A REVIEW OF SUNDAY LEGISLATION IN CENTURY NINETEEN. NO. 7.
BY PROF. P. T. MAGAN.
THE INQUISITION (CONCLUDED).
I HAVE now written at some length upon the iniquitous motives which lay behind the establishment of the Inquisition; and I have also shown what trivial and accidental circumstances were accepted as capital evidence against an accused Jew by that nefarious tribunal. It will, therefore, be now in place to expose some of its secret workings, and to relate how its victims were accused, condemned, and tortured.
To presume the innocence of the prisoner until his guilt has been established is an axiom of justice, by all true jurists accepted. The Inquisition, however, instead of granting to the prisoner "the protection afforded by every other judicature, and especially demanded in his forlorn situation," acted upon the opposite principle, and "used the most insidious arts to circumvent and surround" all who came within its fearful grasp. Says Prescott:—
The accused, . . . whose mysterious disappearance was perhaps the only public evidence of his arrest, was conveyed to the secret chambers of the Inquisition, where he was jealously excluded from intercourse with all, save a priest of the Romish Church and his jailer, both of whom might be regarded as the spies of the tribunal. In this desolate condition the unfortunate man, cut off from external communication and all cheering sympathy or support, was kept for some time in ignorance even of the nature of the charges preferred against him, and at length, instead of the original process, was favored only with extracts from the depositions of the witnesses, so garbled as to conceal every possible clue of their name and quality. With still greater unfairness, no mention whatever was made of such testimony as had arisen in the course of the examination in his own favor. Counsel was indeed allowed him from a list presented by his judges. But this privilege availed little, since the parties were not permitted to confer together, and the advocate was furnished with no other information than what had been granted to his client. To add to the injustice of these proceedings, every discrepancy in the statements of the witnesses was converted into a separate charge against the prisoner, who thus, instead of one crime, stood accused of several. This, taken in connection with the concealment of time, place, and circumstance in the accusations, created such embarrassment that, unless the accused was possessed of unusual acuteness and presence of mind, it was sure to involve him, in his attempt to explain, in inextricable contradiction.
If the prisoner refused to confess his guilt, or, as was usual, was suspected of evasion, or an attempt to conceal the truth, he was subjected to the torture. This, which was administered in the deepest vaults of the Inquisition, where the cries of the victim could fall on no ear save that of his tormentors, is admitted by the secretary of the holy office, who has furnished the most authentic report of its transactions, not to have been exaggerated in any of the numerous narratives which have dragged these subterranean horrors into light. If the intensity of pain extorted a confession from the sufferer, he was expected, if he survived, to confirm it on the next day. Should he refuse to do this, his mutilated members were condemned to a repetition of the same sufferings, until his obstinacy (it should rather have been termed his heroism) might be vanquished.
By a subsequent regulation of Philip II. the repetition of torture in the same process was strictly prohibited to the inquisitors. But they, making use of a sophism worthy of the arch-fiend himself, contrived to evade this law, by pretending, after each new application of punishment, that they had only suspended and not terminated the torture.
Should the rack, however, prove ineffectual to force a confession of his guilt, he was so far from being considered as having established his innocence that, with a barbarity unknown to any tribunal where the torture has been admitted, and which of itself proves its utter incompetency to the ends it proposes, he was not unfrequently convicted on the depositions of the witnesses. At the conclusion of his mock trial the prisoner was again returned to his dungeon, where, without the blaze of a single fagot to dispel the cold or illuminate the darkness of the long winter night, he was left in unbroken silence to await the doom which was to consign him to an ignominious death, or a life scarcely less ignominious.
Such are a few of the tender mercies of the Inquisition, that most fearful engine of tyranny worked by her whose name is given in Holy Writ as "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." From the preceding description who can doubt but that Omnipotence hath judged of her character well, and named her accordingly. Yet all of this is the religion of the people of the United States, according to the Supreme Court. As we said before, we say again, we do not agree with the Court; but yet we know that now, since the bargain has been struck between the two (the Church and the State), the country is doomed to come most completely under Rome's control. We never expect that the contract will be annulled. God has protested, he has protested through his servants, by means of voice and pen. The conflict between the powers of darkness and the powers of light is even now being waged, and is only to be ended by the ruin of the United States and of the world, and the setting up of the everlasting kingdom of God, when the "kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." But I am wandering from the theme of my paper into a realm toward which it is designed to point the way, but where at this stage of its development it is forbidden to enter.
To add to the discomfiture of the victims, the three papists who sat as judges in the inquisitorial courts were almost invariably chosen from the most ignorant. Says Puighblanch:—
Even the common people, amidst the illusion in which they lived under the yoke of this tribunal, at length became sensible of the great ignorance which prevailed in its dark conclaves. This is proved by the following saying, to be met in the mouths of everyone:—
Question—What constituted the Inquisition?
Answer—One crucifix, two candlesticks, and three blockheads, alluding to the form and parade of its sittings, and the number of judges present thereat.
The culprit was obliged to declare his whole genealogy and descent, and to state whether any of his ancestors, in a direct or transversal line, or his brothers, wife, children, or, indeed, himself, had at any time previously been arraigned before the tribunal, and penanced by it.149The object of all this was to obtain possession of the property he might have inherited, by declaring the right of succession null and void.
There were three kinds of torture generally used by the Inquisition, viz., the pulley, the rack, and the fire. The apartment in which these were inflicted was underground, and was called the hall of torture.
The first of these three modes of punishment was inflicted by fastening a pulley, with a rope passed through it, to the roof. The executioners would then seize the culprit, shackle his feet together, and suspend weights of one hundred pounds to his ankles. His hands were bound behind his back, and the rope from the pulley fastened to his wrists. He was then raised about six feet from the ground, then twelve stripes were inflicted upon him. After this he was let down with a run, but checked just before either his feet or the weights should touch the floor, in order to render the shock to his body greater.
The torture of the rack, also called that of water and ropes, was a common one. The victim, divested of his clothing, was stretched on his back along a hollow bench with sticks across like a ladder, and prepared for the purpose. To this his head, hands, and feet were bound so tightly that he could not move. In this position he experienced eight strong contortions in his limbs, viz., two on the fleshy parts of the arm above the elbow, and two below, one on each thigh, and also on the legs. Sometimes also his face was covered with a thin piece of linen, through which seven pints of water ran into his mouth and nostrils, preventing him from breathing.
But the torture by fire was the most revolting of all. The prisoner was placed with his legs naked in the stocks, the soles of his feet were then well greased with lard, and a "blazing chafing dish applied to them, by the heat of which they became perfectly fried."
But enough of this sickening picture. These are a few of the tortures which Rome has used, and these refinements of cruelty or others equal to them she proposes to use again, and in the United States, too; she has a right to, of course, since the Supreme Court saw fit to deed the nation over to her. And this, too, God has foretold. Here it is:—
God's word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be unheeded and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty and massive structures, in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is.
This was first predicted and published to the world, as far as the author is aware, in 1886. Ever since that time, and, indeed, from before that time, Seventh-day Adventists have been warning the United States and the world of the designs of Rome. To how great an extent these warnings have been received, He who searcheth the hearts of men, alone can tell. But we do know that they have not been received by all who have heard them, and we do also know that they will not be received by nearly all who will hear them. They are, nevertheless, none the less true, as the "Protestant world will learn when it is too late." And we would rather be found on the side of the word of God than be numbered with the throngs of earth. Thus saith Jehovah: "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment."
Of the company who heed this command it is that the prophet speaks and says: "All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed." And to all who are not now of us, but whom God is calling to "come out" and be of us, we extend the invitation of Zechariah, bidding them make it true in their cases: "Thus saith the Lord of Hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you." There are "multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the great day of the Lord is near." Now is the time to decide to leave the valley and ascend the mountain of the Lord.
DID THE DISCIPLES EXPECT THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST?
By Elder William Covert
BY ELDER WILLIAM COVERT.
(Concluded.)
EARLY the third day from the crucifixion they hurried to the consecrated sepulcher, supposing they were going there to perform a burial rite upon the crucified body which they had seen laid in Joseph's tomb. On their way they talked of the heavy stone that they should encounter at the mouth of the grave. With them the question was, "Who shall roll away the stone?" While these women had courage to show a general interest in the Lord, his brethren shut themselves away in secret to mourn and weep in the bitterness of their disappointment.
When the women arrived at the sepulcher, they found the stone rolled away, the body gone, and an angel seated there, who told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. He also told them to go and tell his disciples (and Peter, who had denied him) that he was risen. Having seen the angel, and heard him talk of the resurrection, they were affrighted and fled from the sepulcher. Mark 16:3-8. Yet they reported to his disciples what they had seen, but "their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." Luke 24:11. Yet Peter and John ran to the sepulcher to investigate the situation, and saw that the tomb was emptied of its sacred charge; yet they were perplexed about what had happened. It was then that they believed that Jesus was not in the tomb where he had been placed, but how to understand what had occurred they knew not; "for as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." John 20:9.
Having investigated thus far, "then the disciples went away again unto their own home." Verse 10. But Mary Magdalene lingered at the tomb weeping. It was when the disciples had gone away, and Mary remained there weeping, that she saw two angels sitting one at the head and the other at the feet where the body had lain. Verses 11, 12. When these angels asked her why she was weeping, she replied, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." When she turned from looking into the sepulcher, Jesus himself was there, and he also asked her why she was weeping. She, supposing the gardener was addressing her and not yet believing that he had risen, answered, "Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away." Verse 15. But Jesus called her name in such a manner as to cause himself to be recognized. It then became necessary in her overjoy that she should be restrained in her demonstrations of affection for her risen Lord; he therefore said to her, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father." He must first see his Father, and have him accept of the offering that he had made for man, before he would ask man to do so. But Mary's love for the Saviour held him from his Father's presence until he could make her understand that he was alive. This would prevent a further search for his missing body while he should be away with the Father.
This manifestation of the Saviour to Mary is also reported in Mark 16:9. There the writer says: "She went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed it not." Verses 10, 11.
Later in the day he joined in company with two of his disciples as they were walking in the country, and they, not knowing who he was, told him of the mighty things that their Master had done, and how he had been condemned and crucified; they also related the story of the early visits to the sepulcher, and what had been reported about angels being seen, who had said that he was risen. Yet they had not indorsed the theory of the resurrection. But at this juncture they told the Saviour what had been their hopes about his redeeming Israel, referring, of course, to their expectation of an earthly kingdom. He then explained to them the scriptural teaching concerning the Messiah, and his suffering and death, and then made himself known unto them. He then ceased to be seen of them, and they hurried back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples that the Lord had appeared unto them and that he was actually alive. But they would not believe it even then. See Mark 16:12, 13.
When the two disciples arrived from Emmaus, they found the others had closed themselves in for fear of the Jews. Being friends they were permitted to enter, and, doubtless, the Saviour entered with them unseen, and withheld himself from their vision until they had time to manifest their unbelief in his resurrection when it was told them by the brethren who had seen him at the country village. He then manifested himself to them, and said unto them, "Peace be unto you." But, instead of being ready to believe it was he, at first they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed they had seen a spirit. Then he showed them his hands and his feet, and invited them to handle him and see that he was a real being, having a literal, tangible body, composed of flesh and bones. He then called for food, and when it was given him, he ate a piece of fish and honeycomb in their presence, before they would believe their own eyes. Luke 24:36-43. He then upbraided6them with their hardness of heart and unbelief, because they had refused to believe those who had seen him after he was risen. Mark 16:14.
By this time the resurrection day was past, but the disciples were not all convinced of the resurrection yet. There was Thomas, who had not seen him since he had risen. He, being as faithless as his brethren had been, still held to his skepticism, and said he would not believe unless he could see and handle him. So, after eight days from the close of the resurrection day, Thomas saw him and believed that the resurrection had occurred. But not one of the disciples of Christ comprehended the significance of what had been accomplished in all that had taken place. This they could not know until they were anointed with the Spirit; but this anointing could not be given until self should be surrendered. Their false notion concerning the kingdom and mission of Christ stood in the way of their being instructed upon the subject of the atonement through his blood. Their minds had not yet been emptied of this erroneous theory when the Lord ascended to heaven; for, just as they were about to witness his departure from the earth, they asked him if he would not at that time restore again the kingdom to Israel. Acts 1:6.
Thus it is seen that all through the ministry of Christ, and through all his teaching them after his resurrection from the dead, they held onto their own mistaken idea of the work and mission of Christ, and that notion was of such a character as to keep their minds occupied with selfish emotions and thereby prevent them from seeing the real truths of the gospel of Christ.
The parting instruction given by the risen Lord was, "Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." Luke 24:49. "It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you." John 16:7. When they should seek the Lord with all their hearts and repent of their selfishness and yield up their own mistaken ideas, they would be in a condition to receive the heavenly anointing whereby they could discern spiritual things. Not until then could they teach and appreciate the real significance of the death and resurrection of the Saviour.
Considering all that has been shown in the above, of what folly must those persons be guilty who teach that the disciples, together with the Saviour, celebrated the event and especially honored the day of the resurrection, on the resurrection day and onward to the ascension, and because of this that the disciples ever afterward kept it up. Never was anything more flatly contradicted and shown to be wholly false by the facts in the case. No person that will let go of false theories so that he can reach down to the depths of truth, and in that spiritual condition study the history of the disciples' connection with the ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ, can continue to believe that Sunday sacredness has its source in these things. Verily, it had a very different origin.
THE THIEF ON THE CROSS.
By W. N. Glenn
“AND he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee to-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.”
In connection with the conversion of the malefactor while suspended on the cross there are two very prominent points, namely, Christ's fidelity to his mission, and the remarkable faith of the penitent thief.
I. Christ's Unflinching Fidelity. The mission of Jesus Christ to this earth was one of voluntary humility, in order that everyone who would become reconciled to God through him might be exalted. And his whole life was one of continued self-denial and submission to suffering, that others might be benefited. From his single purpose of glorifying the Father by redeeming lost sinners, he never for a moment swerved. Of all the godlike characteristics manifested in his earthly career, none was more prominent than this,—there was in him “no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Satan tempted him with taunts, flattery, and bribery, all to no avail. Time after time hunger, fatigue, and personal danger were ignored in the face of opportunity to do good. The bitterest manifestations of ingratitude and hatred on the part of those whom he came to redeem could not quench his burning desire to save them. Even when he was betrayed by one, denied by another, and forsaken by all of his chosen disciples, he was not shaken in purpose to save all who would come unto God by him. After his condemnation, while on the way to Calvary, when sympathizing women wept over his doom, he still manifested the spirit of self-abnegation. Turning to the weeping women he said, “Weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.” Arriving at the place of execution, the rough executioners drove the cruel nails into his hands and feet, yet he was still unmindful of self and thoughtful of poor, sinful man. There was no effort to escape the terrible ordeal, but his burden of prayer was, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
And even when elevated on the cross, amid indescribable suffering and the taunts and jeers of his persecutors, he was ready to give heed to the appeal of a penitent sinner, and to give salvation in answer to the prayer of faith. Although appearances were all against him, and he seemed to be helpless in the hands of his enemies, he faltered not in his devotion to the work of love which he had undertaken.151
He knew that he was about to die, and that not only his enemies but his closest friends now deemed his claim to the Messiahship a delusion and his work at an end. Yet, notwithstanding the combined antagonisms of furious enemies, cowardly friends, and an unjust judge, he was ready to impart comfort to the suffering, consolation to the penitent, and sure hope to the dying. He could confidently promise a future life through faith in himself, although conscious that he was on the verge of death. He had not the least hesitancy or doubt of his ability to perform his promise, when he declared to the penitent thief, that he should be with him in Paradise.
Had not the prophecies foretold all that was now going on? Was it not his own Spirit that had dictated the words of the prophets? Had he not previously told his disciples that he should be put to death, and that he should rise again the third day? Then why should he doubt when confronted with the scenes which he had so long known were to be a part of the experience? He had assured his disciples that he would go away and prepare a place for them in his Father's house of many mansions, and that he would come again to take them where they could be with him (John 14:1–3). Paul reiterates this promise a little more in detail in 1 Thess. 4:16–18: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
We see from this that the promise of the Lord to the disciples to come again to receive them unto himself will be fulfilled when he comes at the last trump (1 Cor. 15:51–54), at the resurrection of the righteous, when all the dead in Christ and the then living righteous will be taken to glory together. It is also apparent that the promise to the penitent thief was equivalent to that made to the disciples on the previous night, when he who made the promise knew that his hour had come. And the promise to the thief will surely be fulfilled when the other disciples receive their reward; for all will be “caught up together” to meet the Lord when he shall “descend,” or “come again,” to receive them unto himself.
II. The Remarkable Faith of the Penitent Thief.—In the early part of Christ's earthly ministry he met a remarkable instance of faith on the part of a Roman centurion. This man's servant was sick, and he appealed to Jesus to heal him. However, he felt that he was unworthy to have such a good man come into his house. So he said to Jesus, “Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” Jesus had healed many sick folks, and the people had shown great faith in his healing power when the afflicted ones were in his immediate presence. But the healing of a sick man a long distance away and out of sight was an achievement that no one had thought of expecting. It remained for this heathen army officer to exercise such a measure of faith; and in response to its expression, Jesus said, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”
But when we consider the character of the dying thief's request, and the situation of the One of whom the request was made, we have an instance of faith unparalleled since Abraham's gift of his son Isaac. The two men were on the verge of death, with no possible hope of deliverance, yet one believed that the other was a king with power to grant him favor. Another malefactor hung upon a cross on the other side of Jesus, and he could see in the crucified Messiah only a dying man, with no more power, no greater prospect, than he himself possessed. Had he not put to the test the claims of Jesus to the Sonship of God? Was it not a reasonable test when he tauntingly said to his fellow sufferer, “If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us”? Had not Christ publicly proclaimed that his mission to earth was to save life? Surely there had been no greater opportunity to display his power and to save not only others but himself.
Thus did one malefactor reason, in harmony with the mocking multitude. And, from the standpoint of the carnal mind, the wisdom of this world, the argument was logical. The other thief had imbibed the Spirit and teaching of Christ. By believing, he comprehended the vicarious death of Christ, and his resurrection. He evidently believed that that dying Man, to all human appearance powerless to help anyone, not even himself, would come again to establish a kingdom. This is implied in his pointed request, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”
Even the chosen twelve, whom Jesus had made his bosom companions for three years, whom he had taught “line upon line and precept upon precept,” and whom he had endowed with power to cast out devils, heal all manner of diseases, and even to raise the dead, had no faith at this critical moment. Although he had plainly told them that after his crucifixion he would rise again the third day, they refused to believe that he had risen until they could see him themselves. But this poor malefactor, who acknowledged his guilt, who had made no profession of faith until suspended on the cross, in the darkest hour possible for the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ, manifested more faith than they all.
Thus he committed his life to a dying Saviour, fully believing his word, that he had power to lay down his life and had power to take it again (John 10:18). Thus the penitent thief gave up his life, fully believing that it was “hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3), and that “when He who is our life shall appear” (verse 4), he would also be called to life with the redeemed throng.
In the face of such faith as this, shall anyone say it is too much to believe the word of God, which assures us that Jesus Christ has risen, and has ascended on high, where he still makes intercession for penitent sinners? Is it too much to believe that this triumphant Saviour will fulfill his word to his chosen ones? Is it possible, or even probable, that he would come to this earth to plant a vineyard at such immense cost and not come again to gather the fruit? Shall he whose word never has failed, promise his waiting ones that he will come again to take them to himself, to his own eternal kingdom, and then leave them in an endless sleep of death?
Here is the assurance of the Eternal One: “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips.” Ps. 89:34.
Surely he who faltered not when a cruel death on the cross was right before him, nor yet when the terrible nails had fastened him to the tree, nor yet when the Father's sympathetic face was turned from him and left him to bear alone the sins of the world,—we repeat, surely he will not fail in the all-important moment of bestowing the promised inheritance in his everlasting kingdom. “When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. . . . Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25:31–34. Then will be the time hereinbefore cited, when “the Lord himself shall descend with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God,” and the righteous dead and living will be “caught up together,” to “be ever with the Lord.”
Then will be fulfilled the promise made to his disciples just before his betrayal (John 14:1–3). Then will be fulfilled the promise to the penitent thief, made under such inauspicious circumstances. It was a brave promise, such as only could be made in good faith by one who was conscious of the power to overcome death. Such consciousness was the basis of the assurance, “I say unto thee to-day [though I am about to yield up my life, notwithstanding all these adverse circumstances, I unhesitatingly give you my word], thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” Verily that promise is sure, as are all the other promises of God, all of which are yea and amen in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). Why not lay hold of them? They are just as sure to-day as they ever were; and in the ever-expanding light of God's word there is a far more encouraging ground of faith than that upon which the penitent thief stood. Verily his faith stands up in loud condemnation of any excuse that may be presented in any age since that time, and especially in this our day of increasing light and knowledge.
OBEY HIS VOICE.
By Guy Vernon Abbott
BY GUY VERNON ABBOTT.
Obey thy Father's blest commands
In these thy youthful days;
He'll lead you gently by the hand
In wisdom's pleasant ways.
Obey him in thy early youth,
While life to you is given,
And you will learn to love the truth,
And gain a home in heaven.
Obey him in thy manhood's years,
Before death and decay
Shall rob you of the strength of youth,
And steal thy life away,
Obey him when the storms of life
Around your pathway roll;
He will be with you in the strife.
Oh, trust him, weary soul!
Obey him when thy locks are white,
And when thine eyes grow dim,
For soon you'll leave this world of night
To go and dwell with him.
Fremont, Steuben Co., Indiana.
Our Debt to One Another
By John Ruskin
Such help as we can give each other in this world is a debt to each other; and the man who perceives a superiority or a capacity in a subordinate; and neither confesses nor assists it, is not merely the withholder of kindness, but the committer of injury.—Ruskin.
SATANIC, NOT CHRISTIAN.
By Ethan Lanphear
BY ETHAN LANPHEAR.
‘‘Why do men put the devil in power and then have to ask or petition him to act like a Christian?’’ asks Rev. R. L. Lots, of Pomeroy, Wash., in the Harbinger (Christian). ‘‘Who are these men whom we petition to close the World’s Fair on Sunday?’’ ‘‘Has it come to pass in this progressive age that God has to petition the devil to help him out?’’ ‘‘Have we reached the time when the children of God are simply the petitioners at the throne of Satan?’’
These questions arouse in us many a query. It seems to me that instead of the devil’s being asked to act like a Christian, those who are working for Sunday laws, while professing Christianity, are manifesting the spirit of the devil; for they are assuming to be as God, and attempting to change times and laws. God instituted the seventh day as the Sabbath. Christ indorsed it and kept it, and claimed he was Lord of it, and that the ‘Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’ Neither Father nor Son ever indicated that there ever was a change, or that there ever was to be a change. But the gospel indicates that false teachers would arise and attempt to ‘change times and laws.’ And are not our professed Christians that have been fighting for Sunday closing, doing their best to change God’s law and Christ’s teachings? God never calls on the ‘devil to help him out.’ God never changes. Neither does Christ ever call on men to legislate men to be Christians, nor does he order his followers to use carnal weapons to compel men to become religious, or to observe his Sabbaths. He says, ‘If ye love me, keep my commandments,’ while those who profess to be his followers are petitioning Congress to observe a day never sanctioned by him, in fact, the pagan Sunday.
Constantine issued the first edict requiring the people to observe Sunday, in the year 321. But he only required this of the people of the city. The country people were excused. But here these zealous false prophets would compel all the world in attendance at the World’s Fair, and the entire nation, to keep the heathen Sunday.
It is all—the legislation, the boycotting, the threatenings—outside of the realm of Christianity and God’s plan of salvation. Render unto Casar the things that are Casar’s, but unto God the things that are God’s. ‘‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’’ Don’t profess to accept the Bible as your faith and practice while you are following false teachers and the traditions of men. You are as foreign from God and Christ’s religion as many of the heathen nations represented in the great religious gathering recently held at Chicago. ‘‘Come out from among them’’ is the requirement of the gospel. Will you come? There is no other Sabbath represented by God and Christ but the ‘‘seventh day.’’ If you would reach the consciences of men, you must teach the ‘‘commandments’’ of God and the faith and teachings of Christ.
There are many religions, but only one Christianity. You talk about a Christian sabbath, an American sabbath, etc., as if we were a world by ourselves, and were ruled by men-made gods. Our Christianity has been run away with by a renegade church, and, in fact, the church needs to be converted anew to Christ. Christ said to Peter after he had denied his Lord, ‘‘When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.’’ This is what our national teachers need before we shall have a pentecostal season.