Intimately associated with Joshua, the high priest, was Zerubbabel, governor of Judea. It was under the leadership of these two men that the remnant of Israel returned at the close of the seventy years' captivity. They also led out in the re-establishment of the ancient worship at Jerusalem. In the second year of Cyrus, Zerubbabel laid the corner-stone of the temple. It was Zerubbabel and Joshua who, in response to the messages of the Lord through Haggai and Zechariah, “rose up,” with courage renewed, and once more “began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem.” These men were true leaders, and “the spirit of all the remnant of the people” was largely influenced by the cheerful willingness with which they carried out the Lord’s commands. Immediately after Zechariah’s vision of Joshua and the angel, given to the high priest as a personal testimony for his own encouragement and the encouragement of all the people of God, the prophet received a personal testimony regarding the work of Zerubbabel. “The angel that talked with me,” Zechariah declares, “came again, and waked me, as a man that is waked out of his sleep, and said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: and two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.”
“So I answered and spake to the Angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my Lord? . . . Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. . . .”
“Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? . . . Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
From the two olive trees the golden oil was emptied through the golden pipes into the bowl of the candlestick, and thence into the golden lamps that gave light to the sanctuary. So from the holy ones that stand in God’s presence his Spirit is imparted to the human instrumentalities who are consecrated to his service. The mission of the two anointed ones is to communicate to God’s people that heavenly grace which alone can make his Word a lamp to the feet and a light to the path.
In rebuilding the house of the Lord, Zerubbabel had been encompassed with manifold difficulties. In former years, adversaries had “weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,” “and made them to cease by force and power.” But the Lord interposed in behalf of the faithful builders, and now he speaks through his prophet, Zechariah, to Zerubbabel, saying, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.”
Throughout the history of God’s people, great mountains of difficulty, apparently insurmountable, have loomed up before those who were advancing in the opening providences of God. Such obstacles to progress are permitted by the Lord as a test of faith. When hedged about on every side, this is the time above all others to trust in God and in the power of his Holy Spirit. We are not to walk in our own strength, but in the strength of the Lord God of Israel. It is folly to trust in man or to make flesh our arm. We must trust in Jehovah; for in him is everlasting strength. The One who, in response to words and deeds of faith, made the way plain before his servant Zerubbabel, is able to clear away every obstacle devised by Satan to hinder the progress of his cause. Through the exercise of persevering faith, every mountain of difficulty may be removed.
Sometimes God trains his workers by bringing to them disappointment and apparent failure. It is his purpose that they shall learn to master difficulty. He seeks to inspire them with a determination to make every apparent failure prove a success.
Oftentimes men pray and weep because of the perplexities and obstacles that confront them. But if they will hold the beginning of their confidence steadfast unto the end, God will make their way clear. Success will come to them as they struggle against apparently insurmountable difficulties; and with success will come the greatest joy.
This was true of Zerubbabel; and for his encouragement he was given, through Zechariah, the assurance: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel, with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.”
The promise, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it,” was literally fulfilled. “The elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar [the twelfth month], which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.”
Shortly afterward, the restored temple was dedicated. “The children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy, and offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.”
This second temple did not equal the first in magnificence, nor was it hallowed by those visible tokens of the divine presence which pertained to the first temple. There was no manifestation of supernatural power to mark its dedication. No cloud of glory was seen to fill the newly erected sanctuary. No fire8from heaven descended to consume the sacrifice upon its altar. The Shekinah no longer abode between the cherubim in the most holy place; the ark, the mercy-seat, and the tables of the testimony were not to be found therein. No voice sounded from heaven to make known to the inquiring priest the will of Jehovah.
And yet this was the building concerning which the Lord had declared by the prophet Haggai, ‘The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former.’ ‘I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.’ For centuries afterward the Jews vainly endeavored to show wherein the promise of God, given by Haggai, had been fulfilled; yet eventually, when the Desire of all nations actually appeared and hallowed the precincts of the temple by his personal presence, pride and unbelief had blinded their minds to the true meaning of the prophet’s words. The second temple was honored, not with the cloud of Jehovah’s glory, but with the living presence of One in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,—God himself manifest in the flesh. The ‘Desire of all nations’ had indeed come to his temple, when the Man of Nazareth taught and healed in the sacred courts. In the personal presence of Christ during his earthly ministry, and in this only, did the second temple exceed the first in glory.
Following the dedication of the house of God, the Israelites ‘set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses. And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from all the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat, and kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.’
Faith and Earnest Effort
By E. K. SLADE
E. K. SLADE
The race to be run, the battles to be fought, and the victories to be won, will require the very best of our effort, and much earnestness and zeal. Many seem to have been led to feel that inasmuch as it is God that worketh in us, it will be just as well for them to move along from day to day in an easy, formal way, repenting, resisting, praying, and working as if our part in the plan of God for our redemption counted but little. But it is plainly indicated in the Word of God that no one is properly a candidate for redemption whose whole heart is not in it, or who is not sufficiently decided in his choice to place himself and all that he is at God's disposal in this work. Many will come up to the close of probation only to be suddenly and terribly disappointed.
We desire to add to the Christian graces, but it is only by “giving all diligence” that we may hope to make any progress in this. An abundant entrance is ministered into the everlasting kingdom of God to those who will “give diligence” to make their calling and election sure. In no degree are we permitted to believe that a formal or half-hearted service will be acceptable. It must be nothing short of loving God with the whole heart. The thoroughness of effort required in seeking for wisdom is presented by the wise man in these words: “If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” Only by having some knowledge of how men seek for silver and gold, can we understand the force of these words.
Many are content to go on year after year without experiencing any change of heart, or making any advancement in the Christian life, but they hope that sometime, in some way, it will be all right with them, and they go on trusting. God's way is pointed out in his Word. The Scriptures are intended to tell us what our attitude shall be to the promises and provisions of God, whereby we are to be redeemed. The soul that delighteth itself in fatness is the one that heeds the words, “Harken diligently unto me.” There is to be a diligent searching for the light, life, and power contained in the Word of God. It is not that God is not willing to give, or that he reluctantly bestows his gifts, but he is a wise giver, and can bestow his gifts only when and where they will be a blessing.
The same thing is true of prayer. It is easy for persons to form the habit of praying, and to be quite systematic in that practise, and yet come very far short of the true, effectual prayer. To pray without ceasing must be an experience that will be characterized by much earnestness and intense prevailing with God. In “Early Writings,” page 131, we have pointed out two companies. One company is represented as careless and indifferent, many of whom were being shaken out by the way. The other company is represented as persevering in pleading with God, and they are the company that was seen occupying a plane high above those of the earth.
The Christian must not only draw near to God, but he must steadfastly resist the devil. Steadfastness and earnestness will be required in this. The words, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin,” indicate something of the earnestness and real effort required. Unto one of the churches it was said, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” God desires that those who seek to be overcomers become intensely earnest in the matter. He would have his children understand that in this time there must be an awakening on the part of his people in all that pertains to the Christian life.
After referring to the formal and lukewarm state of the church at this time, the Lord, through his servant John, pleads with his people to be zealous and repent. It has been pointed out that there must be a repentance such as has not been seen in the lives of many. More than an ordinary effort is to be brought into this. We are to be zealous and repent. In the current in which we all find ourselves in this world, there are but two ways that we can go. It is either up-stream or down-stream. There are more ways than one that we can go down-stream. There is but one way for a person to make progress in the upward way. That way is for him to bend to the oars and couple with his faith a zeal and earnestness that will put the best of his ability in his effort. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Holly, Mich.
The Roman Catholic Church in Mexico
By Nevin O. Winter
THE dim traditionary history of Mexico shows us shadowy tribes and nations passing across the stage, acting each its part, and then disappearing to make room for other actors. Each tribe and nation had its gods, and some were handed down from one nation to another. The mythology of Mexico is very much mixed, and as much might be said of the saintology of the Roman Catholic Church in Mexico to-day. They have saints who were, only four centuries ago, celebrated as Aztec gods. The Aztecs, when they took possession of the Toltec country, adopted many of the Toltec gods and demigods. The Toltecs were nature worshipers, and made offerings of fruits, grains, and flowers to their gods. This peaceful god of the Toltecs, who took pleasure in the offerings of the fruits of the soil, soon took a place by the side of the terrible god of war of the Aztecs, and shared with him the rite of human sacrifices.
Finally many of the Aztec gods became Christian saints soon after the conquest. They brought with them into the Christian Church their characteristic virtues as gods. The goddess of the rains became Our Lady of the Mists, or Our Lady of the Rains. The saints retained the same power over the elements which they, as Aztec or Toltec gods, were supposed to have. In many places there are shrines to some Christian saint who is supposed to have power over the clouds, mists, or rain. It is shown that in most instances, in Aztec times, a temple or shrine existed on the9same spot dedicated to the goddess of the rains or mists, as the case might be.
It is no infrequent occurrence to see a bouquet of flowers before the image of the virgin in the churches or wayside shrines. Sometimes even offerings of wheat or fruits are found. There is one feast celebrated on the Viga Canal, on April 16, called “the Feast of the Poppies,” which is but a survival of an ancient Aztec feast day, which was adopted from the nature-loving Toltecs. It is now simply a day for a lavish display of the bright, many-colored poppies, which are arranged in wreaths and bouquets of many artistic forms. Indian women and girls in their well-befitting costumes, with wreaths of poppies on their heads, and garlands around their necks, sing in every imaginable key the madrigals of their people, dancing as they go. It is a day of merriment and pleasure. It has now lost its religious significance, but is a survival of one of the most solemn religious festivals of the Aztecs and Toltecs.
The transition from the native ceremonies to the ritual of the Roman Catholic Church was easy to a people who loved outward show and symbolism. The striking ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church, its grand language in an unknown tongue, its mysterious symbolism, the rich vestments of its priests, its lights, incense, and strange unearthly chants of the priests served to harmonize with the singular rites of the Aztecs, and it was not hard for Cortez to force his religion upon the simple and superstitious mind of the Mexican Indian. Their religion is not free from pagan features yet. Form and display mean more than spiritual elevation and humane sentiments with the more ignorant who constitute a very large proportion of the population. One can still discern in the rites of Catholicity as practised to-day in Mexico a tinge of the Indian worship of the Aztecs. In remote caves of mountain regions it is claimed the ancient deities are still worshiped.
The Roman Catholic Church used to be all-powerful in Mexico. It held the wealth and the learning, and the priests preyed upon the people. They were taxed to the utmost. “Pay or pray,” is the inspiring motto affixed to the cross. Rich men gave freely of their substance. Poor peons—and they are vastly in the majority—went clothed in rags that the church might be benefited. They even refrained from using soap that the money might be devoted to the virgin. Shrines and chapels were so numerous that the true believer passed through the streets with head uncovered and hat in hand in fear that he might pass one unobserved. During the latter years of Spanish rule in Mexico, the church became so enormously rich that it was reported to have in its possession one third of all the wealth in Mexico. In addition to the power the church naturally held, this immense wealth gave the leaders of the church great prestige in governmental affairs. At one time the clergy held property to the value of about one hundred eighty million dollars, yielding an annual income of twelve million dollars.
It had secured control not only of the wealth, but also of much of the best agricultural land within the republic. All this was tied up and became useless. The church used its great wealth to oppose all progress. When opposition finally broke forth, the immense wealth of convents, shrines, and monasteries was poured forth with unstinted hand in what the church considered a holy war against heretical ideas and persons. Reformers set envious eyes upon this wealth, and numerous attempts were made to dispossess the church of it. The great Indian reformer and president, Juarez, was the first to accomplish the separation of church and state. The establishment of the empire with Maximilian as emperor was simply a reaction and an attempt to establish an empire in which the interests of the church would be permanent.
This and other attempts failed. The reform, or anti-clerical movement, prevailed. The greater portion of the property once owned by the church has been lost. The country abounds in ruined churches and convents. The law went so far as to prohibit the church from holding property, and if it wished to hold property, it must be in the names of individuals. Priests were forbidden, under penalty of fine and imprisonment, to appear on the streets in their clerical dress. Religious processions outside the walls of the church or church yard were prohibited. Civil marriages were made obligatory to render a marriage valid. Sisters of Charity and the Jesuits were sent out of the country, and even the ringing of bells was regulated by law.
For many years Mexico has thus gone along the line of reform. The ambition of the church has been held in check, but not killed. It is regaining some of its former power, and recovering much of its former property. The average Mexican is superstitious. He is boastful and bold in times of peace, but craven when the time of trial comes. Consequently when sick and about to die, he will send for the priest, no matter how he may have fought the church when in health. The priest, claiming that the Roman Catholic Church, as the chosen of the Lord, has a lien on all earthly goods, refuses to administer the sacrament without some restitution. If the dying man owns confiscated church property, he must restore its value before he can get a clear title to a home in heaven. With the persistence characteristic of Catholic priests, they are ferreting out their former property, and again accumulating vast wealth.
They are also openly disregarding the established laws. I traveled for two days on the railroad with the bishop of Tehuantepec, who wore his purple robes of office all the time. At nearly every station priests met him, and he was given a continuous ovation. A few months ago a well-known priest, in defiance of the law which prohibits public religious processions, authorized such a procession, and blessed at the altar those who arrived with the procession. In many districts the law requiring marriage ceremonies to be made by civil authorities is completely disregarded. The priests tell the people that the religious ceremony is all that is necessary. Although the church upholds such marriages, in law they are absolutely null and void. Some priests go so far as to tell their people that the civil marriage is positively impious. And yet nothing is done to punish these violations of the established laws.
If the Roman Catholic Church of Mexico to-day, with its wealth confiscated, its public voice muzzled, its political powers annulled, has still such power that it can openly violate some of the fundamental laws of the country, we can have some faint idea of its power when it ruled the country with an iron hand.—Nevin O. Winter, in The Christian Advocate.
The Present Outlook
By J. O. CORLISS
Character of the Papacy—No. 8
The Present Outlook
J. O. CORLISS
The Reformation movement was the birthcry of freedom,—not only in religious belief, but in civil rights as well. Having learned that eternal salvation did not depend on the mediation of papal agents, men were not slow to seek release from church interference in civil matters. But this effort became a signal for the church to strengthen her control of the state, which she assayed to do by pursuing heretics more zealously, and engaging the civil power to enforce her edicts against them.
This action on the part of the church was, however, of little avail. The people having tasted the sweets of merely theoretical freedom, were determined to push their way to the realization of complete emancipation from the thraldom of remote ages. Early in the sixteenth century the principles of the Reformation had spread all over western Europe, conquering Holland and Scandinavia, making great inroads in France and England. The Reformation was carrying its work even into Italy and Spain. The very throne of the papacy seemed in jeopardy, and something must be done to steady its tottering foundation.
Discussion of the situation had so divided the sentiment of Catholics, even, that many years were consumed in arriving at an understanding of what should be done to meet the impending crisis. At last, however, it was decided to hold a general council in Trent, a city of Austria, and so Paul III issued a bull, appointing that gathering for Nov. 1, 1542. So distasteful, however, was such a meeting to most of the clergy, that the effort to convene it proved abortive, and another call was issued for the council to meet March 15, 1545.
This council continued, at intervals, until Dec. 4, 1563. During this time10the doctrines of the church were reaffirmed, without omitting that of papal infallibility. These were reworded, however, so as to temper them somewhat to the sentiment of leading reformers, but all in vain. The reformers refused to abide by the decrees of a council controlled by Jesuit sentiment, as was that one, and so the Reformation moved out on the sea of history, supposedly free from papal influences.
The Council of Trent served one purpose alone in behalf of Catholicism. It defined more clearly the doctrines of that body, and gave fresh impetus to the teaching of the Catholic faith. This gave a well-defined distinction between Catholicism and Protestantism, so that people everywhere could easily choose between the two. As education has advanced, the propaganda of the two great bodies has shown a decided advantage in favor of Protestantism. While it is true that in the United States, Catholicism has by far the largest following of any denomination, yet statistics show that in Europe that church has fallen off considerably in late years. Records show that from 1899 to 1906, the number of Protestants who, in that country have turned to be Catholics is 7,285, while the number of Catholics who have renounced their early faith to become Protestants is 38,092. Besides these losses to Protestantism, new organizations within the borders of the ancient church have drawn from that faith nearly eleven thousand others. This “away from Rome” movement does not seem to be a spasmodic agitation, but a permanent factor in modern religious circles. It is thought by those who have given the matter some attention, that this movement, especially in the German provinces of Austria, is a reaction from a passive form of religion, to a deeper religious sentiment born of the conscious spiritual needs of thinking men.
This spirit of unrest among Catholics is not confined to any particular section of Europe. The Alte Glaube, of Leipsic not long ago made the statement that “a modern spirit has invaded the Church of Rome to such an extent as to endanger its unity.” This condition may be said to be largely due to Prof. Hermann Schell, once a member of the theological faculty of the University of Würzburg. His efforts to secure recognition for modern culture and a spiritual type of church life, called forth a personal rebuke from the pope. Portions of his work were condemned by the Index, and just prior to his death, a little more than a year ago, he made his external peace with the church, just in time to save himself from further contemplated humiliation.
But the placing of Schell’s work on the Index did not destroy its influence. A noted clergyman called its teachings “epoch making,” and this with other notices of like nature has called out bitter condemnation of them by notable Catholics. One of these, Prof. Sebastian Merkee, loudly protests against what he calls “hyena theologians,” and demands that they be replaced on the Würzburg faculty by men possessing “the cardinal quality of Catholicism—obedience.”
So pronounced has become this controversy within the Catholic Church, that the pope came to the rescue, and issued an encyclical in the Vatican organ, Osservatore Romano the sixteenth of last September, in which he condemns the doctrines of “Modernists” as “agnostic, and immanent.” The encyclical requires (a) that all Modernists be removed from professorships, and (b) that none of the clergy or the faithful be permitted to read their publications. A committee of censorship is to be established in every diocese to pass on the publications which the clergy and laity may read.
There are other provisions named, which it is not necessary to mention in this connection. These restrictions, however, have called forth considerable criticism, even from Catholic sources. Among these, the Giornale d’Italia, published in Rome, says the papal document shows that “the Vatican is incapable of keeping in harmony with modern civil society.” Another paper of the same place, the Italia, says: “The encyclical . . . is the reconstruction of the Roman inquisition.”
To say the least, the announcement of the pope’s Syllabus has come far short of calling back to the fold those who were censured by its utterances. Nor has it succeeded in settling the minds of those who had not yet identified themselves with the liberal wing of Catholicism. The great Catholic weekly review, Demain, published at Lyons, France, after mature thought, decided to suspend publication, and gave its reason for doing so in these words: “To put the matter quite plainly, Demain is unable to defend the Syllabus and will not take the responsibility of attacking it. Its conductors believe that the task of those who seek to reconcile the truths of religion with the truths of science and with the results of historical and critical research has been made impossible. There are only two alternatives; either to resist or to retire from the field.”
Some of these revelations of “historical and critical research,” referred to in the foregoing quotation, which oppose the teachings of the papacy, have been arrayed against the infallibility dogma, by liberal Catholics, hence were especially marked as worthy of condemnation by the Syllabus. One point advocated by Modernists, marked XXIII in that document, and condemned as a grievous error, is the following: “Between the facts narrated in Holy Scripture and the dogmas of the church based on these facts there can exist, and in fact does exist, a contradiction. Consequently, every critic has a right to reject, as false, facts which the church holds as most certain.” Another, marked LVI, strikes directly at the divine right of the popes, and is stated thus: “The Roman Church became the head of all churches, not by divine ordinance, but by purely political circumstances.”
By these references it is seen that the vital doctrines of the papacy are being jeopardized by the principles advocated by the so-called Modernists. Destroy the infallibility dogma in the mind of the world, and the superstructure of the papacy crumbles. In that case the Roman Church would stand no higher than other sects whom she affects to pity, and almost to despise, as being outside the pale of salvation. Her towering authority would then depart, never to return. No one understands this better than those who have always controlled papal influence. It is this knowledge that provokes such strenuous and persistent efforts to hold members in the ancient faith.
But as one writer in the Figaro states the present situation, “the question whether the new Syllabus is infallible or not is purely theoretical. . . . Since the Vatican definition there has never been a papal utterance which all theologians are agreed in regarding as infallible, and I do not suppose that there ever will be. Theoretically we ought, since 1870, to be in a position to know precisely what is infallible truth and what is not; practically, we are no better off in that respect than we were before.”
The present condition of the papacy, and the prospects of its immediate future fully corroborate the prophecy concerning it. Thus Daniel speaks of it immediately following the close of a certain “time, times, and a half:” “But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.” Dan. 7:26. The revelator probably refers to the same point when he says that after the ten horns, or kingdoms, which are a part of the beast, have given the strength of their kingdoms toward the upbuilding of the beast, until God’s Word has been fulfilled, that they shall then “hate the harlot,” and “make her desolate and naked.” Without doubt this is now in process of fulfilment. But in such case, how will this beast power bring to the people of earth a time of trouble such as never was, to be at its height just when the Lord Jesus is revealed in the clouds of heaven? This will also be, but the question of how it will be accomplished, we must consider in another study of this subject.
Mountain View, Cal.
Life
LIFE. in a world where sin was not punished would be unthinkably horrible. It would mean that God did not care what became of us. We could continue a down-hill course without any warning signals. The principal of one of our theological seminaries was, toward the end of his life, partially paralyzed. One day his hand fell upon a hot-water heater, and, as his nerves sent no message of pain to his brain, he was terribly burned without knowing it. Penalty for wrongdoing is a sign of our Father’s loving care for his children.—S. S. Times.