“REMEMBER the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
We now take another step in the study of the law of God. We have found that obedience to the first commandment was very necessary to prepare us for the next, etc. The first commandment demands of us entire consecration to God, perfect obedience rendered in love. The second is a warning against taking the first step away from God after having accepted Him as our God, and is also an admonition with reference to the proper care of our bodies that we may be strong physically, mentally, and morally, and so be able to render unto Him acceptable service. The third commandment shows us that the name of God represents His character, which we, as His servants, are day by day to make manifest to the world. Having reached this point in our experience we are ready to consider the fourth commandment.
“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy.” Rom. 7:12. Is God holy?—“Ye shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.” Lev. 19:2. Now what have we before us?—A holy God has given a holy law, in which we find a holy commandment that tells us to keep a holy day holy. This day was made holy at the close of the first week of time by the Lord resting upon it from the work of creation, and then blessing and sanctifying it, thus placing His own holy presence in the day. Can an unholy man or woman keep this holy day, given by a holy God, and embodied in a holy law?—No; it is impossible for a person who is unconverted to keep the holy Sabbath day.
Jesus, our Saviour, gave to man the Sabbath, He being the one through whom God made the worlds, as shown by the following scriptures: Heb. 1:1–3; Col. 1:14–16; Eph. 3:9; John 1:1–10. Christ is a sanctified Saviour. He says, “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” John 17:19. “For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one.” Heb. 2:11. “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” Gen. 2:3.
We have, then, a sanctified Saviour giving to us a sanctified rest day. Can any one who is not sanctified unto God keep such a sanctified rest day?—No; he who would keep a sanctified day must himself be sanctified to the God who gave the rest day and by the same power that sanctified the day.
Are God’s people, then, to be a sanctified people?—“And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” I Cor. 6:11. Thus we see that by the cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus we are washed from all guilt and sin, and by the Spirit we are sanctified to God.
The apostle Paul, in giving his experience at the time of his conversion, speaks of the work which he was called upon to do for the Gentiles as follows: “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the5power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 26:18. Paul thus gives the words which Jesus spoke to him when He appeared to him on the way from Jerusalem to Damascus. Let us note a few points. Their eyes must be opened. This is the first thing that must be done for the sinner, for sin has made him blind. When his eyes are opened, he can see the light of the Gospel. This reveals to him Jesus, through whom he receives forgiveness of sins, and the power of Satan is broken. Then he understands that he is a child of God, and has an inheritance with those who are sanctified by the same kind of faith that was seen in Christ when He was in this world. All this must be accomplished by grace, for the one who would enter upon the keeping of the Sabbath in the spirit in which God designs it shall be kept.
This sanctification is a work of perfection wrought by the Lord Himself upon those who yield wholly to Him. “For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” Heb. 10:14. Sanctification is the imparted righteousness which we receive from Christ day by day, which enables us always to resist temptation, and lead a life of continual purity and holiness.
The Sabbath is a sign of this sanctification. “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” Eze. 31:13. Thus we see that the Sabbath is an outward sign of an inward work of grace; but to whom is it a sign?—Not to those about us in the world, but unto God. As “a sign,” God says, “between Me and you.” He does not say a sign to your neighbors that they may know that your view of the Scriptures is different from theirs. The Lord had no such thing in mind when He gave the Sabbath to man; for He gave this sign before man had sinned; and had sin never entered our world, the Sabbath would have stood as a sign of loyalty between God and His people. Every week they would have given evidence to God that they were mindful of Him as their Creator, by resting in Him, and communing with Him in a special way upon the day He had appointed for that purpose; and thus even now will all His dear children do, who are sanctified through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Sabbath, then, is a spiritual rest, a resting in the power of God, a placing of one’s self from week to week in the hands of God, to be used by Him as a willing, obedient child would gladly, in the spirit of love, obey its parents.
But the Sabbath is not only a sign to God that we are His children, but it is a sign to us that God is our God. “And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.” Eze. 20:20. The Lord thus pledges Himself to be a God unto all who will keep His holy Sabbath as He designed it should be kept; not to those who lay aside their manual labor on the seventh day of the week, and think and talk of worldly things; for this is not Sabbath-keeping at all. But those who with all their heart seek after God and hold sacred communion with Him, to such the Lord says, “I will be your God.” Happy is the man whose God is the Lord of heaven. When one has fully yielded himself to God, and has learned to keep the first three commandments so that in every act of life he is striving correctly to represent the true character of God, then he is ready to appreciate and delight in the holy rest day, which is, ever has been, and ever will be a sign between God and His people.
It has not been the writer’s design in this article to enter into a discussion of which day of the week is the Sabbath. The fourth commandment, which we have been considering, tells us that; and we feel sure that to the true child of God a plain statement from God Himself will be sufficient.
May the Lord help His children to walk in the way of His precepts. J. W. WATT.
LABOR UNIONISM.
By W. N. G.
A contributor to a San Francisco religious journal complains that the church publications are nearly all “non-union,” and endeavors to show that in thus discouraging organized labor they go against the example of Christ, whose “ranks, when the church was first formed, were recruited, not from employers, but employees.”
The deception of this specious plea is the pretense that the unions comprise all the laboring classes, and that every one who does not uphold the “confederacy” idea (condemned in the Scriptures, Isa. 8:9–13) is against those classes. As a matter of fact, the trades unions comprise a small proportion of the rank and file of our race. The masses of laboring people have no more persistent enemy than the unions, who would fain keep every employee out of employment who does not see fit to join a union, if there be a union of employees in his line of work. So bitter is their animosity toward the greater number of laboring men who do not join them, that they would even destroy the business of all who in any way sympathize with or endeavor to assist the poor man who does not belong to a union. And then to plead the example of Christ in such a principle of “confederacy” against the employment of poor men who can not conscientiously join such confederacies, or who could not join if they so desired, is a gross misrepresentation of the cosmopolitan life of the Saviour.
The incongruity of an industrial institution being controlled by its employees is one of the leading principles of unionism, and this control never for an instant considers what the institution can afford to do. There may be a dull season for months, or even a year, when proprietors lose money in their business; there often come times when they take work at prices barely covering expense in order to keep their hands employed; but union employees rarely or never dream of sharing any of the sacrifice by a reduction of wages, even temporarily. The stereotyped reply to proprietors under such circumstances is, “If you can not make money, you had better go out of business.”
It is complained, and justly, that capital oppresses labor by taking advantage of its necessities. The unions, while making this complaint, aim to justify themselves in working on exactly the same principle. Of course this is the way of the world, and we do not expect anything but selfishness and retaliation in the world. Capital and labor are on a par in this respect, so far as the principle is concerned, the former having the advantage generally in powers of endurance in a direct contest. But to expect Christianity to enter a race on the principle of retaliation is to mistake its character.
The unions, practically, do not wage their battle against capital so much as against the larger class of laboring men and women who do not or can not join them. They say to these poorer classes, “If you do not join us, you shall not work at all; and we will mob you if you attempt to work for any one who endeavors to throw off the yoke of our control; and if any one who refuses to be controlled by us gives you employment, and you would prefer to work for less than our schedule rather than to beg, we will use our utmost effort to destroy the business that gives you a living.”
When union men come to pleading the example of Christ, they should remember that He never taught a doctrine of coercion. He always taught the equality of all men; no individual, or corporation, or union, can find any precedent in the life or words of Christ for oppression of any class, rich or poor. No act or word of Jesus ever tended to deny the right of any employer to employ whomsoever he would, or the right of any man or woman to work for any one, on any stipulated terms. The theory that the non-union worker has not a right to earn a living, and that any legitimate institution has not a right to employ non-union help at any price which the business can afford to pay, is not a Christian theory; and no one can justly cite anything in the life of Christ in support of such a theory. The effort of the unions to traduce, boycott, hinder, or destroy any business because the union can not control it, is simply so much effort to starve all employers and employees whom they can not coerce. To expect any man or institution to place his or its business absolutely in the hands of other parties who have no interests but their own to subserve, is just as tyrannical as any scheme the most unscrupulous corporation ever conceived for the oppression of employees. The manifest purpose of each union is to confine the business with which it is connected to limits which it can control—in common parlance, to “corner” the labor in that line. This is just the principle on which the great “trusts” are conducted. The trade union and the trust are twins in principle. Both are alike oppressive of the laboring poor, but Christianity has naught in common with any oppression.
W. N. G.
CHRISTUS CONSOLATOR.
Thy light, O Christ, in heavenly radiance throw!
For in Thy hand, the lamp of hope, we know,
Will guide Thy children, whereso’er they go.
Thy strength, O Christ, is needful for the fight
With sin and evil, working day and night;
For in that strength we courage gain and might!
Thy patience, Christ, vouchsafe us, we beseech;
To learn this blessedness Thy love would teach,
However far it now seems from our reach.
Thy shield, O Christ, within that pierced hand,
Will guard the weary journeying to that land
Where we and our beloved hope to stand!
True love, O Christ, wide-spreading love divine,
Is ours, would we but learn to lean on Thine,
So heavenly love shall on the earthly shine!
Thy cross, O Christ, would teach us to be lowly,
Thou crowned with thorns—we ask no path of glory,
But ask, if thorns must wound us, keep us holy!
Thy life, O Christ, all other life excelling,
Is ours to live, if only we are willing
To live or die, Thy perfect will fulfilling!
Thy peace, O Christ, surpassing fair and blest,
To us Thy children give, who love Thee best,
Peace with Thine angels, in unbroken rest!
—Herald of the Golden Age.
A Missionary’s Isolation in China
SOME idea of a missionary’s isolation may be gained from the fact, stated in the Missionary Herald, that Dr. Atwood, in Shansi, China, had not seen a European face for fifteen years, excepting those of his fellow-missionaries.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
Evangelists.
ANOTHER important gift of the Spirit which God has set in His church is the evangelical. “He gave some to be . . . evangelists.” Eph. 4:11, R.V. The word is from the Greek, transferred, not translated. It comes from evangelion, or evangel, good tidings, the Gospel. An evangelist is one who proclaims the Gospel of God, the messenger sent with good tidings.
In other words, the evangelist is a traveling preacher, a pioneer in the work of preaching. In a sense, this should be true of every believer; he should by word, act, and deed proclaim the glad tidings of the Gospel, the salvation there is in Jesus Christ from sin and bondage. But the term “evangelist” applies to one specially called and fitted of God to preach from place to place the Gospel of God.
So Philip, one of the original seven deacons, became an evangelist. Acts 6:5; 8:5, 26; 21:8. Timothy was exhorted by the apostle to “do the work of an evangelist.” 2 Tim. 4:5. In Isa. 52:7 we read, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings [evangelizomenos], that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”
This is the work of an evangelist. He is to proclaim not himself, not his particular methods, not the work that he has done, not politics, but the glad tidings of salvation in Jesus Christ. Jesus said to the twelve, who were all evangelists, “Preach the Gospel to every creature.” Paul, referring to Christ, declares, “Whom we preach.” Instructing Timothy, and all Christian evangelists through him, he exhorts, “Preach the Word.” 2 Tim. 4:2. Preaching the Gospel, preaching Christ, preaching the Word, are one and the same thing; and this is the work of an evangelist. If this work be done in the meekness and simplicity of Christ, God will make the message mighty in winning souls.
But let not the evangelist take glory to himself. Let not the people glorify the evangelist. “Let a man so account of us,” writes the apostle to the Gentiles, “as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” 1 Cor. 4:1, 2. And then the apostle proceeds to say that, if this be the case, it matters little what man may say or judge. These things he writes, he declares, “that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?”
All good gifts are from God. Give to God all the glory. Esteem His servants for “their works’ sake,” which God does through them; but for the power look beyond the man to God.
Moses received his glory from communion with Christ. Christ’s presence was to him “grace and truth.” Israel said to Moses, “Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” They looked to Moses alone, and received from him the law which condemned; and they died. The truly converted man must look beyond the evangelist to God, even as did the Thessalonians. Said Paul: “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” 1 Thess. 2:13.
Praise God for evangelists; but honor them only for the Lord’s sake, whose messengers they are.
“MIGHTY THROUGH GOD.”
By T.
“For tho we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds); casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:3-5.
“The weapons of our warfare are not carnal;” they are not clubs, nor swords, nor guns. But, nevertheless, they are “mighty through God.” For they enable us to “pull down strongholds,” to cast down “imaginations,” and to bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
Carnal weapons are used in carnal warfare, for the reason that the foe to be subdued is without. It is some one else outside of ourselves who is to be conquered. But in the spiritual contest the war is against sin within us. It is to subdue the carnal mind, that is full of every evil imagination, and bring “every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
When the carnal mind is driven out by these weapons that are “mighty through God,” then along with that evil mind goes every “stronghold” of sin. It is in the soil of the carnal mind alone that sin can germinate and grow. It is only in the carnal mind that “imaginations” and “high things” that exalt themselves “against the knowledge of God” may be found.
When the mind is carnal, evil thoughts will run riot, in spite of every effort to drive them away. It seems impossible to keep the thoughts upon pure and elevating themes. When we would concentrate the mind upon any subject, the will is powerless to so completely hold it there that evil thoughts will not glide in and carry us away to that which should cause a blush of shame. The carnal mind has us thus bound in fetters of iron.
But, no matter how full of carnality the mind and heart may be, if we will only invite Him to do it, our Father in heaven will destroy this force of evil. The weapons will be placed in your hands that are “mighty through God,”—mighty even “to the pulling down of strongholds.” Yes, the work will indeed result in “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” How good it is to have “every thought” brought “into captivity” to Christ, not a part of the thoughts, but “every thought”!
When we turn against the suggestions and desires of the carnal mind and accept the weapons that are “mighty through God,” of course there will be a revolution, and a revolution is never pleasant. The carnal nature will seek to hold on to us. It will resist every effort of the mighty Spirit of God in our behalf. And then if we lose our courage entirely we backslide; but if we keep just a little courage, we continue the fight in a sort of half-hearted way, and thus extend the revolutions over days, months, and sometimes for years; while if we fully accept these mighty weapons of God, buckle them on with the strong girdle of faith, and enter the struggle in the might and courage of the Lord, then may the contest be short and decisive.
“The sword of the Spirit . . . is the Word of God.” Eph. 6:17. The Word of God, then, with all its sure promises, its admonitions, its warnings, and instruction, is the great weapon that is “mighty through God.” God’s Word is life; it is power; it is might. Only exercise your faith in it and you will know for yourself that this is so. God’s Word is also pure, it is elevating, and when our Father sends it into our minds by our invitation, it shows its might by supplanting our impurity and degradation with the holiness and joys of the angels of heaven. It brings “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
In the wilderness Satan tempted Christ upon the point of appetite. The Saviour had been without food forty days when the tempter met Him. He was weak through hunger. But in this weakness the “mighty” weapon—the Word of God—sustained Him. He simply quoted a text of Scripture, but that Word was itself the all-powerful Word of the Father in heaven. Both Satan and his temptation had to bow in defeat before its authority.
On the pinnacle of the temple Satan again tempts the Master, but this time upon the point of presumption; but the great foe is just as promptly met again by the Word of God. The Saviour quoted another scripture to him, and upon the power of that Word of God He rests and again conquers.
On the mountain-top Satan presents another temptation, and our Redeemer comes forward still with the ever-ready Word of God. It is His great weapon of defense and power. And it should be observed that when the Saviour was met in this third temptation, He gave the command, “Get thee hence, Satan.” The tempter had come to Him with his very strongest temptations. He had done all that his Satanic cunning could devise to get the Master to yield; but all to no purpose, for He was secure, since He was battling with the great weapon that is “mighty through God.”
Jesus met Satan, withstood his temptations by the power of God’s Word, and then in the language of a conqueror to a vanquished foe He said, “Get thee hence, Satan.” That was a wonderful victory, and it was gained for you and me. The Master met the tempter; He had the conflict; He won the battle; and when it was won, He bade the foe depart. He did not allow him to linger around, but by the power of the Word he was driven completely away.7
The Saviour would have nothing to do with the wooings of evil. He stood upon God’s Word firmly and promptly dismissed anything that was out of harmony with the “Scriptures of truth.” So Satan could get no hold upon Him with his temptations. And if we surrender ourselves to the Father in heaven the same as Jesus did, we then have ourselves clothed with the weapons that are “mighty through God.” We will then know by personal experience that the Word is literally true which says, “Sin shall not have dominion over you.” Depend not on weapons of carnal warfare, but trust alone in the arm of the living God. The power of sin is great, but the might of God is greater, and He will break every evil habit and entirely free you from iniquity if you will only let Him. T.
SIN-SICKNESS AND ITS REMEDY.
By W. N. G.
The human race is afflicted with an epidemic of sin. The extent of this epidemic is expressed by the apostle Paul in Rom. 3:23: “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” The same apostle tells us of the fatal nature of the disease: “The wages of sin is death” (1 John 3:4); and James (chap. 1:15) testifies that “sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
It is also true that there is a quite general physical sickness throughout the world, on account of sin. But men realize this fact, and all seem anxious to find health and prolong their lives. They do not all realize that the general debility is occasioned by sin, but they do know that few, if any, are absolutely sound physically. They know that all are subject to ailments more or less serious, and that all wear out and go down to death in a comparatively short time at most.
Now as to physical debility, how do people regard their condition? Is there not a general anxiety as to the remedy? We find men and women seeking here and there for physicians to diagnose their cases, and for remedies to heal them. They spend their time and means in consulting noted specialists, in visiting “mineral springs,” and trying this or that “all-healing” nostrum, or experimenting with the various climates of earth. From these sources partial or imaginary relief is sometimes procured, but eventually death comes, after all. The Scriptures tell us of a woman who was seriously afflicted for twelve years, and “suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.” Mark 5:25, 26. It is easy for almost any one to call to mind like instances. It is quite common for patients to be told by the most noted practitioners, and at the most popular institutions, that nothing more can be done for them.
But the sin-sick soul need suffer no such discouragement. Altho his malady is hereditary, and his case beyond self-help or human aid of any kind, there is hope. It should be a source of comfort to all men to know that there is an all-wise and sympathizing Physician who knows all about us. “He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.” Ps. 103:14. Altho we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” He created us Himself. Altho we are infected with sin and its consequences “from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot,” He has a never-failing remedy for every one who will come to Him. “He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him.” Heb. 7:25.
This is no quack advertisement; the great Physician has demonstrated his ability by a life of practise among men. He exemplified his ability to take away sin by taking away the consequences, even giving new life to one who had been dead until putrefaction had set in. See John 11:37–44. He is able not only to heal the sin-stricken soul, but to preserve it from further affliction. During His life in the midst of sinful surroundings, even bearing the sins of the world, and being “in all points tempted like as we are,” He came out unscathed. He was immune from sin in this life. “And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin.” 1 John 3:5. Therefore whatever He essays to do He is able to do.
The remedy for this universal contagion is stated in John 3:16: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This scripture tells the whole Gospel story. “God so loved the world.” He knew the fallen condition of the race, yet He loved, and pitied, and gave an infallible remedy. This remedy was His Son, by whom all things were created. He too loved the world, and became a willing remedy, altho to become such would cost a life of humiliation and a most dishonorable and cruel death. Peter tells us that we are redeemed, which means being healed of our sin malady, “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:19. The remedy for this otherwise fatal disease is the blood of One who is and always has been immune from sin. And a baptism of His Spirit is the preventative of further affliction. Christ is not merely a remedy, He is the only healing Power. “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.
Who May Be Benefited?
Whosoever believeth in Him may be healed, and only such can find relief. It is of no use to apply to any other physician, or to seek any other treatment; for “he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” It is this condition from which the believer is delivered when his sin is taken away.
Now why do not men seek more earnestly for the only remedy from a universal malady?—(1) They do not believe in Him who gave His life that they might be saved; and (2) the conditions are too humiliating. “The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Rom. 8:7. Therefore there comes the humiliation of confessing sin; for “sin is the transgression of the law.” It is a very bitter dose for the carnal mind to plead guilty of transgressing the law, and to sue for pardon. But it is essential to a cure of sin-sickness. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Prov. 28:13. While the sinner naturally looks upon this requirement of the great Physician as a real hardship, the promise of mercy on any conditions ought to be deemed an immeasurable blessing. Surely it is a blessed assurance, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36); and, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
W. N. G.
Question Corner
“Enquire and make search and ask diligently.”
NOTE.— We wish those who ask questions to take particular notice: (1) Only such questions will be answered here as we believe to be of general interest and information. (2) We can not undertake to explain from four to a dozen scriptures, as in one sentence we are often requested to do. (3) Do not ask to “explain” a certain text or passage. State clearly the point in question. (4) Give full name and address, not for publication unless desired, but as evidence of good faith, and to give us the privilege of replying by letter if deemed best. (5) Unsigned communications of any kind find the quickest way to the waste-basket. (6) It is always well to inclose stamp. (7) “Foolish and unlearned questions avoid,” also those that minister to mere curiosity. (8) Study the Scriptures yourselves.
891. The Lord’s Supper.
Why not have the Lord’s Supper every Sabbath? H. E. L.
We know no reason if a church thinks best. “As often as ye eat,” etc., the Word reads. Of course the frequency and time of the ordinances must be settled by the church or congregation where these ordinances are held.
892. The Week.
IS IT a fact, as I have read, that nearly all nations possessed the weekly division of time? W.
Most of them; and any reliable cyclopedia on the subject will so inform you. For example, under “Week,” Smith’s Bible Dictionary says: “Its [the week’s] antiquity is so great, its observance so widespread, and it occupies so important a place in sacred things, that it has been very generally thrown back as far as the creation of man.” The article then goes on to name, among the nations and races which have the week, “all the Shemitic races,” Egyptians, Hindus, “It has been found in China, either universally or among the Buddhists; the Peruvians had it, or a division all but identical with it,” the Romans and Greeks adopting it later, perhaps, than these other nations. See “The Lord’s Day, the Test of the Ages” (pp. 18–21), for other testimony.
“A WORD FITLY SPOKEN.”
By T.
To speak proper things at proper times and in a proper manner should be one of our highest aims. We may carelessly speak a word, thinking nothing of it ourselves, but years afterwards may be delighted to find that that word has been a constant influence for good in a fellow-mortal’s mind; or in sadness we may learn that our words have assisted in wrecking a life. Then we should see to it that our words are what they should be. The wise man says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in baskets of silver.” Prov. 25:11, Revised Version. Are our words always “fitly spoken”? Do they always make that pleasant and refining impression that would be given by viewing the beautiful “apples of gold in baskets of silver”? What artistic elegance, what uplifting purity, what elevating culture of the soul is conveyed to the mind by this simple passage from the Word of God!
The mind is a storehouse of words and ideas. And it should be most closely guarded, so that none but the pure and the true may find lodgment there. We see persons covered with filth. They are untidy and loathsome to look upon. But more loathsome still is the filthy, impure mind. “Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; these are the things which defile a man.” T.
“THE RIGHT TO DO RIGHT.”
By W. N. G.
PROFESSOR HERRON, of Iowa College, in a recent lecture, is reported to have complained of “a common tragedy of soul which the denial of the right to do right is begetting among men of economic power.” The professor is an outspoken advocate of Church-and-State union. In a lecture delivered in several cities in different States a few years ago, he said:—
“Not only must the State become Christian, but the Church must become political. The religious faith of the people must seek through the State to realize upon earth the kingdom of heaven.”
Now, there is no principle in this world that has done so much in the way of attempting to deprive men of the right to do right as the principle of Church and State union, whether that union be with the State as the dominant factor or with the Church directing the State. Under no other condition have men been so extensively or so cruelly punished for doing right. In this connection, we give a quotation from the more recent address to which allusion is first herein made:—
“The highest right of every man is the right to do right; the right to obey an enlightened conscience; the right to earn his living in such a way as to help the living of every other man; the right to live a guiltless life. The right to do right includes every other right under the heavens; it has been God’s hidden secret at the heart of every movement for liberty since the world began. The right to do right is the substance of the economic problem; it is a problem of things only in the sense that conscience demands the right to organize things as the support of spiritual freedom.”
There is no power on earth that can take away a man’s right to do right, or compel him to do wrong. If he allows himself to be coerced into wrong doing, it is because he chooses to do wrong rather than to suffer for doing right. The true follower of Christ will always “obey an enlightened conscience,” at whatever cost. Thus did Christ Himself, and “he that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” 1 John 2:6.
The State had nothing whatever to do with Christ’s doing right. It has nothing to do with any man’s doing right. Man may and can do right without regard to the State, just as Christ did. He never asked any favor of the State. Natural rights are God-given; the State can neither give nor take away. It is the province of the State to protect men in their rights—not the majority merely, but every individual, no matter if he stand alone in politics and religion. The “right to do right” is not “the substance of the [true] economic problem;” but the doing of the right, regardless of consequences, is that substance. The union of Church and State is an adulterous union, and can bring forth nothing but evil. It never has given or protected rights, and never can do so. W. N. G.
