The last part of Dan. 11:45 reads, “Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” Our previous study showed that the Turkish power is the subject of this verse. Like all statements of prophecy, this expression is full of meaning. The fact is, the Turk would long ago have come to his end had he not been helped. It has long been the policy of the powers of Europe that the integrity of the Turkish Empire must be maintained. And there is a reason for this. It is not out of love for the Turk, for all alike despise him. To understand the reason, it will be necessary to review briefly the attitude of Russia towards Turkey.
CONSTANTINOPLE, THE KEY OF THE NATIONS.
When Peter the Great came to the throne, Russia was far behind the other nations of Europe. Peter recognized the fact, and purposed to bring up his nation nearer to date, and make of it one of the greatest, if not the greatest, nations of earth. He went to Holland and other countries to become thoroughly familiar with their ways, even working in the shipyards. He became a practical ship-builder. At St. Petersburg stands to-day a boat made with his own hands, and Peter is called the father of the Russian navy. He founded a new capital for his empire, and brought in by special encouragements a large number of artisans from Germany and other countries, to teach his people the trades and industries of Europe. He made giant strides towards the realization of his project; and when his days were about to be numbered, he sketched in his will his plan for developing the nation for the guidance of his successors to the throne. Among other matters expressed in this will, the following has an important bearing on the question under study:—
Take every possible means of gaining Constantinople and the Indies (for he who rules there will be the true sovereign of the world); excite war continually with Turkey and Persia; establish fortresses in the Black Sea; get control of the sea by degrees, and also of the Baltic, which is a double point, necessary to the realization of our project; accelerate as much as possible the decay of Persia; penetrate to the Persian Gulf; re-establish, if possible, by the way of Syria, the ancient commerce of the Levant; advance to the Indies, which are the great depot of the world. . . . Interest the House of Austria in the expulsion of the Turks from Europe, and quiet their dissensions at the moment of the conquest of Constantinople by giving to Austria a portion of the conquest, which afterwards will or can be reclaimed.
A study of Russian diplomacy since the days of Peter the Great shows that his nation has closely followed this advice. Since that time Russia has had seven wars with Turkey, and has steadily advanced towards the realization of her grand object. This great colossus of the north has been gradually and steadily coming down on Turkey with the resistless on-moving force of the glacier. Portion after portion of Turkey has been sliced off, till Russia has been under the walls of Constantinople itself, as in 1878.
Its Strategic Value.
But the great powers of Europe have seen in Constantinople precisely what Peter the Great saw. A moment’s consideration will show the importance of Constantinople as a capital. It lies at the juncture of the two greatest continents, Europe and Asia; it is connected by sea with all the world, and yet has in its immediate vicinity the lands which have supported the richest and most powerful nations of the world’s history. It has unequaled facilities for fortifications, besides an unrivaled climate. No other city combines so many important advantages. This fact was recognized by Constantine the Great, who made it his capital in preference to Rome. Any great nation holding it as its capital would have such advantage as to make it dangerous to all the rest. All the nations of Europe have realized this, and for that reason they have adopted the policy that the integrity of the Turkish Empire must be maintained.
The power of the Turk has long been broken, so that he is not a menace to the peace of Europe, tho he occupy this favorable situation; and the powers have helped him, kept him, in this position, for the sole purpose of keeping stronger nations out. Again and again the Turks would have been driven out had not the powers of Europe prevented it. In 1840 the independence of the Turkish Empire practically came to an end, and since that time its affairs have been largely controlled by the powers of Europe. The nation has continued to grow weaker and more helpless, till the wonder is how it can survive any longer; but it is explained by the fact that it is upheld by these powers, and that not out of love for the Turk, but in order to keep one another out of his favored position.
“None Shall Help Him.”
But the prophecy states plainly that the time is coming when he will not be helped, and then will come to his end. He comes to his end because none help him. It has for years been plain that if he were not helped he could no longer subsist; the moment his help is taken away, he is sure to come to his end. And when he comes to his end, all nations come to an end; hence the end of the Turk is a most momentous event in which every individual is concerned, and should be studied with more than casual interest. We therefore ask,
What Are the Present Prospects
with reference to this help being continued or withdrawn? Recent events have brought about a decided change in the attitude of the powers, and have caused an unusually acute crisis. Down to the present, the chief help of Turkey has been England. In 1878, when the Russians had penetrated to the walls of Constantinople, and the powers called the Berlin Congress, England played an important part; and in connection with this settlement she was assigned the part of protecting Asiatic Turkey and securing reforms in the government of the Armenians. As aid and recompense, she received possession of the island of Cyprus, as already observed.
Trouble with Armenia.
Since that time the relations between the Turks and Armenians have become more strained, until 1895, when open difficulty broke out, and many massacres of the Armenians took place. England at once interfered and demanded of the sultan certain reforms for the Armenians. Negotiations were carried on for more than a year; but nothing definite was effected; the massacres did not abate, but grew worse, until the feeling in England became most intense. The people became much agitated because their government did not act more vigorously. The journals were filled with articles against the Turks; the ministers preached against them, and many large mass meetings were held. The writer attended one held in Manchester, in January, 1896, which was attended by some 6,000. The large meeting was addressed by several orators, but all uttered the same sentiments, which in substance were as follows:—
As a nation we have pledged ourselves to protect the Armenians, and have received possession of the island of Cyprus as a bond of that pledge; but what have we done for them?—Only irritated the Turk and increased the massacres; thus we are before God responsible for the slaughter of the Armenians, our brethren. Why have we remained inactive?—It is because of our commercial interests, our own selfish interests as a nation. If we do not do our duty, we fear that the wrath of God will fall on our nation; our only safety is to draw the sword and strike, and not wait for the concert of Europe. If we strike, the God of justice will vindicate our cause, and we can be sure that America will stand by us; the seventy American missionaries in Turkey6are as good as seventy pledges that America will aid us if we take the Turk vigorously in hand.
The feeling expressed in this meeting was the general feeling of the people all over England. Gladstone, who so vigorously held a few years ago that the integrity of the Turkish Empire must be maintained, is now among those that call most loudly for the chastisement of the Turk. But what is the meaning of all this? To the present, as before noted, England has been the chief help of Turkey; indeed, had it not been for her, the Turk would long ago have been overthrown; and now this nation that has been the chief help has completely changed in sentiment, not only demanding that this help be withdrawn, but that they themselves be the first to draw the sword in chastisement of the Turk. This looks as tho we were standing on the eve of the accomplishment of the last great drama. H. P. H.
“TEMPTED OF SATAN.”
By Augusta W. Heald
THE story of the Gospel by Luke tells us how the hosts of heaven sang praises at our Saviour’s birth (Luke 2:10–12); but how was his advent regarded by the prince of evil, whose works the Lord came to destroy? Satan would, if possible, have slain the infant Jesus by the hand of cruel Herod, who put to the sword the innocent children of Bethlehem—blessed martyrs in the cause of Christ. Now he comes forth and boldly presents his temptations to the Messiah, God’s anointed Son. Can he lead the Redeemer to sin?—then the scheme of redemption is a failure, and man is indeed without hope. Jesus must meet in his human nature the temptations to which man is subject. His power to withstand the tempter must come through his faith in God; for he “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Heb. 4:15. He is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities,” for he, as man, knows the weakness of the flesh.
Mark says, “He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts.” Mark 1:13. After this long fast he hungered, and in the desert wild there was no food to sustain life. At this point the tempter said in effect, “It is needless for you to suffer thus; if you are indeed the Son of God, you can by one word change these stones into bread.” The Saviour stood in man’s place man can work no miracle to selfishly save himself from death by hunger or destitution, and our Lord refused to exert divine power in his own behalf. Thus he would teach us even in circumstances of extremest want and privation, to trust in our heavenly Father’s care, and not venture into sin even to supply the direst necessity. So he rebuked the tempter, saying, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word . . . of God.” Matt. 4:4.
Foiled in this attempt, Satan sought to lead the Saviour to make a reckless and daring display of power by hurling himself from a pinnacle of the temple. “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Matt. 4:6. But to this the Saviour replied, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”
Again frustrated, Satan took our Lord into an exceeding high mountain, and caused the glory of the world to pass before him as in a panorama, and said, “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them; for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.” Luke 4:6, 7. What blasphemous presumption was this, to ask the Lord of glory to bow down and worship him! But was this a temptation to our Lord? Was the statement of Satan, “All is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it,” a fabrication of the father of lies? Then it could not be a temptation to the Lord. Is it then true that Satan has power over the splendors of this world?—It is true; for we know from the account in Genesis that to Adam, as the head and representative of the human race, was given the dominion of the whole earth. Gen. 1:28. Through sin Adam and all he possessed became subject to Satan; for “of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” 2 Peter 2:19. To the captor therefore was delivered by Adam all his possessions. So the dominion of this fair world passed into the hands of Satan, the usurper, to the same extent that it had belonged to Adam. We know this to be true from the Saviour’s words to his disciples, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” John 14:30. This was indeed Satan’s masterpiece of temptation.
The glory, the riches, the honors of earth were here placed over against the life of shame and the humiliation and pain of the cross of Calvary, but, thanks be to God, our Redeemer triumphed again with the written Word: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Luke 4:8. The hosts of heaven were watching this mysterious conflict between the prince of life and the powers of darkness. They beheld with wonder and amazement the sufferings of their King, and when he triumphed over the adversary, and sank fainting with exhaustion, they were permitted to come and minister unto him.
“Cold mountains and the midnight airWitnessed the fervor of Thy prayer;The desert Thy temptations knew,Thy conflict, and Thy victory too.”
AUGUSTA W. HEALD.
SABBATH VERSUS SUNDAY.
By O. E. Jones
THAT Sunday is the first day of the week is universally admitted. Saturday is the day held by the Jews to be sacred throughout the world. And there is no room to doubt that they hold to the seventh day; for there is absolutely no proof to the contrary.
The first day of the week is mentioned only eight times in the New Testament:—
1. “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.” Matt. 28:1.
2. “And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.” Mark 16:1, 2.
3. “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” Mark 16:9.
4. “And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulcher, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.” Luke 23:55, 56; 24:1.
5. “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher.” John 20:1.
6. “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” John 20:19.
The reader will note that in these six texts, the only ones in the Gospels which speak of the first day of the week, not a word is said as to a change of the Sabbath. The first day is not called the Sabbath. It did not come till the Sabbath was past. The holy women rested on the Sabbath, as God commanded, and did work on the first day of the week they would not do on Sunday. So far as the meeting together of the disciples is concerned, it was simply their gathering home at night to their own abode; for they had one common living place at Jerusalem. “And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.” Acts 1:13. The meeting of John 20:19 was therefore a mere coming together at night to their common abode. Mark, speaking of the same appearing of Jesus to his disciples, says: “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.” Mark 16:14. Jesus appeared unto his disciples as they sat at meat at their place of abode.
7. “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep; and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted. And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.” Acts 20:7–14.
No change of Sabbath is intimated in this scripture. If the breaking of bread made that first day holy, then when the disciples broke bread “daily” (Acts 2:46), every day was a holy day. The mere fact of the breaking of bread, which occurred after midnight, proves nothing. The meeting lasted all that night (answering to our Saturday night, for in the Bible day the evening comes first, the day begins at sunset Gen. 1:5, 8; Mark 1:32; Luke 4:40), and the light part of that day the apostle spent in walking to Assos, a distance of twenty miles, while his companions took the boat around the promontory. The only reason doubtless why the meeting at Troas was mentioned was because of the noted miracle of raising a young man to life.
8. “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” 1 Cor. 16:1, 2.
The first day of the week is here set forth as a day of business. “Let every one of you lay by him in store.” This demands an accounting of his business. It is not a collection in churches, but laying by him at home.
There are no other texts in the New Testament where the first day of the week is mentioned. In none of them is the first day of the week called the Sabbath, but it is shown to be the day that came just after the true Sabbath7, the seventh day. It is everywhere shown to be a day of secular labor, of activity, but is never indicated by name or character to be other than a secular day. It was observed as a Sabbath by neither Christ nor his apostles; why should it be by his followers?
On the other hand, while the Scriptures throughout, in unmistakable terms, speak of the first six days of each week as days for labor, we are told that the “seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work.” See Ex. 20:8–11. It is given for a memorial.
After the Lord had finished his six days’ work of creation, he rested upon the seventh day, and because that in it he had rested from all his works, God blessed and sanctified (set apart for holy use) the seventh day for time to come in memory of his own rest from the work of creation. It is therefore incontrovertible that the seventh day was appointed to a holy use, in order that God’s rest from creation might be remembered; and this appointment must have been made to Adam and Eve, for they were the ones who had the days of the week to use.
The fact, therefore, is undeniable that God bade Adam set apart the seventh day for sacred rest in memory of his own rest upon that day, and to keep in memory God’s creative power. Here, then, we find the memorial of the creation of the heavens and the earth. The psalmist says: “His work is honorable and glorious; and his righteousness endureth forever. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered.” Ps. 111:3, 4. Again, in speaking of the Sabbath, the Lord says: “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” Ex. 31:17.
As long as it remains a fact that God created the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and all that in them is, in six days, and rested on the seventh day, so long the Sabbath will stand as a memorial of that event, a sign of the one true God, even over into the new-earth state, where “we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:13. And in Isa. 66:22, 23: “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and, from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.”
“What says the Bible, the blessed Bible?
This should my only question be;
Teachings of men so often mislead us,
What says the Book of God to me?”
O. E. JONES.
College View, Nebraska.
“BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW.”
By C. P. B.
THAT all things were in the beginning created by our Lord Jesus Christ is made so plain in the Scriptures as to admit of no reasonable question. In John 1:3 it is plainly said of the Word, “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made;” while verse 14 unmistakably identifies “the Word” with our Lord, by declaring that “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”
In Col. 1:16 inspiration testifies of him “who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature,” that “by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him.” And in the second chapter, the ninth and tenth verses, reference is made to his possession of creative power, and to his oneness with the Father, as giving the strongest possible assurance of his sufficiency as a Saviour. “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”
The question is sometimes discussed, Whether is greater creation or redemption? But in truth they are one; redemption is re-creation. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (Greek, καινὴ κτίσις, literally a new creation). With this agree the words of our Saviour to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.” “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” This same truth is taught in the inspired prayer recorded in Ps. 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” The sinner needs not only pardon, but renewing; hence the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” “The body of sin” must be destroyed, that we may “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Nor is man alone the subject of the re-creative power of the Son of God. The earth itself is to be redeemed from the curse of sin and restored to its Eden glory. “The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” Isa. 35:10, 1. The divine promise is, “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth.” Isa. 65:17. And of this act of recreation all the redeemed will be witnesses. “Behold,” says the Saviour, “I make all things new.” When in the beginning the earth came from the hand of her Creator, clad in Eden beauty, arrayed in robes of living green, bedecked with never-fading flowers, and watered with noble rivers of life-giving water, “the morning-stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7. That song is to be repeated, that shout again be heard, only increased in volume, when, in response to their Saviour’s invitation, the redeemed shall behold all things made new, when, at the word of command, the last trace of the curse shall disappear, the ashes of the last day give place to carpets of emerald, briny seas be transformed into rolling plains beautified with forest and stream, with grass and flower, and when the Creator shall again pronounce all things very good. Will not this be the perfect answer to the Redeemer’s prayer, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world”? And is not this the time of which John speaks when he says: “Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever”? C. P. B.
SALVATION IN CHRIST.
By F. H. Tripp
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.”
No great thing is required, nothing that necessitates great talent or superior advantages, nothing that is reserved for the rich and denied the poor; but rich or poor, high or low, the requirement is the same—look! How good and merciful is our God, who has made salvation thus easy! And how extensive the invitation—“All the ends of the earth”! His power to save is unlimited, reaching to earth’s utmost boundary.
When the children of Israel prayed to be saved from the deadly serpents in the wilderness, by the Lord’s direction a brazen serpent was lifted high above the camp, and the bitten ones were directed to look upon it and be saved. They had murmured against the Lord and sinned. We, too, are bitten of serpents in the world’s wilderness of sin. We have sinned, as did Israel of old; but there is a way of escape for us, as there was for them. We have no brazen serpent to look upon, but the words of God to us are, “Look unto me, and be ye saved.” We also have the voice of Jesus saying, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life;” and also, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
Dear reader, are you looking to the lifted Saviour for salvation? If not, I pray you look to-day unto him who died that you might live. But, you may ask, How am I to do it? How am I to look upon a Saviour that I can not(440)see? This may be a real difficulty to some, and yet it need not be, in view of his statement that he will draw all men unto himself. Again he says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” It is also written, “And they shall all be taught of God.” And again, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth. . . . Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given him of my Father.”
First, then, we are to submit ourselves to be drawn unto him; for he was lifted up upon the cross that we might be. The means by which we are drawn is the Spirit of God. Have we never felt that Spirit whispering to our hearts, saying, “My son, my daughter, your manner of life is not pleasing to me”? Has he not at times shown us some things in our hearts that were not right, and made us to feel that we were not just what we should be? Has there not been a feeling of unrest, or a consciousness of something whispering within us, saying if we should be called suddenly away from this world, that we are not quite ready to go? Is there not something in our lives that we would like to have a little different before we are called away from this world? If any or all of these thoughts have come into our hearts at times, it has been God’s Holy Spirit striving to teach us the way to the uplifted Saviour and draw us to Christ.
Have we all hearkened and obeyed this Spirit, this still, small voice that we know has at times spoken to our inmost souls, saying, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else”? And the uplifted Saviour himself says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Who is there that does not want rest?—Rest to take the place of weariness; faith to take the place of doubt; assurance to take the place of danger; certainty to take the place of suspense! Look unto Christ, then, and he will lead you. For “good and upright is the Lord; therefore will he teach sinners in the way.” “For thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” Why will we not all hearken to his commandments, and receive that peace that is like a river? Did you ever notice how calmly and peacefully the waters of a river flow onward toward the sea? Just so the peace of God in the hearts of men, makes their lives to run on smoothly and peacefully, toward, and out into, the great ocean of eternity.
“And thy righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Like as the waves of the sea follow on, one after another, so if we will hearken to his commandments, the Lord will make our right actions, and right ways, and right and good deeds, to follow on one after another, continually and successively, like the waves of the sea.
F. H. TRIPP.
New Bedford, Mass.
The Value of Each Day
EVERY day is a little life, and our whole life is but a day repeated. Those, therefore, that dare lose a day are dangerously prodigal; those that dare misspend it, desperate.—Bishop Hall.
On the Brevity of Life
WE are always complaining our days are few, and acting as tho there would be no end of them.—Addison.
THE MASSES AND THE CHURCHES.
Recently in the New York Voice have been many letters of our labor leaders setting forth the feeling of the laboring man toward the churches. They all express about the same sentiment, a higher regard for the teaching of Christ, and growing hostility to the churches. Here are a few extracts from some of these letters:—
“The main reason why many who admire the character of Christ do not feel cordial toward the churches is because the churches support a standard of business morals which Christ condemned in severest terms.”—J. R. Sovereign, G. M. W., Knights of Labor.
“Under an industrial system founded on the teachings of Christ there would be no need of a labor organization on earth.”—Idem.
“A much larger per cent. of wage-earners are becoming indifferent to the churches than in former years. The defection is perhaps greater in this country than in any other civilized nation, and the difference with capital is greater. The majority of wage-earners follow the teachings of Christ much more faithfully than the richer class, whether members of the church or not. Wage-earners feel that the church is fast becoming but the paid tool of capital, especially since the active part taken by the ministers in the last campaign. Were the Golden Rule faithfully adhered to by capital, the church would soon number all workingmen and their families worthy of membership.”—F. P. Taylor, Quincy, Ill., Editor Journal of Industry.
“Among the idolaters (Papists), admiration for Christ’s character is less; among the non-sectarian and freethinkers, stronger, and because he taught the basic principles of a true philosophy of brotherhood. This admiration extends to a very great degree to non-church-members. Many times when his principles are announced they are cheered, while ministers of the church are hissed. Many who admire the character of Christ do not feel cordial toward the churches, because there are none in the church who practise Christ’s teachings, nor will allow it in their business, nor can they so long as profits are taken, land sold, and usury allowed by those claiming to be Christians.”—John H. Cook, of Providence, Secretary Rhode Island Central Labor Union.
“The tendency of the masses is toward agnosticism. They are growing more careless as to religious duties each year. The rapidly swelling army of non-church-going toilers in my opinion are not hostile to the teachings of Christ. The church has ever been on the side of the powerful and wealthy. This is evident to-day. Until the church honestly co-operates with the toilers to make industrial and moral worth, not wealth, the true standard of individual and moral greatness, the masses can hardly feel cordial toward that institution. If business and industrial life were regulated by the plain teaching of Christ’s Gospel, labor organizations would be unnecessary.”—J. Lynne Hastings, Washington, D. C., editor Journal of the Knights of Labor.
“The advancing education of the masses increases the respect and admiration possessed by wage-workers for the Lawgiver of the mount. As superstition is supplanted by solid thought, the grandeur of Jesus’ character as a man dominates the awe with which he has been regarded as a God, and men read in the pathetic incidents of his life a multiplied counterpart of their own sufferings. . . . To love and revere Christ with sincerity is to at once despise an institution which exists under false pretenses, and clings to shadows, while the substance remains disregarded. The church of Christ’s day crucified him. The church of to-day would probably electrocute him if he reappeared. . . . The church is the home of cant, hypocrisy, and phariseeism, where much is uttered and little done, where the brotherhood is one of interest in dollars, cents, and society, and utterly at variance with the edict, ‘Love ye one another.’ The wage-worker sees the ‘pillars of the church’ praying on bended knees Sunday, and preying on their fellow-man the rest of the week. The wage-workers know that the severest taskmaster is generally the most devout pew-holder. . . . In the hands of men guided by the laws of Christ, capital would be a blessing and labor a joy. The one thing which stands in the way of such an attainment is the monster organization known as the church, with its ‘salaried soothsayers,’ and army of special pleaders whose mission on earth seems to be to construe the words of Christ into a laudation of infamy.”—William C. Pomeroy, Chicago, Ill., Organizer of American Federation of Labor.
“The main reason why many who admire the character of Christ do not also feel cordial toward the churches is because laboring men as a class feel that preachers hate crime against moral law only when it is not a paying parishioner who commits it. In other words, that the average divine preaches for9money, and does not offend those who are his paymasters.”—C. H. Salmons, Cleveland, Ohio, Editor Journal of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
To the churches these expressions of opinion from the leaders among organized labor must seem indeed startling. Is it because of this antagonism that the church is demanding that religious and moral ethics shall be crystallized into law by legislation? Reform never comes that way. And, on the other hand, our brethren in labor will never find what they long for by putting the teachings of Christ into law, or basing a commonwealth upon them. As a mere form they mean just what these labor leaders say the churches are, just what England came to be under Puritan rule,—a government of hypocrites for hypocrites. The only way by which Christ’s teachings can be made a power is by receiving them into the heart by faith. This can be done only through the utter and absolute yielding up of self, and the accepting of Christ. To all such his words are spirit and life. John 6: 63. The questions that both rich and poor need to ask are, Do I represent Christ? Is he my personal Saviour? Am I using what he has intrusted to me as he would use it?
The Single Eye of Faith
“Is your eye single?” If so, there will no cloud come between the Sun of Righteousness and the eye of your faith. Your emotional feelings may fluctuate, but you will possess the spirit of him “with whom there is no variableness.”—Pentecost Herald.
