Whither are They Tending?
By A. O. Tait
EVENTS, as they are passing, are viewed by the student of prophecy with an anxious eye. He sees in them the fulfillment of God's ancient predictions; and it not only inspires him with confidence in the word of God, but shows him where we are in the world's history. God has seen fit to reveal in his word events which follow in consecutive order till we behold the Lord of glory as he descends to earth for his people. The four great monarchies predicted in Daniel, chapters 2 and 7, have fulfilled the work assigned them by the prophecy. We have reached the end of the 2300 days of Daniel 8, and the momentous work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary, which we understand to be the work of judging the righteous, is now in progress. The visions of John, recorded in the book of Revelation, we look upon as being nearly fulfilled; the only portion yet unfulfilled being the closing part of the message of chapter 14: 9-12, and the work of the two-horned beast of chapter 13: 11-17. The first we consider is already in such a condition that the work can be pushed to completion in a very short time. The second, which is the last link in that particular chain of symbols, and reaches to the second coming of Christ, we desire to notice more particularly, and determine, if possible, its condition. Our people took the position, more than thirty-five years ago, that this two-horned beast symbolized the United States; that the dragon voice of verse 11 would yet be heard in free America in the way of religious persecutions; and that these persecutions would result from trying to enforce the mark of the papal beast of verses 16, 17, which we have shown again and again, from both the pulpit and the press, to be the observance of Sunday, after it has been clearly brought to our minds that the seventh day, or Saturday, and not Sunday, is the Lord's Sabbath, and the issue has been fully joined between the law of the two-horned beast and the law of God. We have believed and often taught that those who take their stand upon the Bible Sabbath, knowing that the precept enjoins the seventh and not the first day of the week, will be the special objects of the wrath of those who are enforcing the rigid Sunday laws which are to be enacted by this Government. When we began to present these views to the public, we met with ridicule on every hand at the idea of persecution arising here in America. "The freedom of our laws and institutions," said many, "will never permit a loyal citizen to be misused on account of conscientiously adopting a religion whose moral tendency is good, even though it should be at variance with the religion of his neighbor." Yet, notwithstanding the assurances of our national Constitution, and the jeers of those who opposed our teachings, we considered the prophecy clear, and fearlessly taught it wherever we went. It has now been more than a score of years since a party has arisen in our midst with the avowed object of so amending the Constitution of the United States as to acknowledge Christ as the king of nations, and the law of God as the fundamental principle in the supreme law of the land. Of course we could not object to this if Christ himself were to interpret the Father's law. He says not one jot or tittle of the law shall pass away. Matt. 5: 18. And according to this interpretation, the seventh-day Sabbath is still the proper one for us to observe, because it, and no other, is taught in the law of which every jot and tittle is to remain in force. But, says the "National Reform Association" (the name assumed by those working for the above change in the national Constitution), the law of God now requires the observance of Sunday, and we must have stringent Sunday laws and require all to observe them, no matter whether Christian or infidel, Sunday observer or Sabbatarian. The end to which this association is working is just what we have seen in the prophecy, and taught as widely as our facilities would allow. Now, those opposing us, seeing this movement at work, cannot laugh so heartily at us. Many of them say, "Although this association is assiduously working in the direction which the prophecy indicates, yet it cannot be brought about in our day. Public sentiment cannot be made ripe for it so soon." We think, however, that all the prophetic word conspires to show that the last generation is reached, and that those now living will see the complete fulfillment of this prophecy. Our convictions in this are strengthened when we see other agents aside from the "National Reform Party" entering the field to assist in this work. We have always stood firmly for the cause of temperance, and lent a hand whenever we could to uproot the evils of strong drink. We have even gone farther, and taught that the truly temperate man would abstain from the use of tobacco and other hurtful indulgences. We have been rejoiced at the good work done by the Prohibitionists and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. But we are sorry indeed to see the solid alliance forming between the above organizations and the "National Reform Association." According to the Christian Statesman of Sept. 24, 1885, the organ of the "Reform Association," the platform of the Ohio Prohibitionists declares "for a Christian and civil Sabbath." And the Statesman in the same issue calls the Woman's Christian Temperance Union its "noble ally and helper." In its issue of July 9, 1885, it records with much enthusiasm the nomination by the Prohibitionists of Rev. A. B. Leonard, D. D., for Governor of Ohio. After stating that he is a zealous worker for the cause of National Reform (the main reform they seem to be working for is the enforcement of Sunday observance by law), they add: "This is the class of men whom the Prohibition party is bringing to the front. It will be a glorious day for the cause of National Reform when such a party triumphs." A recent utterance of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union is that "Politics shall also be redeemed and taken from the hands of the prince of this world and given into the hands of our Lord and his Christ." The Woman's Christian Temperance Union has recently adopted a department in its work for bringing about the more strict observance of Sunday. And Mrs. M. E. Stephenson, Superintendent of the department of Sabbath observance for Pennsylvania, in reporting the progress of her work to the Statesman, says: "In this first report it will not be thought out of place to glance at the reasons for the establishment of this branch of Woman's Christian Temperance Union work, that the wisdom which suggested it may be justified in every mind. The maintenance of our Sabbath laws, and the right observance of the Lord's day, are not only worthy objects in themselves, but are vitally connected with the temperance reformation." In concluding her report, she adds: "Our cause, therefore, is linked inseparably with the cause of the Sabbath. We stand or fall with it. If America is to lose her Sabbath, she will not become a temperate nation. In working for the suppression of Sabbath desecration, we are doing that which must be done before the temperance reformation can prevail." The above statements clearly show how these three bodies of active workers are rapidly making their cause one. And while we are made glad to see the cause of temperance advancing, it saddens us to see this Sunday movement brought into it. If Sunday sanctity were established by divine authority, it would be different. But since it is a usurper, and has only the authority of men for its establishment, we must raise our voice against it, and call the attention of all to the fact that God asks no one to do such a work as is proposed for Sunday. But rather, since we think the position of our people is clearly proved, that the enforcement of Sunday by law is nothing less than the enforcement of the mark of the beast (Rev. 13: 16, 17), it will ultimately bring upon its adherents the unmingled wrath of an offended God. Rev. 14: 9-11. We are fully aware that there are hundreds who are now zealously working for this Sunday movement who have not had their minds called to the nature of the work they are doing as set forth in the prophecy, who will abandon their designs when they are properly informed. In the sight of God no one is responsible for wrong positions until he has had opportunity to know better. But opportunity to inform ourselves brings responsibility. John 9: 41; 15: 22. Public sentiment is getting very strong in favor of this Sunday law; even men who make no profession of religion will say that we should have a law to compel men to keep Sunday. And when we consider that such a strong organization as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, composed of the most zealous temperance women in the land, and the Prohibition party, are allied with the National Reformers in working for a strict Sunday law, we must see that it is highly probable that a sentiment will soon be formed strong enough to pass the law and inflict its penalties. In a republic like ours, public sentiment soon becomes law. For example, take the late rebellion. As late as 1860, any one viewing things as they then appeared, would not expect the manumission of the slaves in five years from that time. Yet the sentiment was already formed, and in that brief space the rebellion arose and was suppressed, and every slave made free. So in this case; there is a large corps of workers moulding public sentiment in favor of this Sunday law. And as soon as they get the matter worked up a little more, they can have laws passed to suit them; and the dragon voice will be heard, the image to the beast set up, and the mark enforced with all the energy of blinded and corrupted religious zeal. We hope that our readers will carefully consider this question, and see where they stand. The prophecy is clear when earnestly and prayerfully studied; and those who reject God's plain commandment, and labor to enforce a day which he has never commanded or made holy, will certainly be found at last fighting against him. And now, while it is our privilege to inform ourselves and choose the right, let us be wise and do it, and avoid the fearful consequences of rejecting the word of God.