THE EXTENT OF THE GOSPEL.
By Editor
A LETTER comes to us from one whom we greatly respect asking in substance why we are politically partisan, and intimating that we are against the administration, and are in spirit sympathizers with the enemies of the government, because we have taken the position we have as regards "expansion" and "imperialism." This is a mild summary of the charges which our friend brings against us. Let us consider them. First of all, "expansion" or "imperialism," from a political view point, is not a party issue. The majority of the papers of both the great parties of the country favor it. What is claimed to be the leading Democratic paper of the East and its counterpart of the West, owned by the same man, conducted under the same policy, are enthusiastic advocates of imperialism. Leading Republican papers also favor it. The opposite is also true, and great papers of both parties and no party are found on the other side. So also voices of eminent politicians in both great parties, and professors in our great universities are found on both sides of the same question. Whichever side, therefore, one may take on the question of expansion or imperialism, even from a political view point, does not of itself constitute him a partisan. Moreover nothing that we have said is from the politician's standpoint. In the second place we are not against the administration. We believe, according to the scripture, that we should "render to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor." Furthermore, we do not know as matters would be better were the administration to change its politics. The Christian's Position.
We are Christians. THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES is a Christian paper. We belong to Christ, to His kingdom, to His service. "We are ambassadors for Christ, as tho God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 5:20. To his servants He has committed the Gospel message of teaching men the way of life and salvation, of warning them of the certain ruin which follows transgression, of proclaiming, declaring, the sure refuge and remedy in Jesus Christ, and of exhorting, beseeching, persuading men to turn to Christ and live. It is all summed up in "Repent ye, and believe the Gospel." Mark 1:15. And to His watchman God says: "If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand." Read Eze. 33:1-11. This blessed Gospel of instruction, of faithful warning, of proclamation of good news, of exhortation, is to be preached to all, high and low, rich and poor, master and servant, ruler and subject, freemen and slave. "Preach the Gospel to every creature," is the command of Christ. Set forth the divine principles of life before all men. This Gospel is to be preached to persons not in the private walks of life alone, but in public. It touches a man's conduct everywhere. God desires to save men wherever they are. He desires the politician to be a Christian as truly as He does the planter. He longs to save the congressman as truly as He does the carpenter. He wishes to deliver from the bondage of sin the statesman as truly as He does the lowest stoker. Principles of life inwrought by grace into the heart of the governor are as precious in God's sight as in the heart of the gardener. Politician or planter, congressman or carpenter, statesman or stoker, governor or gardener, all are men, and for all Christ died. If astray, all need faithful warning of the inevitable destruction which follows the violation of the principles of righteousness and justice. The mission of the ambassadors of Christ is, therefore, to rulers and those who shape the State and nation, as well as to men in the common walks of life. Jesus also said, "Teach all nations." He told His servant of old: "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant." Jer. 1:10. Jeremiah did this by declaring the principles upon which a nation could continue to exist, and which if violated would bring destruction; for thus saith the Lord: "At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them." Jer. 18:7-10. And so we learn by chapter 25 that Jeremiah's message went to "all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth." Jonah was sent to Nineveh with a message for every soul, from the proud king upon his throne to the lowest scullion in his kitchen. "Shall there be evil in the city, and shall not the Lord do somewhat? Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret to His servants the prophets." Amos 3:7, margin. Daniel taught the proud rulers of Babylon that "the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever He will." He warned them of the inevitable ruin which would follow if the government persisted in its rebellion against God. He pointed out the sure refuge, to "break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor." He pronounced at last, in the final hours of that proud empire, her doom, "Mene, God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it. Tekel, thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting." Elijah faithfully preached before the apostate Ahab and his wickeder wife Jezebel. He was called a troubler in Israel, and was doubtless counted as against the administration; but there was no man so strongly for Israel's salvation. And when the people, with the king at the head, refused to heed the ringing cry, "How long halt ye between two opinions? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him;" and then the king, in the face of God's manifest working, remained obdurate, the heart of the great prophet nearly broke with sorrow and disappointment. But standing in the presence of God, he ever gave his message. John the Baptist gave his message to publican and Pharisee, to priest and prince; and lost his head because of his faithfulness. Jesus Christ proclaimed the same blessed Gospel,—designed always to do earth and its people good and not evil,—to all classes, from the poor outcast woman to the high priest, from the civil tax-gatherer to the Roman governor. He was, as a result of his faithfulness, condemned by the ecclesiastical tribunal as a blasphemer, and by the civil ruler as guilty of treason, or sedition. "All these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come." Elijah the prophet and John the Baptist are types of God's faithful servants of these days. Idolatrous Jezebel and weak, yielding Ahab are types of a backslidden church and a weak, yielding State. This nation was founded on righteous principles. It grew and prospered. The Christian church was founded on righteous principles. It grew and prospered, notwithstanding the fiercest persecutions. The Reformation churches—the Protestant—started out on right principles, and they prospered despite all the power of the Papacy. But the church is departing from the true, vital principles of Protestantism, or Christianity. The nation is becoming blinded and proving false to the very principles which constituted its life, and which must be perpetuated in practice if its existence long continues. God has forwarned us concerning these very things in His Word. He has pointed it out in general and in detail. In His goodness He has brought it to us. Shall we listlessly fold our hands, close our ears, eyes, and mouth, and say nothing? or shall we, as Christian men who see the sword coming, give faithful warning of the dangers which beset before and behind this as grand a nation as this sinful world ever knew? Shall we hold back our message for fear of being misunderstood? We love this great, grand country in which we were born; we love its rocks and rills, its woods and templed hills; we love its people, the purchase of Christ's blood. But men die here. The silent grave and marble headstone are the end of earth life and fame. "The true gain is the long gain." We desire that all shall know the long gain, the life eternal, the better country, even the heavenly; the blessings and privileges of citizenship in Christ Jesus; and therefore we proclaim the Gospel, the whole Gospel.