Principles and Men

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 19, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 20.

Principles and Men.

Men change, but principles do not. Men may be converted; principles cannot be. A bad principle is wholly bad, whether held by good or bad men, and only evil will result from following it. It is frequently worse in results when held by good men than when held by those who are inclined to evil; for from wicked men evil is expected, and the character of the men demands the rejection of the principle. On the contrary, an evil principle is not infrequently considered good, or harmless, because it is held by good men. The general reputation of the man is taken as the exponent of the principle which he advocates.

The Fruit of Evil Is Evil.

But evil principles result only in evil. They led Saul, the zealous and conscientious Pharisee, to become a persecutor of the people of God. Decius, one of the most conscientious of Roman emperors, was one of the worst persecutors of Christians, only because he conscientiously adhered to Roman laws. An evil principle followed will lead the best of men naturally to just what the Son of God declared to his disciples, "They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service." John 16:2. The reason why "they" so act is that they are not led by the true principle of justice and love, and hence are led by a wrong principle; for "these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." Verse 3. It is not from the men as such that the persecutions of the world have come, but from the principles which these men followed, and which made the men what they were.

Why the Good Is Rejected

On the other hand, good principles are often rejected because they are held by men or classes of men who are unpopular, or sometimes immoral. The unpopularity of those who hold the principle is taken as the exponent of the principle itself. Oftentimes a good principle is held professedly, in connection with others which are evil, and the good principle is rejected, because, like "poor dog Tray," it is found in bad company. But generally the good is rejected, and always ultimately so, because the heart of man is opposed to it. In God's law is every principle of good. "The law of the Lord is perfect;" it is "holy, just, and good." "But the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." This is the great reason; all others are subsidiary.

The Present Situation.

There is a greater struggle now between the principles of good and evil than the world has ever known. The prophet, looking forward to this time, exclaims, "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near." Upon no principle is there so much at stake, so far as temporal interests and kingdoms are concerned, as that of civil liberty; so far as the church is concerned, as that of liberty in all its fullness. The great Protestant churches, so called, talk loudly of religious liberty, and so does the Roman Catholic Church, but their actions show that they mean only liberty in their own pale, while they persecute when they have the power those whose lives are not in harmony with their creed. Many in these churches are eloquent, learned, able, conscientious men; and the very principles which they hold, which will result and have resulted in religious persecution, are considered to be either good or harmless because held by good men. Our statesmen talk loudly of religious liberty, yet no less than four different States of the Union have placed men in durance vile during the last few years for conscience' sake alone,—men against whom no immoral charge lies, but who are persecuted because of their religion. And many citizens and Christians subscribe to these principles because they think that these good men in the churches cannot do wrong, and our country, the very cradle of civil liberty, cannot persecute. On the other side of the question are men who oppose Sunday laws, not from principle, but from self-interest. Prominent among these are the saloon keepers and whisky men. Another class which opposes religious legislation from principle, as far as the principle is recognized, may be represented by the Secular League, but who hold with their opposition to all religious legislation antagonism to religion. Many persons confound the principle of religious liberty with infidelity, and reject it, not on its merits, but because certain classes hold it with other principles which are in themselves evil. There is still another class of earnest Christians who hold the principle of religious liberty, and demand such liberty for all, believer and non-believer, Jew and Gentile, Sunday people, Sabbath keepers, and no-sabbath men. But many persons think that because infidels hold the same principle negatively the principle is therefore infidel, and so class these earnest Christians with the rumseller, the unbeliever, and the irreligious. All these sad mistakes come by confounding men with principles.

What Shall We Do?

All these various opinions and conflicting elements, with the consequent evil results of some of them, ought to lead every believer in the Bible to seek that word as never before. In his word God has revealed every principle of good. In the teachings and life of Christ and his apostles is found that which will enlighten every candid learner in these great principles. He will not find flattering words spoken of great men; he will not find heavenly indorsement of great majorities; he will not find that which will ease the indifference or sinfulness of the carnal heart; he will find no ornate ritual, no mitred priests, no stereotyped and perfunctory service, no uniforms or ordinances of human traditions or human device, no approval of dead, cold creeds, no laudations of backslidden, worldly-wealthy churches, but he will find principles, eternal principles, of truth, justice, mercy, love. He will find the demonstration, the personification, of eternal wisdom, power, and love in Christ Jesus. He will find Him in whom dwells and dwelt "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," declaring: "If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." His chosen disciples, who would condemn and punish men for slighting and rejecting him, he rebukes in these words: "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of; for the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." He bade the disciple who imperiled his life to save his Master, to put up his sword, that it was not needed; for, as he declared to Pilate a few hours later, "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight." The weapons of his servants are "not carnal," but spiritual, to fight a spiritual warfare, to win a spiritual kingdom. These are the teachings of Christ; these are the principles of Christianity, mighty, eternal, whether

believed by a multitude or but one soul, or rejected by all, whether held by the scribes and Pharisees or by the sinners and publicans, whether embraced by the doctors of the law or the unlearned laborer. Reader, seek God's word. It matters not what man may say or do; weigh all opinions, all theories, all arguments, all schemes and plans and devices, by the word of the eternal God. That is able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15), and "to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified" (Acts 20:32). Man's word is chaff; God's word is the wheat.

Not Men but Principles.

It is for the foregoing reasons that we war with principles, not with men. We have no personal feelings toward any, Buddhist, Brahman, Romanist, Protestant, or infidel. The principles are bigger than the men; the principles make the men. Against all evilly operating principles in religion, so far as we see, and so much as lies in our power, we raise not ourselves, but the word of God, the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that if men will reject the evil and accept the truth as it is in Jesus, he will save them from all error. The sinner may be converted, the sin never. O brethren in Christ, by whatever name you may be called, will you not join us in the holy warfare? The power is with God; the weapon is the sword of his word, wielded by men in whom Christ dwells by faith.