[This article is No. 29 in the series entitled “A Review of Sunday Legislation in Century Nineteen,” but it will be of equal interest to those who have not read preceding numbers.—ED. S. of T.]
THIRTY years later the Rev. William Hubbard, who, by the way, was the first historian, so called, of Massachusetts, in his election sermon at the inauguration of Governor Leverett, said thus:—
I shall not entertain you with any sharp invective, or declaiming against a boundless toleration of all Religions, lest it should be an insinuation that some here present are inclined that way, which I believe there was never any occasion given to suspect. . . . Such opinions in Doctrine, or professions and practices in Religion, as are attended with any foul practical evils, as most Heresies have been, ought to be prohibited by publick Authority, and the broachers or fomenters of them punished by penal laws, according to the nature of the offence, like other fruits of the flesh. God never appointed a Sanctuary for Satan, nor City of Refuge for presumptuous offenders. As Joab was taken from the Horns of the altar, whither he was fled, so let all such heretical transgressors that fly for refuge to the Altar of their Consciences, seeing their practices and opinions are rather fearfulness, than tenderness of Conscience, and therefore such weeds justly deserve the exercise of his power to root them up that bears not the Sword in vain.
Again, listen to that "silver trumpet," Thomas Shepard, the elder—"a poore, weake, pale-complexioned man, holy, heavenly, sweet-affecting and soul-ravishing":—
To cut off the hand of the Magistrate from touching men for their consciences will certainly in time (if it get ground) be the utter overthrow, as it is the undermining, of the Reformation began. This opinion is but one of the fortresses and strongholds of Sathan, to keep his head from crushing by Christ's heele, who (forsooth) because he is kept into men's consciences, and because conscience is a tender thing, no man must meddle with him, as if consciences were made to be the safeguard of sin and errour, and Sathan himself, if once they can creep into them.
Such were the principles of the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay. Such were their principles as expressed by themselves. It is easy to see that such principles and such ideas could not result in anything else but persecution. And of persecution there was plenty.
Some historians of later times have tried in vain to gloss it over, and to make out that it was necessary in order to preserve civil society. All that can be said in answer to such an argument is the question, "What must be the state of things which makes that wholesome severity which elsewhere would be diabolical atrocity?" "Woe to that society which has no cement but blood! Woe to that government which, in the hour of success, must not dare to be merciful!"
They say that small societies cannot exist without a State religion. They hold that that which is but a small ripple and scarcely felt in large communities, becomes a large wave in a small community. But tried before the bar of history, the argument miserably fails. Holland was once a republic; Holland was never a large republic. But yet Holland existed with complete religious equality before the civil law. How about Rhode Island? It was a small colony. But at the time of the adoption of the Federal Constitution it seems to have had a government that was quite as stable as that of Massachusetts. Romeo Elton, writing in 1850, has expressed himself thus:—
In Rhode Island no man has ever been molested on account of his religious opinions; and civil officers, from the highest to the lowest, have been chosen without regard to denomination. The happy results have been apparent in the harmony existing among the different sects, as well as in the liberal support given to public worship and to religious institutions. In no part of the world is the proportion of churches to the population greater than in this State.
English travelers who have spoken favorably of the example presented in the New World of religion unsupported by the State, have frequently qualified their approbation on the ground that the experiment has been too short to afford conclusive evidence. Probably many of these gentlemen did not know that there was one State, at least, to which this objection cannot apply. Two hundred and sixteen years are surely long enough to judge of the results of any system. Protestantism itself can boast of only one century more.
It has proved to be an expansive system. The leaven, at first hidden in one small territory, gradually extended itself until Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and other States, where Episcopalianism or Congregationalism was established by law, were penetrated by its influence. The last link which bound religion to the State was burst asunder by Massachusetts in 1833, and every part of the Union has now adopted that great truth which occasioned the persecution and banishment of Roger Williams.
So much for the argument that States cannot hold together without a State religion. But the Puritans themselves had another method of justifying their proceedings. John Cotton stated it in a few words:—
You thinke to compell men in matter of worship is to make men sinne. If the worship be lawful in itself, the magistrate compelling him to come into it compelleth him not to sinne, but the sinne is in his will that needs to be compelled to a Christian duty. . . . You know not, if you thinke wee come into this wilderness to practise those courses here which we fled from in England. We believe there is a vast difference betweene men's inventions and God's institutions; we fled from men's inventions; to which wee else should have been compelled; wee compell none to men's inventions.
The Puritans held that their worship was lawful in itself, and, therefore, when they compelled anyone to worship as they did,661that they could not possibly be telling them to sin against their consciences, but were only making them do what their consciences told them they ought to do. In other words, they held that their doctrines and practices were, all of them, "God's institutions," and that God would most certainly not instruct any man's conscience to go contrary to his own "institutions." And from this they drew the logical deduction that all men who did not believe and practice exactly as they did, were sinning against conscience; and, therefore, ought to be compelled by the civil law to desist from so pernicious a course. The whole theory shows a very close likeness to the principles advocated by the Papacy on the same point. Says Cardinal Gibbons:—
A man enjoys religious liberty when he possesses the free right of worshipping God according to the dictates of a right conscience, and of practising a form of religion most in accordance with his duties to God.
The question which would arise in both cases—the case under Puritan administration, and the case under Roman Catholic administration—simply resolves itself into this, What is a "right conscience?" The Honorable Edward Goddard, Esq., of Framingham, Mass., who had been a member of both the Lower and the Upper House in the Legislature of the State, admirably answered the question, when he wrote, in 1753:—
"Good conscience men allow (they say),
But must be understood
To say as they themselves do say,
Or else it can't be good."
Nevertheless there is one most important difference between the Puritans and the Roman Catholics, and it is a difference which favors the Puritan. As far as persecution is concerned, the conduct of the Puritan differs from that of the Papist only in degree. Both have been cruel and intolerant; each has been tyrannical and despotic. If any argument can be found to extenuate the guilt of the New Englander, the man who advances it must recognize that it will apply with equal force in the extenuation of the guilt of the Catholic. This is well stated by Adams:—
There that record is, and it will not out. Roger Williams, John Wheelwright, and Anne Hutchinson come back from their banishment; and stand there as witnesses; the Quakers and Baptists, with eyes that forever glare, swing from the gallows or turn about at the cart's tail. In Spain, it was the dungeon, the rack, and the faggot; in Massachusetts it was banishment, the whip, and the gibbet. In neither case can the records be obliterated. Between them, it is only a question of degree,—one may, in color, be a dark drab, while the other is unmistakably a jetty black. The difficulty is with those who, while expatiating with great force of language on the sooty aspect of the one, turn and twist the other in the light, and then solemnly asseverate its resemblance to driven snow. Unfortunately for those who advocate this view of the respective Old and New World records, the facts do not justify it. On the contrary, while the course in the matter of persecution pursued by those in authority in the Old World was logical, and does admit of defence, the course pursued by the founders of Massachusetts was illogical, and does not admit of more than partial extenuation.
When Mr. Adams says that the Papacy was logical, and that the founders of New England were illogical, he refers, doubtless, to this point, the Papacy claimed to be infallible. The Church of Rome practically held that there was no such thing as salvation outside of her fold. From this, her standpoint, it became a kindness to persecute, if, by the application of a few lighted fagots in this world, she could save the wandering sheep from ceaseless ages in hell. But the Puritans did not arrogate to themselves, in principle, at least, infallibility. They did admit that there might be salvation outside of their communion. They did hold that faith, to be of any value, must be a voluntary act. And then, admitting all of this, they did persecute, and in this their course was clearly illogical.
NATURE OF MAN, AND HIS STATE IN DEATH.
By Ida Hilliard
SINCE the fall of man ideas have been advocated which would lead one to believe in the natural immortality of the soul; but that this is erroneous seems plain when compared with the Scriptures.
Job, in speaking of man, says, "Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his Maker?" Chapter 4:17. From this it appears that man is mortal, subject to death. The word "immortal" occurs in the Bible but once, and is found in 1 Tim. 1:17. It reads, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever." Here it is applied to God. Again, in chapter 6:15, 16, we read, "Which in his time he shall show, who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting." Here we are plainly told that God only hath immortality. If God only has it, man is certainly not in possession of it. It is brought to light (to his knowledge) through the gospel, for 2 Tim. 1:10 plainly says that our Saviour, Jesus Christ, "hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."
Although man does not naturally possess eternal life, it is not beyond his reach. It is possible for him to obtain it. "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself." John 5:26. Again, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6:23. Thus we learn that God has promised eternal life through his Son. It cannot be purchased, but is a gift. In Rom. 2:7 we read, "To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality [God will render], eternal life." Thus we see662that it is obtained by seeking for it through Christ, in welldoing. If man naturally possessed it, the Lord would not require him to seek for it.
Now let us see when man is to obtain the gift of immortality. This is plainly shown from the following passage: "Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Cor. 15:51-54. Here, again, we are told that man is mortal, and that he puts on immortality when the last trumpet sounds. It would be inconsistent to tell a person to put on something that he already has on.
When God created man, he was formed before he received life. In Gen. 2:7 we read, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." There is no proof that there was immortality in this breath given to man. If so, would not the animals also be in possession of immortality, as they received the same breath? "And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life [margin], of all that was in the dry land, died." The testimony of the wise man agrees with this. He says, "For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preëminence above a beast; for all is vanity." Eccl. 3:19. Thus we see, as far as the breath is concerned, man is on a level with the beast. Of course man has reasoning powers, which, in life, place him preëminently above the beast. He has also the promise of the gift of immortality, at the last trump, through Jesus Christ our Lord. But when man's or beast's breath goeth forth in death, the text teaches that man has no preëminence above the beast.
The breath is called spirit in different passages, as already referred to in the margin of Gen. 7:21, 22. It is called the breath of the spirit of life in Job 27:3 and James 2:26. Job says, "All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils," and James says, "For as the body without the spirit [margin, "breath"] is dead, so faith without works is dead also." This breath, or spirit, returns to God at death, as is shown from Eccl. 12:7: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." There is nothing to show that this refers to the righteous more than the wicked. The breath, or spirit, of both the righteous and unrighteous returns to God. Man, in death, is in a state of unconsciousness until the sound of the last trump. This is confirmed by Ps. 146:3, 4: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." How much can one know when his thoughts have perished?
Again we read: "For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun." Here we are plainly told that the dead know not anything. The Scriptures in many places set forth man's state in death as a condition of sleep. We all have experienced the state of unconsciousness in sound sleep. Respecting death as a sleep, the Psalmist says, "Lest I sleep the sleep of death." Ps. 13:3. Also in Ps. 115:17 he says, "The dead praise not the Lord; neither any that go down into silence." How calm and silent is one in natural sleep, until the time comes when he is awakened! Exactly so with the Christian in death. He quietly awaits the voice of the Life-giver, which will call him forth to immortality.
Our Saviour's words in John 5:28, 29, "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation," show plainly that there will be a waking up of both good and evil. Paul says, in 1 Thess. 4:16, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." Thus we see that it will not be an eternal sleep, as some think, but will be an unconscious rest until the trump of God sounds at the second coming of Christ. Let us be careful to take God at his word, and then we will avoid the errors extant.
The above scriptural view of the subject is a safeguard against the Satanic delusion of Spiritualism. It is clear that only those who believe Satan's lie, "Thou shalt not surely die," can be led into this great deception. How diligently we should study the word of God, and, with his help, comply with all its conditions, that we may receive the gift of immortality when our last great change shall come!
CHURCH OF ROME AND PURITANS—A COMPARISON.
But the important difference between the two lay in this: The Church of Rome enforces papal dictum; the Puritan imposed Bible law. The difference between the two systems is a great, impassable gulf. Now notice the point: In the Bible the Papacy is denominated as the "MYSTERY OF INIQUITY." The Revised Version substitutes for this reading, another, "THE MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS." This is the name which, by Infinite Wisdom given, defines the character of the "beast." She is in very truth the MYSTERY OF LAWLESSNESS, for she recognizes no law in the heavens above, in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. She is utterly and entirely lawless. In the place of law she substitutes the fiat of the supreme pontiff. Thus the happiness and misery of the millions of her devotees are intrusted to the whim, the caprice, the fitful meanderings of a single mind. Nothing can be worse than this. It is despotism of the worst kind.
But how stands the case with the Puritans? They took the Bible for their written constitution, and they proceeded to enforce Bible law (as understood by them) by civil force. They imposed the doctrines of the Bible, as they construed them, from the written word. It is true that God never gave the Bible for any such purpose. It is true that in doing this very thing they were violating the precepts of that very word which they sought to enforce. All of this is so, and it militates against them. But law of any kind is immeasurably superior to dictum. And divine law is most certainly an improvement over human dictum.
This clearly shows that, although Puritanism enforced by civil power is an unpleasant dose, it is, nevertheless, in principle not nearly so bad as Roman Catholicism.
Again, I quote from Mr. C. F. Adams, whose ideas upon the subject are most logical and excellent:—
The early Massachusetts community was, in its essence, a religious organization. Church and State were one; and the Church dominated the State. The franchise was an incident to church membership. The minister—"the unworthy prophet of the Lord"—was the head of the church. There was a deep significance, as there may have been a bitter sneer, in Blackstone's parting shot as he left Boston, in which the "lord bishops" were joined with the "lord brethren." At the point it had now reached, the Reformation of the previous century had resulted in practically substituting, for a time, many little popes and little bishops for the one pope and the few great bishops. The fundamental principle of that Reformation had been the paramount authority of the Holy Scriptures as a rule or guide in life, as opposed to the dictation of popes, synods, and councils. The human mind, after centuries of implicit obedience, had revolted; and, in the revolt, the reaction, as usual, was complete. Instead of unquestioning submission to human authority, no human authority whatever was allowed to intervene between man and God's word. . . .
Thus God's word was beyond question, and it only remained to interpret it and declare its meaning in any given case; but the interpreting and declaring were the function of the clergy. The "lord brethren" had thus been substituted for the "lord bishops"—many local popes for the one at Rome. . . . The written word then became matter for judicial construction; but, like any other written law, when once construed, and its meaning ascertained by competent and recognized authority, it was held by common consent to be the rule in force. . . .
The Hebrew Bible was, then, the fundamental religious law—the spiritual constitution, as it were,—of the Puritan community. The clergy were the ordained and constituted expounders of the law—the Supreme Theological Court. Before them and by them as a tribunal, each point at issue was elaborately and learnedly discussed; reasons were advanced and authorities cited for each decision they rendered. Behind their decisions was the word; behind the word was God and his hereafter. The spiritual organization was complete. . . . There was God, the Constitution, and the court—and the clergy were the court.
Having now considered the case of the Puritans in the above historical jury room, I think that an honest verdict, consonant with the facts in the case, can be arrived at, namely, that, in principle, the Puritans fell considerably short of being what Christians ought to be, and not quite as bad as Papists. And there this phase of the subject may well be dropped.
(To be continued.)
CAPITAL CITY OF THE NEW EARTH.
By William Covert
BY ELDER WM. COVERT.
EVERY kingdom must have its seat of government. The earth redeemed from the curse of sin will constitute the territory of Christ's kingdom. The New Jerusalem which is now in heaven is to be the capital city of this kingdom. The building is done in heaven and afterward it is transported to this earth, where it is to remain forever. The plan of this city, and the founding of the kingdom, was begun upon the earth, and a king was here crowned before the reign of sin began. The truthfulness of this proposition will appear by studying Heb. 2:7 with Gen. 1:28; 2:8, 9, 15.
The divine arrangement was for Adam to rule over the works of God in this world. Had he been faithful he would have been the king of the whole earth. The Garden of Eden was to have been the home of Adam, and around it, in the country of Eden, the great metropolis of the earth would have been built. In case of continued obedience with all there could have been no such thing as a division or alienation in the family of Adam therefore one seat of government would have been sufficient for all the earth; and that would have continued in Paradise. That holy garden was planned, planted, and made to grow by the divine hand. It contained every variety of trees both for use and ornamentation, even to the tree of life itself. It possessed the finest of gold and the most precious of stones. Its rivers and tributaries were created for its beauty, its glory, and its convenience. See Gen. 2:9-12.
It was then that the Creator himself laid the corner stone of this kingdom, and fastened the foundations, and stretched the measuring line upon it. And when it was done the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Job 38:4-7.
But through sin the king lost his dominion; yet He who had placed him there never ratified the victory which Satan gained over man. And notwithstanding the fact that the devil claims the dominion over this world because of his conquest over man, yet he never obtained possession of the seat of empire. Though man yielded to Satan the Lord did not.663Satan never captured the crown nor the governmental effects which Heaven granted as ensigns of royalty. Adam was deposed for disloyalty by the Power that coronated him. The cherubim from the throne of God came down and took possession of the gate of Paradise and of the tree of life. Thus in the name of Heaven they possessed the very throne upon which Adam sat. Jesus was then intrusted with that crown which had previously been given to Adam. See Heb. 2:9.
The government of earth was thereby preserved as far as the plan had been developed before Adam failed. But all that had been done up to that time was done by the Lord. Therefore sin was not permitted to mar that part which God had subdued for man, and modeled after the eternal plan.
For this reason it seems that Paradise was not destroyed, neither were sinners allowed to possess it. It was regarded sacred and holy as heaven itself and was in time removed to heaven. There from its holy precincts the original plan of the earth has been carried forward; and there the holy city, the New Jerusalem, has been built.
To learn that Paradise is now in heaven, see 2 Cor. 12:2-4. The tree of life is in the Paradise of God. Rev. 2:7. The tree of life is in the New Jerusalem. Rev. 22:1-3.
It was in this city that the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob centered. They knew in their day that God was its builder and that sometime it would be possessed by the heirs of promise. Heb. 11:8-10. Paul says this city is the mother of all the children who constitute the promised seed. Gal. 4:26, 31; 3:26-29. She is the bride, the Lamb's wife. Rev. 21:9, 10. Christ by his union with this city in the work of redemption has begotten through faith all the saved of Adam's race.
As Christ took the crown and the work where Adam failed, it became necessary not only to do the work that Adam was to have done, but also to redeem man, who was fallen.
The prophet in describing his work as a whole said, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isa. 9:6. He is the everlasting Father of all the saved, because he is the Author of everlasting life. Christ is made unto man the way, the truth, and the life, the first and the last. To the redeemed he stands at the head of the race, where Adam would have stood had he been faithful. This position therefore placed him in possession of Paradise, and gave to him the crown of the deposed king of the place. Through this union with Paradise the redeemed are born into eternal life. If for a time he chose to take the capital of earth's kingdom to heaven, and there build it on high, and maintain its laws, and transfer the citizenship of the loyal to heaven, it only shows that he is wonderful in counsel and mighty in working. The powers of darkness can never defeat such a Prince as this. He had a perfect right to do all this, as the earth and the kingdom will only be the gainers by it. Gainers because he is to return all he took away, with the labor of the ages and the riches of heaven added to it.
In vision "John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Rev. 21:2.
He said its measure was twelve thousand furlongs. The city is square, and this measure, being the length of the four sides, shows there are to be 140,625 square miles.
It has a jasper wall, but clear as crystal, founded upon most precious stones. In this wall are twelve gates, all made of pearl. The Grand Avenue or principal street is in length three hundred and seventy-five miles, and down this King's Highway, through its whole length, runs the River of Life. On either side of this stream grows the tree of life, arching its waters from bank to bank. This street on both sides of the river is paved with gold. Its peaceful walks and avenues are adorned with the many fruits and flowers of Paradise. At the head of this street is the throne of God and the Lamb. It is along this street and by the side of this river that the immortal saints will gather and eat the fruit from the tree of life, and drink of the waters of that crystal stream. No night can ever enter there, for the glory of God, brighter than the noonday sun, but made mellow with love, will lighten the place, and shine far out beyond its open gates, to meet the coming and the going of the twelve tribes of the redeemed.
This holy city, center of the holy, glorious kingdom of God, awaits all who will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ died that we might be saved from sin; he lives that we may share his eternal home. All heaven invites us to come. "And the Spirit and the bride [the New Jerusalem] say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Rev. 22:17.
Grace Prepares Us for Grace
By Quesnel
THE use of grace attracts more; faith gives a man the knowledge of the truths of Christianity. But from whence do this use of grace and this faith proceed, but even from grace itself? The less belief, respect, and relish one has for these truths, the more one deserves to be deprived of them. One divine gift prepares us for another; he who, by a holy kind of usury, improves them for his Master, enriches himself.—Quesnel.
Feeding One’s Enemy
"If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." Rom. 12:20.
Carnal and True Worship
THERE is a carnal worship, prompted by the flesh, which is an abomination to God. Not all earnest worship is true worship.
The Crown of Life
"BLESSED is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life." James 1: 12.
Entertaining Strangers
"BE not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Heb. 13: 2.
A HEAVENLY VISION.
By A. R. Wilcox
BY A. R. WILCOX.
I SEE the golden city bright,
Prepared by hands divine.
I long to roam the blest domain
And call its pleasures mine.
The walls of precious stone are built,
The gates are pearly white,
And streets of shining gold reflect
The beams of God's own light.
Fair mansions rise on either side;
Their praise I would prolong;
The tree of life with fadeless bloom
O'ershades a happy throng.
Life's river, too, its crystal tide
From God's great throne doth flow;
Its calm and tranquil course leads out
Where heav'nly zephyrs blow.
Yes, far beyond the gates of pearl,
In faultless beauty laid,
Are glory fields, how passing fair!
Their verdure ne'er shall fade.
Athens, Vt.
THE ATONEMENT.
By E. G. Farnsworth
BY E. G. FARNSWORTH.
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Heb. 2:14, 15.
In the beginning the Lord made man in his own image, and surrounded him with all that might be conducive to his happiness. But Satan, in his hatred for God, came to our first parents, and represented to them that God was not good, and that he would hold them in service vile. Satan said to them, "God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods." Thus he represented to the woman that God did not wish them to rise to their higher privilege, but would keep them in bondage and degradation. Thus Satan represented God as having a character like his own, while he represented himself as their best benefactor. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, . . . and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat." Gen. 3:6.
When the woman saw, or believed, this statement of Satan's, then she saw, or believed, that God was not good, and that he did not love them, for love always bestows the best. This is the point in all of Satan's deceptions. When he had once gained control of the human mind, and separated it from God, then he had the advantage, and could represent all the effects of sin as coming in consequence of God's hatred for man. And this is the result to the whole human family. Everywhere, all people by nature believe that God does not love them, and that, if they ever escape his vengeful ire, it will be because someone steps in and receives the stroke of his wrath, so that he is appeased, and will grant mercy to the penitent. This idea of God and of the plan of salvation is not confined to the worldling; many professed followers of Christ have the same idea of the character of God, but they believe that Jesus loves them, and has stepped in and received the stroke that otherwise would have fallen upon them, and that he is a shield against an offended God.
Jesus came into this world, not to glorify himself, but to glorify his Father; and of the Father he said, "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. It is the Father's love that is revealed in sending the Son. "They shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matt. 1:23. Whatever was seen in Jesus Christ, that was God. He said of himself, "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." John 14:10.
Thus all the loving words and works of mercy were just the gushing forth of the Father's heart. The words that Christ uttered as he hung upon the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," was not that he felt more tenderly for those that were crucifying him than the Father did, but because the Father dwelt in him. And why was all this manifestation of love?—"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8. It was in the beginning, and has been ever since, the work of the devil to cast his hateful shadow over the character of God. But all who believe the record concerning the Son of God, believe that he is the manifestation of the Father, and, consequently, that God loves them. Then there is a reconciliation, not of God, but we who were enemies are reconciled to God.
The human mind, or, rather, the spirit of Satan, would change this around and make it to read, God is reconciled to us, thus keeping before the mind that lie which he insinuated in the beginning, that God is not love. God has set before the human mind the greatest and grandest object lesson of love he possibly could. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." That is, he came down and dwelt in the flesh, manifesting his loving disposition toward them that hated him; he spake comforting words to them that were oppressed, healed them that were diseased, wept over them that would not receive him, bore every kind of scorn and abuse, yet never retaliated; "when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not."
It is by the death of Christ that we are reconciled to God. Rom. 5:10. This is illustrated by the penitent thief. When the two thieves were nailed to the cross, they both united with the priests, scribes, and elders, in mocking the Son of God. Matthew says, chap. 27:44, "The thieves [plural] also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth." Just before the Saviour expired, however, one of them "railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked664him, saying, Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? and we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man hath done nothing amiss." Luke 23:39-41.
The thief here confessed his sins, and declared the righteousness of the Lord. This result was brought about by the life and suffering of the Son of God, which the thief beheld during those hours of darkness in which they suffered together. Thus he was redeemed by the blood of Christ.
The blood is everywhere taken to represent the life. "The life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls." Lev. 17:11. This text teaches, that it is the life, and not the material blood, that makes the atonement. This is just what was accomplished with the thief on the cross. It was the life there manifest that slew the enmity that was in his heart and made him at one with Christ. Atonement means at-one-ment; that which destroys enmity and makes a union of feeling and purpose is the truest sense of the word "atonement." God could not reveal his character to fallen man by staying up in the high and holy place, so he came down to dwell among men. "Since the children are also sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner took of the same; that through death he might bring to naught him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Heb. 2:14, 15, Revised Version. Thus through the life and the death of the cross he has "spoiled principalities and powers, . . . triumphing over them in it." Col. 2:15.
May the time soon come when everyone who will accept of salvation shall be snatched from the hand of the deceiver, God's character fully vindicated, and sin and Satan fully destroyed. "Then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of their Father."
THE IMPORTANT THING.
A YOUNG woman whose life was full of lofty ambitions found herself occupied day after day with disagreeable household tasks.
As the future seemed to shut down over her hopelessly around these homely duties, the girl grew complaining and bitter.
One day her father, who was the village doctor, said to her: “Do you see those vials? They are cheap, worthless things in themselves, but in one I put a deadly poison, in another a sweet perfume, in another a healing medicine. Nobody cares for the vials themselves, but what they carry.
“So with our duties, insignificant and worthless in themselves, but the patience, or anger, or high thinking, or bitterness which we put into them, that is the important thing, the immortal thing.”—Silver Cross.
The Bible Separates All Things
"The Bible is the most precise and clear-cut book ever written. It separates things and forever keeps them separate. The trouble is that we are always confusing them."
Delight in Holiness
By Melvill
If here on earth we do not delight in holiness, we have no preparation for that world where God is to be all in all forever.—Melvill.