Earlier text: LET IT BE“For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.” Heb. 2:5–8. “What is man?” is a question on which volumes have been written. As to whether he is naturally mortal or immortal, whether he is conscious or unconscious in death, has been a question that theologians have discussed for centuries, and yet men still differ as to what the Scriptures teach on these questions. No less differences have been found in regard to his origin and his future. Whether he evolved from the ape family or was created as he is, is a question that all wise men have not settled so as to be of one mind. As it seems to be a subject that men’s wisdom or logic can not settle, all we can do is to let the Scriptures answer the question they have asked, and accept the answer, whether we are able to understand the reasoning part of it or not. “What is man that Thou art mindful of him?” “This is a verbatim quotation from the Septuagint. The Hebrew is more emphatic than the Greek: What is miserable man, (Enosh) that Thou rememberest him; and the son of Adam, that Thou visitest him? The variation of the terms in the original is very emphatic. Adam is the name given to man at his creation, and expresses his origin and generic5 distinction from all other animals. Enosh, which signifies sick, weak, wretched, was never given to the man till after his fall. The son of Adam means here any one or all of the fallen posterity of the first man. That God should remember in the way of mercy these wretched beings, is great condescension; that he should visit them, manifest himself to them, yea, even dwell among them, and at last assume their nature, and give up his life to ransom them from the bitter pain of eternal death, is mercy and love indescribable and eternal.”—Dr. Clarke. Man’s Position When Created.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him.” Gen. 1:27. To be created in the “image of God” signifies a capacity for understanding God and his works, with the power for ruling the dominion given him, and with the capability of living an upright life. After he was thus created, God said, “Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” The earth was made for man,—for him to direct and control. “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” Eccl. 7:29. But what is it to be upright?—“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” Ps. 19:13. To be upright is to be innocent, and this was man’s condition when he was created. He was just in the sight of his Maker. “The way of the just is uprightness.” “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.” Then, when man was created, he was upright, just, and the possessor of peace. He was made in the likeness, image, and glory of God. See Gen. 5:1; 9:6; 1 Cor. 11:7. When Moses said, “I beseech thee, show me thy glory,” the Lord answered, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee.” God’s glory is his goodness, his righteousness. When he made man in his own glory, it was that he had the righteousness of God. He had a character like God, and therefore he had a capacity and a desire for an endless life. He was made a little lower than the angels (Ps. 8:5), yet he was crowned as the ruler of the earth and all it contained (verses 6–9). This endless life, which man was created with a desire and capacity for, was assured to him on the condition of perfect obedience. The very nature and character of the Creator, the very law of his existence, necessitated righteousness as the condition of endless existence. Sin is contrary to the very existence of the Godhead, for it is contrary to the law of his being. Its very existence, if permitted to triumph, means destruction to the created universe. The whole creation of God is upheld by his word (Heb. 1:3), but sin makes God a liar, and his word worthless. Therefore, were sin to be perpetuated eternally, truth and the Author of truth must cease to continue. The Effects of Sin upon Man.
“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” But, as we have already seen, the glory of God was his character, his goodness. When man had this he had a capacity for uprightness and dominion. When he lost the glory of God, he lost the power to understand the things of God, for “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” In receiving sin he lost the dominion given to him in the beginning, for “now we see not yet all things put under him.” More than this, he lost the power to do right. “What then? are we better than they? No, in nowise; for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” Rom. 3:9–11. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:12. As sin is the opposite of righteousness, so death is the opposite of life. Wherever death takes up its abode, life must depart. Death may begin in the very extremities of the body, yet just so far as death has gained possession, life has departed. Man by yielding to sin came under the sentence, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Gen. 2:17. Not only Adam and Eve came under this sentence, but “in Adam all die.” See 1 Cor. 15:22. “The wages of sin is death,” and all in Adam had sinned, so all in Adam must die. Man, who once stood in the image and glory of God, with the capacity for eternal life, sinks into the depths of sin, and has no way to extricate himself from the sentence pronounced upon disobedience. “If Christ be not raised . . . then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” 1 Cor. 15:17, 18. Some critics render the above, “they which have fallen asleep in Christ have gone to nothing.” Following these words the apostle says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Verse 19. In his reasoning he regards man as under the death penalty, and, without redemption, he would certainly go to nothing at death. This proves that death is the breaking up of the human integer. Man was organized to live, but by going contrary to the law of that organization he caused the human integer to be broken. This is fitly illustrated by the water we drink. It is composed of two component parts, hydrogen and oxygen. As long as these two elements exist together, the result is water. But separate them, thus breaking the law of their existence, and you no longer have water. So when the elements that made man are separated, man ceases to exist. Satan is the author of sin, and death came by sin. See 1 John 3:8; Rom. 5:12. This being true, we can readily see that all the power of Satan is in death. But Satan is a disorganizer, for he will not submit to God’s government, but seeks to set up a government of his own in opposition to God. His rebellious course is not only destructive of happiness but of life also. “When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:15. Righteousness has but one enemy, and that is sin. But sin has two deadly foes, viz., itself and righteousness. It is a well-established fact that nothing can exist eternally that is not in harmony with the law of its being, and does not conform to the will of its Creator. The law of man’s being was to be obedient to God. The will of God was that he chose a godly life, which is the only life that can be perpetuated. Man by listening to Satan failed in both requirements. He chose sin and came under the death sentence pronounced upon all that would disobey. In this condition he is not only lower than the angels, but he has lost his glory, and has no power in himself to place himself back where he was before he fell. Naturally he is without God or hope in this world. He is doomed to death, which means that eternal life is beyond his reach. What can he do? Is there no hope?—Yes, thank God, there is a way that provided to raise sinful man from his sinful condition. This is the title of an article in the Christian Citizen, which indicates the line of Christian union now being presented for public favor. While the boldness of its presentation is comparatively new, the spirit of it has been practically in operation for some time. “Christian citizenship” is the latest guise of the church and state spirit now looming up all over the country. We give the entire article, in sections, however, for convenience of comment, and italicize some of the expressions and phrases:— Denominationalism is all right provided it be kept within the limits of charity. A generous rivalry does no harm—the rivalry of faith and good works. Moreover, each denomination sets forth in a distinctive way some feature of the spherical truth. No one has it all, yet each types some more or less essential phase of it. And it is only by correlating these representative denominations that we get the rounded truth. Truth is a wheel, of which the denominations are the spokes. One spoke does not make a wheel; it takes all; formerly, the various spokes forgot their mutual dependence, and set up each one as being the entire wheel. “The rivalry of faith” is a strange term, a kind of “sibboleth,” in the language of Christianity. We read of special provisions “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God.” Eph. 4:11-13. The work of the Spirit (John 16:13) through the word (chapter 17:17) is to “set forth in a distinctive way” all “features of the spherical truth,” every “essential phase of it.” But this can not be accomplished while one says, “I am of Paul,” another, “I of Apollos,” another, “I of Cephas,” and another, “I of Christ.” 1 Cor. 1:12. Christ is not divided, and his prayer for his disciples is, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.” There is no “rivalry” between the Father and the Son; one does not hold one “feature” or “phase” of truth, and the other hold some other feature or phase. So with the spokes of a wheel, they radiate from a common center, and the purpose of each is identical; the divergency is simply a matter of location not of design. The apostles went out from the pentecostal meeting place to different regions, not to build up denominations, but to preach the gospel. Paul said to the Ephesian elders, “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” Acts 20:27. And that is the business of every minister. What can be the purpose, then, of one denomination to “set forth” one “feature” of truth, and another body to represent some other “essential phase” of truth? Can one body afford to forego the essential phases of truth held by the others, for the purpose of maintaining a nonessential6 organization whose main purpose is the promulgation of some nonessential pretext for the existence of the body? In the multiplicity of sects is it not clear that, on the theory that “each one sets forth in a distinctive way some feature” of truth, each one is virtually combating, or at least ignoring, the “essential phases” held by all the others? What meaneth this apology for the divided condition of the professed followers of Christ, who has expressly stated that “a kingdom divided against itself can not stand”? It means that the churches are being deceived with the idea that they can be divided and yet united; that they can hold on to their denominational idols and still make a passable show of union in Christ. While there is, no doubt, on the part of many an earnest, honest desire for closer union, yes, for absolute union, the very forces and means relied upon to bring about that union is evidence that they are deceived. The fact that they are depending upon human devices for union while persistently maintaining the causes of disunion, is evidence that they are deceived. That we are in the last days is evidenced by the extent of this deception. The Lord himself has told us of deception in the last days so very deceptive in character that it would, if possible, “deceive the very elect.” Here is another paragraph:— One of the most marked and hopeful signs of the times is the drawing together for common purposes of the different denominations of Christians, without loss of denominational power and interest. The young men and women who are banded in Christian Associations, Christian Endeavor Societies, Epworth Leagues, Y. P. Baptist Unions, Brotherhoods of Andrew and Philip, and King’s Daughters, like their elders who are connected with bodies like the Evangelical Alliance,—are devoted Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians. Yet they have recognized that their agreements are many more than their differences. And Christians are recognized in folds outside of their own special one. This is an enormous gain. Yet, notwithstanding this “enormous gain,” it is not even contemplated that the union will be of a character to cause “loss of denominational power and interest.” It is not a “unity of the faith” that is desired; if it were, recourse would be had to the means prescribed in the word of God for accomplishing that end. This fact is further shown in another paragraph:— The time has come for another form of union. Christians need now to federate against common foes and in defense of common interests. Borrowing the method from the union of the states, which, for some purposes, preserve their local autonomy, while for other and common purposes they rally each for all and all for each—so Christians, while holding on to their distinctive names, should combine for municipal reform, and for the preservation of the Sabbath and the free school and the purity of the ballot. The National Christian Citizenship League affords the medium. Here Christians, without losing their individual distinctions, or surrendering a jot or tittle of their denominational preferences, can cooperate for the “righteousness” which “exalteth a nation,” against the “sin which is a reproach to any people.” Thus are we brought to the point at which the modern idea of Christian union is aimed. It is no longer union that is sought, but federation. The grand purpose of Christ, expressed in his memorable prayer to his Father as he was about to close his earthly mission, that his disciples might be one in him, is thus perverted to an unholy, deceptive purpose. Men are beguiled into the belief that a holy purpose, the work of the Holy Spirit through the word of God, may be achieved through the union of religious errors in imitation of a human government. And they are beguiled into the belief that such unscriptural effort is the work of the Gospel. There is but one basis of true Christian unity, and that is through the truth of God as it is in Jesus Christ. It is thus expressed in Rev. 14:12: “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” This united band will be all that will be left after the Babylonian church has completely fallen and the wrath of God is poured out upon those who have chosen the “mark” of the “beast” instead of the “seal” of God. To fear God and keep his commandments is the whole duty of man (Eccl. 12:13); but this can be done only through the faith of Jesus Christ. Hence the faith of Jesus Christ is keeping the commandments of God. Therefore, on this foundation only can Christians unitedly stand, and this includes every “feature of the spherical truth.” It should not be overlooked that the leading purpose of this proposed federation of churches is the enforcement of Sunday observance, the badge exhibited by the Roman Church as the “mark” of her authority everywhere recognized by the nominal Protestant churches. The Law a Schoolmaster
By T. H. Starbuck
THE INTERRELATION OF THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL. NO. II.
“But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were under the law, shut up unto faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Gal. 3: 22–25. In this scripture the apostle is addressing Christians regarding their condition and experiences both before and after becoming Christians. Their relation to the law in both conditions is the subject under consideration. Before they became believers in Christ, they were guarded in an imprisonment under the control of the law. This refers to the same thought that is expressed in Romans 7 about the woman being bound by the law to her first husband. The imprisonment is under the abnormal or penal force of the law. Outside of faith in Christ all men are under sin, or under the law, as stated in Gal. 3: 23. All men are in prison as long as they cling to the ways of sin. When they hear the Gospel and become believers in Christ, they are delivered from the law and cease to be under it. Verse 25. It is the moral law of which he reasons, for no other can hold men imprisoned on account of sin, or release them from its bondage when they believe. The law was our schoolmaster. Verse 24. The original word rendered was has many shades of meaning. It is a very expressive word, and has no exact equivalent in the English language. It is rendered by various terms, such as, “to be,” “to become,” “to make,” “to constitute,” and “to ordain.” In this instance perhaps the best term by which to render it is the word constitute. The original term translated schoolmaster is variously rendered also by such terms as “child leader,” “tutor,” “monitor,” and “instructor.” Perhaps the term monitor is as accurate as any that has been used. The clause would then read, “The law has been constituted our monitor to bring us to Christ.” The law has been God’s great monitor or teacher in all ages. It is the source of light and intelligence. Psalms 119. Its entrance made sin to abound, or appear in its true light. Rom. 5: 20. It is the instrument that was violated in the very origin of sin; and it is the only instrument that can be set before those who are in sin to bring them back into harmony with the divine government. It is the ordinance of God for that very purpose. No other instrument contains so much light for our lost race. It enables lost man to see his sins and to understand his sinful nature. It reveals the purity of heaven and the attributes of its Author. It is spoken of in this scripture as having an intelligent design in leading men to Christ, that they may be reinstated in the purity of that life from which the race has fallen. The object of the law is the righteousness of Christ. When we get correct views of the nature and operations of the law, we cease to wonder that Paul has so much to say about it when preaching the Gospel. It is a repetition of the instruction concerning the law found all through the Old Testament. The way of the law of God is the way of peace and righteousness. “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” Isa. 48: 18. When the penitent soul yields to the claims of the law, it is led by it to Christ, and justification takes place. Justification has a twofold significance. It includes the pardon of sin, and power to live according to the righteousness of the law. The justified one is freed from the dominion of sin. “Sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Rom. 6: 14. “Under the law” means to be in the dominion of sin, or under the ministration of death. When the believer is justified, he is delivered from this condition. So then in Gal. 3: 22–25 the same Gospel principles are set forth which are found in Rom. 7: 1–6 and in 8: 1–4. It contains additional evidence that the law converts the soul and leads to the perfect life of the world’s Redeemer. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (“having slain the enmity in himself,” margin). Eph. 2: 13–16. In this chapter the subject under consideration is conversion, or deliverance from the power of evil. This will be made clear by a careful reading of verses 1–12. The principles considered are just the same as in the scriptures previously studied. In his different epistles to the churches he presents the same things in regard to the law and Gospel, but always in a different light, adapting his instructions to the conditions and understanding of those to whom he writes. Here it is presented as deliverance from the power of evil, or a transformation by the creative power of God which removes them from the influence of the prince of the power of the air into communion with the children of God, and into covenant relation with him, where7 the enmity is slain, and they have become obedient to righteousness. He is addressing those who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, without God and without hope; yet by the blood of Christ they are united with the children of God. “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” John 10: 16. The thought of our Saviour was in Paul’s mind as he wrote to the Ephesians. He speaks of those who are nigh and those who are far off. Eph. 2: 13. The former class are those who were already the children of God; the latter are the gentiles, who were aliens, and strangers from the covenant of promise. In the study of this scripture it will be well to keep in mind that the two classes referred to are those who are Christians and those who are not. This will be necessary in order to fully understand what constitutes the middle wall of partition. The ceremonial law serves to keep God’s ancient people distinct from the world, and one lesson to be learned from it is that there is something in nature which naturally separates between the converted and the unconverted. The ceremonial law was not that middle wall of partition, but merely represented it. The real middle wall of partition is what is here called the “enmity.” The word of God tells what that is, in an unmistakable manner. “The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Rom. 8: 7. The carnal nature, then, is the enmity, or middle wall of partition. It is the carnal nature, then, that Christ abolished in his flesh, and by that means reconciliation to God is accomplished. The original term translated “abolished” has various shades of meanings, such as “abolish,” “disannul,” “to make powerless,” and in its strongest sense might be rendered “destroyed,” as in Rom. 6: 6. It means to make thoroughly inactive, to make of none effect. In Eph. 2: 15 Christ is represented as having a nature like that of other men so far as the flesh is concerned. In Rom. 8: 3 it is stated that he had sinful flesh; and in chapter 6: 6 it is said that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, thus showing that he had the same sinful flesh that other men have, and that it was destroyed by crucifixion. The carnal nature was made powerless in Christ just as it must be in other men before they can be the children of God. The abolition here spoken of is not a universal abolition, but is limited in its application by the phrase in his flesh, or, in himself. Eph. 2: 15, 16. The destruction of the carnal nature spoken of in this scripture has its reflex action upon the law. It is not an abolition of the law in the sense of destroying its normal operation and force, for that has been shown to be an impossibility; but it is a disannulling of its penal or abnormal force. The penal force of the law is against the carnal nature, and works wrath through it; and when the carnality is destroyed, the abnormal operation of the law ceases. Thus, making the “enmity” powerless also makes the penal force of the law powerless. “The law of commandments in ordinances” has a direct reference to the moral law, for moral laws are God’s natural ordinances to enforce his will. The destruction of the sinful nature as here set forth makes the penal force of the moral law powerless. It may, in some sense, be illustrated by reference to human laws. A criminal who has committed an offense is, according to law, placed in imprisonment for a term of years. In prison he is confined under the penal force of the law he has violated. After he has served in bondage under the law for a time, it becomes evident that he is penitent for his crime, and that a change of character has taken place, and that it will be safe for him to again have his liberty. Accordingly, the governor issues a pardon. As soon as he places his official signature to the pardon, the penal force of the law is abolished, and the man is free from its claims. But it is clear that the law is not abolished except in that sense that its penal force is destroyed. It is so with the moral law. The death of the carnal nature, by crucifixion, causes the abnormal operation to cease, and the transgressor is freed from its penal power. The death of the carnal nature likewise has its reflex action upon the ceremonial law. The effort of Jewish teachers to lead Christian converts into the observance of the ceremonial system was wholly an effort of the carnal nature to reach justification from sin by the deeds of the law, which, of course, was an impossibility, as well as a rejection of salvation by faith in Christ. The destruction of the carnal nature would cause the ceremonial observances to cease. It is only in this indirect way that this scripture can have any reference to the ceremonial law. The Significance of the Christian Endeavor Movement
By F. C. Gilbert
The Significance of the Christian Endeavor Movement. No. 1.
Doubtless all the readers of this periodical are well acquainted with the fact that there has lately closed in the city of Boston, one of the greatest religious gatherings that the world has ever known. Statistics show that over fifty-six thousand people actually registered, besides a number of thousand who did not enroll themselves. So that probably there were nearly sixty-five thousand young people gathered in the “Hub” of the United States to be present at the fourteenth annual convention of the Christian Endeavor Society. There was an earnestness and an enthusiasm manifested by that vast concourse of people, worthy of the most noble cause that could possibly be conceived. At times, in the large hall and at the tents, the cheering was so intense and continued that it seemed as though the floors and seats would have to give way on account of the pressure. The question might well be asked, For what purpose was all this assemblage of young people, and why so much earnest devotion? Is it to carry out the purpose to which they are pledged,—to be a blessing to mankind, and an honor to God? Surely such a purpose is a noble one, and is worthy to be honored, as the world is much in need of such kind of people. But while this may have been the avowed purpose of the people gathered, the sentiments expressed at the convention by the speakers were far from carrying out this aim. In other words, the trend of thought expressed at these meetings, if carried out, would utterly repudiate every principle of Christian endeavor from the Bible standpoint, and be rather a curse to mankind and the world. That this is a fact will be noticed by some of the statements made. One speaker, in giving the address of welcome, said as follows:— And this leads me to say that we welcome you to our city just at this time in our history, because you all stand for “good citizenship.” We believe in “God in politics,” and that allegiance to God and patriotism are synonymous. And that he really meant it for all it was worth, is clear from what he further said:— I say all without reservation, for our young women, as well as our young men, are thoroughly in sympathy with, and using their influence for, this revival of patriotism. And that it might be clearly seen what his idea of “synonymous,” in allegiance to God and patriotism, was, he said in the same speech:— There can be no separation of piety from patriotism, and the man who neglects his civic duties is not a Christian citizen. Let us now examine these statements, in the light of God’s word. On one occasion Daniel was called upon to pray to no other God save the king of Persia for thirty days, for the disobedience of which order he was to be cast into the lions’ den. Now if it be true that “there can be no separation of piety from patriotism, and the man who neglects his civic duties is not a Christian citizen,” then certainly Daniel received his just desert for disobeying the decree of the state, and the king must have been justified in casting the prophet to the beasts. And, further, in the light of the above statements, Daniel was not a follower of God, either. But it is evident from the Bible record of that affair that the Lord did not think that way, as did the one who uttered those statements noticed above, for in the eyes of God the prophet did right in disobeying the law of the state, and the Lord, by delivering the prophet, showed that he was a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. No doubt, if Daniel were alive to-day, the same would be done with him now as was done by the state back yonder; and in all probability the Lord would once more show that a man can be and is a Christian who does not follow the laws of the land. But this is in no way encouraging violation of law; for Daniel, of all people, will understand the laws of the land, since he was premier of the vast realm of that mighty empire. But the reason he refused to obey the mandate of the king was because the king got out of his realm, and had no business to interfere with the prophet’s religion, nor with his religious convictions. Politics and religion are two distinct ideas, each having a sphere of his own. It is therefore clear that to believe in “God in politics,” and act accordingly, is not true Christian Endeavor in the Bible sense, for God does not believe in sending men to lions’ dens, and putting them in fiery furnaces, when they repudiate the idea “that allegiance to God and patriotism are synonymous.” God stands by them to teach the people that when politics seek to interfere with a man’s religion, the one who endeavors to unite them is not a Christian citizen, while the one who disobeys the law, is a child of God. But to show that the Christian Endeavorers do not intend merely to go into this thing with words, the speaker further said:— We welcome you because you are opposed to the saloon and the evils which go with it, and to all who are trying to undermine in any way the Christian sabbath and the sanctity of the home. We have some very clearly defined moral issues at least, and we have enlisted, not for three months or for nine months, but for the war. We propose to lay aside all that hinders, and go in all over and for all we are worth, to win.8 These certainly are statements with no uncertain sound. They clearly indicate the religious trend. Another speaker said:— Do not be content with overthrowing one Tammany in New York and another in Chicago. Do not be content until a Tammany in America is forever an impossibility. . . . Follow the flying foe. Push things. The sword of the Lord and of Christian Endeavor. That is what they propose to do. Since all the evils are placed in the same category, and since the evils of the saloon and Sabbath desecration are alike, then all who oppose the first day of the week as the Sabbath may know what to expect when “Christian citizenship” comes into power. The civil power or sword will be used to enforce what this “good citizenship” demands. But is that “Christian” endeavor to kill a man with the sword who is willing to obey God and refuses to obey evil laws? The so-called “Christian sabbath,” that is so universally observed, and which these people are trying to preserve by the power of the sword of Cæsar, is the day recognized by the majority of people,—our Sunday. We are all aware that the Bible teaches us that the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord, or Lord’s day. Then all who refuse to keep the day that is set aside by the civil power of “good citizenship” will be punished as the king of Persia treated Daniel, save here, instead of giving them to the lions, they will seek to exterminate them with the sword of Christian Endeavor “good citizenship.” Beware, readers; the voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau. More will be noticed in our next from other speakers. To all the followers of God’s truth this movement is significant indeed. Watch it, and beware of it.