Earlier text: A PrayerCircumscribing the Gospel
A CORRESPONDENT recently wrote to the editor of a religious paper stating that he wished to find a church that did not deal much in the future, that was not a life insurance company, that confines itself to the betterment of this life, to the spirit of the golden rule and the good Samaritan. The editor, in an approving reply, stated that there were many churches to-day which had “much less to say about eternal death than does the Bible.” A club or association for intellectual entertainment is about all that is desired by such individuals and such churches; and such a “church” would certainly not deal much in the future. It would not “give heed” to the teachings of Christ, to the prophetic utterances of Inspiration. It would not help to free men from sin nor teach them how to “lay hold on eternal life.” Confucius and Buddha would be to such a “church” as good as Christ; for many of their utterances pertain to “the betterment of this life,” and contain precepts similar to the golden rule. The fact that there are admittedly many clergymen in the world to-day who are teaching pleasing things rather than the “eternal verities,” and many churches that are pleased to have it so, indicates that we are in that time foretold by Paul in 2 Tim. 4: 3, 4: “The time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.” To teach the world the needlessness of the entire gospel of Christ is one of Satan’s most subtle moves against the salvation of men. A CASHIER of a Pittsburg (Pa.) bank embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars, but confidently expressed his belief that he would not be sent to prison for his crime because of his intimate association with influential politicians and the knowledge of their shady moves. Commenting editorially upon such a situation, the Washington Post says:— It is a shameful thing that this should be true, but it probably is true. Though the rascally cashier has squandered the money of poor stockholders upon an indecent life, confessing brazenly thereto, he will go free from punishment because some of the honored names in the list of the State’s lawgivers would be dragged down along with his. He will go free because he has “influence” behind him. A beggar might get ten years in prison for stealing a pair of boots; but he would not have “influence.” This is one of the indictments brought by the world against our institutions; that our powerful criminals are saved from the penalties imposed by the law by their money and their “politics.” One of the blackest marks against us is the fact that this indictment is a true one. Such a recognition of the prevailing miscarriage of justice is not often found, but the facts warrant the admission made. The time has come when “justice has fallen in the street;” but He who will judge in righteousness “standeth at the door.” The Question of Amusements
By Editor
In the address of the bishops presented to the Methodist General Conference now in session at Baltimore, Md., there is a deliverance upon the subject of amusements which is worthy of the serious consideration of all who desire to maintain a vigorous Christian experience. We quote the following paragraphs:— ‘Improper amusements and excessive indulgences in innocent amusements are serious barriers to the beginning of the religious life, and fruitful causes of spiritual decline. Some amusements in common use are also positively demoralizing, and furnish the first easy steps to the total loss of character. We, therefore, look with deep concern on the great increase of amusements and on the general prevalence of harmful amusements, and lift up a solemn note of warning and entreaty particularly against theater-going, dancing, and such games of chance as are frequently associated with gambling; all of which have been found to be antagonistic to vital piety, promotive of worldliness, and especially pernicious to youth. We affectionately admonish all of our people to make their amusements the subject of careful thought and frequent prayer, to study the subject of amusements in the light of their tendencies, and to be scrupulously careful in this matter to set no injurious example. We adjure them to remember that the question for a Christian must often be not whether a certain course of action is positively immoral, but whether it will dull the spiritual life and be an unwise example. We enjoin on all our bishops, presiding elders, and pastors to call attention to this subject with solemn urgency in our annual and quarterly conferences and in all our pulpits; and on our editors, Sunday-school officers, Epworth League officers, and class leaders to aid in abating the evils we deplore. We deem it our bounden duty to summon the whole church to apply a thoughtful and instructed conscience to the choice of amusements, and not to leave them to accident, or taste, or passion; and we affectionately advise and beseech every member of the church absolutely to avoid “the taking such diversions as can not be used in the name of the Lord Jesus.” We pass along this note of warning and word of exhortation upon a most important subject, especially commending the matter to the prayerful attention of the young people of this denomination. MRS. E. G. WHITE
By Ellen G. White
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” The work of salvation is a work of co-partnership, a joint operation. No man can work out his own salvation without the aid of the Holy Spirit. The co-operation of divine and human forces is necessary for the formation of right principles in the character. Man is to make the most strenuous efforts to overcome the tempter, to subdue natural passions; but he is wholly dependent upon God for success in the work of overcoming the propensities that are not in harmony with correct principles. Success depends wholly upon willing obedience to the will and way of God. Character develops in accordance with conformity to the divine plan. But man must work in Christ’s lines. He must be a laborer together with God. He must submit to God’s training, that he may be complete in Christ. God has originated and proclaimed the principles on which divine and human agencies are to combine in temporal matters as well as all spiritual achievements. They are to be linked together in all human pursuits, in mechanical and agricultural labor, in mercantile and scientific enterprises. In all lines of work it is necessary that there be co-operation between God and man. God has provided facilities with which to enrich and beautify the earth. But the strength and ingenuity of human agencies are required to make the very best use of the material. God had filled the earth with treasure, but the gold and silver are hidden in the earth, and the exercise of man’s powers is required to secure this treasure which God has provided. Man’s energy and tact are to be used in connection with the power of God in bringing the gold and silver from the mines, and trees from the forest. But unless by his miracle-working power God co-operated with man, enabling him to use his physical and mental capabilities, the treasures in our world would be useless. We can not keep ourselves for one moment. “We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” We are utterly dependent upon God every moment of our lives. God desires every human being in our world to be a worker together with him. This is the lesson we are to learn from all useful employment, making homes in the forest, felling trees to build houses, clearing land for cultivation. God has provided the wood and the land, and to man he has given the work of putting them in such shape that they will be a blessing. In this work man is wholly dependent upon God. The fitting of the ships that cross the broad ocean is not alone due to the talent and ingenuity of the human agent. God is the great Architect. Without his co-operation, without the aid of the higher intelligences, how worthless would be the plans of men. God must aid, else every device is worthless. The human organism is the handiwork of God. The organs employed in all the different functions of the body were made by him. The Lord gives us food and drink, that the wants of the body may be supplied. He has given the earth different properties adapted to the growth of food for his children. He gives the sunshine and the showers, the early and the latter rain. He forms the clouds and sends the dew. All are his gifts. He has bestowed his blessings upon us liberally. But all these blessings will not restore in us his moral image, unless we co-operate with him, making painstaking effort to know ourselves, to understand how to care for the delicate human machinery. Man must diligently help to keep himself in harmony with nature’s laws. He who co-operates with God in the work of keeping this wonderful machinery in order, who consecrates all his powers to God, seeking intelligently to obey the laws of nature, stands in his God-given manhood, and is recorded in the books of heaven as a man. God has given man land to be cultivated. But in order that the harvest may be reaped, there must be harmonious action between divine and human agencies. The plow and other implements of labor must be used at the right time. The seed must be sown in its season. Man is not to fail of doing his part. If he is careless and negligent, his unfaithfulness testifies against him. The harvest is proportionate to the energy he has expended. So it is in spiritual things. We are to be laborers together with God. Man is to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in him, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. There is to be co-partnership, a divine relation, between the Son of God and the repentant sinner. We are made sons and daughters of God. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” Christ provides the mercy and grace so abundantly given to all who believe in him. He fulfils the terms upon which salvation rests. But we must act our part by accepting the blessing in faith. God works and man works. Resistance of temptation must come from man, who must draw his power from God. Thus he becomes a co-partner with Christ. The infinitely wise and all-powerful God proposes co-operation with his frail, erring creatures, whom he has placed on vantage-ground. On the one side there are infinite wisdom, goodness, compassion, power; on the other, weakness, sinfulness, absolute helplessness, poverty, dependence. We are dependent upon God, not only for life and all its blessings, but for our entrusted talents, and for all the resources required in the work we must do if we accept the invitation to work with God. Man’s intellect, his understanding, his every valuable thought, the opportunities and privileges that are placed within his reach, all come from him who is the way, the truth, and the life. We have nothing of ourselves. Our success in the Christian life depends upon our co-operation with Christ, and our submission to his will. It is not a sign of pure, consecrated service for a worker to follow his own way. Every worker is to willingly obey his Leader, to receive and practise every word of God. We are to be individual toilers. Character can not be bought or sold. It is formed by patient, continuous effort. Much patience is required in the striving for that life which is to come. We may all strive for perfection of character, but all who come into possession of it will earn it step by step, by the cultivation of the virtues which God commends. The Holy Spirit presents before man the agencies provided for his transformation. If he heeds the words, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me,” he will receive help from a power that is infinite. Man is given the privilege of working with God in the saving of his own soul. He is to receive Christ as his personal Saviour and believe in him. Receiving and believing is his part of the contract. This means abiding in Christ, showing in him at all times and under all circumstances a faith that works by love and purifies the soul from all defilement. Christ is the author of this faith, and he demands that it be constantly exercised.9 The apostle Paul declares, “Ye are God’s husbandry; ye are God’s building.” The material for the building is plainly specified in the words: “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here we are shown how we may co-operate with God. Man is to work constantly upon the plan of addition, while God works on the plan of multiplication. Thus man grows in spirituality, until he presents to the world, to angels, and to men, such perfection of character that in the heavenly courts the words are spoken, “Ye are complete in him.” The plan of redemption was arranged in the councils between the Father and the Son. Then Christ pledged himself to render an account for man if he proved disloyal. He pledged himself to make an atonement which would unite every believing soul to God. He who lays his sins upon the substitute and surety, thus becoming a partaker of the divine nature, can unite with the apostle in saying: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.” “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” In his infinite love Christ devised the plan of salvation. This plan he stands ready to fulfil in behalf of all who will co-operate with him. In their behalf he says to the Father, Do not impute their sins to them, but lay them on me. Be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities remember no more. They have accepted my merits, and made peace with me; and they shall make peace with me. My righteousness is theirs, and for my sake bless them with all spiritual blessings. He held the lamp of truth that day
So low that none could miss the way;
And yet so high, to bring in sight
That picture fair,—the world's great
Light,—
That, gazing up (the lamp between),
The hand that held it scarce was seen. He held the pitcher, stooping low,
To lips of little ones below;
Then raised it to the weary saint,
And bade him drink, when sick and
faint!
They drank,—the pitcher thus between,
The hand that held it scarce was seen. He blew the trumpet soft and clear,
That trembling sinners need not fear;
And then, with leader note, and bold,
To raze the walls of Satan's hold!—
The trumpet coming thus between,—
The hand that held it scarce was seen. But when the Captain says, “Well done,
Thou good and faithful servant! Come,
Lay down the pitcher and the lamp,
Lay down the trumpet, leave the camp,”
The weary hand will then be seen,
Clasped in those pierced ones—naught
between.
— Selected. Joining With the World
By Max Hill
And he brought forth his people with joy,
And his chosen with singing, . . .
That they might keep his statutes,
And observe his laws. Ps. 105: 43, 45. Through all the ages before the children of Israel went into Egypt, there to be made the slaves of their former hosts, God’s people knew the commandments of God, and a few of them observed his precepts. But the world knew him not, and had no regard for his law. In their Egyptian bondage the children of Israel had no choice; they were compelled to perform the tasks imposed upon them. But there came a time when deliverance was promised. All who would might go with Moses to a land of freedom, where they might be their own masters, serving a God of love, whose presence meant prosperity. A mighty host went out of Egypt, rich and strong and great. Over them God “spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night.” Their enemies were subdued before them, and at length the pleasant valleys of Canaan were given them. But some there were who refused to leave Egypt, many murmured on the way and perished, many rebelled against their patient leader, even against God himself. Then, having settled in the goodly land, many of them mingled with the strange peoples about them, intermarried among them, learned their revolting practises, worshiped their idols. Thus in a large measure the very plan of God in leading them out of Egypt was defeated; for while they were free to “keep his statutes, and observe his laws,” they refused to do so, the direct result of mingling with the world about them. One of the most striking messages for the remnant people of God is, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate;” “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for . . . what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever?” Has not God in these words called out a people from the darkness of spiritual Egypt, “that they might keep his statutes, and observe his laws”? Then wherefore any linking up with the world? Can one handle coal and hope to be clean? Can one drink liquor and be sober? Can one mingle with the world and serve God sincerely? The world is full of societies, clubs, guilds, unions, lodges, whose objects are for anything and everything but the pure service of God. Some of them—most of them, in fact—have commendable features; some of them are “Christian.” But with that very “Christianity,” much vaunted as it is, there are the seeds of evil, the gratification of selfish aims and ambitions, the worship of some man-made idol, a seeking to the state for recognition and support. It may be that “temperance” is a wheel of the machine; but alongside of it is the wheel “Sunday sacredness.” And be assured some of the leading spirits will work for one as strongly as for the other. All members of such organizations are naturally classed together as supporters of all these lines; the fees and dues of all are used for the advancement of all departments. What, then, shall be the attitude of those who would represent the Lord in their teachings and in their lives? Shall they go with these good people as far as possible, with the hope that some good may come of it? They may show their colors in times of crisis—true; they may by voice and vote oppose error—true again; they may, by well-ordered lives, lead others to the right—and this is true. But will they do it without compromise? Will they take part in all the intemperate feastings, late hours, and excitements these societies indulge in, and then talk temperance? Will they support by time and strength and means these clubs, while their own household of faith struggles on leaderless and unsupported for want of their talent and purse? Shall they affiliate with these organizations whose objects are to convert and uplift the world, by any possible combination of church and state, influence or statute, while all about them are those who need above all things else the personal touch of a ministering hand? But there is no end. Yes, yes, there is an end,—“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Prov. 14:12. What would it not mean to the cause of God in the earth if every professed child of his were standing squarely on the solid platform of truth, never wavering! If the world expected none of God’s people to mingle with them, because they were too busy with the King’s business to come down! If every child of God stood for temperance in every act of life, justice for every man, equality before the law, and godliness above all things! Then would it be truly said, as of old: “What one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people, and to make him a name, and to do great things for you, and terrible things for thy land, before thy people, whom thou redeemest to thee out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods?” 2 Sam. 7:23. “Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah, the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” Ps. 33:12. Church and State in Early New England
By J. O. CORLISS
The dominant religious sentiment in Great Britain in the seventeenth century was fairly expressed by one Robert Baillie, a Scotch commissioner, when contemplating the growth, and increasing influence of the Puritans in Parliament. Said he: “Liberty of conscience, and toleration of all and any religion, is so prodigious an impiety that this religious Parliament can not but abhor the very meaning of it.” This spirit of intolerance finally drove many of the minority in religious thought to seek refuge from persecution. This was found in the wilderness of America. But strange as it may seem, those pilgrims, who had become such through religious intolerance, sought to establish in their new home the same sort of government that had made them desolate wanderers from their native heath. They had not yet learned that to put religious beliefs under the direction of civil government must work hardship to those in the minority. They believed that their sufferings in England had been due alone to the enforcement of an erroneous faith, and since their own views were certainly orthodox, no harm could possibly follow a legal demand for all to profess these, because such enforced uniformity would insure peace and harmony in the community.10 The strong desire of these men was to found a religious commonwealth in their adopted land, which would in every way harmonize with their idea of the requirements of God’s law. To have any other form of government was sure, they thought, to bring upon them the frown of high Heaven. So their duty seemed clear to exclude every one from their midst who did not view religious regulations as they did. The Puritan commonwealth of early Massachusetts was thoroughly ecclesiastical. This placed all civil power in the hands of the church, which was used wholly in behalf of the church, and for the exaltation of its ministers. The year 1631 saw a statute enacted that no man could be entitled to the freedom of the body politic unless he was a member of the church.—Massachusetts Records, 1, 87. More than this no one could be a voter who was not a communicant of the Congregational Church; for this body was in control of all affairs in the colony. So justice was dispensed in accordance with that church’s understanding of the Bible. It needs no great power of discernment to comprehend what must have befallen those who dared to differ from that church in religious thought, or in any other line, for that matter. The trial of the Quaker, Wenlock Christison in 1661, well illustrates the point. Both the governor (John Endicott), and his deputy were present at the trial. The prisoner was told: “Unless you will renounce your religion, you shall surely die.” Refusing to change his religion, Christison asked: “By what law will you put me to death?” The answer was, “We have a law, and by our law you are to die.” “Have you power to make laws repugnant to the laws of England?” the governor was asked. Upon answering in the negative, Christison said, “I never heard nor read of any law that was in England to hang Quakers.” The governor replied, “There was a law to hang Jesuits.” Christison returned answer, “If you put me to death, it is not because I go under the name of a Jesuit, but of a Quaker. I appeal to the laws of my own nation.” The only response to this was that the prisoner was “in their hands, had broken their law, and they would try him.”—Sewell, pages 278, 279. The passion of bigotry which could so coolly override every natural right of men, was certainly satanic. Yet the preachers of that day never wearied of exhorting the magistrates to destroy the enemies of the church. In an election sermon delivered by Mr. Shepherd of Charlestown, he said: “Men’s lusts are sweet to them, and they would not be disturbed or disquieted in their sin. Hence there be so many such as cry up toleration boundless and libertinism so as to order total and perpetual confinement of the sword of the civil magistrate unto its scabbard; a notion that is evidently destructive to this people, and to the public liberty, peace, and prosperity of any instituted churches under heaven.”—“Eye Salve,” page 21. Such sentiments constantly maintained, could result in nothing less than savage laws against dissenting sects. One Ursula Cole was sentenced to pay five pounds (a sum now equivalent to one hundred dollars or more), or be whipped for saying that “she had as lief hear a cat mew” as to hear Mr. Shepherd preach.—Frothingham, in “History of Charlestown,” page 208. No one was permitted to join any church without first acquainting the magistrates and the elders of a majority of the churches within a certain district.—Massachusetts Records, 1, 168. Further, a law was enacted in 1679, forbidding the building of a meeting-house without leave from the freemen of the town, or the general court.—Massachusetts Records, 5, 213. Death was the penalty for blasphemy, for denying God, or for reproaching the prevalent religion; that is to say, the faith of the dominant religious faction.—Massachusetts Records, 2, 98. Special punishments were reserved for Baptists, Quakers, and the like, consisting of imprisonment, branding, whipping, mutilation, banishment, and hanging. All this was the logical fruit of the following propositions: “All revelation is contained in the Bible. To interpret this understandingly, a technical training is necessary, which only the recognized clergy have had. No one, therefore, can define God’s will, but this trained ministry.” What a gross breach of law it would have been then for any one outside of the “regular” clergy to dare affirm that God could open his will to the “untrained” mind. But with the whip in their hand, the clergy of that day could easily hold themselves up as a superior race, and have no fear of their dignity being divided with another. Similar has been the history of every age wherein the church has guided civil jurisprudence. Those who promote such methods see that their own claims are met, and so are satisfied, at the expense of others’ discomfort. But why should one man, or any set of men, undertake to manufacture a legal conscience for others whom God has endowed with the same mental powers, and natural rights, as he has those who seek to be dictators?—There can be but one reason, and that is an overweening desire to be recognized as first among their fellows, as did the clergy of Massachusetts Colony. It is begging the question to say that those men were low down in the scale of being. The leading one in that régime, Increase Mather, was president of Harvard College, one of the leading seats of learning in cultured New England. Human nature doubtless is the same now as then. Given the same opportunity now as then, history surely would repeat itself. It is, therefore, better to cease from meddling with that which can bring only strife and contention. The Book of Daniel
By Editor
Nebuchadnezzar’s Expedition against Jerusalem
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god. Dan. 1: 1, 2. WITH a simple and direct statement of facts the book of Daniel is introduced to us. The time is the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim. The circumstances under which this king of Judah came to the throne are briefly recorded in these words: after the three months’ reign of his brother Jehoahaz,—“the king of Egypt deposed him [Jehoahaz] at Jerusalem, and fined the land one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold, and the king of Egypt made Eliakim his [Jehoahaz’] brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim.” It thus appears that at this time Jerusalem had fallen under the power of Egypt; and as a part of his campaign to seize upon the possessions of the king of Egypt, Nabopolassar, who had associated Nebuchadnezzar with himself on the throne of Babylon, sent him to wrest Palestine from the control of Necho, king of Egypt; and so it was that at the time designated “came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.” To the ordinary writer of history it would seem only natural that victory should attend the arms of Nebuchadnezzar. The superior force would, of course, conquer the weaker. But there is a philosophy in this history which must not be overlooked. The success of this campaign against Jerusalem was directly traceable to the wicked course of king Manasseh which had culminated threescore and ten years previous to this time in his own capture and in his being carried a prisoner to Babylon. The record is in these words: “Surely at the commandment of Jehovah came this upon Judah, to remove them out of sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did, and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood: and Jehovah would not pardon.” Daniel declares “the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand,” and the sacred historian announces the reason for Judah’s downfall thus: “And Judah was carried away captive to Babylon for their transgression.” The Date of the Captivity
As to the chronology, it is clear, when all the statements bearing upon the matter are taken into consideration, together with the different methods of reckoning the regnal periods by the Babylonians and the Hebrews, that this victory over Jehoiakim was gained by Nebuchadnezzar previous to the time when he was the sole occupant of the throne of Babylon; for we are told that the fourth11 year of Jehoiakim was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, and we further learn from Daniel’s record that the “second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar,” when he dreamed the dream recorded in the second chapter of this book, was at least three years after the conquest of Jerusalem, inasmuch as Daniel and his companions were in training three years before they were prepared to stand before the king. “According to the canon of Ptolemy, the accuracy of which has been fully established, the reign of Nebuchadnezzar dates from B. C. 604, i. e., his accession was in the year beginning the first Thoth (which fell in January) B. C. 604, and the history leaves no doubt it was early in that year.” Among the Hebrews it was the custom to compute regnal years from Nisan to Nisan, as stated in the Mishna: “On the first of Nisan is a new year for the computation of the reign of kings, and for festivals.” To this statement the editors of the English translation of the Mishna append this note: “The reign of the Jewish kings, whatever the period of accession might be, was always reckoned from the preceding Nisan; so that if for instance, a Jewish king began to reign in Adar [the twelfth month of the Jewish year], the following month (Nisan) [the first month in the Jewish year] would be considered as the commencement of the second year in his reign. This rule was observed in all legal contracts, in which the reign of kings was always mentioned.” “In B. C. 604 the first Nisan fell on or about the first of April, and according to Jewish reckoning, the king’s second year would begin on that day, no matter how recently he had ascended the throne. Therefore, ‘the fourth year of Jehoiakim that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar,’ is the year beginning Nisan B. C. 605; and the third of Jehoiakim in which Jerusalem was taken and the servitude began, was the year beginning Nisan B. C. 606.” Therefore, the time of this first expedition of Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem, which marked the beginning of the seventy years of Babylonish captivity, was B. C. 606. The Downfall of Jerusalem
As it is not necessary to the purpose of his narrative, Daniel makes no mention of the experiences which followed this first expedition of Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem. It may be well, however, in this connection to note the simple facts: Jehoiakim became the obedient vassal of Nebuchadnezzar for three years, “then he turned and rebelled against him.” The remaining eight years of Jehoiakim’s reign were filled with bloody warfare, for “Jehovah sent against him bands of the Chaldeans, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by his servants the prophets.” In the brief reign of Jehoiachin “the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged,” and the king was carried to Babylon and Zedekiah his brother was set on the throne. Although this king promised allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, yet he rebelled against him and “the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of Jehovah which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And Jehovah, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling-place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of Jehovah arose against his people, till there was no remedy.” As the direct consequence of this apostasy from God and this neglect to listen to his warning messages, Jerusalem was utterly overthrown, the house of God burned, the wall of the city was broken down, and those who escaped the slaughter in the siege were carried away to Babylon. The Failure of Formal Religion
Not only was Jehoiakim king of Judah given into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, but also “part of the vessels of the house of God.” Nebuchadnezzar carried these “into the land of Shinar to the house of his god: and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god.” Thus to all outward appearances the religion of Babylon was demonstrated to be superior to the religion of Jerusalem, and the gods of Babylon to the God of Jerusalem. It was only in appearance, however, for the truth of the matter was that the people of Jerusalem had apostatized from the true God and had perverted the true religion of Jehovah into a worthless round of forms and ceremonies. The number of ceremonies was multiplied, and the forms of religion were rigidly followed; but instead of being an expression of faith in the provision that God had made for salvation from sin through the merits of the great sacrifice, they had been changed into a means of self-salvation, and were made to minister to that pride of heart which refuses to acknowledge the utter helplessness of the creature, and his entire dependence upon the Creator. Thus in Jerusalem had been adopted the very essence of every heathen religion,—righteousness by works,—and as Jerusalem had enjoyed greater light than the surrounding nations, so the rejection of that light brought an experience of greater wickedness and deeper moral darkness than existed among the other nations; and glory and strength having thus departed while their increasing pride and self-confidence forbade more careful preparation for defense, they were easily conquered by their enemies. It is worthy of note that it was the Lord himself who gave the vessels of his house into the hand of the king of Babylon. It was his own effort to teach his people to place confidence in the spiritual rather than in the material, in the thing signified rather than in the sign, in the God of the house rather than in the house itself. The vessels which had been constructed according to his own directions, and the service which had been instituted under his explicit instructions, and the temple itself which had been erected by his own command at infinite cost both of money and effort, were all nothing, unless they served as the means of bringing his people into fellowship with himself. The vessels must be transferred into the hands of the heathen, the service must be discontinued, the temple itself must be consumed in the flames, and the people must be scattered as captives in strange lands, if necessary as the means of showing the utter futility of the mere outward forms of worship, and of restoring to his people that vital truth of the gospel, the indwelling presence of God as the heart and soul of true religion. The Power of True Religion
But not only was the lesson of salvation by faith to be taught to the people of Jerusalem, but the same gospel was to be proclaimed to the people of Babylon, and in carrying out his purposes in spite of the failure of his people to be the willing channel for the light, God so ordered the circumstances that the vital truths of the gospel should stand out with clearness, and that the apparent failure of the religion of Jerusalem should contribute to the greater triumph of the true religion. In proud Babylon, “the glory of the Chaldees’ excellency,” it would be made to appear that through the true service of the God of heaven would be revealed in the experiences of humble believers a power greater than that exercised by the king of Babylon, and a wisdom far superior to that exhibited by the wise men of Babylon. The king of Babylon might conquer the king of Jerusalem, and as trophies of his victory he might carry away some of the sacred vessels from the temple to adorn the heathen temple at Babylon, and he might carry away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon those whose professed faith in the protecting power of their God had seemed fruitless, yet the God of heaven was overruling in all these apparent untoward circumstances, working out his own plan and preparing the way for the fulfilment of his own purposes. Even then present to the divine mind was the utter and final overthrow of both typical and anti-typical Babylon and the eternal glory of the new Jerusalem, with the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, as the temple thereof. And even out of Babylon itself, that center of heathenism, which during its whole history had stood for salvation through the might of one’s own power—righteousness by works—were to be gathered through the proclamation of the true gospel—righteousness by faith—some who would dwell eternally in that new Jerusalem; and the book of Daniel will reveal the divine method for so proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom as to bring to confusion those who lift themselves up against the God of heaven. In the Morning
By Marianne Farningham
A DANGEROUS time is the morning!
There is little to fear at night;
Calm are the eyes in closing,
Tired of the urgent light;
The body is healed into sleeping,
Trouble and labor cease;
The soul is in God's safe keeping,
The heart is in perfect peace. But who can say in the morning
How fierce will the trials be?
What difficult paths may be trodden,
What griefs may encompass me?
The great, wide world is sunlighted;
But I see not an hour before
What new, strange sorrows or dangers
The future may have in store. O, speak to me in the morning,
Lord of my every day!
Thou art my great Director
As I pass to the hidden way;
If I hear thy voice in the morning,
I open the day with song;
Forth shall I go to conquer,
Thy presence shall make me strong.
— Marianne Farningham.