MAN'S primitive diet was fruits and grains. This was God-given. After his fall the Lord permitted "the herb of the field," or vegetables. Following the Deluge, flesh meats were permitted, and the average of human life greatly shortened.
The holy seed, the ancestry of Christ, is traced from the antediluvian patriarchs through Shem, Arphazad, Peleg, Nahor, and intermediate generations, to Abraham. God calls Abraham, the faithful, out from the world to a better country. For four hundred years his seed are to be pilgrims and wanderers in the promised land, as in a strange country, and in Egyptian bondage and slavery. At the end of that time Abraham is assured that God will judge the merciless slave-owners, and bring his seed into the promised land. This promise to Abraham included the world, restored to its Eden beauty by the power of God. Compare Gen. 12:7; 13:14-17; 15:5-21; 22:17, 18; Rom. 4:13; Heb. 11:8-16.
The Time of the Promise.
God purposed to fulfil this promise and oath when He delivered Israel from Egypt; for thus Stephen bears witness: "But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt," etc., to the birth of Moses, and the deliverance of Israel, Acts 7:17-36. So, also, when Israel went up from the Red Sea, they sang in that inspired song (Ex. 15:1-18):—
"The Lord is my strength and song,
And He is become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father's God, and I will exalt Him."
"Thou shalt bring them [Israel] in, and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance,
The place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established.
Jehovah shall reign forever and ever."
Just how God would have brought about this eternal reign we need not curiously inquire. We know this, that nothing was lacking on His part. His mighty power there manifest, of which no such display had been seen since the creation (Deut. 4:32-40), would have purged and renewed the land, raised the righteous dead, and given eternal life to those brought out of Egypt. He was their King, and He designed to reign over them "forever and ever."
The responsibility rested with them. If they would yield to Him, if they would receive His agencies for their salvation, they would live. He gave them "right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments," "which if a man do, He shall even live in them." Neh. 9:13; Eze. 20:11. He repeatedly and emphatically told them that He had set before them "life and good, and death and evil;" that the life was not far away, either in the depth or up in heaven, but brought down to them then and there; and He pleads with them to choose life, that both they and their seed might live. See Deut. 30:11-20.
Eternal Life.
Neither was the life a mere temporary affair, to be renewed again thousands of years in the future; only their unbelief made it thus. God desired to give them life in that land forever. Here were the conditions:—
"Thou shalt keep therefore His statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, forever." Deut. 4:40.
"Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thine house, and upon thy gates; that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth." Deut. 11:18-21.
In order that Israel might be physically fitted for that glorious land, God takes them from the diet of Egypt and Babylon, and feeds them upon spiritual food, the "corn of heaven." The law of food was among the statutes that were good. By the Sabbath and the manna God proved them. See Exodus 16. Note a few of the scriptures which refer to this life-giving food of God:—
"All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no. And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live." Deut. 8:1-3.
The Lord took them back to the Eden bill of fare, to the pure water for drink. He "satisfied them with the bread of heaven. He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river." Ps. 105:40, 41. Even in their unbelief their "raiment waxed not old," neither did their foot swell during all their wanderings, and there "was not one feeble5person among their tribes." Deut. 8:4; Ps. 105:37.
"Our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat [food]; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ." 1 Cor. 10:1-4.
Result of Unbelief.
And yet nearly all fell in the wilderness, and those who crossed over Jordan went into the promised land to die. Why?—Because of unbelief; and unbelief came through cherished lust. They were out of Egypt bodily, but in Egypt in spirit. They lusted for the flesh-pots of the land of plague and darkness. They loathed "the bread of heaven," and despised God's wonderful provision. See Num. 11:4-6. Thus writes the psalmist (Ps. 78:16-25):—
"He brought streams also out of the rock,
And caused waters to run down like rivers.
And they sinned yet more against Him
By provoking the Most High in the wilderness.
And they tempted God in their heart
By asking meat for their lust.
Yea, they spake against God;
They said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
Behold, He smote the rock, that the waters gushed out,
And the streams overflowed.
Can He give bread also?
Can He provide flesh for His people?
Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth;
So a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also came up against Israel;
Because they believed not in God,
And trusted not in His salvation;
Tho He had commanded the clouds from above,
And opened the doors of heaven,
And had rained down manna upon them to eat,
And had given them of the corn of heaven.
Man did eat angels' food;
He sent them meat to the full."
God's "salvation" to them was the food He gave them, received by faith; but the psalmist declares that they perished because they believed not God nor trusted in His salvation; tho He had given them of "the corn of heaven," and "angels' food," sufficient for all their wants.
Said the Jews at a later date:—
"Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
But Jesus, knowing that they were looking to Moses rather than God, replies:—
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven." John 6:31, 32.
Later, referring to Himself, Jesus said:—
"This is that bread which came down from heaven; not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever." Verse 58.
From this and the context we gather that Christ gave Himself in the manna, but Israel saw not Christ; in their unbelief they saw only the mere material manna. And they died. Had they eaten by faith they would have lived. They looked to Moses, not to Christ. From the former they could get only the law; from the latter, faith would have obtained grace and truth. John 1:17.
In their unbelief they would not "do" the laws that were good, the statutes which, if obeyed, would have brought life; so God gave them their request as to food and "sent leanness into their soul." Ps. 106:15. He gave them up to their own lusts, and to "statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live." Eze. 20:25.
Instead, therefore, of entering the inheritance and rest of God which He had promised and sworn unto Abraham, they did not enter in, because of their unbelief. Heb. 3:8 to 4:10. They would not return to the first principles of healthful living, but preferred the diet of Egypt, and death, to the primitive diet of Eden and life.
Clean and Unclean Flesh Foods.
In order, however, that the holy seed might be preserved, the Lord gave explicit instructions as to the better kinds of flesh foods. This is recorded in Lev. 11 and Deut. 14:3-20. But these laws were no part of the perfect laws of God "in the beginning." Like the laws concerning marriage and divorce and slavery, they were designed to ameliorate, as far as possible, unholy existing conditions which, in the unbelief and ignorance of the times, could not be entirely changed.
There was also this lesson continually kept before that people in the animals used for food, namely, sin and its consequence,—death. Every life taken told of the condition of sin in which they were, of the death on their behalf of the One to come.
When Jesus Christ died upon the cross, all sacrifice of beasts in God's plan ended. In the nature of the foods eaten and rejected by Israel, there could be no change. The clean and the unclean were so, not arbitrarily, but inherently. God declared them so because they were so. The food given to Israel would have been better than a general flesh diet if followed by all the world to the present. Scrofula and cancer doubtless come through the eating of unclean beasts. Dr. Kingsley, a noted cancer doctor, of Rome, N. Y., is quoted as saying that among his thousands of cases he never knew of but one Jew to be afflicted with cancer, and he was a pork eater. The very term scrofula comes from the Latin for sow, the female swine.
After the Crucifixion.
Yet, notwithstanding the flesh foods given to Israel were greatly superior to those of the nations of earth, Jesus would not put upon the great Gentile world the restrictions which were given the Jews. The apostles declare concerning the converts from among the Gentiles, as respects food: "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled; . . . from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well." Acts 15:28, 29. "Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no questions for conscience' sake." 1 Cor. 10:25.
The Lord knew that His precious Gospel would go to every part of the earth. It would reach those who knew but little else than a flesh diet; it would come to those who were slaves to "riotous eaters of flesh;" it would enlighten those in part who were grossly ignorant of the simplest laws of life; and the merciful Master would not bind about the poor souls with exacting and discouraging restrictions. He would forbid blood, and strangled beasts, in which the blood remains; for the grossest, most corrupt, and merely stimulating food is the blood, loved most by the fiercest and cruellest brutes, and imparting a like nature to those who partake of such food.
Moreover, the Master knew that the day of the Lord, and the coming of Christ, and the setting up of the eternal inheritance, was yet future. God's people, as others, would suffer and die; let them partake of the diet of death and decay. Jesus Himself partook of the same, that He might reach to the lowest depth of human weakness, and show that it was possible to save men through death and the resurrection, whatever their diet. Therefore from the cross forward the diet of Egypt and Babylon, the diet which continually spoke of death, was permitted.
To the Glory of God.
But we are not to understand from this that the great All-Father was indifferent to the food of His children, altho He did not count flesh foods of any sort sin to the unenlightened. He said by His apostle: "I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean." Rom. 14:14. And yet He declares in that very chapter, "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." Verse 21. Whatever the food, there should be no eating merely to gratify an unholy appetite. "Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things." 1 Cor. 9:25. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31. Whatever God has permitted man's food or drink to be in any age, He is to seek in the use of that food, in quality and quantity, not the lust of the flesh, but God's glory.
(Concluded next week.)
CIVIL LIBERTY.
By American Sentinel
THE liberty to worship God according to the dictates of conscience, without molestation, is a part of the civil liberty which is every individual’s right by creation. And when civil liberty is denied an individual, religious liberty, in this sense, is denied with it. To deny the principle of government by consent of the governed, is to deny religious liberty, in the sense in which the Sentinel has considered it.
Religious liberty, in its truer sense, as meaning liberty in Christ, can not be taken away from any person without his consent; it is enjoyed inside the prison cell as well as in the house of worship. But freedom from State interference in religious belief and practise, is a freedom which rests directly on the principle that just government is by the consent of the governed. Deny that principle, take away from an individual the liberty of self-government, and you take away that person’s religious freedom. He can not possibly be free to act as he sees fit in matters pertaining to religion, and at the same time not be free to so act in the secular concerns of life.
There was never in all history an instance where one person was governed by another in civil affairs, where he was not also governed in religion by that other person, or at least the right to govern him in religion was assumed by the governing individual. In all governments which have not been by the consent of the governed, church and State have been united, laws for governing the people in religion have been in force, and people who asserted their religious freedom have had to do so in defiance of the government, and at the cost of the penalty which the State saw fit to inflict.
Now, the Government of the United States is denying the principle of government by consent of the governed in the case of the Filipinos. In doing this it is denying to that people the right of religious freedom. And as religious freedom is the right of every person, black as well as white, savage as well as civilized, and as the Sentinel stands for this principle, and has stood for it from the first, it can not but declare itself against the governmental policy of imperialism; and in so doing it is not departing from the stand it has always taken, and is not going into politics.—American Sentinel.
JESUS CHRIST, THE SINNER'S FRIEND.
By F. C. Gilbert
WHEN the Saviour was here upon earth, and walked a Man among men, the leaders of the Jewish Church, the scribes and Pharisees, brought a very strong accusation against Him, by which they had hoped to lead the minds of many away from Him. They did not accuse Him of being wealthy. The accusation was not that He was exclusive, and mingled only with such as belonged to a certain class, or peculiar sect. But the awful accusation that was brought against Him, and the dreadful charge that was laid at His door, was none other save that He received sinners and publicans, mingled with them as persons fit to be associated with, and even went so far as to accept invitations to their homes, and partake of their hospitality. Luke 15:2; Mark 2:15; Matt. 9:10, 11.
The question might very naturally arise, Who were these classes that were so ostracized from the society of these leading men? and how was it regarded by them to be found mingling with such people? Whatever the answer may be, one thing is certain,—this charge that was brought against Him seemed to trouble Christ very little, save that it encouraged Him to continue in the line of work which He had undertaken. The publicans were a class of people whose business it was to gather the taxes; and very frequently the office was used for all manner of injustice and fraud, especially when the law could be utilized to enforce their unjust claims.
This class of people used to be found chiefly among the Romans, and of course were very much hated by the Jews; for the Jew thought it more than wicked to be taxed by an alien power. But in the days of Christ many of the Jews themselves sought this kind of business as a means of livelihood, as well as to gain wealth. Then the hatred of the Jews was much increased because even of their own people should be found those who not only considered the tribute as legal, but actually engaged in the work of collecting it themselves.
Because these Jews did this kind of work, they were considered as very bad. They were not allowed to mingle in synagog or temple worship; their testimony would not be received in a Jewish court; in fact, they had no privileges whatever in Jewish society, and were classed with the heathen. Matt. 18:17.
A fair illustration of the publican's unpopularity with the Pharisees and the scribes is given by the Saviour in Luke 18:11: "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican." It will be seen from this scripture that the publican was associated with everything that was vile.
The other class designated as "sinners" was considered to be a very wicked set, and nothing in sin and wickedness was too bad for them to do. How these people were regarded by the Pharisees is well illustrated in Luke 7:37-50. Christ went into the house of7Simon, the Pharisee, who once had been a leper, and the Saviour healed him. The wealthy Jew had made a feast in honor of the Saviour, the Jewish way of showing appreciation for kindness rendered. While at the feast a woman came in, unobserved by many, and silently stole her way to the couch upon which the Saviour was reclining. Stealthily she made her obeisance to the Master, and then manifested her appreciation of Him by anointing Him with a very precious ointment. The fragrance of this ointment attracted the attention of the host, and behold, there he saw this woman performing the act of anointing the Saviour. Almost horror-stricken, the rich Jew began to question within himself whether Jesus were what he thought Him to be. "Now when the Pharisee which had bidden Him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This Man, if He were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touched Him; for she is a sinner." It was evident that she was well known in the community where she lived, as a bad woman, and from other scriptures it is clear that she was none other than Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus had cast seven devils. See Luke 8:2; compare Mark 14:3, and John 11:2. Thus we see that these people were very bad people, and not fit for ordinary society; so the Jews in those days regarded them.
Now, to mingle with either or both of these classes was to be as bad as they were, and, of course, all intercourse was cut off by their fellows. So that in the eyes of the Jew, to be a publican or a sinner was to be about as bad as a person could be.
Now the Saviour knew just how these people were considered by the rest of the Jews, and in what light He would be regarded if He associated with them. Nevertheless, with this knowledge of the facts, He mingled with them. So when the charge was brought against Him of doing such an awful thing, and making such a breach in religious etiquet, He made the following reply: "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice; for I AM NOT COME TO CALL THE RIGHTEOUS, BUT SINNERS TO REPENTANCE." Matt. 9:12, 13.
O, what blessed truth did the Saviour declare in this reply—truth that not only brought joy to the hearts of men, but gave joy and pleasure to all the angelic host! Thus, from this scripture, it is both clear and evident that Jesus Christ took His position with the downtrodden, the outcast, and the debased of this world. "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." This is what Jesus Christ came to this world for; and all that was necessary for a person in Christ's day to acknowledge, in order to secure help from Jesus, was that he was a sinner. This, the poor publican realized when he went up to the temple to pray. Luke 18:13. He desired help from the Lord, and help he certainly must have. But he had nothing in the world to bring to God as a recommendation to secure His favor. All he knew was that he was a sinner, and all he could tell the Lord about himself was what he knew. And this was all that was necessary with Jesus Christ. So it is a settled fact that when Christ was here upon earth He actually was the Friend of publicans and sinners. This is the record of the Word of God.
But for what was that record made? Was it merely for the people who lived in the days of Christ?—Nay, verily. "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Rom. 15:4. Then it is as literally true to-day as it was in the days when Jesus walked in this world, that Jesus Christ is the sinner's Friend. Did He not Himself say: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever" (Heb. 13:8); "I am the Lord, I change not" (Mal. 3:6)? And with God there is "no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Jas. 1:17.
Thus, we see that Jesus is the same Friend of sinners to-day. And did not the apostle Paul learn this fact in his experience? "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." 1 Tim. 1:15. "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Gal. 2:20.
O glorious thought!—Jesus Christ, the sinner's Friend. The same Jesus, with the same tenderness, with the same unchanging love, with the same long-suffering and kindness, is as great a Friend to sinners to-day as He was when here nineteen hundred years ago. And the only argument we need to bring before God as a reason why He should accept us, is to tell Him we are sinners. Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and call them to repentance. And "him that cometh to Me, I will in nowise cast out." John 6:37.
How beautiful to actually know and realize that this is so! It makes no difference how low we have fallen in this world; how much we have been, or may be, ostracized by our fellowmen; how very bad we may be regarded in this world; if we will only come to Jesus Christ, He will associate Himself with us, and tell us, in person, that He is our Friend. He will forgive us all our sins; He will speak the word, "Forgiven;" He will receive us as a brother, a friend, an associate. Yes, it will even bring joy to the hearts of the angels, if we will only come to Jesus Christ, and accept Him as a Friend. Luke 15:10. O, what a dear Friend is this Jesus! Yes, He is a Friend that will stick closer than a brother. And tho all friends and relatives in this world may fail because of our adversity or sorrows in life, He will never turn away, for He hath said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
Sinner, friend, have you become acquainted with this dear Friend, Jesus? Are you sick and tired of sin? Are you conscious that you need the Balm of Gilead, and healing to the soul? Jesus Christ came to call sinners to repentance; for those who are sick need the Physician. He will heal you of all your sin-sickness; He will bring peace and joy to your soul; He will give you of His love and mercy, that you will know for yourself that Jesus Christ is your Friend. "Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation."
"Sinners Jesus will receive,
Even me with all my sins."
THE RESURRECTED LORD AND THE LORD'S DAY.
By G. E. Fifield
(Concluded.)
The Third Meeting with the Disciples.
THE next meeting was at a lake side, when the disciples had toiled all night and taken nothing. Jesus appeared on the shore, and told them to cast the net on the other side of the ship; and when they did this they could not draw the net for the multitude of the fishes. It is plainly said, "This is now the third time that Jesus showed Himself to His disciples, after that He was risen from the dead." John 21:14.
There is no hint or intimation as to what the day of the week was on which this took place. Our friends who, to furnish basis for their assumption of Sunday sacredness, so boldly declare that all of Christ's meetings with His disciples after the resurrection, were on the first day of the week, not only do so here without warrant, but if their assertion were true, they would only gain for their point the plain record that Jesus gave His assent to an apostolic example for fishing on Sunday.
The Ascension.
The fourth and last meeting of the risen Lord with His disciples was at the ascension, which is plainly declared to be forty days after the resurrection. Forty days after any given first day of the week, could not fall on another first day, but would clearly come on Thursday instead. It was on Thursday, therefore, that Jesus last met with His disciples, and instructed them, and then was taken up from them into heaven; and it was on this day, as they gazed intently into heaven after their departing Lord, that the angels met them, and promised that Jesus should come again.
The only one of these four meetings that we know was on Sunday was the first one, and it is plainly revealed that this was that He might have witnesses to the fact that He arose the third day according to the Scriptures, and therefore met with them that He might consecrate that day.
The second meeting we know was on Monday or Tuesday, and the fourth was on Thursday. If, therefore, there was any other meeting on Sunday, it was when Jesus taught the disciples where to cast their net to get the fish.
The Day of Pentecost.
To satisfy the consciences of those who wish to regard the first day as sacred, it is assumed that Pentecost, with its marvelous outpouring of the Spirit, fell on that day and forever consecrated it. But Pentecost, as the name implies, always came fifty days after the sheaf was waved, and that was waved on the morrow after the yearly Passover Sabbath.
Jesus was the antitypical first-fruits, waved on the cross between earth and heaven, on the morrow after the Passover Sabbath, and on the preparation day for the weekly Sabbath. Fifty days after His crucifixion on Friday would bring Pentecost that year on Saturday. So Horatio B. Hackett, D.D., professor of Biblical literature in Newton Theological Seminary, remarks, "It is generally supposed that this Pentecost, signalized by the outpouring of the Spirit, fell on the Jewish Sabbath, our Saturday."
Here, therefore, or elsewhere, the assumptions of those who would honor Sunday, are squarely opposed by facts, and yet, if true, they would prove nothing concerning the abolition of the seventh-day Sabbath and the institution of another day to take its place.
The resurrection of our Lord is a glorious event. But no one can possibly honor that event more than does Paul in that wonderful resurrection chapter, the fifteenth of 1 Corinthians. Yet in that whole chapter he never once mentions the day of the resurrection. It is not the day of the week but the event itself that He glorifies. How can those who teach that ever after the first day of the week was to be sacredly observed in commemoration of that event, explain Paul's absolute silence on the subject when devoting one of the longest and grandest chapters in the New Testament to the subject of the resurrection?
In another place, when speaking of the subject, Paul gives the true divinely-appointed commemoration of both the crucifixion and resurrection in these words: "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection." Rom. 6:4, 5.
Baptism, and not the observance of any day of the week, is the true memorial of both the crucifixion and the resurrection.
Redemption.
Great and glorious as was the resurrection of our Lord, that event did not complete redemption, as is often taught. Redemption is not yet complete, for Paul, long after the Lord's resurrection, teaches that the whole creation still groans and travails in pain, waiting for the redemption; and he pleads with us not to grieve the Holy Spirit whereby we are sealed "unto the day of redemption." Rom. 8:22, 23; Eph. 4:30.
When redemption is complete, every tear will have been wiped away. Death, that last enemy, will have been destroyed. Every creature in heaven and in earth shall unite their voices in the grand anthem, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever." "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." This is the "day of redemption," concerning which we are told to rejoice as we see it "drawing nigh."
Surely, then, if the Lord shall see fit to set apart this day in commemoration of a completed redemption, we will all observe it gladly. But all this glorious redemption has been through His everlasting covenant, of which the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, is the sign.
We need not wonder, then, that, after all this, we read that in the new earth—redemption complete—"from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come up to worship before Me, saith the Lord." Redemption is only that part of creation which restores what has been lost through sin. The morning stars will again sing together, and all the sons of God shout for joy. The Sabbath is redemption day as well as creation day, and in both it is the Lord's day, for He is Creator and Redeemer.
KNOWN OF GOD.
By T. S. Doolittle
WHEN the world misinterprets and maligns our motives, when it would even assault and destroy the very life of us if it dared, it is a consolation to seek the recognition of a Being so infinitely greater and better than the world, and who is as willing as He is able to shield all His followers from harm. The soul's spiritual aspirations can be satisfied only by communion with its Maker and Redeemer. It looks away from earth-born contentions and perils to the halcyon rest and blessedness of the eternal realm.—T. S. Doolittle.
NOT THE LORD'S.
By Editor
"OUR LOST SABBATH" is the title of an article in the New Voice of September 7. It draws a discouraging picture of church attendance in New York City on a Sunday morning. In some of the largest and oldest churches but a mere handful attend. In Grace Church, Broadway, for instance, there were not present "nearly enough to have placed one person in each pew." University Place Presbyterian Church was closed, its little congregation holding a meeting in a side room. The Church of the Ascension had a congregation of "just twenty-five people." In "the Central Metropolitan Temple on Seventh Avenue," "Methodism's great effort to reach the masses of the metropolis, founded 'for aggressive Christianity,' not more than one-seventh of its space was occupied." The great Baptist Memorial Church on Washington Park had a congregation of about a hundred and twenty. Some churches were closed.
In contrast with this the writer tells us that on that same Sunday thousands were flocking to Coney Island, where saloons, dance-houses, indecent bathing, houses of prostitution, cheap shows, catch-penny machines, and beer, beer, BEER, are everywhere. Most of these are American people, many presumably church and Sunday-school people, sometimes at least. And so the writer tells us, in capital letters, that in "the greatest center of our national life, this great imperial city, whose thinking and doing have in the past molded and fashioned, to a great extent, the customs of the whole land, THE SABBATH IS DEAD—SLAIN AT THE HANDS OF THE AMERICAN SALOON BY VIRTUE OF THE POWER THAT CHRISTIAN VOTES HAVE GIVEN TO THAT MONSTER."
And all this is the most abundant proof that the "lost sabbath" referred to is not of God. The writer well calls it "our sabbath." The Bible Sabbath is "the Sabbath of Jehovah thy God." That rests upon the everlasting Rock of God's Word. It is inherently immortal, because God is. It does not depend on a backslidden Christianity or the Christian vote. It may be trampled underfoot; it may be vilified by false witnesses, like its Master; it may be crucified between thieves and buried, as was its Lord; but, notwithstanding all these and more, it lives, because it is of God, founded in eternal fact, a necessity to the spiritual man, and forever upheld by the Word of God. Such is the Lord's Sabbath, the seventh day.
It has its witnesses; it has ever had its witnesses. Sometimes they have been weak, and fainting, and timorous, because of overwhelming darkness and persecution; sometimes they have been faithful, courageous teachers of God, like Moses, Ezekiel, Elijah, and the Man Christ Jesus. But from Adam to the present God's Sabbath has had its living human witnesses; and these have never asked that that Sabbath be "promoted" or "supported," or in any way aided by human enactment. They have only asked that it be let alone.
All God's institutions are founded in Him, and exist in Him. So far as earth is concerned they exist in His Word and in the lives of His people. And if they truly exist in the lives of His, the gates of the saloon or any other of Satan's agencies can not prevail against them.
For instance, in the city of Oakland there gathers from Sabbath to Sabbath, from Sabbath-school service, at 9:30 A.M., to 12:30, the close of the preaching service, a congregation of from 300 to 500 observers of the seventh day. The mountains lie to the north, south, and east; the great city of San Francisco and its beautiful bay, to the west. Excursion and other trains are running in every direction, inviting to the cool country or the exciting city. The great commercial world rushes on; thousands of temptations lure to the half-holiday, yet the above congregation is not affected. And this is but one case among many.
O friends, let it be God's Sabbath, not ours! Better, make God's Sabbath our Sabbath. Then how much trouble we shall be saved! We may leave lobbying and Legislatures to politicians, and have much more time to tell the glad tidings, "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth."