Bills Before Congress to Abridge the Use of the Mails — Must Not Speak Against Religions We Do Not Like
By S. B. HORTON
THERE were introduced into Congress, January 7 and 11, two measures (H. R. 20644 and H. R. 20780) designed to amend section 3893 of the revised statutes of the United States relating to the mailing of certain kinds of literature, the effect of which measures would be to deprive so-called anti-Catholic literature the use of the mails.
Representative Fitzgerald, of Brooklyn, New York, chairman of the Appropriation Committee, is the author of the first bill; and Representative Gallivan, of Massachusetts, introduced the second. Both gentlemen are communicants of the Roman Catholic Church, and are naturally interested in matters affecting it.
During the consideration of the post office appropriation bill recently, Representative Fitzgerald proposed a "rider" looking to the accomplishment of the object contained in his subsequent bill; but the "rider" was ruled out on a point of order, the rule being that existing laws may not be amended in that way. Mr. Fitzgerald was advised to bring his measure before the House in the shape of a bill, which could then be considered on its own merits.
Referring to the Fitzgerald "rider," the New Century of January 23, 1915, a Catholic publication with offices in Washington, D. C., and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has this to say: "It is obvious that the purpose of this amendment is to get after the Menace, which is all aflame over it."
But Representative Falconer, of Washington State, sees more in the proposed amendment. In the discussion of the "rider," he said: "I want to ask if it is not something of a dangerous precedent to establish to put this kind of an amendment or provision in a bill of this character, giving the postmaster-general the power when the common laws cover the point, and where any one who now sends this kind of literature through the mails is subject to the penalties of the laws now on the statute books. I am against this amendment. I think it is un-American."
The Federation of Catholic Societies has for several years considered the question of squelching so-called anti-Catholic literature by securing some such legislation as is contemplated in the Gallivan bill. We give this bill in full as follows, since it is more definite and to the point than is the Fitzgerald bill:
"63d Congress
"3d Session
H. R. 20780
"IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
"January 11, 1915.
"Mr. Gallivan introduced the following bill, which was referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads and ordered to be printed:
"A BILL TO AMEND THE POSTAL LAWS
"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That whenever it shall be established, to the satisfaction of the postmaster-general, that any person is engaged in the business of publishing any scandalous, scurrilous, indecent, or immoral books, pamphlets, pictures, prints, engravings, lithographs, photographs, or other publications which are, or are represented to be, a reflection on any form of religious worship practiced or held sacred by any citizens of the United States, it is hereby declared that the postmaster-general shall make the necessary rules and regulations to exclude such matter from the mails."
At the New Orleans meeting in 1910, a resolution was passed by the federation requesting the amending of the postal laws, concerning which the secretary stated that the chairman of the law committee of the federation "took up the matter with Hon. Francis J. Burke, a Catholic member of Congress. Mr. Burke informed the federation that the extra session of Congress would hardly consider the matter, and advised that the same be taken up next fall, when the regular session of Congress will begin. We hope to be able to report at the next convention that such a measure has been passed by Congress, which will put a stop to the circulation through the mails, at least, of books and papers which defame religion and their spiritual leaders."
At the meeting of the federation the next year, 1911, the following resolution was adopted:
"Resolved, That the Federation of Catholic Societies do enter their solemn protest against the mailing or offering for sale of obscene literature, including under this title books, papers, writings, and prints which outrage religious convictions of our citizens and contain scurrilous and slanderous attacks upon our faith."
The same subject matter has been made a special topic in subsequent meetings of the federation, indicating that Roman Catholics intend to deprive the mails of literature that may be calculated to antagonize the movements of their church in this country.
A MOST DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT
That the proposed amending of the postal laws is a most dangerous experiment, no one who understands the spirit of our government will question for a moment. It would mean the nullification of the first amendment to the constitution of the United States, which guarantees that "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
The amending of section 3893 of revised statutes of the United States would not affect the Menace only, but would involve any and all literature that might be considered by a Roman Catholic postmaster-general or a Roman Catholic judge as "a reflection on any form of religious worship practiced or held sacred by any citizens of the United States."
A hearing is to be given to those desiring to speak on the proposed law, and further comment will be made for the SIGNS later. In the meantime every American citizen should send to his congressman a vigorous protest against adopting such measures as the Gallivan and Fitzgerald bills.
Purity of Heart
“The merciful shall find mercy, and the pure in heart shall see God. Every impure thought defiles the soul, impairs the moral sense, and tends to obliterate the impressions of the Holy Spirit. It dims the spiritual vision, so that men cannot behold God. The Lord may and does forgive the repenting sinner; but though forgiven, the soul is marred.”
LIBERTY
By W. A. Gosmer
By W. A. GOSMER
'Twas the midnight of the ages. The lamp of truth burned low.
The light which faith had kindled, in the darkness scarce did glow.
The church and state united, in baleful concord stood;
And men with minds benighted, were drenching earth with blood.
But look! From out the darkness, across the deep, blue sea,
A piercing ray of light divine betokened liberty.
It told of light and freedom, of shores where paeans did ring:
“A church without an earthly head, a state without a king!”
But see! A shadow rises on yon horizon fair.
It dims thy kindly heavens, it chills thy balmy air.
O blessed light of nations, O land supremely blest,
Time’s marching footsteps hasten the shadow on thy crest!
Men talk once more of union between the church and state,
These two that our forefathers saw should be kept separate.
They talk of legislation promoting righteousness,
And that by civil law men shall the name of Christ confess.
The dial hand of liberty on freedom’s stately tower,
Points backward to a thousand years of persecution’s power.
O wondrous light of nations, 'twere blest if thou couldst stand
To freedom true, forever, secure from tyrant’s hand!
The Christian Hope of Eternal Life
By Allen Moon
Man’s Failure Does Not Destroy God’s Promise
By ALLEN MOON
HOPE signifies longing desire, accompanied by confident expectation of gaining the object of desire. The hope of the Christian is the hope of eternal life. There is born in man a desire to live — a desire for long life, eternal life. It was God’s plan, in the beginning, to satisfy this desire. Therefore He made a conditional promise of eternal life. That promise was based upon obedience to God’s command concerning the tree that grew in the midst of the garden. Loyalty to God’s government would keep the way open to the tree of life, and man could continue to eat and live forever. The promise of God, the Creator, who only could bestow the gift of eternal life, was the basis of hope.
NOT WITHDRAWN, NOR HAS IT FAILED
The promise has not failed, nor has it been withdrawn. Man failed to comply with the required conditions; and so far as he was concerned, for the time being, hope was cut off.
Paul, in his salutation to Titus, expressed hope of the fulfillment of the promise of eternal life which God made before the foundation of the world. Note the words: “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” Titus 1:1, 2. Paul was a servant of God. He believed the truth, and that included the promise of God to bestow eternal life.
NOT IN THE OLD COVENANT
Paul did not expect salvation through the old covenant. Man, by transgression, had broken that covenant, and was without hope119until God renewed the promise of life on changed conditions. Paul accepted the conditions. He was also an apostle of Jesus Christ. He had accepted Him as man’s deliverer from the results of transgression.
Paul was in accord with Peter when the latter exclaimed: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope [literally, hope of living] by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3.
Man, by his transgression, lost the life he already had. Any new promise, or covenant, with him, therefore, must include the restoration to him of that life. Through God’s abundant mercy, the divine Son, Jesus Christ, was permitted to take upon Himself a body like man’s, and man’s nature, for the suffering of death, that man might be begotten again to the hope of living by the resurrection.
LIFE ON CONDITION OF LOYALTY
In the beginning, man was made acquainted with the truth that the immortal Creator bestowed life upon His creatures to be perpetuated, but on condition only of loyalty to the government of his Creator. God’s covenant in the beginning to give man eternal life failed because man listened to the voice of the deceiver. But “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.
God has not released man from his obligation to render strict obedience to the law of His government. When the Lord delivered the seed of Abraham from Egyptian bondage, He first reminded them of their obligation to obey the law of their Creator and Deliverer. And when, after sixty days, they came in their journeying to Mount Sinai, God repeated with His own voice His law, from the top of the mount. The people were greatly awed by the presence and voice of God. They were impressed with the justice of His demands, and they readily promised obedience on their part. But they failed to realize their own weakness, and therefore did not appeal to the true Source of power, which had been so manifest in their deliverance. Therefore they were soon involved in transgression. Then continued the slaying of beasts and the sprinkling of blood, all of which pointed to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
THE PROMISE OF LIFE IN CHRIST
Notwithstanding their promise, no Israelite was ever saved through the old covenant. The apostle, in his salutation to Timothy, makes mention of the renewed promise of life as follows: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim. 1:1. Paul could not have occupied the sacred office of an apostle of Jesus Christ except for the renewal to man of the promise of life in Christ at the time of the transgression in the garden. No man has ever had a hope of eternal life since the fall, except according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus.
When man came from the hand of God, he was a pure being; and before he can ever appear before God in peace, he must be restored to a state of purity. As we read, “Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.”
This is accomplished through the Word. The Saviour prayed to the Father for His children, saying, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth.” John 17:17. Purification must accompany sanctification. Nothing impure is ever sanctified, or set apart for a sacred and holy use. Sin is the transgression of the law. Sin defiles the individual and renders him impure. God sent His word to sinners to reveal a way of escape from past transgressions and deliverance from transgressing; so the apostle writes: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Rom. 15:13.
It is, then, God’s purpose that His children should abound in hope, and that hope be “as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.” Heb. 6:19. But this must come through believing the sure word of promise, coupled with obedience to God’s commands and loyalty to His government. This is the Christian hope of eternal life.
Loved One—Hated the Other
By Arthur L. Manous
Was God Partial Toward Jacob? — Did He Hate Esau in the Ordinary Sense of the Word? — Some Interesting Authorities on the Subject
By ARTHUR L. MANOUS
“The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast Thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.” Mal. 1: 1-3. See also Matt. 10: 37.
What are we to understand by the expression that God “hated” Esau? Is God partial? Does He love and hate individuals in the sense of “detest,” as we now sometimes understand the word “hate”? Dr. Robert Young says: “The verb ‘to hate’ is frequently used for ‘to love less’; for example, Gen. 29: 31; Deut. 21: 15; Mal. 1: 3; Matt. 6: 24; Luke 14: 26; John 12: 25; Rom. 9: 13.”—Young’s “Analytical Concordance,” page 1108, New York, 1905.
“Yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau.” Mal. 1: 2, 3, Common Version.
Others translate this passage thus:
“Yet I loved Jacob and slighted Esau.” Thomson’s translation.
“Yet I loved Jacob, and I disregarded Esau.” Boothroyd’s translation.
“Yet I befriended Jacob and disliked Esau.” Fenton’s translation.
This passage is quoted in the New Testament by the apostle Paul thus:
“Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” Rom. 9: 13, Common Version.
Others translate it:
“Jacob I have loved and Esau I have slighted.” Thomson’s translation.
“Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I disregarded.” Boothroyd’s translation.
“I have chosen Jacob, and rejected Esau.” Fenton’s translation.
The following passage may throw some light on the subject, since it mentions one point in Esau’s character: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance [or, “he found no place for a change of mind in his father,” A. R. V.], though he sought it [the blessing] carefully with tears.” Heb. 12: 14-17. See also Genesis 27; and 1 Peter 2: 4 and 7, where the word “disallowed” (R. V., “rejected”) is from the same Greek word that is rendered “rejected” in Heb. 12: 17.
SOME NOTED AUTHORITIES
The following notes and comments on this point may be of further interest to the reader:
“As for Jacob, Thou didst choose him to Thee, and put by Esau.” 2 Esdras 3: 16.
“I loved Jacob. My love to Jacob has been proved by giving him greater privileges and a better inheritance than what I have given to Esau. Verse 3. And I hated Esau. I have shown him less love. Gen. 29: 30, 31. I comparatively hated him by giving him an inferior lot.”—Dr. A. Clarke on Mal. 1: 2, 3.
“‘To hate’ is here used in a comparative sense, qualifying the preceding verb ‘to love.’ As the opposite of love is hatred, when there is only an inferior degree of the former exhibited, the object of it is regarded as being hated rather than loved. See for this idiom, Gen. 29: 30, 31; Deut. 21: 15, 16; Prov. 13: 24; Matt. 6: 24; Luke 14: 26, compared with Matt. 10: 37.”—E. Henderson’s note on Mal. 1: 2, 3, in his translation, London, 1845. See also the “Emphatic Diaglott,” page 19.
“I therefore conclude the sense intended to be conveyed to be this: I acted towards Jacob as towards one that I loved, and towards Esau as towards one that I hated.”—Herman Heinfetter’s note on Rom. 9: 13, in his translation, London, 1861, fifth edition.
“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. These words, of course, are merely the strong language of prophecy. We may compare them with our Lord’s words, ‘If any man hate not his father and mother, etc., and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.’ In all the preceding words, however, and in what follows, Saint Paul is not speaking at all of eternal salvation and perdition, but of the temporal privileges and blessings, by which it pleased God to distinguish some more than others, and by the proper use of which they would have gained, doubtless, a higher place in the heavenly kingdom, whereas by the abuse of them they have sunk proportionally lower than others. As regards their estate in the eternal world, Ishmael and Esau and their descendants, among whom we may reckon the Zulus and Kafirs, stand on the same level, and will be judged with the same righteous judgment, as others more highly favored in this world, with means of grace and the hope of glory, as their brethren in the Jewish church of old, or in the Christian now. All will be judged according to their works, and according to the light vouchsafed to them. With reference to the light, which we, Christians of England, have received, it might be said, in like manner, ‘England has God loved, and Africa has He hated.’ Yet not all English Christians are children of the light, nor are all African heathens children of Satan; but those who have received most, shall have most required of them.”—J. W. Colenso’s note on Rom. 9: 13, in his translation, New York, 1863.
“‘Though he sought it.’ The ‘it’ here refers to a remote antecedent, namely, to his father’s blessing, and not to repentance.”—“Biblical Gleanings,” by Thomas Wemyss, page 186, on Heb. 12: 17.
“The relative pronoun ‘it,’ in this passage, stands for the blessing, the remote antecedent. For Esau did not seek repentance, but ‘the blessing, with tears.’ Gen. 27: 34.”—Note on Heb. 12: 17, by James Macknight.
“Esau was not shut out from the privilege of seeking God’s favor by repentance; but he could find no means of recovering the birthright. His grief did not spring from conviction of sin; he did not desire to be reconciled to God. He sorrowed because of the results of his sin, but not for the sin itself.”—“Patriarchs and Prophets,” by Mrs. E. G. White, page 181. See also pages 207, 208.
Changed by Beholding
By C. P. Bollman
By C. P. BOLLMAN
"We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
2 Cor. 3 : 18.
As sin engraves its image on the face
Of him in whom wrongdoing finds a place,
So he who looks upon the pure, the kind, the good,
Who finds in Jesus Christ his daily, necessary food,
Who hungers thus for righteousness and longs for right,
Is drawn thereby toward Him whose name is Light.
If, therefore, there be any pure, ennobling thought,
If any good thy fellow man hath done,
If any truth that might by thee be taught,
And thereby e'en a single soul be won
To higher, nobler, better life,—
Think deeply, longingly of these,
And oft be found in prayer upon thy knees.
Then, as soars the eagle toward the sun,
Thy soul shall seek and find the Eternal One.
Tithes and Offerings
By HENRY S. SHAW
The Blessings Promised — The Curses Pronounced
By HENRY S. SHAW
"THE earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." Ps. 24:1. "The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts." Haggai 2:8. "For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof." Ps. 50:10-12.
THE TEST IN TITHING
Primarily, as is shown by these texts, everything is the Lord's; but He gives it all into the hands of man, with instructions that the tenth shall be "holy unto the Lord." The matter of returning to Him the tenth is left to man, as the Lord's steward; and this question of stewardship, with its responsibility, has to do with every person in the world into whose hands any of this world's goods may come. Whether it be little or much, the result of faithfulness is the blessing; and the result of unfaithfulness, the curse.
The fact that the Lord pronounces the tenth holy to Himself, places the question where no man can afford to pass it lightly by. To appropriate God's sacred things to a common purpose, has always been a serious matter, and is no less serious to-day. Many instances in Bible history might be cited to illustrate the results of man's disregard for those things which the Lord has set apart for sacred uses. Here is one:
When the Lord commanded Israel to take Jericho, He instructed them to bring to the treasury of the Lord all the spoils they should find in the city. He said, "All the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord." Joshua 6:19.
The city fell into their hands, and afterward the report came to Joshua that "the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord." Joshua 6:24. Joshua understood that all this which the Lord had consecrated for the treasury of the Lord had been faithfully deposited where it belonged.
DEFEATED THROUGH DECEPTION
A few days later, Joshua sent an army to take Ai, and the men of Ai came out against them. Israel was defeated, and thirty-six of the men of Israel fell. There was great mourning in the camp of Israel.
They could not understand why they should suffer this defeat; but the Lord told them that Achan had taken from Jericho some of the gold and silver and other things, and instead of taking it to the treasury of the Lord, for which it had been consecrated, had stowed it away among his own stuff for himself; and through this disregard, that which was consecrated to be a blessing if placed in the Lord's treasury, became "the accursed thing" when appropriated to a common use. See Joshua 7.
"WHEREIN HAVE WE ROBBED THEE?"
Malachi wrote to the church in his day: "Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from Mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole nation." Mal. 3:7-9.
You have no respect for My ordinances. You can lay hold of My sacred tithes, and appropriate them to your own common purposes; and in consequence, instead of being blessed with a blessing, you are "cursed with a curse."
TO BE CURSED OF GOD
It is a fearful thing to be cursed with a curse. One day the Lord and His disciples came to a fig tree to get some figs, but found none; and the Lord said to it, "No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. . . . And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto Him, Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away." Mark 11:12-21.
What a fearful condition! Somebody is cursed with a curse because of not having returned the Lord's tithe to Him; and the solemn question comes to the reader, as well as to the writer of this article, "Is it I?"
THE REMEDY
There are many people to-day who are really blighted with the curse, temporally as well as spiritually, because they have not been honest with God. But for all such, there is a remedy. The Lord has made it plain. Here it is: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts." Mal. 3:10, 11.
Confession and Prayer
"CONFESS your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Our Dependence
By Clarence Santee
The Need of the Human Hand of Sympathy
By CLARENCE SANTEE
PEOPLE often boast of their independence, their ability to stand alone. They do not so often call attention to their need of a strong arm and a willing heart to aid in bearing the crosses of life.
There is a point beyond which man cannot go, a limit where the strength fails, the heart breaks. Christ, the example of all Christian grace and strength, bore His cross until He fell fainting under the load. A human hand must be extended to Him if He would go farther.
That cross was not borne by Christ for Himself alone. He bore it for mankind. When failing, He made Himself dependent upon a fellow human to bear His burden.
HUMAN WEAKNESS AND THE HELPING HAND
There is no one so resolute and strong but that at times his human weakness demands a helping hand. If that call is stifled within his own breast, it will in time embitter his life. The loving and loved life must give and receive. Christ gave for all; yet while giving freely, He as graciously received from those who loved Him. The Spirit of God has mentioned some who "ministered unto Him of their substance." Luke 8:3.
Moses had an independent spirit, cultivated by his success as a general of armies. The best part of his life — from the age of forty years to that of eighty — was spent in learning the lesson of his entire dependence. Those years were not spent in vain.
His first public missionary effort was the defense of an Israelite by killing an Egyptian. If that killing of an opponent had been his last missionary effort, how different would be the standing of the cause of Christ in this dark world to-day! But too often the would-be missionary has left the subject of his effort prejudiced, bitter, dead, with eyes and ears as effectually closed as were the Egyptian's when covered with the sand. In many cases, only the event that wakens the one — the second resurrection — will waken the other. Such results usually come from independent efforts. Better a union with Christ, with a realization of absolute dependence and need of counsel.
It is true that there are souls in this world who will hate a Christian life. Jesus testified, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you." John 15:18. "Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Verse 19.
THE SELF-SUFFICIENT SPIRIT
The independent, self-sufficient spirit is far more liable to look to its own attainments, and in this way become self-deceived as to its actual standing before God. It is not that which we see in ourselves that will form the basis of our judgment, but that which is there, but that we do not see.
This is made plain in the parable of the sheep and the goats. Matt. 25:31-46. While the righteous in surprise ask when they did those things that now are set to their account, with such great reward, the wicked will point to their supposed deeds of merit, saying, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?" Matt. 7:22.121
Many who feel that their life has been a failure, with nothing but the simple, everyday duties which at times seem to stand in the way of greater Christian achievements, debarring them from some part in missionary enterprises, will be among those surprised ones who, for faithfulness in the small duties, receive the “Come, ye blessed of My Father.”
It has been said that a kiss upon the forehead denotes respect; upon the cheek, friendship; upon the lips, affection. By those who rejected Christ, His brow was torn by thorns. Instead of respect they gave contempt. His cheek, instead of receiving the kiss of friendship, was struck and spit upon in hatred. Instead of the kiss of affection, those lips were smitten in the presence of the high priest, with jealousy and rage.
Are you willing to drink the cup, to follow in the steps of the Master? You will remember the words of Christ, “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” John 15:20.
SECRET OF HIS VICTORIES
The secret of Christ’s victories was in His entire dependence upon One stronger than Himself. He said, “I can of Mine own self do nothing.” John 5:30. The “faith of Jesus” will not exalt self. Faith cannot grow and strengthen by what is seen. There are certain vines that stand apparently still by day, but in the darkness of night they reach out and grasp, with strong tendrils, the support that may be found pointing upward. In the same way, the child of weakness and dependence, reaching out in its darkness, may cultivate faith, and with interlocking tendrils, grasp and utilize all the strength that lies in Him who has said that “underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deut. 33:27.
It is a grand thought,—that the weak vine may so attach itself to the strong pillar that the strength of the pillar will be the measure of the strength of the vine. Yet this is true. Union with Christ is the same. His strength is the measure of the strength of the one who trusts Him. It is for the one who will believe, and it will never fail.
"The Weightier Matters"
By C. L. Taylor
By C. L. TAYLOR
JESUS spoke the words. He spoke them to church people,—to those who thought themselves the chosen children of God.
He said to them, "Ye . . . have left undone the weightier matters."
The divine Son of God made a comparison, and sought to show to the church of His day that in the service of the Father there are some things which are of greater importance than others.
"Weightier matters"! All had weight; but while some were weighty, others were weightier. Read the text: "Ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone." Matt. 23:23, A. R. V.
It is a beautiful and wonderful thing to be absolutely honest with God in the payment of tithe. God's tithe is sacred. To withhold it is to make one's self a robber, and to invite spiritual disaster; while to be faithful in returning to God that which is His, is to show a faithfulness that moves the Almighty to open the windows of heaven and to pour out a blessing that there shall not be room to receive it. See Mal. 3:8-10.
Yes, tithing is a weighty matter before God. Nevertheless, there are weightier matters. Jesus said it, and it is so.
Many a church member who has been enthusiastic and loyal in the payment of tithe, will fail of heaven at last. For some reason, he allowed himself to be tricked into believing that the performance of this duty constituted his highest obligation.
Think on this, dear reader: Knowing of God's requirement regarding tithing, it would be impossible for one to neglect tithing and yet reach heaven; but, on the other hand, it would be possible to pay tithe and still fail of heaven. Neglect of it would keep one out, but observance of it would not necessarily carry one in.
Ye ought not to have left the tithe unpaid, said Jesus to the Jews, but ye ought to have done the others. It was important that they should not neglect the weighty matter of tithing, but how much more important that they should embrace the weightier responsibilities!
"Justice, and mercy, and faith"—how vital are these to the very soul life! In matter of faith, one cannot be well-pleasing to God without it. Heb. 11:6. It is God's gift (Eph. 2:8), by which salvation is brought to man (Rom. 1:16, 17), and by which he is kept throughout life (1 Peter 1:5). And to be merciful, to have the spirit to treat others as God has treated us, is as important as to have faith. It is the quality of mercy to reveal the love of God. God is merciful, and His earthly family are to be like Him.
PASSED OVER THE WEIGHTIER MATTERS
But the church people with whom Jesus associated, passed over the matter of faith and the love of God, refusing to see that their mere round of service, apart from faith and love, was of no merit before God.
The great and the greater should have been joined in their lives. Tithing and the love of God should have been together. The love of God in their hearts, and faith prompting their acts, would have made their lives fruitful, pleasant, and blessed. The Holy Spirit, leading to and working through tithe paying, would have vitalized that service, and caused it to lift the soul heavenward.
Just so it is to-day. No work in itself can truly take the place of the life-giving Spirit of God. The "greater matters of the law" may not be neglected without loss of all.
We are therefore again brought to this question: Have I the Holy Spirit? Has its presence brought the love of God into my life? Rom. 5:5.
Let the illustration of the electric railway be once more used, and then inquire, Am I a part of the mere equipment — a rail, a tie, a car, a piece of wire—but lifeless because severed from the source of power? If so, I will thank God for the privilege of being a part of the equipment, but I will hasten to see that the connections are made, that thus the Holy Spirit may work through me both for my own and for others' salvation.
Works are great, but Holy Spirit love and power are greater. Preaching is a mighty work under God for man's salvation (1 Cor. 1:21), but it is to be accomplished "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor. 2:4); for, lacking the Spirit and the love of God, it is only as "sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal." 1 Cor. 13:1.
EVEN A MARTYR MAY BE LOST
How splendid is philanthropy! Yet one may go even so far as to give himself a martyr for others, and still utterly fail to profit, because the deed has not been vitalized by the love of God in the gift of the Holy Spirit. Verse 3.
Let no one, then, allow himself to be misled. There are great things, and there are greater things. Nearly all Christian people are in possession of the first, but comparatively few have gained the second. God gives both—both are in the law of His ordaining. And faith grasps both.
Do you pay tithe to God, and are you loyally working for Him? Bless His name it is so. This is great and good. And if in your heart you are conscious that the current of His vitalizing, refining, uplifting Spirit is flowing through and making effective each day's deeds, you may praise Him still more for this greater and better blessing. You will indeed be able to say with the apostle, "Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift." 2 Cor. 9:15.
That I May Serve Thee
By Worthie Harris Holden
By Worthie Harris Holden
SET Thou a seal, O Lord, upon my heart.
So shall my life Thy love divine impart.
Then faltering lips will firmly voice Thy praise,
While deeds of kindness shall complete my days,
Ascribing glory to Thy wondrous ways.
No service could I render fit for Thee,
Who art the source of heaven's majesty;
But Thou canst use me to extol Thy grace,
That I may serve Thee in my lowly place,
Until I see Thee, Saviour, face to face.
Divine Thy mercy, wonderful Thy love.
Exalted are Thy thoughts, all thoughts above.
But after Thee I can think wonder thought,
And through Thee can all righteous work be
wrought.
So dost Thou answer one who humbly sought.
