IN this third article of Mr. Bowen's excellent series, the story of Princeton's awakening is still further unfolded. In the first installment, Mr. Wilkinson's mix-up over the Jewishness of certain Christian things was presented. Last week, "That Memorable Thursday Evening" was the subject. The article this week needs no statement. In our next issue, the report of the crowded temperance rally will be given.
BISHOP LUDDINGTON had just seated himself in his study when a servant carefully opened the door, saying: "Pastor Bradley has called to see you. Shall I invite him in?"
"Certainly. Tell him I shall be glad to see him."
"Have a seat, Brother Bradley. Glad you called. How is everything over in your section?" the bishop inquired, as the minister entered.
"Fairly well," he replied. "My attendance was splendid until about a week ago, when a certain lecturer opened meetings in the town hall. I must say I have been considerably perplexed since. My people have been asking all manner of questions, and I am about wild."
"What is the nature of the work to which you refer? Who is he that is stirring up things this way?" the bishop asked, having just returned from a long trip in other parts of the state.
"As nearly as I can learn, he is a Seventh-day Adventist missionary. He has traveled extensively, it seems. He dwelt upon world conditions, particularly the war, and conditions in the Orient. The people say that he brought some very strong arguments from the Bible to show that the end of the world is near at hand. Of course, the Sabbath question is always dragged in, whether these men lecture on it or not. Their very name brings up that old Jewish Sabbath. I have many questions to answer about it. I thought you might have something new to quiet these folks who are continually inquiring about that old outlawed Sabbath," replied Mr. Bradley, revealing that he had no sympathy for the agitation of the Sabbath question.
"Well, Brother Bradley, it is becoming a quite perplexing question. The trouble is, those seventh-day people have the Bible on their side, and they know how to use it. I have met them myself, and know pretty well the ground they cover. If we had one good strong text to show the change from Saturday to Sunday, we would be all right. But we have public sentiment; and when we get the legislators a little more in line, we shall be able to put up a different kind of argument."
"Yes; and we can rely on the Catholics to help us out when it comes to enforcing Sunday laws," Pastor Bradley broke in.
"Surely they will. Yet we can hardly join hands with them yet. It may come to that; but their awful record sounds bad, and is sure to come up whenever we are made to appear as taking common ground with them. Our best help now will be Congress. I think Congressman White will help get through our Sunday bill during this session. I had a talk with him just the other day. Anyway, we must keep at it until we win. We need not fear a stampede toward the old Jewish Sabbath. But it is annoying to have the subject of the Sabbath coming up all the time. You will have to do the best you can, Brother Bradley. Make the Sunday saloon appear hideous. Emphasize the love of God. Preach Christ, and avoid the Sabbath question as much as possible. We must keep in with public sentiment. That will be our strong fort. What! You are not going yet?"
"Yes, I must be off. I fear I have kept you too long already," said Mr. Bradley, as he rose to go.
When Jesus Blessed Sunday
A FEW days after, Tom Jones was returning to his office from a business errand on the other side of town, when Pastor Bradley, out of breath, came into the car. He soon was seated beside Tom; and after they had chatted on a variety of topics, Tom, in a low tone of voice, said:
"Mr. Bradley, tell me where I can find, in the New Testament, where Jesus blessed Sunday. I confess I've been hunting for a place, but so far have not been able to find it."
"Blessed Sunday? Why, don't you remember that place where He met with the disciples that first Sunday night after His resurrection, and breathed on them His blessing? Surely that is all anybody needs to know."
"But blessing His disciples and blessing Sunday are not just the same thing," Tom ventured.
"Surely if He had not wanted to honor Sunday, He would not have appeared to them on that day. Don't you see?"
But somehow it was not just clear to Tom.
"What I want is a text where Jesus blessed Sunday, as God blessed and sanctified the seventh day when that was made into the Sabbath for the Jews," Mr. Jones went on to say.
"I'd be glad to help you, but here's my corner now. I'll have to leave you. Good-by." And the minister left the car.
Nothing for a Man in Trouble
"MARY, I'm puzzled. It seems queer our minister has nothing for a man in trouble when it's purely a Bible question. On the car to-day, I asked Brother Bradley where that text was that told about Jesus' blessing Sunday. I have just looked up the one he spoke about, by hunting it out in the concordance. Let me read it to you: 'Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.' Where is there anything in this text that shows that Jesus blessed Sunday?"
Mrs. Jones replied: "He blessed the disciples, and breathed on them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost; but nothing at all is said about blessing Sunday. God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; and Jesus said He was Lord of that Sabbath, for we read that out of our own Bibles the night Miss Burdick was here. Tom, Mrs. Lewis was over to-day, and had a whole bunch of questions to ask me. You565know Sammy, her oldest boy, was here the night Miss Burdick studied the Bible with us. He said nothing, but he must have had his ears open all right, for his mother says he has been talking ever since about things Miss Burdick said. He said she said that Jesus never blessed Sunday. Mrs. Lewis wanted to know if she might come over the next time Miss Burdick comes, and hear for herself what she says."
"What did you tell her?" asked Tom.
"I told her to be sure to come Thursday evening at eight o'clock, and have Ed come along, too."
Challenged the Liquor Men
"BUT those folks down at the hall have other things they are lecturing on. Mrs. Lewis was telling me to-day she had heard that a man from Washington is to lecture on temperance a week from Sunday. You know the state is to vote on prohibition soon. And Mrs. Lewis says that last fall, this same man answered the challenge of a liquor man, one of their champions, to debate with him, and that none of our men had cared to take the challenge. Mrs. Lewis's brother is a prohibitionist, and had heard that this same man is going to lecture here, and had told her all about it. She wants Ed to hear him, for she fears his country growing on him."
"I am convinced there is much for us to learn, Mary, and I am beginning already to see much more in the Bible than I ever thought could be in it. It is a wonderfully interesting Book. How glad I am we cut out those frivolous parties and eats, so we have more time at home to study and read!"
That Elusive Text
PROMPTLY at eight o'clock, Thursday evening, Miss Burdick met her appointment. The subject to be studied was the Sabbath in the New Testament. Three of the Lewis family and another neighbor were there ready for the study. A little time had to be spent in helping different ones find the texts, but Miss Burdick gracefully assisted each.
Every text in the New Testament mentioning the first day of the week was carefully studied. Nearly all of them referred to the resurrection day. Tom and Mrs. Lewis especially were alert to find the text about Jesus' blessing Sunday. Every word was scrutinized, and Miss Burdick was as interested as they in the search for the account of Jesus' changing the Sabbath of creation week to Sunday.
"Well, I declare," said Tom, when they were through, "I was never more astonished in my life. I thought we had plenty of New Testament texts for Sunday keeping, but here we can't find even one. And all the world, nearly, is keeping Sunday, as though every text in the Bible commanded it. What do you think about it, Mrs. Lewis?"
"I don't know. I am not ready to express my opinion yet," Mrs. Lewis replied, a bit curtly. "I was counting on that last 'Lord's day' text to help me out, for I knew it was in here somewhere, as my pastor, Dr. Clark, often refers to it in his prayer Sunday mornings. But there isn't much comfort in that when one comes to it after looking over all the other Sunday texts, especially as Miss Burdick has gone over them here to-night. But I'm sure my minister can get more out of these texts to favor Sunday than we see here to-night. I wish he had been here."
They again bowed in prayer; and as Miss Burdick asked God to let the blessed light of His word shine into these dear hearts, somehow they felt the same breath of the Holy Spirit's power touch their souls, that the hearts of the disciples must have felt in their upper room on the night after the resurrection.
“My people have been asking all manner of questions, and I am about wild.”
