THERE is a rest promised and a kingdom prepared for God's people from the foundation of the world. Thus "the works were finished from the foundation of the world." That kingdom and that rest have been preached from the very beginning, and the possibility of attaining them has ever been before God's elect.
In Hebrews 3 and 4 we have a revelation of the purposes of God concerning this rest, and how it may be attained. The experience of the children of Israel is there cited, warning us against their failure as seen in the wilderness, when they contended with God and saw his works forty years. Why was he grieved with them?—Because they would not learn his ways, and they sinned, and all because they "believed not." They had the promise of entering into God's rest, but they failed to attain to it. "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."
Then by the mouth of the prophet the Lord said: "To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness." The rest which the Israelites failed to take is still held before them; and that call "to-day" is still sounding throughout the earth. For the apostle says that if Joshua had given them the rest promised, then God would not afterward have spoken of another day as an acceptable time for entering into it. "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."
The seventh day of the creation is brought in as a pledge of this rest. It is a constant testimony that God had prepared that inheritance, the rest for his people, from the foundation of the world. It is, therefore, to the Christian a symbol of the eternal rest that remains, as anyone will see by a careful study of Heb. 4: 3-5. The Sabbath looks forward, therefore, to the finished work of redemption, when abundance of peace shall be given to the saints.
But might they have taken that rest in Joshua's day?—So says the Spirit; for "the power of God unto salvation" was then fully manifested. Had the children of Israel given themselves wholly over to God, had no Achan been allowed in the camp, the victory at Jericho would have been the victory all along the line. The seven nations who had filled their cup of iniquity, would have been destroyed totally from their midst, the power of God would have been published to all the world, the disobedient would have been finally destroyed, and Satan's kingdom thus come to an end. It would seem from this that what the Lord is able to accomplish in six thousand years by his people in their181weakness and transgressions and lack of faith, he would have accomplished even in the days of Joshua, through a people wholly sanctified to himself.
The prophets understood the power of God—the gospel—and exhorted the people to trust in God and to take what God had promised. We come down to Christ's first advent; then the full salvation of God was displayed. Why did not the people accept it? The wedding was at hand to be celebrated, all things were ready, and the call went out, "Come to the marriage." Matthew 22. But the bidden guests who had accepted the invitation were not now ready; the farm, the merchandise, the buying and selling, the marriage festivities in which they were indulging, made them forgetful of the marriage of the King's Son. Then the King "sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. . . . The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy."
Then the invitation is sent out to another people. Had the people of God retained the power of God with them, how soon might the wedding have been celebrated! But apostasy put the church back under the power of Satan, and the terrible scenes of the times of antichrist were the result.
But God looked down through these times and saw the work so long delayed, accomplished. Thus all the prophecies point to our time as that in which strife would be taken from off the earth, when God's people would return to their allegiance with all their heart, and, by taking hold of God's strength, bring in the long looked for rest.
But there is another sense in which we do enter into rest now, even as we enter the kingdom now; for when we get out from under Satan's power, we have got out of his kingdom, and have come under the power of Christ. Hence we "are translated into the kingdom of his [God's] dear Son." In just as full a sense as Satan has a kingdom here, Christ has one; and the power of Christ is manifest "over all the power of the enemy."
Now as God ceased from his temporal work after six days of toil, so "he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." The Sabbath day simply interdicts our temporal employments, but God's works of providence, all spiritual work, goes on just the same. In this sense Christ said, "My Father worketh hitherto and I work." When we give up all work as of ourselves, and it is certainly manifest that Christ, who dwelleth in us, doeth the works, when, in the midst of the most severe labor for Christ, we are still at rest, for God is furnishing the wisdom and strength and is doing the works, then, even as Christ found rest in God, so our lives "are hid with Christ in God," and we have found rest from our own works. So we may press into this rest, so we may press into the kingdom, and the result will be that, by the power of God, unrest and strife will soon be taken from the earth, and the eternal rest of God's people be assured.
Enosburgh, Vt.
THE PAPAL CHURCH AND THE SARACENS
By Percy T. Magan
A REVIEW OF SUNDAY LEGISLATION IN CENTURY NINETEEN. NO. 9.
THE PAPAL CHURCH AND THE SARACENS.
In Nos. 6 and 7 of this paper I have shown that, by the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the case of the Trinity Church Corporation vs. the United States, the nation, as far as the highest jurisdiction in the land could commit it, was committed to papal principles. And, moreover, I have proved that, the nation being given over to these principles, it will only be a matter of time until Rome herself, the mother of them, shall step in and demand the enforcement of some, at least, of her distinguishing dogmas upon the citizens of this country, and, in the light of her past history, that, too, if it can be effected by no gentler means, by the so-called Holy Inquisition.
It may be that some careful, thinking minds will deem me extravagant in my conclusions, and will be of the opinion that I base too much upon the dictum of Justice Brewer. Of all such I ask leniency, till I shall have time and space to complete an argument, which I know to be sound, when viewed in its entirety, and which I regret can only be given to the public by installment.
For the present, therefore, in order that I may not only partially disclose, and, consequently, completely destroy the vigor and value of other data, which it is my intention to present and discuss, I shall be obliged to content myself by simply stating that all the conclusions that I have already drawn, or shall hereafter adduce from the court decision in hand, have been arrived at after a careful study of the aforementioned decision, and in the light of subsequent religio-political movements and developments, all of which point toward the terminus which I have endeavored to show must be the inevitable ending of the whole matter, viz., ROMANISM, THE INQUISITION, AND NATIONAL RUIN.
Having now made this explanation and apology, which I have felt was due to my readers, I shall proceed to notice some other traits of Romanism, which, it will be manifest, are devilish in their nature, as well as spiritually and politically destructive in their tendencies and ultimate results. I refer to those papal characteristics most clearly betrayed in her (Rome's) treatment of the Spanish Mohammedans.
It has ever been a claim of the Roman Catholic Church that to her belongs all honor and rewards as the civilizer of these barbarous tribes, who, from their abodes on the shores of the Baltic Sea, the Thuringian Forests, and the wild and dreary marshes of Ancient Germany, poured in like an overwhelming flood upon the effeminate Romans, during the third, fourth, and fifth centuries, laid waste the fair fields of Campania and the vine-clad valleys of Languedoc, and settled themselves on the ruins of what was once the Roman Empire. This claim I am prepared to dispute, as the palm of reward does not rightfully belong to her, but to the followers of Mahomet who invaded and possessed themselves of Spain A.D. 711. Moreover, it is also a fact, and one easily proved, that those tribes with whom Rome came least in contact, became the most quickly civilized.
When the Saracens landed upon the rock of Gibraltar in 711, Rome—the Papacy—held sway over the minds, hearts, and fortunes of men for a period of about 386 years, i. e., from the Council of Nicea in 325. During all of this time she had so assiduously trained them in the good (?) way that by the eighth and ninth centuries their civilization is described by a non-partisan historian in the following language:—
From the barbarism of the native people of Europe, who could scarcely be said to have emerged from the savage state, unclean in person, benighted in mind, inhabiting huts in which it was the mark of wealth if there were bulrushes on the floor and straw mats against the wall; miserably fed on beans, vetches, roots, and even the bark of trees; clad in garments of untanned skin, or at the best of leather—perennial in durability, but not conducive to personal purity—a state in which the pomp of royalty was sufficiently and satisfactorily manifested in the equipage of the sovereign, an ox cart, drawn by not less than two yokes of cattle, quickened in their movements by the goads of pedestrian serfs, whose legs were wrapped in wisps of straw; from a people, devout believers in all the wild fictions of shrine miracles and preposterous relics, from the degradation of a base theology, and from the disputes of ambitious ecclesiastics for power, etc.
Such was the condition of all of that part of Europe which fell under Roman Catholic influence. Look at it, ponder it well, then turn to this beautiful word painting of Spanish Arabian civilization and splendor:—
Scarcely had the Arabs become firmly settled in Spain when they commenced a brilliant career. Adopting what had now become the established policy of the Commanders of the Faithful in Asia, the Emirs of Cordova distinguished themselves as the patrons of learning, and set an example of refinement strongly contrasting with the condition of the native European princes. Cordova [a city in Spain], under their administration, at its highest point of prosperity, boasted of more than two hundred thousand houses, and more than a million of inhabitants. After sunset a man might walk through it in a straight line for ten miles by the light of the public lamps. Seven hundred years after this time there was not so much as one public lamp in London. Its streets were solidly paved. In Paris, centuries subsequently, whoever stepped over his threshold on a rainy day stepped up to his ankles in mud. Other cities, as Granada, Seville, Toledo, considered themselves rivals of Cordova. The palaces of the khaliffs were magnificently decorated. Those sovereigns might well look down with supercilious contempt on the dwellings of the rulers of Germany, France, and England, which were scarcely better than stables—chimneyless, windowless, and with a hole in the roof for the smoke to escape, like the wigwams of certain Indians. The Spanish Mohammedans had brought with them all the luxuries and prodigalities of Asia. Their residences stood forth against the clear blue sky, or were embossed in woods. They had polished marble balconies, overhanging orange gardens; courts with cascades of water; shady retreats provocative of slumber in the heat of the day; retiring rooms vaulted with stained glass, speckled with gold, over which streams of water were made to gush; the floors and walls were of exquisite mosaic. Here a182fountain of quicksilver shot up in a glistening spray, the glittering particles falling with a tranquil sound like fairy bells; there apartments into which cool air was drawn from the flower gardens, in summer, by means of ventilating towers, and in winter through earthen pipes, or caleducts, imbedded in the walls—the hypocaust, in the vaults below, breathing forth volumes of perfumed air through these hidden passages. The walls were not covered with wainscot, but adorned with arabesques and paintings of agricultural scenes and views of Paradise. From the ceiling, corniced and fretted with gold, great chandeliers hung, one of which, it is said, was so large that it contained 1,804 lamps. Clusters of frail marble columns surprised the beholder with the vast weights they bore. In the boudoirs of the sultanas they were sometimes of verd antique, and incrusted with lapis lazuli. The furniture was of sandal and citron wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ivory, silver, and relieved with gold and precious malachite. In orderly confusion were arranged vases of rock crystal, Chinese porcelains, and tables of exquisite mosaic. The winter apartments were hung with rich tapestry, the floors were covered with embroidered Persian carpets. Pillows and couches, of elegant forms, were scattered about the rooms, perfumed with frankincense. . . . Great care was taken to make due provision for the cleanliness, occupation, and amusement of the inmates. Through pipes of metal, water, both warm and cold, to suit the season of the year, ran into baths of marble; . . . there were whispering galleries for the amusement of the women; labyrinths and marble play courts for the children; for the master himself, grand libraries.
To the Saracens we are indebted for many of our personal comforts. Religiously cleanly, it was not possible for them to clothe themselves according to the fashion of the natives of Europe, in a garment unchanged till it dropped to pieces of itself, a loathsome mass of vermin, stench, and rags.
In the midst of all this luxury, . . . the Spanish Khaliffs, emulating the example of their Asiatic compeers, and in this strongly contrasting with the popes of Rome, were not only the patrons but the personal cultivators of all the branches of human learning. One of them was himself the author of a work on polite literature in not less than fifty volumes; another wrote a treatise on algebra. . . . The College of Music at Cordova was sustained by ample government patronage, and produced many illustrious professors.
In Cordova, Granada, and other great cities there were universities frequently under the superintendence of Jews. . . . They had also, in addition to these schools of general learning, professional ones, particularly for medicine.
The Arabians boasted of their language as being the most perfect spoken by man. . . . It is not then surprising that, in the Arabian schools, great attention was paid to the study of language, and that many celebrated grammarians were produced. By these scholars, dictionaries, similar to those now in use, were composed; their copiousness is indicated by the circumstance that one of them consisted of sixty volumes, the definition of each word being illustrated or sustained by quotations from Arab authors of acknowledged repute. They had lexicons of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, and cyclopedias, such as the "Historical Dictionary of Sciences."
Besides all of this civilization, learning, and splendor, as told by Draper, much more might be enumerated. The Spanish Arabians were especially famous for their discoveries in medicine, and for their skill in surgery. Much that is known in modern chemistry has come from them. While the papists were teaching that the earth was flat, the Spanish Arabians were teaching geography in their common schools "from globes." Among their astronomers, some compiled tables, "some wrote on the measure of time, some on the improvement of clocks, for which purpose they were the first to apply the pendulum; some on instruments, as the astrolabe." The introduction of astronomy into Christian Europe has been attributed to the translation of the works of Mohammed Fargani. It was the Arabs who introduced into Europe the Egyptian system of irrigation by flood gates, wheels, and pumps. "They also promoted many important branches of industry; improved the manufacture of textile fabrics, earthenware, iron, and steel." Their commerce was enormous. "The smallest weight they used in trade was the grain of barley, four of which were equal to one sweet pea, called in Arabic carat. We still use the grain as our unit of weight, and still speak of gold as being so many carats fine."
I have now drawn two pictures, one of barbarism, the other of civilization. The former was the result of about four hundred years of papal domination; the latter was the product of Saracen industry. But few European thinkers of the present day give to the Saracens historic renown which is justly theirs. Europe has never acknowledged their impress upon her arts, sciences, music, and literature; but, nevertheless, a careful and candid study of those times will reveal the fact that we owe them much. A study of the history of our sciences will reveal it.
From all of this it is clear that Rome was not the civilizer of the northern hordes, but the retarder of their civilization, and that her claim to this honor is a pious fraud.
In my next paper I shall discuss the treatment of the Saracens by the papists, and show the bearing of the same, and the lessons to be learned for the present situation.
There is another matter of interest, though not of prime importance, connected with this part of the subject. On the return of Columbus from his great voyage, March 15, 1493, Ferdinand and Isabella sent a courier to Pope Alexander VI., "for the purpose of insuring their rights to the new territories." The bull that he issued bears date May, 1493. "Its principle is that all countries under the sun are subject of right to papal disposal. It gives to Spain, in the fullness of apostolic power, all lands west and south of a line drawn from the Arctic to the Antarctic pole, one hundred leagues west of the Azores. The donation includes by the authority of Almighty God whatever there is toward India."
All of this is an infallible decree, by an infallible pope. So that this land, by an infallible decree, in the name of Almighty God, was once delivered to papal Spain. It was given to Spain because she was papal. It was given to Spain because her rulers recognized the sovereignty of the pope, even in things temporal. That they did admit the authority of the pope in things temporal is clearly shown by their course in this matter. Spanish money, Spanish ships, and Spanish sailors had discovered America. Therefore the Spanish Government had a just title to America; but the Spanish Government would not enter upon the possession of this land without the pope's sanction. Now if Spain had not been Catholic, Rome never would have given her America. But Rome, being infallible, and having given America into the hands of papal rulers by an infallible decree, she is bound to use all her power to see that our rulers are papal, and that her decree be continually fulfilled.
Happiness Through Sacrifice
By John Boyle O'Reilly
My experience of life makes me sure of truth which I do not try to explain; the sweetest happiness we ever know comes not from love, but from sacrifice—from the effort to make others happy.—John Boyle O'Reilly.
THE TWO SCALES.
By Charles P. Nettleton
BY CHARLES P. NETTLETON.
I THINK this strange, sweet scale of sounds we know,
This wondrous swell from highest starlight roll
To lowest thunder bass, is to God's whole
Vast music realm as one short note, one glow
Of light from his great sun, whose wider flow
Shall for God's own voice be known by the soul.
Then shall no jarring note the rest control,
For discord dies with other earthly woe.
If but one note, fragmental thus for man,
So awfully can draw a soul confined,
What feels the soul when free?
Who can foretell?
Some mountain tops of truths we may not scan
Till spirit sees but spirit, or if defined
In some wondrous hour, silence speaketh well.
—Rural Press.
THIS ROCK, OR THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH.
By F. C. KELLEY
NOTE.—This article being originally written in Spanish, the difference in the two languages makes it impossible to bring out the beauty and force of the argument that the original has.
IN Matt. 16:18 we read these words: "I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The question is, Who is this rock—Christ or Peter? The Bible must answer it. It may be well to give the definitions of the words "piedra=Peter" and "rock," for some may not be acquainted with their meaning. "Peter" (Greek, petros; Spanish, piedra), a stone; a hard and compact earthy substance; a piece of the rock such as is used in buildings and in paving the streets and for many other uses.
"Rock" (Greek, petra; Spanish, roca), a rock; the vein of rock; very hard and solid; the natural ledge, or the rocky crag, promontory; that which is very hard and enduring.
From these definitions we learn that petros (stone) is a piece of the natural rock. So it was with Peter. He was in Christ and Christ in him, because he (Peter) believed in Christ; and, therefore, Peter partook of the nature of Christ, and by this he became as a piece of stone. As it was with Peter, so it is with us. Peter says: "Ye also, as lively [living] stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, . . . acceptable to God by Jesus Christ," who is "a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious." "He that believeth on him shall not be confounded." See 1 Peter 2:4-6.
Did Peter believe in Christ?—Yes, because, in replying to the question of Christ, he said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matt. 16:16. And Jesus said unto him, "Thou art Peter [that is, thou art a piece of the Living Rock, because thou believest in me], and upon this Rock [which is myself] I will build my church; and the gates of hell [the grave] shall not prevail against it." Verse 18.
The words of Christ spoken to the apostles are clear enough in themselves. "Thou art Peter," said Jesus to Simon, "and upon this Rock [which is myself] I will build my church." If the Lord, in the place of assuring them that he was the Rock, had wished to affirm that it was Peter, instead of saying, "And upon this (Spanish, esta) Rock," which is I, i. e., my own personal self, he would have said, "And upon that (Spanish, esa) Rock," which art thou, etc. Those of little education can see the propriety of this manner of speaking. So speaks the Holy Word of God in all things necessary for salvation. As we understand it so the writers of the first century understood it, beginning with the mother church at Jerusalem.
Jerome said, "'This Rock is Christ' (Petra Cristus est). This the apostles conceded, they themselves being called 'stones' (qui donavit apostolis quoque petræ vocentur)."—Jerome on183Amos 6:12. This man also well said, "Since all the apostles, being stones placed upon the Rock, which is Christ Jesus, it also included Peter."
Augustine (Retractationum LXXV.) says: "The Lord did not say to Peter, Thou art a rock, but, Thou art Peter—(Non enim dictum est illi: Tu es Petra, sed: Tu es Petrus)." Ambrose, with others, understood that the Rock was the One confessed by Peter, when he said, "Thou art the Son of the living God." That no doubt might remain, the Holy Spirit tells us in 1 Cor. 3:11 that "other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."—La Iglesia en España, pp. 22, 23.
It is clear that the foundation of the church of the living God is Jesus Christ. To help all to see that the Rock is Christ, we will cite a few texts in which the word "rock" is used to teach the character of the true God. Says the Psalmist, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress." Ps. 18:2, 31, 46; 28:1; 31:3; 62:2; 71:3. Peter said: "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:10-12.
Words cannot be clearer. "Jesus Christ . . . whom God raised from the dead," is the Rock on which the church is builded. "This is the stone . . . which is become the head of the corner." Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14:6.
The first promise made to man after his fall says, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Gen. 3:15. Who is this seed of the woman? If this seed is Peter, then Peter is the rock; but if Christ is the seed, then Christ is the Rock, the true foundation of the church of God. What do the Scriptures say? "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." Gal. 3:16. "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; . . . Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." Eph. 2:19, 20. "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 3:11.
No words can be clearer. Christ is the seed, Christ is the chief corner stone, and only through him can we enter the kingdom of God. Jesus says, "This is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life." John 6:40. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
We read of the Revelation, that God gave it unto Christ to show unto his servants the things which must shortly come to pass. Jesus says: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." "I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." "Surely I come quickly: Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
[This article is published in the Spanish in a tract of 4 pages, and can be obtained from either the Pacific Press Publishing Co., Oakland, Cal., or the California Tract Society, 1059 Castro Street, Oakland, Cal.]
How Time Changes Our Reading
No STORY is the same to us after the lapse of time; or, rather, we who read it are no longer the same interpreters.—George Eliot.
The Strength of a Remembered Word
By Henry Ward Beecher
A MAN's strength in this life is often greater from some single word remembered and cherished than in arms or armor.—H. W. Beecher.
First, criticise him severely. Be careful not to tell him personally; just inform the neighbors; that will do as well; the news will come to him by and by, and he will be edified. He has prepared himself especially for his work, but you need not mind that; you can probably show him a thing or two.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
Second, find fault with his wife. Oh, to be sure, she does not receive a salary, nor has she been “called” an assistant pastor; but then you can afford to be sublimely indifferent to the fact—that thought need not worry you in the least! Just “pitch in” and make things real lively for her.
“Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love.”
Third, stay away from church. Whatever you do, do not forget this. Remember that your pastor likes to talk to empty benches (they might just as well be empty sometimes when they are full, so far as respectful attention is concerned). There is nothing so inspiring to a speaker as empty pews. The prayer meeting is a test of the spiritual strength of the church, and the pastor will be highly pleased to see the church on the down grade.
“Oh, I long to be there!”
Fourth, do not pray for him. He does not need your prayers; he has no temptations, and is strong enough in himself. Paul’s declaration, “When I am weak then am I strong,” does not apply in your pastor’s case; he does not need the help of the Lord. Be sure you do not pray for him; and then do not sympathize with him in his work of winning souls for the Master and fighting the devil. He does not need your sympathy. Give him an extra cuff or two, and it will be a wonderful help.
Fifth, confess your neighbors’ sins. Tell the pastor how far short of duty Brother A. has come, or how Sister C. has gone wrong. If you would only look after your own sins, you would be kept quite busy; but never mind a trifle like that; you will make your pastor happy if you do this.
Duty done is the soul’s fireside.
Sixth, deny your pastor’s requests. We read that Moses told the young lieutenant, Joshua, to go out and fight with Amalek, and “so Joshua did.” But he was an old fogy. If the pastor asks your help, be sure to refuse him. It will greatly encourage him to go forward.
Seventh, be sure to laugh or giggle. There is nothing so absolutely helpful as an idiotic smile during the most important or solemn part of the sermon. If you think of nothing else which will be of service, just let your eyes wander aimlessly around the audience, as if in search of a long-lost friend; it might be well to have your face lighted up with a vacant, imbecile stare. Oh, there are many ways to help!
Eighth, then look behind you. It is very important for you to see who it is that has come in just after the pastor’s “secondly,” whether Sister E.’s bonnet is the latest style, or who that young man is with Mehitable Green. It does not matter whether you give respectful attention to the sermon; the pastor is only talking for fun anyway, just for his own gratification.
Ninth, and lastly, be sure to get up in the middle of the sermon and leave the room. Make as much noise to attract attention as possible in going out; then slam the door after you.
Oh, we could think of many more ways, but if you will only observe the helps already given, you can be of some use in the world!—Kentucky Baptist.
CHURCH TRIALS.
By H. A. St. John
BY ELDER H. A. ST. JOHN.
How many church books are smirched with records of disgraceful so-called church trials! How sickening the details! How painful to read these recitals of charges, criminations, and recriminations! Who ever read of Jesus calling a church trial? Where is it recorded that he purposely attended one? We remember, however, that he was present on one occasion at a church trial. Obviously the place was the temple court. He did not go to the trial, but the church brought the trial to him. He was sitting, and at once became chairman of the meeting. As usual, there was a woman in the case, but the men were the worst. The prominent male members were promptly on hand with a distinct and fearful charge, and also the accused. They did better than some church trials, which are supposed to proceed better when the accused is away. They set the woman in the midst, and then vehemently presented their charge of actual adultery, reminding the Saviour of their old established method of dealing with such cases.
Jesus heard it all in silence, all the while writing upon the ground. He was not writing down the testimony against the accused, however, but he was writing up facts against the accusers. Meanwhile the accusers, thinking to hasten the proceedings, reiterate the charge and urge a decision. Then it was that Jesus stopped writing, and, casting a look at the woman’s accusers, mildly but simply said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground." John 8:7, 8. All is silence. This one first statement of Christ has turned the thoughts of these accusing church members in upon themselves—a most excellent thing for accusers always to do. If they who are so often engaged in accusing their brethren would more frequently and intently "consider themselves," in the light of God, the truth, and the judgment, they would not be so ready to throw the stones of accusation at others.
But Jesus continues to write upon the ground. By this time they must have become curious to know what Jesus was writing. We imagine them intently stretching forward to read the handwriting of the Son of God on the ground. We imagine that the record began with the name of the oldest pharisaical accuser, followed by a recital of some secret sin of which he was guilty, and which he supposed was known only to himself. Deeply mortified if not convicted and humbled, he is assured that he is in the presence of the Searcher184of hearts; the place becomes too terrible for him; and, fearing exposure, he quietly but quickly withdraws. The next older peruses the record to the second item. Astonished to find the second paragraph devoted to his name and some of his hidden iniquity, he too quickly slinks away. Thus one after another, for the same reason, beginning with the oldest, they all left the meeting, being convicted by their own consciences. The presence of the All-seeing One, and the presence of their sins, was not a comfortable presence for them. Was there ever a meeting dismissed after that manner? Jesus then looking up said to the woman, "Where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?" She said, "No man, Lord." And Jesus said unto her, "Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more." Jesus mentioned her sin, but not to condemn or destroy. His tender words of pity and mercy must have melted her heart into penitence and love, and transformed her from that time forth into a pure and devoted disciple.
How many church trials would be silently dismissed, and the poor accused sinner saved, if the selfish, sinful, accusing professors could see Jesus writing their secret life record, not upon the ground or the shifting sands, but actually writing in a book of permanent records, beyond the reach of mortals, in heaven—a record for the great judgment day.
May God help every reader to learn of Jesus to not be too harsh or hasty in condemning even the manifestly guilty, but ever remember that, like Jesus, it is your mission to seek and to save the lost.