a ride on his cannon.

She felt the task a little, but all at once she 

stopped and said with emotion,  “I am never 

going to say, Unprepared!" At first I did not see

 the force of her remark, when she said again,

 "My teacher says he never answered, 

Unprepared, and I do not mean to." For a 

moment I was so busy with my

thoughts, studying how to apply the expression

spiritually to her own case, that I did not reply.

The motto was a good one, and I wanted to make

use of it. Not merely in her daily lessons at

school (though this is well), but I thought if she

can only adopt it spiritually, as a perpetual 

motto, when the great account day comes she 

need not then have to reflect and say, 

Unprepared.


 I thought of the Sabbath-School and meetings,

and many other privileges that most children and

youth have, and with the weight of this on my 

mind I found it easy to improve the occasion. I 

then wondered why it seemed so much easier for

 children to listen to the counsel of their 

teachers at the day school, than to the 

instruction given at the Sabbath School and 

elsewhere; but it is not such things that Satan

 dislikes. It is God, and his Son, and his people

 that he is at war with, and it will be far easier to

 sail along with the world than to go to heaven.

Now is the "day of preparation" of which the

prophet Nahum speaks, and it is not a slight 

work that is to be done for those who stand in

 that day when the mountains quake, and the 

hills melt, and the earth is burned at the 

presence of the Lord; yea, the world and they 

that dwell therein. It will be terribly awful then

 to those whose response is, UNPREPARED! 

Unprepared for the fearful day when the Lord 

taketh vengeance on his adversaries, whose cry

 will be, "rocks and mountains fall on us." 

Unprepared for the glorious resurrection morn 

when God's people will be delivered. Unprepared

for an entrance into that city whose streets are

 of pure gold, and its walls of jasper and its 

foundations garnished with all manner of 

precious stones. Unprepared to partake of the

 fruit of that tree of life whose leaves are for the 

healing of the nations, for the pure river of water

 of life, for the crown of immortal beauty 

awaiting those who love His appearing. 

Unprepared to meet Jesus, the King of glory,

 who will lead his flock to fountains of living

 waters. Unprepared for all this!

Now the Spirit and the Bride say, Come, and 

partake of these everlasting joys. God's people,

 too, are inviting you, dear children. Now you 

may feel that you are being prepared for heaven,

 sweet heaven. Now you may obtain a part with

 God's people. How glad we are to hear that 

some are respondingto the invitation, and fleeing

 to God to hide them in the evil day. These 

months and years are passing away, and soon it

 will be too late to get prepared for Jesus' 

coming. Oh! Let not the awful thought that you

 are unprepared roll back upon you with crushing

 weight, but now prepare to meet your God. 

Prepare, oh prepare for a seat around the supper

 table of the Lamb, when Jesus will place a

shining crown upon the overcomer's brow.





M. D. A.