Earlier text: FURNITURE OF THE SANCTUARYTHE STRONGEST OF LAWS.
By W. C. Mathewson
THE whole universe of God is sustained by means of laws established by an all-wise Creator. The movements of the distant planets inhabiting the immeasurable realms of space, and the lives of the most minute and insignificant of earthly creatures, are alike regulated by this agency. The Creator’s laws, the laws of nature, are good, and were instituted for the preservation and happiness of God’s creatures; but this object can be attained only by thoroly conforming to these laws. If disobeyed, their action becomes harmful, and no man on earth has power to escape the penalty of disobedience. If the laws governing our physical being are violated, disease and premature death are the inevitable results. When people are without food, why do they die of starvation? Because they are out of harmony with one of the laws of their being. The law necessitating the eating of food for the continuance of life is good; but when disobeyed, then the transgressor finds the law “which was ordained to life” “to be unto death.” He has no power to escape starvation, because nature’s laws are stronger than he. When man and the laws that govern him conflict, the laws, being the stronger, prevail, and man is defeated and slain. The law of gravity, that prevents man from being drawn away from this earth by some external force and killed, is a good law. It was ordained to life. But whoever gets out of harmony with it, finds it to be unto death. No man can leap from the top of a high tower, and, unless aided by some special contrivance, prevent being drawn to the earth and killed. He is killed because he has placed himself in opposition to the powerful law of gravity, which he could not withstand. The results of violating the two laws here mentioned are no exceptions. All nature’s laws are powerful to preserve and protect the obedient, and to punish and destroy the disobedient. In the beginning all laws were good; for they were the laws of God. But sin has introduced a change, so that the apostle Paul says, “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.” Rom. 7:21. We as well as Paul have discovered the existence of this law. Many times we have felt its opposing power. Did we ever attempt to do good and not find evil present with us? This law is incessantly active. It confronts us at every step, and no man can withstand it. To resist successfully is fully as impossible as successfully to resist the law of gravity. This law that where we would do good evil is present with us, is one of the laws that govern our fallen, sinful nature. Paul continues: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man; but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” This law is called “the law of sin,” and we can not escape it, because it is in our members. Paul, finding himself utterly powerless to deliver himself from this law, cried out in despair, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Paul could not deliver himself, neither can we; but we have the privilege of petitioning to a higher than human power, to a power greater than the power of the law of sin. This is the power of the Spirit of life. The power of sin emanates from the law of sin, and the power of the Spirit of life emanates from the law of the Spirit of life, and delivers from the law of sin and death. “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Rom. 8:2. So may we all be made free by the strongest of all laws. Stronger than the law of gravity, stronger than the law of sin, stronger than all other laws, is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Hartwellville, Mich. W. C. MATHEWSON FRED T. ELKIN
By Fred T. Elkin
THEN enter His love, all ye weary and worn; ease your souls from the chafe of the burden long borne, and experience the rapturous joys of the blest in the arms of “our Saviour”—the Haven of Rest. “DON’T be so busy remembering yourself; give God a chance to remember for you.” THE work of reorganization, referred to in our last, goes on well. It is constructive in character, not destructive. While it contemplates and inaugurates radical changes, they will not be violent changes. Nothing will be upset; there will be no hindrances or obstacles to the work, unless the perverse human shall stand in the way. This is not anticipated. While there has been questioning as to the advisability of some of the steps proposed, as naturally there would be, there has been no decided opposition. FORMER tendencies were toward centralization. It is the nature of humanity to strengthen the original center. As it took earnest labor and planning to make a successful beginning and secure a center of operations, it would be a natural tendency to continue to strengthen and build up that center. And to a degree this is right; but beyond that degree in Christian life and work it is wrong. While of old Jerusalem was the center of God’s work, the Master did not design that it should be the only center. From it men should have gone out, taught of God, to establish other centers of light and influence, until the Gentile nations had all become enlightened. Thus it was in the early age of Christian effort. Jerusalem, Ephesus, Antioch, Corinth, Rome, Alexandria, and other cities became so many centers of light and influence, the true authority of the city depending, not on the position of the city, but on the light and power which God gave thru His servants dwelling there. Jesus Christ was the Head. No one had predominance over another. EVEN SO God designs His closing work of the Gospel to go to the world. Every evangelizing agency is to be used. Centers of Gospel light and power and influence are to be established everywhere,—not alone in America, but in other lands, from which centers shall go forth laborers for God to win lost souls to the light of life. The evangel of life and of health, the Gospel evangelist and the medical missionary worker, with all their necessary helpers, will work together for the furtherance of the Gospel of Christ. THE administrative authority of the conference is vested in the executive committee of twenty-five. Six of these come from the Medical Missionary Association, and the remainder are elected by the General Conference. It is generally understood that the presidents of the Union Conferences will be members of the executive committee of the General Conference. The committee is empowered to organize itself, and to employ such agents, secretaries, etc., as shall be needed. The Foreign Mission Board will give way in time to the executive committee, who will of themselves constitute a mission board of far greater strength and scope. Sabbath-school work, Religious Liberty work, etc., will be carried on thru secretaries and departments. THIS conference is pre-eminently a missionary conference. State lines are fading away. Funds will not find church walls and conference line-fences the obstacles they formerly were. In the year 1885, the writer, with a dear friend, who now sleeps, listened to Gounod’s great oratorio, “Redemption,” in Royal Albert Hall, London. Two poor missionaries were not able to secure a seat in the pit, not to speak of a box. They were content to stand in the great gallery at two and six each, thru the three hours or more of the rendering of the great masterpiece. We recall the Son in creation, the fall, His ministration as the Angel of God’s presence, the Word made flesh, His manifestation of God, His suffering, the agony of the garden, the darkness of the cross, the triumph of His resurrection, and the grand triumphal chorus of a thousand voices singing in glorious procession the victory of His ascension in the courts of glory, as given in the latter part of the twenty-fourth psalm. This closed the second part of the oratorio. Such seemed the work of our conference on the tenth day of its continuance, just before the Sabbath, when the Spirit of God came upon Brother A. G. Daniells of Australasia in a glorious, thrilling appeal for the great needy world, the field which God has given to His servants. It was not in its language, tho that was proper and to the point, but it was in the God-given power of the message for that moment. It was another step in triumph over unbelieving conservatism, let us hope, in all hearts, and a broader outlook from comfortable home fields to the great, dark, dying, needy world. BUT just as beyond the resurrection and ascension of Christ was lying the great field of the world in which His body, the church, was to labor, to minister His life, to witness to the power of His resurrection, to carry on the struggle begun by her adorable and self-sacrificing Head; so after the outward triumph of the principles in this conference which make it thus far a true missionary gathering, there lies before this people the great, broad, needy field of sick bodies and dying souls. After the transfiguration of the mountain came the giving of the glory of His life to the needy, demon-haunted multitude in the valley below. So beyond us lies the labor, the travail, the pain, and, praise God, the triumph of saving souls. May the Spirit which has given the principles baptize God’s children with His power. "TOOKEST VENGEANCE OF THEIR INVENTIONS."
By T.
Thou answeredest them, O Lord our God; Thou wast a God that forgavest them, tho Thou tookest vengeance of their inventions." Ps. 99:8. There is a wonderfully consoling truth in this verse of Scripture. First the statement is made that the Lord answers, so that we can call upon Him with the assurance that He hears. Then the verse tells us that the Lord forgives us. What a blessed assurance this is! Following this statement of God’s forgiveness come the words, “Thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.” Observe particularly that it is the “inventions” of sinful men that God takes “vengeance” upon. These inventions are things that they have devised that are wrong. The Lord does not want to destroy the men who do wrong. He wishes them to learn how to do right. So He forgives the individual, but takes vengeance on the evils that he has done. The Lord does everything in His power to save the sinner by separating him from the wrong that he has done. But in order to rid His universe of evil, it is perfectly evident that the Lord will be under the necessity of destroying those who persist in being so absorbed in wrong-doing that they are in themselves full of wickedness. Every right-minded person should be and is interested in seeing evil destroyed. And we should therefore rejoice as much in the fact that our God taketh “vengeance” on the evil inventions of men as we do in the truth that He forgives them of their iniquities. Our heavenly Father not only forgives, but He separates the sin from us, and then takes vengeance on the sin, so as to have it completely destroyed. How soul-satisfying is the knowledge of this great truth! Have you ever felt an indescribable sense of awe and fear at the thought that the Lord would take vengeance upon the sinner? If so, be comforted by the knowledge that His vengeance is against sin, and that He desires to destroy the sin, so that we may be truly happy. No one can be perfectly happy while a single vestige of wrong remains, and it is indeed a cause of rejoicing that the Lord is taking vengeance upon evil. We may see the stroke of the Lord against the wrong, and thru a superficial consideration of the matter think that He is taking vengeance on the sinner himself. But look at the subject in its true light, and see that the Lord destroys the sinner along with his sins, only as a last resort. After every effort of divine love has been exhausted to save the sinner, then, and not till then, the Lord reluctantly visits His destruction upon him—the destruction that He prepared to visit upon sin only. “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God; and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” Eze. 18:23, 31, 32. “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Eze. 33:11. T. THE DAY OF THE SABBATH.
By T.
“The Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Ex. 20:11. Here is a statement that the Lord’s blessing is upon the “Sabbath day.” He has blessed the day. Not that He has blessed a Sabbath, in a random sort of way, and the blessing is liable to hit just anywhere. But He has blessed the Sabbath day. Not only has He blessed the Sabbath day, but He also “hallowed it.” That is, He made it holy. Then when we enter upon the Sabbath day, we are in holy time. When Moses was at the burning bush, “God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And He said, Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” Ex. 3:4, 5. When Joshua was leading ancient Israel into the promised land, he met “the Captain of the Lord’s host,” who was none other than Christ. And He “said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy.” Joshua 5:15. God thus taught: that holy ground should be approached with reverence. In like manner should we enter the hallowed moments of holy time. We may cease from labor upon other days aside from the Sabbath, but our resting upon them does not make them holy. It takes the rest and the blessing of Jehovah to create the special blessings and holiness of that day. And since the Lord has designated the exact time, it remains for us to accept the day He has given. Otherwise we can not do real Sabbath-keeping; neither do we give the Lord the honor due unto Him, since we do not recognize the memorial He has given to keep in mind His great creative power. Then with what care should we study to know the true Sabbath day. No other day aside from the genuine one will do; for none but the “Sabbath day” itself has in it the Lord’s sanctifying blessing, and a Sabbath blessing for us. Sabbath-keeping is important, for it involves the observance of a sanctified day. And truly to regard what our heavenly Father has thus sanctified means to sanctify us as well. Because of early associations or education we may have a sentimental regard for some other day besides the real Sabbath. We may try to argue to ourselves that it would be the abandonment of our ancestors and all their treasured memories, should we do anything different in the line of Sabbath-keeping from what we have been taught. But all our ancestors that are worthy of such respect and emulation were valiant heroes in the struggle to know only the truth, and to let truth supplant every error. It was thus that they advanced toward the light of day, by casting off the blinding mantle of darkness. So, then, if we would be worthy of our noble ancestors, we should do as they did in following the light. Every reform that to-day rests as a blessing on the world has been under the painful necessity of riding over the prostrate sentiments and doctrines of error, in order to spread its benign values before mankind. Let us, then, inquire closely and candidly and reverently of the Lord about His blessed day of rest. We must know for sure just what day it is; for we can not afford to miss giving the Lord the honor due Him; neither can we afford to miss the great blessing of true Sabbath-keeping.7 God has written but one Sabbath law; therefore we need not become confused at the outset amid a multiplicity of statutes. Let us read that Sabbath law just as it came from the lips of our great Creator. The wording of it is, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Ex. 20:8-11. We “remember” only such things as are kept alive in the memory. The memory reaches back into the past, bringing the facts and incidents of other days into the active present. Then the very first word of the Sabbath commandment points to the great event of creation, and calls us to keep alive in the mind the day that God instituted to commemorate His mighty works. The work of creation is a fixed and established fact. Therefore the day given to commemorate that creative work is also a fixed and established day. It could not be otherwise. In this connection observe how plainly and explicitly the Sabbath commandment tells us which one of the seven is the Sabbath day: “Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Do you ask, Which is the Sabbath day? The Lord’s answer is plain beyond the reason or semblance of an excuse for a quibble. He says plainly, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” The day commonly called Saturday is the seventh day, and not Sunday, which is the first day of the week. Everybody knows this. And every one who can read the commandment, or who can hear it read, ought to know that the day commonly called Saturday is the Sabbath, and that Sunday is not and can not be the Sabbath of the Lord. This is a simple matter of the plainest kind of fact, based on the commandment that God Himself has given. To seek to argue away such facts is to attempt to argue away the words and the doings of the great Eternal. Well may finite man pause before attempting any such deed. But you ask, with surprised countenance, Has not the Sabbath been changed from Saturday to Sunday? Is not Saturday the Jewish Sabbath, and is not Sunday the Christian’s Sabbath? This change of the Sabbath will be a good subject for the next paper. It will be the theme of an article next week. T. IN the great commission which our Lord gave to His disciples, the first Word is, “GO.” He had previously told them that “the field is the world.” To carry the Gospel to such a vast field requires much going. It is not necessary to double or treble the work by much going and coming on the part of many workers. An extraordinary amount of coming back is not in the commission. It is “Go ye into all the world;” not that one individual can go to all the world, and be able to accomplish much in any one place; the commission is to the body. When Christ was doing missionary work on the earth, He was always “going about doing good.” A missionary is one sent; his calling is to “Go.” Christ, having set the example to others, sends them to do as He did. When He had chosen twelve disciples, He sent them out with the commission, “As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matt. 10:7. “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Verse 16. They were not sent out on a pleasure excursion, just to see the country. They were to expect persecution. “Ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake; but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city,”—what then? come back home? No—“flee ye into another;” keep going; “for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.” Verses 22, 23. So it is also with the proclamation of His second advent; the work of the disciples must be done first. It is therefore urgent; “the King’s business requireth haste.” “Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.” The same dangers beset the work that lay before the first disciples, and the same warnings are given. “They shall deliver you up to be afflicted;” yes, and the devil will afflict you with disease in order to frighten you and get you to run back. “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” See Matt. 24: 9-14. Christ is now directing by His Spirit the great Gospel work. He is not only directing men, but angels also, in the grand, benevolent enterprise of saving sinners. The disciple who is imbued with the Master’s Spirit, when he hears the query, “Whom shall I send?” is ready with the answer, “Here am I; send me.” Abraham was a missionary. “Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.” Gen. 12:1. “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him.” Verse 4. After he reached the land to which the Lord sent him, he was confronted by a great famine. But the missionary did not turn back to his old home in discouragement. He had been told to get out of that country; and he had not gone to Canaan for experiment, just to see if he could make a little money in connection with the Lord’s work. He had been called of the Lord, and went to stay. So when the famine came, he went in the opposite direction from the old home; he went into Egypt until the famine was over, and then returned to the field where the Lord had planted him. Notwithstanding the commission to go to all the world, the first disciples were not disposed to go away from Jerusalem. Perhaps they thought that as long as there were thousands of unconverted people in that city, there was plenty to do there. Everything was going well with them. “Great grace was upon them all.” They “had all things in common,” and “distribution was made to every man according as he had need.” They had “favor with all the people,” and disciples were added to the church daily. Why should they think of going anywhere else under such favorable circumstances? But persecution arose. The adversary thought to break up the work entirely; yet that was the very thing which, in the providence of God, set the disciples to going. “They were all scattered abroad,” and “went everywhere preaching the Word.” But the word “Go” in the Christian commission does not necessarily mean to a foreign country. It may not mean further than the next door. But it does mean that Christians are to take the initiative in the matter of giving the Gospel to the world. The world is right around home, as well as on the other side of the globe. The people of the world do not know their danger; they do not know the truth; and many who profess the name of Christ have been deluded by false teachers (Matt. 7: 15; 24: 11; 2 Peter 2: 1) until they know nothing of the Gospel of the soon-coming kingdom of Christ. They are not likely to ask about these things until they hear of them. Some one must “go” and tell them. If a neighbor’s house were on fire, no one would think of waiting for that neighbor to come in and ask if his house was on fire. No, he would “go out quickly” and give the alarm. On the subject of going to the world, Dr. H. C. Trumbull aptly says: “The word ‘Go’ is often lost sight of by preachers and other Christian workers. There are those who seem to think that this message reads, ‘Come ye from all the world, and hear the Gospel.’ Ministers complain that people do not come and hear them preach. Christian workers complain that their godless neighbors are not ready to come and sit under pulpit preaching. Well, what if those who need the Gospel will not come and seek it? How about this word to you—‘Go’? Go and preach to those who will not come to hear. Go out after the little ones who never come to Sabbath-school. Go and ‘compel,’ by loving entreaties, those who would be welcome if they came unasked, but who will not come unless you go and bring them.” The missionary idea originated in heaven. The Lord did not stand off at that great distance and say to sinful man, “Come up here, if you want to be saved.” No; He went where the sinners were. He humbled Himself, and adapted Himself to their surroundings. He adopted their dress, their customs, and outwardly their manner of life. His Pharisaical enemies spoke a great truth when they deridingly said, “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” He even took upon Him the nature of sinful man, in order that He might die with them and for them. In these days of extraordinary facilities much going can be done by proxy. It is not always possible to go in person. Some can go by helping others to go. Much effectual going can be done by sending a tract or a paper containing the truth. Many souls are saved by this means. Often one may go to great advantage by sending the necessaries of life to those in want. “Blessed is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.” Ps. 41:1. “Ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good.” Mark 14:7. To the sinner the Word says, “Come.” To the Christian the command is, “Go,” and give the invitation to come. G. A SAMPLE OF MUNICIPAL CORRUPTION.
READ the following from the Chicago Record-Herald of March 26, as to the condition of the municipal government of that city. The one who tells it, the editor declares, is a “business man of undoubted standing.” To the story below he makes affidavit:— “One Friday afternoon of last month I was in the Steuben County Wine Company’s restaurant. I have taken my lunch there for a long while, and know the bartenders and people in charge very well. On this Friday afternoon I happened to comment on the fact that while the place was supplied with three slot machines of the latest type, all of which were in running order, there was one machine in the place in a very prominent position which was old, dilapidated and seemingly entirely out of place. I asked the man why he gave that one house-room when he had three others so much more elaborate. ‘Why,’ he said, ‘we are going to be raided by the police this afternoon, and we got a tip this morning to get ready. There’s a man down town who buys up all the old machines just for such occasions, and sells them to the saloon-keepers for $4 and $5. This afternoon we will move the good machines into the back room; and when the police arrive, they will get the worthless one, which they will proceed to take over to the City Hall and destroy with great unction, and play to the galleries. The dealer in second-hand machines makes quite a good thing out of it, as we are all notified in plenty of time to do business with him before each raid.’” “I thought this a very candid statement. But the next morning when I picked up the Chicago Tribune, I found where the police had raided sixty-four slot machine operators. The names of the places were given, and first upon the list was the name of the Steuben County Wine Company. Feeling a little curious, the next day I went into the restaurant and found the old and worthless machine gone, but the three new ones in full running order and gathering in the nickels as of old. The same three machines were running there to-day when I dined at the restaurant.” We have no interest in the politics of the matter; we merely point out these facts as signs of the times. Conscience is hardening. Lucre is more than life with many. Denmark’s Conditions for the Islands’ Sale
In the matter of the proposed sale of the Danish West Indies to the United States, Denmark has made several conditions. Among these is the condition that in case of sale to the United States, the inhabitants become at once not only subjects, but citizens of the United States; also that the products of the islands shall be admitted to the ports of the United States free of duty. It seems somewhat humiliating to an American that America should have to be taught the first principles of liberty by the ruler of a monarchy. High-Speed Electric-Motor Trains
GERMANY claims an electric-motor train which travels at the rate of 125 miles an hour, and England has one traveling at the rate of 102 miles an hour. THE TENDENCY TO MONARCHISM.
By G.
Logically the most unexpected thing in the United States would be a tendency toward monarchical principles. Such would logically be the more unexpected because of the unparalleled prosperity of the republic, and of the people under a republican form of government. But in spite of natural expectations, the prophecy has said that this government would make an image to a power that is the very essence of human monarchy; and that power is comprehended in the term Papacy. The fulfilment of the prophecy of Rev. 13:11-17 is the very last thing that would be naturally expected in the United States, yet that is just what is rapidly coming to pass. We do not have to criticize any administration or political party in demonstrating the truth of this assertion, for the reason that the progress in that direction has been manifest under every political auspice for the last forty years, and especially under the religious and political auspices in the last twenty years. In a republic both the State and the church establishments are grounded in the people, and the people are logically responsible for their conduct, their influence, and their fruits. In a monarchy the people are largely what the government makes them. One king of Israel has gone into history as “Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin;” and this case illustrates the principle. In a republic, however, the administration is what the people make it. The officials are representatives of the people. In a State-sustained church it is generally true that “like priest, like people;” but in an independent church, the reverse is more likely to be the case. Then when we see the tendency to mimic monarchy in the republic, to make an image to the Church-and-State power of Rome, we must look to the people for the signs that mark the tendency, for the manifestation of the spirit that actuates the movement. This tendency toward monarchism is manifested in many ways, but we will note one given by an Episcopal minister as quoted in the Christian Cynosure. Of course it was not the purpose of this minister to show the tendency to which we refer, nor was that the purpose of the Cynosure in quoting him; but the application is none the less pertinent. This minister has been engaged in missionary work for his church in the State of Washington, and expresses a good degree of satisfaction at finding a rather favorable attraction toward the display connected with ritualistic worship. Here are his words:— “I found, to my surprise, that even the use of the surplice, cassock, and stole, instead of arousing prejudice, as something to be regarded with suspicion or treated with ridicule, as in some localities I have known farther East, only serves to attract worshipers. This fact need not, however, excite wonder. In a community where almost all of the men and a considerable number of the women belong to various orders, such as the Masons, Odd Fellows, and Knights of Pythias among the men, and the Daughters of Rebekah and the Order of the Eastern Star among the women, at whose stated meetings each official is expected to wear the uniform peculiar to his or her office, the custom of a clergyman to wear a distinctive dress in his public ministrations is regarded as proper and appropriate.” The growing mania for membership in some secret order is self-apparent in every section of the country; and they are anything but republican in form or purpose. The membership in each is a class formation, and the benefits are restricted to the class. Conspicuous regalia and high-sounding titles are evidences of the innate love of royal recognition. There is nothing in any of them that is designed to foster the plain principles of republicanism. They seem to be born of a desire to enjoy even a semblance of the pomp and display attached to monarchism. And the foregoing acknowledgment that they generate and foster a taste for ritualistic display in worship, shows that they gender to the religious monarchism of the Papacy. As to the monarchism of the secret lodge, it is pertinent to add that the new head of the Mother Supreme Council of the World of the Masonic fraternity is a member of the United States Congress. His Masonic salary is $3,000 a year, and when he travels his expenses are paid. “The Holy House of the Temple” is situated in Washington, is owned by the Scottish Rite Masons, and valued at $150,000. It is a life position, and the Cynosure says: “Few monarchs will be more gorgeously enthroned or more ceremoniously attended than he while executing the functions of his office.” A New York paper, commenting upon this accession to the throne, says: “The gorgeous throne upon which Mr. Richardson will sit while exercising the functions of his office overlooks a grand hall known as the Senate chamber of the Supreme Council.” Then it describes the gorgeous regalia worn by this American monarch. Thus we have an extensive monarchy within the republic, with its capital within the capital of the republic, and many of the citizens and officials of the republic manifest a supreme regard for the monarchy. It would be impossible to estimate the influence of this monarchy on the affairs of the republic. And there are many other orders of more or less extent and influence which are all patterned after this one. Is it any wonder that the principles of republicanism and Protestantism are so fast decaying in the United States? G. CORPORATE SALVATION.
By C. M. S.
THE spirit of the present day is the spirit of unionism, corporation, combination, consolidation, trusts; and we find that it is a spirit which is not content to dominate worldly affairs alone. It has crept into the pulpits of the church, till the theme of corporate salvation—the salvation of Society en masse—has taken the place formerly occupied by the theme of individual salvation and individual accountability to God—as if society was an entity; as if society had a soul to be saved or lost. Society is defined as a community of individuals; it is defined as companionship; or as a class of individuals who hold themselves above the ordinary work-a-day people; and it is also, in a vague sense, the influence emanating from a community; but it is not in itself a reasoning, thinking, responsible being, a being that can keep or break laws of its own power or volition. We can not hang, electrocute, or imprison society for the sins of society, about which we hear so much. The individual members of the race are held responsible individually for the sins which they commit. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die;” This is not spoken of society; for it has no soul. We can not in any way make it read: “The society that sinneth, it shall die.” Whatever sins, God holds responsible for the sin; whatever is held responsible for sin is the thing that dies; and the thing that is to die for its sin is the thing that needs salvation, and must have it or be lost. The Lord Himself declares (Deut. 24:16), “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” This teaches the individual accountability of man to God. If God would not hold a man’s family responsible for his sins, He certainly will not hold the community at large thus responsible. Man can not put upon “society” the blame for his own wickedness, nor look to the “salvation of society” for his own individual salvation from the results of his own individual sins. Salvation is a personal work, the result of a personal reconciliation between man and his Maker. There is no such thing as corporate godliness or corporate salvation. Christ, thru the things which He suffered, became a perfect Saviour, that He “might succor them that are tempted.” We are tempted as individuals, not as society. He nowhere tells us that He came into this world to succor and save society. The blessedness of the real facts of the Gospel are lost sight of in the idea of society salvation. It is true that Christ died for the world; but that can be said only because He died for every individual in the world. He died for you; He died for me. He will save you; He will save me; He will save every individual who will surrender to Him, and accept of His salvation. Christ loves us personally; He died for us personally; He will save us personally, and in no other way. There was no sacrifice made for “society,” there are no mansions prepared in heaven for “society,” the names of the redeemed recorded in heaven are not the names of “societies,” and the “saints” who “possess the kingdom” possess it as “saints,” not as “societies.” Let us take the teachings of Christ for what they mean, and realize in our individual hearts the blessedness of His individual salvation. Then will our testimonies have power, and our lives will be living witnesses of a true, living Christian experience; and while multitudes are following after the deceptive teachings of these last days, such lives and such testimonies will stand out as true guide-posts for the benighted wayfarer, and as lights shining in a dark place “until the day dawn.” C. M. S.