Earlier text: General ArticlesThoughts on Daniel—Chapter XI.
By Uriah Smith
BY ELDER U. SMITH.
A LITERAL PROPHECY. VERSE 21. And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom; but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. TIBERIUS CÆSAR next appeared after Augustus Cæsar on the Roman throne. He was raised to the consulate in his twenty-eighth year. It is recorded that as Augustus was about to nominate his successor, his wife Livia besought him to nominate Tiberius (her son by a former husband); but the emperor said, “Your son is too vile to wear the purple of Rome;” and the nomination was given to Agrippa, a very virtuous and much-respected Roman citizen. But the prophecy had foreseen that a vile person should succeed Augustus. Agrippa died; and Augustus was again under the necessity of choosing a successor. Livia renewed her intercessions for Tiberius; and Augustus, weakened by age and sickness, was more easily flattered, and finally consented to nominate as his colleague and successor, that “vile” young man. But the citizens never gave him the love, respect, and “honor of the kingdom,” due to an upright and faithful sovereign. How clear a fulfillment is this of the prediction that they should not give him the honor of the kingdom. But he was to come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. A paragraph from the Encyclopedia Americana, shows how this was fulfilled:— “During the remainder of the life of Augustus, he [Tiberius] behaved with great prudence and ability, concluding a war with the Germans in such a manner as to merit a triumph. After the defeat of Varus and his legions, he was sent to check the progress of the victorious Germans, and acted in that war with equal spirit and prudence. On the death of Augustus, he succeeded, without opposition, to the sovereignty of the empire; which, however, with his characteristic dissimulation, he affected to decline, until repeatedly solicited by the servile senate.” Dissimulation on his part, flattery on the part of the servile senate, and a possession of the kingdom without opposition—such were the circumstances attending his ascension to the throne, and such were the circumstances for which the prophecy called. The person brought to view in the text is called “a vile person.” Was such the character sustained by Tiberius? Let another paragraph from the Encyclopedia answer:— “Tacitus records the events of this reign, including the suspicious death of Germanicus, the detestable administration of Sejanus, the poisoning of Drusus, with all the extraordinary mixture of tyranny with occasional wisdom and good sense, which distinguished the conduct of Tiberius, until his infamous and dissolute retirement, A. D. 26, to the isle of Capreæ, in the bay of Naples, never to return to Rome. On the death of Livia, A. D. 29, the only restraint upon his actions and those of the detestable Sejanus, was removed, and the destruction of the widow and family of Germanicus followed. At length the infamous favorite extending his views to the empire itself, Tiberius, informed of his machinations, prepared to encounter him with his favorite weapon, dissimulation. Although fully resolved upon his destruction, he accumulated honors upon him, declared him his partner in the consulate, and, after long playing with his credulity, and that of the senate, who thought him in greater favor than ever, he artfully prepared for his arrest. Sejanus fell deservedly and unpitied; but many innocent persons shared in his destruction, in consequence of the suspicion and cruelty of Tiberius, which now exceeded all limits. The remainder of the reign of this tyrant is little more than a disgusting narrative of servility on the one hand, and of despotic ferocity on the other. That he himself endured as much misery as he inflicted, is evident from the following commencement of one of his letters to the senate: ‘What I shall write to you, conscript fathers, or what I shall not write, or why I should write at all, may the gods and goddesses plague me more than I feel daily that they are doing, if I can tell.’ ‘What mental torture,’ observes Tacitus, in reference to this passage, ‘which could extort such a confession!’” “Seneca remarks of Tiberius that he was never intoxicated but once in his life; for he continued in a state of perpetual intoxication from the time he gave himself to drinking, to the last moment of his life.” Tyranny, hypocrisy, infamous debauchery, and beastly intemperance—if these traits and practices show a man to be vile, Tiberius exhibited that character in disgusting perfection. VERSE 22. And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. Bishop Newton presents the following reading as agreeing better with the original: “And the arms of the overflower shall be overflown from before him, and shall be broken.” The expressions signifying revolution and violence; and in fulfillment we should look for the arms of Tiberius, the overflower, to be overflown, or, in other words, for him to suffer a violent death. To show how this was accomplished, we again have recourse to the Encyclopedia Americana, art. Tiberius:— “Acting the hypocrite to the last, he disguised his increasing debility as much as he was able, even affecting to join in the sports and exercises of the soldiers of his guard. At length, leaving his favorite island, the scene of the most disgusting debaucheries, he stopped at a country house near the promontory of Miceuum, where, on the sixteenth of March, 37, he sunk into a lethargy, in which he appeared dead; and Caligula was preparing with a numerous escort to take possession of the empire, when his sudden revival threw them into consternation. At this critical instant, Macro, the prætorian prefect, caused him to be suffocated with pillows. Thus expired the emperor Tiberius, in the seventy-eighth year of his age, and twenty-third of his reign, universally execrated. “The prince of the covenant,” unquestionably, refers to Jesus Christ, the “Messiah the Prince,” who was to “confirm the covenant” one week with his people. Dan. 9:25-27. The prophet, having taken us down to the death of Tiberius, now mentions incidentally an event to transpire in his reign, so important that it should not be passed over; namely, the cutting off of the prince of the covenant, or, in other words, the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to the prophecy this took place in the reign of Tiberius. Luke informs us (3:1-3) that in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, John the Baptist commenced his ministry. The reign of Tiberius is to be reckoned, according to Prideaux, Dr. Hales, Lardner, and others, from his elevation to the throne to reign jointly with Augustus, his father-in-law, in August, A. D. 12. His fifteenth year would therefore be from August, A. D. 26, to A. D. 27. Christ was six months younger than John, and is supposed to have commenced his ministry six months later, both, according to the law of the priesthood, entering upon their work when they were thirty years of age. If John commenced in the spring, in the latter part of Tiberius' 15th year, it would bring the commencement of Christ's ministry in the autumn of A. D. 27; and here the best authorities place the baptism of Christ, it being the exact point where the 483 years from B. C. 457, which were to extend to the Messiah the Prince, terminated; and Christ went forth proclaiming that the time was fulfilled. From this point, we go forward three years and a half to find the date of the crucifixion; for Christ attended but four passovers, and was crucified at the last one. Three and a half years from the autumn of A. D. 27, brings us to the spring of A. D. 31. The death of Tiberius is placed but six years later, in A. D. 37. VERSE 23. And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up and shall become strong with a small people. The “him” with whom the league here spoken of is made, must be the same power which has been the subject of the prophecy from the 14th verse; and that this is the Roman power is shown beyond controversy in the fulfillment of the prophecy in three individuals, as already noticed, who successfully ruled over the Roman empire, namely, Julius, Augustus, and Tiberius Cæsar. The first, on returning to the fort of his own land in triumph, stumbled and fell and was not found. Verse 19. The second was a raiser of taxes; and he reigned in the glory of the kingdom, and died neither in anger nor in battle, but peacefully in his own bed. Verse 20. The third was a dissembler, and one of the vilest of characters. He entered upon the kingdom peaceably, but ended both his reign and his life by violence. And in his reign the prince of the covenant, Jesus of Nazareth, was put to death upon the cross. Verses 21, 22. Christ can never be broken or put to death again; hence, in no other government, and at no other time, can we find a fulfillment of these events. Some attempt to apply these verses to Antiochus, and make one of the Jewish high priests the prince of the covenant, though they are never called such. This is the same kind of reasoning which endeavors to make the reign of Antiochus a fulfillment of the little horn of Dan. 8; and it is offered for the same purpose, namely, to break the great chain of evidence by which it is shown that the Advent doctrine is the doctrine of the Bible, and that Christ is now at the door. But the chain cannot be broken nor the evidence be overthrown. Having taken us down through the secular events of the empire to the end of the seventy weeks, the prophet, in verse 23, takes us back to the time when the Romans became directly connected with the people of God, by the Jewish league, B. C. 161; from which point we are then taken down in a direct line of events to the final triumph of the church, and the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom. The Jews being grievously oppressed by the Syrian kings, sent an embassy to Rome, to solicit the aid of the Romans, and to join themselves in “a league of amity and confederacy with them.” 1. Mac. 8; Prideaux, ii, 166; Josephus' Antiq., book xii, chap. x. sec. 6. The Romans listened to the request of the Jews, and granted them a decree couched in these words:— “The decree of the senate concerning a league of assistance and friendship with the nation of the Jews. It shall not be lawful for any that are subject to the Romans, to make war with the nation of the Jews, nor to assist those that do so, either by sending them corn, or ships, or money; and if any attack be made upon the Jews, the Romans shall assist them as far as they are able; and again, if any attack be made upon the Romans, the Jews shall assist them. And if the Jews have a mind to add to, or to take from, this league of assistance, that shall be done with the common consent of the Romans. And whatever addition shall thus be made, it shall be of force.” “This decree,” says Josephus, “was written by Eupolemus, the son of John, and by Jason, the son of Eleazer, when Judas was high priest of the nation, and Simon, his brother, was general of the army. And this was the first league that the Romans made with the Jews, and was managed after this manner.” At this time, the Romans were a small people, and began to work deceitfully, or with cunning, as the word signifies. And from this point they rose by a steady and rapid ascent to the height of power which they afterward attained.
—T. L. Tests of True Piety.
By T. L. Cuyler
TRUE religion is imitation of Christ; the true Christian is a follower of Jesus. Following implies a continuity. The train is not merely attached to the engine; it pursues the same track over which the engine leads. Following implies obedience; for no soldier can follow his commander unless he obeys orders. It also implies imitation. Learn of me, says the Master, and, as the scholar who would be a good penman keeps his eye on the copy, so the Christian must keep his eye on his Model. Jesus as a loving Saviour died for me; but Jesus as a living man teaches me how to live. The inward fountain of affections must be cleansed, and the will must yield its helm to the commands of Christ. Sagacious Paul describes it as “putting on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” The evidence of this “new man” is to love righteousness and to hate iniquity. The man who keeps Christ’s commands simply for selfish objects does not keep them; for the essence and flavor of all holy actions lies in loyalty to Christ, and to do right for his own sake. “Not with eye service, as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,” is the rule of true holiness. “Whatsoever ye do, do it unto the Lord, heartily”—because ye love to do it. The moment that any religious service becomes the mere tug and strain of enforced obedience, all the godliness has gone out of it. Adoption makes children, not slaves. Love of Christ is the only consecration. To practice righteousness and resist sin, requires the indwelling strength of God. “Renew a right spirit within me,” prayed the Psalmist. The original word signifies a firm, constant spirit, that has no waverings. A steady hand writes a clear, strong line; the shaking, tremulous hand, makes the crooked scrawl. Faith is likened to an anchor, because it has a holding power; and that comes from the hold which God has upon the man who exercises it. The surest preventive of sin is the practice of holiness. When the mind is full of joy in serving God, it pays no heed to the devil’s bribes. The young man who enjoys a prayer-meeting has no temptation to go to the theater or the gaming-room. He who walks in the Spirit is not likely to stoop to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Instead of picketing the whole road to the kingdom of Heaven by sharp prohibitions, the word of God puts faith at the entrance gate, and lines the pathway with the rewards of obedience, and makes crosses to turn to crowns, and keeps in view the “prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Before us ever walks our Lord and Master. His winning command is, “Learn of me.” His promise is that we too shall be anointed with the oil of gladness, if we love righteousness and abhor iniquity. And to those who fulfill these two tests, an abundant entrance shall be ministered into the kingdom of Heaven.—T. L. Cuyler. Prayer that Prevails.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
THERE is some very important instruction given in regard to prayer, in the 18th chapter of Luke. What stronger assurance that prayer will be answered can be asked for than that given in the parable of the unjust judge? Note the contrast that is drawn. "There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man." His own ease and self-gratification absorbed all his thoughts. From sheer heartlessness he paid no attention to the poor widow's appeal. But she was importunate; she could not give up her claim. No doubt her little property was in the hands of some extortioner, and her living depended upon the judge's decision. It was a matter of life and death with her. She presses her claim at unseasonable hours. At last the judge, fearful lest his selfish ease will be seriously interfered with, avenges her of her adversary. He granted her request, although he had no interest in it, simply to get rid of her. Now mark the contrast. "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily." Not for the same reason that the unjust judge avenged the poor widow, but because he pities as a father, and his ear is ever open to the prayers of his children. The invitation is: "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." Let the fearful one take courage. Do not hesitate to cast upon him the burden that, although too heavy for your own unaided strength, seems too small to be noticed by him. Surely he who takes note of the tiny sparrow's fall, and numbers the hairs of our heads, will not refuse to notice the simplest matter that affects the interest of one of his children. If we fail to ask aid in the smallest affairs of life, we must displease God. It is a virtual denial of his willingness to interest himself in little matters. But we should consider that God is infinitely greater than we, and the things that to us seem very great are very easy for him to perform. We cannot grasp the infinite, therefore it is idle to speculate upon what things are great and what small, in the eyes of God. Better far to take God at his word and "in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving," to let our requests be made known to God. But good and evil are ever side by side. It is easy for the human heart to be deceived, and to mistake self-confidence for faith. This is illustrated in the Pharisee's prayer. We seldom hear the Pharisee's sentiments expressed so plainly, but who is not in danger of harboring them? That spirit is as much to be guarded against in our conversation as in our prayers. Many people do not speak of their own good deeds, but loudly condemn the faults of others, in order that their hearers may think that they themselves are free from such failings. Is not this Pharisean spirit the secret of all gossip concerning scandals? People naturally prone to evil deeds, love to dwell upon and magnify the faults of others, for by so doing they lose sight of their own. They make out so bad a case against their neighbor that their own short-comings seem small in comparison. We all need to heed the injunction: "Let no man think more highly of himself than he ought to think." The publican's prayer was answered, while the Pharisee's was not heard, for "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." Who wishes to have the mighty God for his adversary? Let us all read carefully and heed James 4:6-11. Christ Blessing Little Children.
By Cunningham Geikie
It is significant that, in the South, as in Galilee, the mothers of households, though not expressly named, turned with peculiar tenderness and reverence to the new Prophet and Rabbi. They were doubtless encouraged to do so by the sight of the women who now, as always, accompanied him on his journeys; but the goodness that beamed in his looks, and breathed in his every word, drew them still more. Indifferent to the hard and often worthless disputes and questions which engaged the other sex, they sought only a blessing on the loved ones of their hearts and homes, contented if Jesus would lay his hands on their infants, and utter over them a word of blessing. A beautiful custom led parents to bring their children at an early age to the synagogue, that they might have the prayers and blessings of the elders. "After the father of the child," says the Talmud, "had laid his hands on his child's head, he led him to the elders, one by one, and they also blessed him, and prayed that he might grow up famous in the law, faithful in marriage, and abundant in good works." Children were thus brought, also, to any rabbi of special holiness, and hence they had been presented already more than once before Jesus. Now, on this, his last journey, little children were again brought to him that he might put his hands on them, and pray for a blessing on their future life. To the disciples, however, it seemed only troubling their Master, and they chid the parents for bringing them. But the feeling of Christ to children was very different from theirs. To look into their innocent, artless eyes must have been a relief after enduring those of spies and malignant enemies. He himself had the ideal childlike spirit, and he delighted to see in little ones his own image. Purity, truthfulness, simplicity, sincerity, docility, and loving dependence, shone out on him from them, and made them at all times his favorite types for his followers. The apostles needed the lessons their characteristics impressed, and though he had enforced them before, he gladly took every opportunity of repeating them. "Let the little children come to me," said Jesus, "and do not forbid them, for the kingdom of Heaven is given only to such as have a child-like spirit, and nature like theirs." Instead of being too young for the bestowal of his blessing, he saw in their simplicity and innocence the fond earnest of the character he sought to reproduce in mankind. The citizens of his kingdom must become like them by change of heart and a lowly spiritual life. Stooping down, therefore, he took them up in his arms, put his hands on them, and blessed them. Even the least incidents were thus ever turned to the highest uses.—Geikie. The Sabbath-School.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
Notes on Lesson for May 6.
In the 17th chapter of Luke, from the 20th verse onward, the kingdom of God is the subject of consideration. The two kingdoms, the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory are contrasted. The Pharisees asked when the kingdom of God should come, and Christ answered that it was then among them. "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," and he was there in their midst. As the representative of the kingdom of grace, he was not going to assume the pomp and "outward show" which the Pharisees thought would mark the first advent of Christ. His work was so unostentatious that it could only be perceived by the changed lives of those who obeyed his teachings. "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, and canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit of God." He then told His disciples that in the days to come, when oppressed by trials, they would long for his presence. Their earnest desire for his coming would render them liable to be led astray by deceivers, who would profess to be Christ, saying, "See here; or see there." Said he, "Go not after them, nor follow them." And that they might have no doubt in their minds, he told them that his coming would be visible to all. "For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day." Previous to this, however, he would have to suffer many things, and be rejected by those whom he came to save. Thus the two kingdoms are contrasted. The kingdom of grace was to perform its work of preparing subjects for the kingdom of glory, quietly, as the seed that is cast into the earth, or the leaven hid in the meal. But when Christ is revealed as the King of glory, it will be "in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God," bursting on their astonished gaze, vivid as the lightning flash. The Jewish Practice of Fasting
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
"I FAST twice in the week." It is said that these semi-weekly fasts were observed by the Jews because continuous fasting might be injurious. The days selected were the second and fifth. The reason assigned for the selection of these days is because it was supposed to be on the second day of the week that Moses went up into Mount Sinai to receive the two tables of the law, and it was on the fifth day of the week that he came down on account of the idolatry concerning the golden calf. These days were chosen, not only when public fasts were to be observed, but also when individuals fasted privately. —Bible Manners and Customs.. OXFORD S. S. TEACHERS' BIBLES.
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THERE is a great deal of wise suggestion for teachers in the following quotation: "I passed a florist so absorbed with his 'cuttings' that he did not hear my 'Good morning' till twice spoken. 'I beg your pardon, sir,' said he, 'but you see one must put his whole mind on these young things, if he would have them do well; and I cannot bear that one should die on my hands, for I should almost feel as if I had murdered it by neglect. Young plants need a great deal more care than old ones that are used to storms and blight.'" There is no need to write out the thoughts which these words start in our minds.—Westminster Teacher. No THOUGHT is to us more terrible than that of indulging a false or vain hope; to go through life—to exhaust the period of probation—with the belief that we are Christ’s and heirs of his glory, and find at last, when it is too late to correct the mistake, that we have been deceived; that we have leaned upon a false prop, and made lies our refuge. We can bear the worst disappointments in this life with complacency; but to be disappointed beyond this life—to come to the Judgment-seat with bright hopes, and be turned away and driven suddenly to dark despair,—this would be terrible indeed. There would be anguish beyond expression, beyond our present power to conceive. In our remarks on the subject of the immortality of the soul, we said that the doctrine of conditional immortality shuts us up to faith in Christ for a hope of future life. Of course the doctrine of natural immortality leads to the indulgence of a hope without faith in Christ—outside the gospel. As there is but “one hope”—the hope in Christ,—that which is based upon our natural immortality is a vain hope; a false dependence. The ruin which this doctrine has entailed upon mankind is awful to contemplate. Millions are staking their eternal destiny on this miserable substitute for gospel truth. And who is responsible for this wide-spread ruin? Jesse James, the noted murderer and desperado, had recently meted to him the measure he had given to others. He had no penitence for his crimes; he was petted by such an element as is daily haunting our jails and making heroes of the vilest criminals, and leading the basest murderers to forget the blood they have shed, while they rejoice in the prospect of a speedy transference to the glory of Heaven. He was proud of the dark record of his life. When one of his gang—trained to murder under his own teaching—coolly shot him down, his mother, while calling down the deepest vengeance on his murderer, consoled herself with the thought that her “dear Jesse is better off in Heaven!” What kind of a place must Heaven be? But, it may be said, this is an extreme case; this is an abuse of a truth which is valuable in itself. We reply, this is not an extreme case. It is rather a usual case—a case quite on the average. Take the following as an instance of the manner in which this doctrine is used religiously: A man and his brother were running a piece of machinery; for some trifling cause he became very angry with his brother, and commenced cursing him in the most blasphemous terms. While the oaths were upon his lips, a stick of wood fell into the machinery and was thrown with great force, striking him under the chin. He was killed instantly. We were present at his funeral, at which a Methodist minister officiated. As the subject of immortality had been brought before the people in that community, the preacher improved the occasion by giving, what he considered, an argumentative discourse to prove the immortality of the soul; and at the close of his sermon, in his address to the mourners, he said that he had consolation to offer them in their bereavement: it was found in the great truth that the soul is immortal and cannot die! It may be that we should not often find such a presentation of the doctrine, under such circumstances. But such a dependence, such a substitution of a dogma for a gospel hope, is quite general. And if this is not the proper use of the doctrine, pray tell us of what use it is. It is called a valuable doctrine; an important doctrine. If no substantial benefit is to be derived from it, wherein is it important? But if it is useful, what objection can be raised against the use of it as noticed above? We repeat what we before said: The doctrine of the immortality of the soul is no part of the gospel. It is a remedy for nothing. But it is injurious. It is an offense against the government of God. It is but a repetition of the first falsehood ever promulgated upon the earth; a falsehood which “brought death into the world, and all our woe.” The enemy said to “the mother of all living,” when tempting her to disobey God, “Ye shall not surely die.” You may eat with impunity and without fear. God has said you shall die if you disobey. It is not so. There is something within you—“that better part”—which is far beyond the reach of such a penalty. There is “a spark of divinity within you;” the inbreathing of God’s own immortality is in your constitution; your intelligent part—“the real man”—(of course the responsible part), is as incapable of death as is God himself. Why should you fear a penalty from which you are exempt, being clothed in the dignity of your inherent immortality? Is this an abuse of the doctrine? If so, wherein? It is the use that is constantly being made of the doctrine, and which will continue to be made of it as long as it is preached and believed. And again we ask, Inasmuch as it is no part of the gospel, if this is not the proper use of the doctrine, what is the use of it? Perverting the Truth of God.
SOMEBODY has sent to this office, with a request that it be published in the SIGNS, a lengthy communication in which the effort is made to prove that Sunday has as good claims to respect and observance as the Sabbath. A specimen declaration is the following:— "We have nothing but tradition to show that the seventh day ever was a sacred day." Every reader of our paper who has any regard for the word of God, will approve of our refusal to use its columns to circulate such absurdities. But why will people allow their prejudices and selfish preferences to blind them to the plainest statements of the Bible. We have never yet seen any theory by which it was proposed to uphold Sunday, that was not founded in self-deception of its advocates or perversions of the Scriptures. The most common perversion of the word of God, in this respect, is that of applying the fourth commandment to the first day of the week. The Christian at Work is an advocate of Sunday, but its editor has too high regard for consistency to suffer such a theory to pass without disapproval. A Mr. Love, of Massachusetts, has been very zealous in behalf of Sunday, and has made strenuous efforts to uphold it by the authority of the decalogue. The Christian at Work exposes the sophistry of the position, and administers a deserved reproof as follows:— "The current number of the Bibliotheca Sacra contains an article on 'The Christian Sabbath in the New Dispensation,' by the Rev. Wm. D. Love, D. D., in which the writer maintains that the fourth commandment is binding upon Christians, and that the only logical and conclusive basis for the observance of the Lord's day is to be found in the recognition of its continued obligation. He sums up the matter in this wise: (1) If the fourth commandment is God's revealed will, it is transgression and peril to disregard it. (2) It gives the most consistent and beautiful array of divine truth. (3) We may know, a priori, that human nature needs to anchor to the firm foundation of God's commandments. (4) History tells us that wherever the doctrine of the abrogation of the fourth commandment has found sway, there Sabbath desecration has been the sure result." "The theory which Dr. Love in this article enforces has widely prevailed in England and Scotland, and among the Calvinistic churches of America. While a good deal has at various times been argued in its favor, it has not been entirely easy for its defenders to explain the reason for substituting the first in place of the seventh day, except by adducing the example of the apostles as sufficient evidence, and entirely authoritative in the matter. But if the example of the apostles is sufficient to account for a change so radical and vital, why, it may be asked, Is it not sufficient to afford a reasonable basis for the whole Christian observance of the Lord's day? The duty of devoting Sunday to religious uses may be logically grounded upon the authoritative example of the apostles, confirmed by the practice of the early churches, by the fourth commandment, the original sanctification of the seventh day, and the words of Christ, (Mark 2:27). A theory so grounded escapes the dilemma of making the whole commandment binding while changing an essential feature of it, into which a new reasoner would force a defender of the fourth commandment theory; and while recognizing the important bearing of the Jewish Sabbath on the question of keeping the Lord's day as more in accordance with the spirit of the new dispensation, which certainly does not magnify legal relations, and agrees better with Paul's words when he says, 'One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully assured in his own mind.'" "It is more than ever important in a day like this, when the institution of the Christian Sunday is vehemently assailed, that Christian thinkers be prepared to logically vindicate the religious uses of the day. It may be done, some devout Christians think, in the way Dr. Love points out. But the wavering and the unstable will hardly be convinced by an argument which, while enforcing the fourth commandment, changes one of its most essential features by substituting one day for another. A Jew who in Christ's time should have attempted to have his Sabbath on Sunday, would have speedily found himself in trouble. To say that a certain commandment is binding, at the same time excepting its most essential feature, is a good deal like saying that a certain law is binding because it is on the statute book, though time and custom have for centuries made it obsolete. We do not the less want a Sabbath observance: only we insist that it shall be placed on a firm and enduring basis. To say that the fourth commandment is binding, and then to except the especial day which it peculiarly prescribes, is to beg the whole question in a masterly manner." In these remarks the Christian at Work virtually ignores the authority of the fourth commandment. And it will find as great difficulty in retaining the other precepts of the decalogue after throwing away the fourth, as it finds in retaining the fourth commandment and rejecting the seventh day. This important question: Shall the Law of God, the decalogue, be accepted as the moral rule of life? has yet to be settled in the Protestant churches, and the opposers of the Sabbath are fast undermining the authority of the law, and leading the minds of the people to slightly regard it. The injury thus done to the morals of the world is very great, and it cannot fail to show disastrous results. Had the Sunday any Bible truth to sustain it, its advocates would have no difficulty in agreeing upon some line of advocacy and defense. All advocates of the Sabbath are agreed—they rest upon the plain word of the Lord, and recognize his law as the sole basis of Sabbath obligation. But not so with Sunday advocates. They have almost as many theories and systems as there are writers and speakers—each contradicting the others. 'God is not the author of confusion.'