Earlier text: EditorialRIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH.
By G. T. Wilson
Of men, the Lord declared, "There is none righteous, no, not one." Rom. 3:10. It is said of "Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin." "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:19, 23. Man sinned, "missed the mark," "and came short of the glory of God." God's character is his glory, and so when Moses prayed to God, "Show me thy glory," the Lord came down, and hid him in a cleft of a rock while he passed by, and gave a revelation of his righteous, merciful, and gracious character. Ex. 34:6, 7. Moses, just a little before his death, in telling what he had learned of God, says, "Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." Deut. 32:3, 4. The sweet singer of Israel exclaims, "Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments." "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is truth." Ps. 119:137, 142. The holy, merciful, and righteous "King of eternity" says, through the prophet Isaiah, "My righteousness shall not be abolished." Isa. 51:6. And he said by the Psalmist, "My tongue shall speak of thy word; for all thy commandments are righteousness." Ps. 119:172. God is righteous; man was made in his image and pronounced good. Gen. 1:27, 31. By sin he has fallen short of the righteous character of God, and now is unrighteous. None are by nature good. But God's character has not changed, and so his righteousness is everlasting, and shall not be abolished. "His work is perfect," and his law is perfect, because it is his work. Ps. 19:7. He is declared "a God of truth," and again, "Thy709 law is truth." Deut. 32:4; Ps. 119:142. Says Daniel, "O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee;" and the Psalmist exclaims, through the Spirit, "All thy commandments are righteousness." It is clear from the texts we have just quoted that it is impossible to find any imperfection in God or his law. And his law being the truth, perfect and righteous, can no more be abolished than the character of God which it represents to man. By this law man is shown to be a guilty sinner. It gives him a clear knowledge of his sins, demands of him the perfect righteousness of God, which it represents, and as man cannot give the law's demands, it shuts him up in the prison house of sin, under the bondage of corruption, condemned to suffer the penalty of his sins, death. "What the law could not do." It could not give to a single transgressor the righteousness it claimed from him, no more than a thermometer can make heat and cold. Man can no more make himself righteous than a leopard can change his spots, or an Ethiopian his skin. Jer. 13:23. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." Job 14:4. Our own efforts are fruitless to remove from us any of our iniquity, for God declares, "Not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2:9. In spite of our best efforts to remove our sins by bodily purification, "yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God." Jer. 2:22. But, thank God, Sinai points to Calvary. The earth may tremble beneath the sinner's feet, he may hear the holy law speaking terror to his awakened conscience, the lightnings of wrath may flash from Sinai's top, the thunder may threaten, but the Eternal One who proclaimed that "perfect law" is the One who has said, "Come unto me," "He that cometh unto me, I will in nowise cast out." "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Look to Calvary, sinner; "behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." See him high uplifted on Calvary's cross; from his side there flows a stream which can cleanse every stain which sin has made in your character or mine. It is God that has said, "The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin." "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Then surely shall one say, "In the Lord have I righteousness and strength." Hear the suffering Saviour pleading, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." I hear the Father saying to the sinner, who has almost sunk in despair because of his sins against the Giver of every good and perfect gift, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Listen to what the Lord says to us. We need not despair. There is hope for us, sinful and vile though we be, for the Father of mercies says, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." I thank God for Sinai's holy law, which showed me how vile I was, and for Calvary's loving, suffering Saviour, whose blood hath cleansed away all my sins, and with the prophet I can say, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." "My tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long." Then truly it can be said, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us." Oh, the riches of his grace! My heart's desire is that I may count all things else loss to win Christ, "and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." THE LORD’S DAY.
By William Covert
WHEN John was upon the Isle of Patmos, he wrote, saying, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” Rev. 1:10. The inquiry will naturally arise, What day was that? Every true Protestant will be willing to let the Bible tell what day it was. The expression “the Lord’s day” must without doubt refer to some particular day which the Lord claimed as his. As nothing is said in the connection in which the term is found which tells the reader what particular day is meant, we conclude that what had previously been written in the Scriptures upon the subject of the Lord’s day was sufficiently full, and because it was, no further definition was needed. The history given of creation so fully described the week and specified the days which belong to it that it would have been a superfluous work for John to have entered into any explanation of the matter in the last book of the Bible. All who read the Scriptures know that in the beginning the Lord reserved a day for himself and set it apart as his day. “God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Gen. 2:3. “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Ex. 20:10. This text shows that the Sabbath day belongs to the Lord, and, putting it in the possessive, “the Sabbath is the Lord’s day.” The Lord, in speaking through his prophet, emphasizes this thought and uses the possessive pronoun, “my holy day.” Isa. 58:13. As the Sabbath is the Lord’s holy day, there can be no further controversy regarding what is meant by the term “the Lord’s day.” It is the Lord’s holy day,—the seventh day. Jesus, being one with the Father, also claims the day as his. “Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:28. As the Father is Lord of the Sabbath, so is the Son also Lord of the Sabbath. As expressed by the pen of another, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.” Matt. 12:8. But the Sabbath day is the rest day of the Lord,—the seventh day. Man was given the first six days of the week; but the Lord says: You must recognize my right to the rest day. Do not profane the time that I have made holy. I call upon you to refrain from secular business on my holy day and commune with me. If you do, you will call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord. Then you will delight yourself in the Lord. Having proven that the seventh day is the Lord’s day, and as no other day is claimed by the Lord as his in any specific sense, we regard the matter as fully settled and easily understood. It is the Sabbath which the Lord has blessed. That day the Lord still claims. The text quoted (Rev. 1:10) is a reminder to Christians that they are required to observe the Sabbath day, and that the Lord had never relinquished his claim to it. Is the reader willing to grant God’s claim? Salvation Is for Nothing, but Not Without Something
By Sanderson
SALVATION is for nothing, but not without something.—Sanderson. THE TENDENCY OF THE TIMES.
By W. E. Cornell
THERE is little question in the minds of thoughtful, observant people whither the religious world is drifting. The old-time piety and spirituality of the early days of many of the now popular denominations are leaking out, and in their place there are come in a formalism and pride that are plainly discernible,—a condition fully described by the apostle as a characteristic of God’s professed people in the last days, “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” The uppermost thought, apparently, in the minds of those in charge of what are known in our large cities particularly as “fashionable” churches, is to make the place of worship attractive, and to this end the most expensive singing is provided, the most popular pastor employed, and other attractions that have a “drawing” influence, nearly all of a sensational nature. Smooth things are preached, or if an evil is denounced it is one in which none of the congregation are directly connected, or something that to be down upon means to be on really the popular side of public opinion. Of late there has been no little discussion in certain church circles and through the religious press as to church ushers, and the idea has been advanced, and advocated with a good deal of earnestness, that ladies be substituted for gentlemen in this capacity, and much has been said upon it pro and con, about the latest coming from the Christian at Work (Independent Presbyterian), as follows:— The ushers might be selected with reference to height, embonpoint, and complexion, and apportioned equally among brunettes and blondes. It might be well also to dress these damsel ushers in skirts of red and white stripes (broad), with waist of blue dotted with stars, forty-four in number, and buttoned with thirteen buttons. In this way patriotism would be joined to picturesqueness and popularity, and the pews might fill up. It can hardly be believed that this was uttered in seriousness, yet it is so quoted by leading secular journals, and the Boston Globe takes up the suggestion, and comments on it quite fully, commending the editor as one who is “not at all behind the times,” and who “promptly catches onto ideas calculated to increase church membership.” But whether this be taken seriously or not, it does give an index of the popular demand, and it could be stated, we think, without fear of contradiction, that if the suggestion were carried out in any one church of a city, that would be the popular church of the place, and have the largest congregation. Surely the words of the prophet are true to-day, if ever they were, “It is time for thee, Lord, to work.” THE WEAPON AGAINST SATAN'S DELUSIONS.
By Ellen G. White
SATAN is continually seeking to influence human minds by his subtle arts. His is a master mind, given of God, but prostituted with all its noble capabilities to oppose and to make of no effect the counsels of the Most High. He had an advanced experience in his connection with the God of heaven, and he wields his knowledge of the attributes of God in such a way as to misinterpret the divine character. Satan was an apostate, and all who follow in the way of apostasy will work in the same lines of evil. There was a time when Satan was in harmony with God, and it was his joy to execute the divine commands. His heart was filled with love and joy in serving his Creator, until he began to think that his wisdom was not derived from God, but was inherent in himself, and that he was as worthy as was God to receive honor and power. When he found that he could not be as God, he was filled with rebellion, and would not submit his will to the will of God. When men apostatize from the truth, many will raise the question, What is the reason this has happened? And when they can find no reason for apostasy, they will be inclined to believe that the apostates have never had a genuine experience in the truth and cause of God, that they were wholly insincere in their professions; but this is not safe reasoning. What was it caused Satan to rebel? Was there any just reason that could be assigned for his sin? The place where sin originated has been pointed out, but the reason for sin cannot be found; for there is no reason for its existence. It is written of Satan, "Thou wast perfect in all thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." All who apostatize are destitute of any real excuse. Their apostasy will be manifested in rebellion and self-exaltation, as it was seen in the first apostate. Of him it is written, "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness." The Lord himself gave to Satan his glory and wisdom, and made him the covering cherub, good, noble, and exceeding lovely. But beauty, wisdom, and glory were bestowed upon God's creature as a gift of love. For like reasons the Lord has bestowed upon human agencies talents of intellect, qualities of mind and character, that they may be able to fill positions of trust, and glorify their Creator and Redeemer. But, like Satan, men become lifted up in self because of their beauty and wisdom, and pervert their talents, and corrupt their characters, and use their God-given gifts for the glory of self rather than for the glory of God and the good of others. The whole world has been corrupted by the false principles Satan has led men to follow. Satan works with his arts of infatuation, and weaves a spell about the human mind. The power of spiritual witchcraft steels the heart so that it is not susceptible to heavenly influences, which would counteract the power of the deceptive infatuation. Satan is the root of all deception, the origin of all falsehood, and it was through his witchcraft that the enchanters and sorcerers were bold to withstand Moses, imitating the miracles he wrought. It is Satan who presents the world before the mind in an attractive light, who makes the glories of empires pass before the vision as he did before Christ, promising, "All this will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." Satan came to Christ in the wilderness of temptation and presented before him in a magnificent panoramic view the splendors of the kingdoms of the earth, and promised all their power to Christ if he would but assent to the superiority of the prince of evil. Satan pretended to doubt the divinity and mission of Christ, and asked of him a sign of his authority and power. He had said, "If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread;" "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." But at his audacious request that Christ should bow down and worship him, divinity flashed through humanity, and Jesus said, "Get thee behind me, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Satan had the evidence he desired in his summary dismissal, and, under the rebuke of Him who was equal with God, he fled from the field of conflict, a conquered foe. Jesus endured the temptations of Satan in our behalf, that in his name we might come off more than conquerors. But we can overcome only by believing in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. We must know what is written in order that we may not be defeated by the sophistry and enchantments of Satan. The wily foe will work upon our minds in such a way that he will lead us to follow in the way he has gone, and cause us to dream of greatness, worldly honor, and distinction. If we have been ensnared by his enchanting power, let us in the name of Jesus rebuke his power, and break with Satan without delay. Whatever may be the character of the draught you have taken, in whatever way Satan may have led you to exalt self at the expense of Jesus, through the power of divine grace escape from the delusion, away with the infatuation. We inquire, "Who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth?" Those who cry unto God for deliverance from the terrible spell that Satan would weave about them, will set a high estimate upon the Scriptures. Our only safety is in receiving the whole Bible, not taking merely detached portions, but believing the whole truth. Your feet are upon sliding sand if you depreciate one word that is written. The Bible is a divine communication, and is as verily a message to the soul as though a voice from heaven were heard speaking to us. With what awe and reverence and humiliation should we come to the searching of the Scriptures, that we may learn of eternal realities. When the spell of Satan is broken, and the Bible becomes to us the living word of God, we shall be safe in following our convictions of duty; for if we watch unto prayer, they will be inspired by the Spirit of God. Let everyone study the Bible, knowing that the word of God is as enduring as the eternal throne. If you come to the study of the Scriptures in humility, with earnest prayer for guidance, angels of God will open to you its living realities; and if you cherish the precepts of truth, they will be to you as a wall of fire against the temptations, delusions, and enchantments of Satan. It is the wisdom of God that makes men great. The utterances of men are to be judged, because they are the fruit of human ability, and work either good or evil according to the source from which men draw their inspiration; but the word of God is able to save your souls, to make you wise unto salvation. The Psalmist says, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Then let us hide the word of God in our hearts, that we may "be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." OUR PRIEST-KING.
By Mrs. M. E. Steward
MELCHIZEDEK was "king of Salem" and also "priest of the most high God." Gen. 14:18. Jesus Christ is "a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Heb. 7:17. "We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." Heb. 8:1. As priest he is our intercessor, our advocate; as priest-king he is our Saviour. We may know something of his power who has undertaken our cases. Our nation's ambassadors carry with them all the power of these United States to make effective all they may say or do in the interests of their country. The Roman centurion, who desired Jesus711to heal his servant, understood something of the power of our blessed Lord. Though belonging to the haughty conquerors of the Jews, the centurion saw in the humble Man who went about healing the sick, raising the dead, and controlling the elements of nature, a power which so far exceeded his own that he confessed himself unworthy that Christ should come under his roof. "Speak the word only and my servant shall be healed," said he; "I am a man under authority [I understand what implicit obedience to a higher power is], having soldiers under me; and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it." Behind these commands lies the whole power of the Roman Empire. But behind the word of Christ the centurion saw that which was far greater than the authority of the universal Empire of Rome. While our dear Saviour was despised and rejected by his own highly favored people, no doubt the faith of this "stranger" was very grateful to him. Do we not see behind Christ far more than the Roman centurion did? and shall we have less faith than he? We know that Jesus "is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers [heavenly, earthly, and Satanic] being made subject unto him" (1 Peter 3:22); that the throne of God where he sits is the dominion of the universe; that he has the right to use in his priestly work all the power and authority of this throne; that by "the word of his power" he made and upholds all the worlds (Heb. 1:2, 3); that is, he keeps each one in its exact absolute and relative position. Why shouldn't everything yield readily to the control of Jesus Christ, the Creator, the Preserver of all, "in whom we live and move and have our being"? Alas that man, most capable of understanding and appreciating His excellences, should be found in rebellion against his Maker! Blessed forever and ever be the grace that can redeem,—be he who can "be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus," our priest-king. THE CHRISTIAN'S DESIRE.
By J. P. Lorenz
"But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city." Heb. 11:16. WHILE the storms of life are blowing
O'er this world, so dark and vast,
Voices in my soul are sighing
O'er the fair and vanished past.
While around me souls are dying,
Others sink beneath the foam,
Wearful my soul is sighing,
Heavenly Father, call me home. Call me home; my soul is weary,
Wand'ring here on earth below
Where so many hearts are dreary
From the blizzard storms that blow.
Fett'ring are the winds that pass me
As I through this dark world roam;
Weary, sad, my soul doth pray thee,
To that "country" call me home. Call me home to joys eternal,
Where no beating storms molest,
Where, in pastures fair and vernal,
Weary souls in peace will rest.
There, beyond the reach of sadness,
In that bright and starry dome,
We will praises sing with gladness;
To that "city" call me home. Call me home; my eyes are casting
Views on yonder radiant shore,
Where, in peace that's everlasting,
We shall rest forever more.
When at last thy voice is ringing,
Calling blessed souls to come,
When our sighs are turned to singing,
With thy people call me home. THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
By Ethan Lanphear
An unrest seems to prevail all over the land, both politically and religiously. The politicians and statesmen are worried lest they or their party shall be overthrown, and many are doing everything to win or keep in power. Deception is played upon the common people to make them believe a lie; profession is kept in front as a covering to fraud and dishonesty in politics. The nation seems to be waxing worse and worse. Politics greatly affect the ministry and church of our land; and the ministry are lobbying in legislative halls. The rum power seems to control Church and State. The drink traffic seems to be increasing, and from certain standpoints it looks as if the nation must lose its independence and the people their self-control. Men have yielded to the temptations of money and desire for place and power. Obedience is rendered to the gods of this world rather than obedience to the one only and true God. Religiously, the various denominations are disputing about questions of theology and the authority of the Bible, and are substituting their own theories for God's word, attempting to change times and laws, and to unite Church and State, that they may enact laws to compel obedience to man rather than God. The question of the open World's Fair on Sunday is creating much stir with many professed Christian people. The heathen Sunday is put in the place of God's Sabbath, the seventh day. While the majority of the nations and people regard the Sunday (if at all) only as a holiday, these zealous men need to be enlightened, that their zeal may be spent for the cause of God and for the good of their fellow-men. The religion, or irreligion, of others for their creed's sake has taken up the weapon of persecution to compel men by fines and imprisonment to obey man rather than God, as in the cases of Sabbath keepers in Tennessee and Maryland. Men are thus compelled to suffer persecution at the hands of men that are still hanging onto heathen institutions instead of the law of God. It will be well for all of God's children to purpose in their hearts, like Daniel of old, and the three worthies, that they will trust in the true God, that they will not defile themselves with the king's meat, or drink his wine. It seems to me that now is just the time for godly men to hold up the banner of God's law,—the Sabbath, temperance reform, and the religion of Jesus Christ,—as never before. If persecution shall come, let us stand by Daniel's God. Let every Seventh-day Adventist, Seventh-day Baptist, Jew, or Gentile that believes in the true God hold up his law by preaching, teaching, and example, in accordance with the letter and spirit of the same, and God will take care of the results. Let every man work over against his own house, that the walls of Zion may be built up, that the world may be enlightened and brought back to the true God. FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT.
By Editor
THE following is from a letter written some months ago to one of our ministers in Colorado. It shows how the truth will reach the honest in heart. The writer of this letter was bitterly opposed to the truth because he did not know the truth. May his experience help others to forsake the old Satanic falsehood and find the sweetness of life in Christ by faith:— DEAR BROTHER ZEIGLER: In fulfillment of my promise given you and Brother Leland just before you closed your meeting at the schoolhouse in this vicinity, I make this modest effort. Perhaps you are well enough acquainted with the terms of the aforesaid promise, not to necessitate its reiteration here; if not, you will be before you have finished the perusal of this note. My heart is too full of thankfulness and light which shineth through Christ to dwell at length upon preliminaries, or even upon the text itself exhaustively. I shall not in these lines attempt a justification of my previous argument upon the soul's immortality. I will say here, and with the strongest conviction of my heart, that then I was treading on dangerous ground, but I knew it not. True, you told me I was, but it remained for me to be convinced. I have just finished reading "Man's Nature and Destiny," so kindly sent to me. The pall of superstition has been lifted from over me, and the blight of sin eradicated from my soul. The life within, Christ in me, is so incomparably sweet to anything I had heretofore experienced, that I am in reality a new creature. How kind and loving, how compassionate and merciful, God has been to me! I early gave my heart to him, and thought I experienced the delightful pleasure of his presence in my soul, but now all former experiences are obliterated in this last joy, the joy of knowing Christ as the Redeemer of a mortal soul, and the assurance of his ability to keep that which I have intrusted unto him. I deeply regret that I have wasted so much effort to intrench myself in the redoubts of sin, while believing and declaring myself under the banner of Christ. I believe the souls of men are often affected with this species of color blindness. It surely is humiliating to the last degree, but I thank God that he sent you to me to convince me of my error and to lead me to the citadel of my avowed Captain. My experience doubtless will prove profitable in delivering others from the deception under which they are laboring, nor shall I lose an opportunity to destroy this hell-born miasma that is blighting, even destroying, the souls of our kindred, friends, and acquaintances. I have not many talents with which to prosecute the warfare, but such as I have I shall use, resting assured that under the guidance of Christ they shall not fail. It will surely be a bitter draught to the flesh to renounce the tenets of my once beloved church, and encounter the scorn and contumely which must necessarily follow, but I have considered it all, and know that I shall have to partake thereof while this life shall last. What a blessed assurance that its bitterness at last will be lost in the presence of Him who drank the first cup, bore the first cross, and gained the first victory! Are my hopes too sanguine? If so, perhaps it is attributable to the exuberance of my joy. Am I too joyous? If so, perhaps it is attributable to my heart's conception of Christ. I shall go on in my researches, I shall diligently and prayerfully seek the truth. Pray God, I beseech you, that I shall remain steadfast, that I shall be blessed in all things whereof I now stand sadly in need. You probably remember that I told you if my belief in the immortality of the soul was destroyed it would leave me either an infidel or an agnostic. I am glad to be able to refute such an idea, and must say that my experience makes me believe that the devil knew he was "losing his grip," if you will pardon the expression, and put the idea in my head, that he might the more securely bind me. EVIL OF A STATE THEOLOGY.
By Samuel T. Spear, D.D.
WE present the disabilities, the persecutions, and the martyrdoms, which are so conspicuous in the history of State theology, as more than suggesting that there must be some radical mistake in the doctrine itself. A doctrine that can by perversion turn the mild and genial religion of Jesus into a flaming persecutor, and make it a ferocious enemy to religious liberty, as vested by God in individual souls; a doctrine that undertakes to adjudicate upon questions lying exclusively between the soul and its Maker; a doctrine that substitutes carnal for spiritual weapons; a doctrine that resorts to the law of force, where nothing is pertinent except the peaceful persuasion of argument and the gentle and loving voice of entreaty; a doctrine that in practical execution becomes an abominable despotism exercised over the bodies and attempted over the souls of men—yes, such a doctrine has written upon its face in letters of light the glaring evidence of being essentially and fundamentally wrong. Judging it by its fruits, we find it difficult to use terms sufficiently intense to describe the degree of that wrong. Its pervading principle is hostile alike to God and man, although it professes to be the servant of both. It is, moreover, a significant fact of history that Christianity has always prospered most in the true sense when it has had least to do with the State, and the State has had least to do with it. For the first three centuries it was the theology of individual conviction, resting simply on its own evidence, holding no other relation to the State than that of a persecuted religion, and doing its entire work by the use of spiritual means; and then it was that it spread itself among the nations of8 the earth with a purity and power that have never since been exceeded. Then it was that venerable and pompous systems of paganism yielded to the restless energy of its moral march. Afterward it became a State theology; and then, in the hands of the State, it was not only corrupted and half paganized, but at once assumed, and for centuries maintained, the character of a persecuting religion. All the persecutions of the Romish Church, and, indeed, all the persecutions that have existed in the name of Christianity, have had their basis in State theology. If God should be pleased to constitute a theocracy on earth, and by inspiring it guarantee its infallibility, then it would be the duty of men to bow to its authority; but until we have this fact established by appropriate evidence, the conclusion drawn from history is that the State should confine itself exclusively to things temporal, and leave theology to the individual convictions and private judgments of men. This is certainly the truth in respect to Christianity. There can be no doubt that a true theology in the heads and hearts of the people is a very important and much-needed influence for good in relation to civil government; yet it does not follow that the State is the proper party to take care of this theology, to define it, to teach it, to support it, or in any way invest it with the sanction of law. Those who set up the proposition that religion is essential to morality, and also the further proposition that morality is essential to good government, and then infer that the State should establish and support religion, are guilty of a palpable non sequitur in logic. The truth of their premises does not prove the truth of their conclusion. It may be true (facts show it to be so) that the State will receive the largest and purest contribution of morality founded on religion when the latter is left entirely to the educational influences of the family and the church; and if so, then State theology is not only a superfluity, but a positive damage to the best interests of the commonwealth. The morality as derived from religion which the State needs will be best supplied by the confinement of its agency to things temporal, and the entire omission on its part of any attempt to administer things spiritual. The State can do religion no favor so great as to have nothing to do with it, and itself no favor so great as to let religion alone. The moment the two are put in alliance with each other, both are injured.—Samuel T. Spear, D.D. Of Christ it is written that the common people heard him gladly. His enemies, the priests, said, "Ye see how that the whole world has gone after him." Even when he retired to the desert for a little rest, the people flocked after him by the thousands. Yet he did not ask for any law to compel the people to rest, so that he might have a chance to preach to them. He did not make use of any of the schemes that are used in these days to "draw" the crowds. The "gracious words that he spake" were all-sufficient to draw the people. Even the officers who were sent to apprehend him, forgot their errand in the charm of his wonderful words of life. Those same words are handed down to us in the Bible. They are living words, and therefore have all the power and charm that they had when they fell from his lips. And so we cannot help thinking that when those words are spoken to the people, in the Spirit of Christ, by one in whom Christ dwells, so that they will in reality come from him, they will have as much drawing power as when they were first spoken. "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." John 12: 32. There are many now, as of old, who are saying, or feeling, "Sir, we would see Jesus." Let Christ be lifted up before the people, and there need be no worry about the hearers.—Present Truth.