The power of God doth make thee grow:
At His word thou standest forth.
Down in its cold, damp bed the lily bulb lies. No warmth of fire dispels the chilliness, or sunlight penetrates its dark abode. Hidden by earth, neglected, none apparently give it thought. Yet no murmur escapes its waxen lips. It worries not over its present apparently unpromising condition. Confident that it has a place in the great, eternal, purpose of the Creator, and therefore in his thoughts, it patiently awaits his pleasure. It does not grow weary in its vigil, but, the while, enjoys peaceful repose, gathering strength for the hour when, by that still, small voice through which he speaks alike to his animate and inanimate creatures, God shall call it to a higher and a nobler life.
Anon the change approaches. A power is descending from above. It penetrates the earthy covering of the lily-bulb’s quiet home that has shut it away from the outer world, and touches its heart. Gladly it welcomes the first and every impulse of the warm spring sunshine which is flooding the world above. It accepts this as a token of God’s love, and love is begotten in return. It takes in the life-giving power that there is in the sun’s warm rays, and its whole being thrills with that new life from God which is to work in it "to will and to do of his good-pleasure." It now realizes, if it has not before, that the damp, cold bed where it has rested all during the long, dark night of winter, was prepared by a loving Father’s hand, and just suited to its needs. Had it lain on the surface of the earth unprotected, it would have withered and died, and the bright spring sunshine would have only hastened its decay. As it is, the earth, the moisture, and the sunshine now combine to assist it in fulfilling the Master’s bidding. Submission to the will of the Creator and humble acceptation of his blessings, have wrought wonders in its behalf.
As it puts forth its tender shoots and makes an effort to press its way up into the air and sunlight above, it finds its feeble efforts seconded by an unseen power. The big, dry clod just above it, forming an unsurmountable obstacle and blasting its hopes, is pushed aside by an unseen hand, and the pale, fragile shoot for the first time inhales a breath of pure, fresh air, and is bathed with a flood of sunlight. In these elements it finds another wise provision for its new form and conditions of existence. Under their influence the pallid hue is replaced by a beautiful green, its slender form rounded and strengthened. It realizes that all these provisions of the Creator are blessings essential to its growth. It is by receiving and using them that it is fitted for its mission. It sees that without them it could do nothing,—that it is in him that it lives and moves and has its being. To him, therefore, is due all the praise and glory for what it is and all that it hopes to be. It gladly accepts and rejoices in this truth.
It finds itself in a new world of experience. It looks around upon the landscape, and, with a feeling akin to surprise, notes that it is not the only plant in the world. There before it are millions upon millions of other plants,
"Beautiful children of the glen and dell,"
in whom God is working with that same wonderful power as in itself. Some are more curiously wrought and beautiful; others less so. All are contented and happy in their entire submission to their Creator’s will. No feelings of envy or jealousy enter its heart to destroy its peace. Instead, it is filled with inexpressible gratitude and love to him who has made it a partaker with others of the glory that fills the earth, and, literally, a part of that glory. Now its thought is how to most effectually glorify him who has bestowed such loving care and consideration on it, while he has so many others fully provided, that they may assist it in fulfilling the object of its creation. It reasons: "If I refuse to do this, I will dishonor my great Benefactor, who seeks only my good. More than this, I will lose my love for him, and no longer enjoy the association of my companions who take such pleasure in their service of him who created them. I will wither and die, and never see the enrapturing glory that will be revealed when God’s plan is worked out in all its perfection." Unendurable thought. It is banished, and with a heart buoyant with hope and expectancy, the lily continues to receive of the things of its God and shed them forth in blessings upon others.
It grows more beautiful each day, and each day reaps the consolation of knowing that it is causing joy in the hearts of some where it might not otherwise have existed. It tells, in its modest way, of the love and power of the Creator. Finally it blossoms—crowning evidence of a beautiful life of loving submission to him who does all things well; emblem of purity and love; outgrowth of divine grace and power. Having finished its course, the Father calls, and it lays down its life with the same resignation it has ever manifested, committing its future to him who has so faithfully cared for it during life. It rests, but its life still speaketh, urging all who would finish their course with joy, to resign themselves fully to their loving Father’s care.
Perfect submission,
Taste of its sweets.
Shall we not only reverently consider the lilies, but all the mighty works of God as seen in nature, and from them learn more of the Father’s love and power, and how to use them to his glory?
“THE MOST HIGH RULETH.” NO. 4.
By W. N. G.
THIS great truth, that the Most High ruleth, is nowhere more strikingly set forth than in the book of Daniel. It is there demonstrated both by history and by prophecy that has since become history. In the first chapter of this notable book is a restatement of the fact that the Lord gave his people into the hand of the king of Babylon. No power could have taken them captive against his will. The record in verses 1 and 2 is as follows: “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god.”
This statement covers only the first of the several attacks upon Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and the first instalment of the captives taken to Babylon. But here begins the record of Nebuchadnezzar’s policy of governing his newly-acquired subjects: “And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.” Verses 3, 4.
By the qualifications here required, we must conclude that these “children” were young men already pretty well educated. The providence of God, as well as the sagacity of the king, is readily discerned in having some of his own people prepared to stand in places where they might wield an influence for the furtherance of his great cause in the earth and for the honor of his name. It reminds us that in captivity Joseph was prepared in the providence of God for the rulership of Egypt and the relief of his own people; also that Moses, after an education expressly designed to fit him for the Egyptian throne, was sent into exile for forty years that he might learn the lesson of humble consecration necessary for the great work which the Lord had laid out for him. It is not to be supposed, however, that the education Moses had received in Egypt was of no practical value to him in his work, as it was by special providence that the opportunity of that schooling was given him. As we shall see as we follow up the record in Daniel, that at least four of the young men selected by the Babylonian6prince had already learned the lesson of humility and consecration to the service of God. These four were young men of Judah, named Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
In this connection we have additional evidence of the heathen character of the rulers of Babylon. The prince in charge of the students changed the names of these four, giving them names significant of honor to the gods worshiped by the Babylonians. "He gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego." Dr. Adam Clarke, the celebrated linguist and commentator, makes the following statement regarding these names:—
Daniel signifies "God is my judge." This name they changed into Belteshats-tsar, in Chaldee, "The treasure of Bel," or "The depository of the secrets (or treasure) of Bel."
Hananiah signifies, "The Lord has been gracious to me," or "He to whom the Lord is gracious." This name was changed into Shadrach Chaldee, which has been variously translated: "The inspiration of the sun;" "God, the author of evil, be propitious to us;" "Let God preserve us from evil."
Mishael signifies, "He who comes from God." Him they called Meshach, which in Chaldee signifies, "He who belongs to the goddess Sheshach," a celebrated deity of the Babylonians, mentioned by Jeremiah, chap. 25:26.
Azariah, which signifies "The Lord is my helper," they changed into Abed-nego, which in Chaldee is "the servant of Nego, who was one of their divinities; by which they meant either the sun, or the morning star, whether Jupiter or Venus."
These young men, being captives, or absolute slaves, would have no choice in the matter of their names. It was no doubt very disagreeable to them to be obliged to bear through life names signifying recognition of heathen deities, but that was only one of the many trials incident to their situation. It was a marked illustration of the folly of making men appear to adhere to any kind of religion by civil law. They were no more heathen than they were before their names were modified by law to indicate such a change. And the rule works both ways. A civil statute compelling men to observe Christian formalities will no more make them Christians than changing the name of a Christian to indicate that he is a heathen will make him a heathen. "The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 1 Sam. 16:7.
On entering upon their course of training at Babylon, these four young princes of Judah had to pass a most trying ordeal in the matter of food. It was such a trial as would test the conscientious scruples to the utmost, for the reason that most people would deem imperative the necessity of eating what was set before them under such circumstances. "The king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank; so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king." Dan. 1:5.
It was a high honor to these students, and no doubt thought to be for their physical benefit, to have the privilege of eating food prepared for the king's table. But in the matter of the provisions of a heathen king, and in the manner of preparation, there would certainly be much that a conscientious Hebrew could not adopt. And if he were brought up to observe temperance principles, he must omit such wines as kings were wont to use. This was the view which Daniel took of the situation; for he "purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." Verse 8.
Daniel's fixed purpose was evidently justifiable, notwithstanding the civil law on the subject, for God honored his firm stand. As a preliminary help to the young men, in the crucial test before them, he "brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs." Verse 9. Therefore, when Daniel interposed his objections, the prince, instead of endeavoring to compel acquiescence, tried the argument of persuasion. He said, "I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink; for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort [or class]? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king." Verse 10.
This must have been a strong appeal, when coming from a superior imbued with "tender love" for the one to whom it was addressed. But faith in God overcomes all obstacles without compromising the love which his own Spirit has enkindled. So Daniel made a proposition to Melzar, who had the immediate charge of himself and his three friends. He said: "Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat; and as thou seest, deal with thy servants." Verses 12, 13.
It must not be supposed that Daniel meant that, should the test prove adverse to them, they would eat of the king's meat and drink of his wine when so ordered. No; he had purposed in his heart not to defile himself. What he meant, then, was that they would willingly submit to any consequences that might come of this fixed purpose. And such is the stand always taken by the servant of God whose purpose is fixed. In the cases of these four young captives, if the test had failed, a severe punishment, perhaps death, for insubordination would surely have been the penalty. But genuine faith is always the "substance of things hoped for," and the Spirit of God never fails to direct the one who implicitly commits his case to "Him that judgeth righteously."
STEPS TO CHRIST.
(BY A CHILD )
The Sinner's Need of Christ.
ORIGINALLY man was endowed with a pure and noble mind, but by partaking of the forbidden fruit of transgression, his mind became sullied and impure. In the beginning his thoughts were pure, his aims were holy. But, through his disobedience, the strength of his good powers was weakened and love was replaced by selfishness. Satan made man his captive, and when man left his glorious home for an estate of sin and misery, he left behind something that never could have been regained had God not especially interposed.
It was Satan's plan to thwart the divine purpose of creation and fill the earth with wo and desolation. And to all he would point this evil as the result of God's work in creating man.
The sinner could not be happy in the presence of God; he would shrink from holy companionship. Tho he entered heaven, it would have no joy for him, for the spirit of unselfish love that reigns there would awaken no responding chord in his soul. Heaven would be to him a place of torture, and he would gladly welcome a consuming fire if it took him from the presence of his Redeemer. The sinner is not excluded from heaven by God's will, but by his own unfitness to dwell there.
Our hearts are evil, and we alone are powerless to change them. When Jesus died on the cross, he died to redeem us from our sins. The crown of thorns that pierced his brow, the sword that pierced his side, were that our souls might be cleansed from sin.
Accomplishments may give an outward appearance of purity, but it can not change the heart. There must be something working within, a new power from above. That power is Christ. Only his grace can quicken the faculties of the soul and change the impurities of human minds to holiness. Our Saviour said, "Except a man be born from above," that is, except he has new motives, new desires, new purposes, leading to a new life, "he can not see the kingdom of God."
It is not enough to perceive the loving-kindness and benevolence of God's character, to discern the justice and wisdom of his law, to see that it is founded upon the eternal principles of love. Paul, the apostle, saw all this when he exclaimed, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." "But" he added, in the bitterness of despair, "I am carnal, sold under sin." He longed for purity and righteousness, which in himself he was powerless to give, and he cried, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Such is the cry that has gone up from burdened hearts in all lands and in all ages. There is but one answer, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
The heart of God yearns over his earthly children with a love that is stronger than death. He has poured out to us all heaven in one gift, by giving up his Son. O, let us seek for better motives and purposes, for higher aspirations, that we may enjoy the home prepared for us by Jesus!
Repentance.
Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We can not denounce sin unless we see our sins, and there is no true repentance until we have turned away from our sinful ways. Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned, and even make an outward confession, but there is no true repentance if they return to their sinful ways again. They do this because they fear their wrong-doing will bring suffering upon them. They lament the suffering rather than the sin. But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the sinner will understand something of the depth of God's holy law. He sees the love of God, the joy of purity, and the beauty of holiness, and he longs to be cleansed and return to the communion of heaven.
It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ that brings true repentance. When the sinner makes an effort to reform, Jesus reaches out a helping hand and helps him from the pit of sin and shame to the holy communion of heaven. Tho an outward reformation is made, we must see the enormity of our sins, and cry out to God for forgiveness, and turn from the path of destruction. Christ is the course of every right desire. When a wish of purity and holiness comes to us, it is a sign that the Spirit of God is working within.
Confession.
The Lord does not require an enormous sin that we may be forgiven. Neither need we go on long, wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to commend our souls to the God of heaven. But the sinner should not be pushed into confession when he does not discern the true sense. Besides, we can not confess7sins until we see the sins that must be confessed. God gives mercy to all who confess their sins and pray for forgiveness. If offense has been given to a neighbor, we should ask his pardon; then it is his duty to grant it. We must afterward ask forgiveness of God, for he is God's creature, for when we offend him, we offend God. Those who have not humbled their souls before God, have not fulfilled the first step of confession. If we have never sought we shall never find God's peace.
All confessions should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which we are guilty. Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance. True repentance will lead to bearing his sin himself, and acknowledging it without deception or hypocrisy. Those who acknowledge their guilt shall be justified, for the blood of Jesus will cleanse the soul of the repentant one.
(Concluded next week.)
THE TWO GOVERNMENTS AND THE TWO LAWS.
By W. L. Iles
(Concluded.)
Laws of the Theocracy.
God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, and formed them into a government at the base of Mount Sinai. He was their King and Ruler, but they rejected their King and crucified him, and, as a result of their sin, they, as a nation, were rejected of God, and the theocracy closed, or ended.
"Thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same; exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it; and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him." Eze. 21:26, 27.
"Israel" is God's chosen people to-day, and they are ruled by Christ, who sits upon the universal throne, and not on the throne of David. When Christ shall come the second time, and resurrect his saints, he then takes the throne of his father David. Luke 1:32, 33; Matt. 25:31.
At Sinai God gave laws to Israel, by which they were to be governed. These laws were of a moral, civil, and ceremonial nature. All will admit that no man is required to obey the laws of a government of which he is not a citizen. The people of the United States while in the United States, are not required to obey the laws of England. Yet it is true that the United States and England may have laws just alike, so that when a citizen of the United States obeys the laws of his government, he also obeys the laws of England. He does not obey the law because enacted by England, but because enacted by the government to which he belongs.
We are citizens of God's universal government, and surely we ought to obey the laws of that government. We do not obey the law of Ten Commandments because that was a law of the Jewish theocracy, but because it is a law of the universal government of God.
The theocracy of Israel was a government within a government. It was limited to this world. Had Israel obeyed God, their government would never have extended beyond this earth. God's universal government extends as far as his creation, and takes in this world. The United States Government embraces all of the State governments. The State of Ohio has a law against murder the same as the general government. Suppose by some means Ohio would cease to be a State government, what would be done with a man who would commit murder in Ohio? If the government has ceased, it can not condemn the man, or punish him. He must be tried and condemned by the laws of the general government, of which the State of Ohio was only a part.
The theocracy of Israel and God's universal government have each a Sabbath law, and they are just alike. The penalty is the same in both governments, which is death. Ex. 31:14; Rom. 6:23. Because the "theocracy of Israel" has ceased, can I now break the Sabbath law and go unpunished? The government of Israel can not inflict the penalty, but I will be tried (2 Cor. 5:10) in the court of God's universal government, and he will inflict the penalty of death (Mal. 4:1-3), unless I accept of pardon through Christ.
Those laws that the government of Israel had, that are in common with God's government, are just as binding now as when spoken by God from the summit of Sinai. We have found that the Ten Commandments given at Sinai were only a duplicate of the law in the ark of heaven. Rev. 11:19. Many of the laws of the theocracy are only an exposition of the Ten Commandments, and the principles expressed in those laws should be carried out by all Christians. Another well says:—
Moses was commanded to write, as God should bid him, judgments and laws, giving minute instruction as to what was required. These directions relating to the duty of the people to God, to one another, and to the stranger, were only the principles of the Ten Commandments amplified and given in a specific manner, that none need err. They were designed to guard the sacredness of the ten precepts engraved on the tables of stone.—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 364.
Types and Shadows.
Connected with the theocracy of Israel were many types and shadows. The Passover lamb was a type of Christ, and the Passover feast, or the eating of the lamb, represented our feasting upon Christ. 1 Cor. 5:7-9; John 6:56. All the lambs offered upon Jewish altars, as a sin-offering, or as a sacrifice, were a type of the "Lamb of God," who offered himself as a sin-offering, or a sacrifice.
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29.
"When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." Isa. 53:10.
The priesthood work of the old dispensation, connected with the theocracy of Israel, was a shadowy work.
"Who [priests] serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle; for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount." Heb. 8:5.
The feasts connected with the theocracy of Israel were shadowy. Connected with these feasts were annual sabbaths, which were also shadowy. See Leviticus 23. These Sabbaths were "beside the Sabbaths of the Lord." Verse 38.
When "type" meets antitype the type must cease. When we reach the substance which casts the shadow, the shadow disappears. As types and shadows reach a time that they must cease, and are only temporal, all laws that regulate them must be temporal. There was a law regulating the priesthood of the theocracy, not found in God's universal government, that ended when type met antitype, and when the shadow emerged into the substance.
"For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." Heb. 7:12. The law referred to is not the law of Ten Commandments, but the law regulating the priesthood. The priesthood work was "shadowy," and the law regulating it must be temporal.
As the result of the transgression of God's law, or the Ten Commandments, by which transgression we became sinners, another law was given regulating the priesthood, by which atonement was made in type for that sin.
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. . . . Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day [feast day], or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." Col. 2:14-17.
That which was nailed to the cross was the "handwriting" of ordinances, not God's finger writing (Ex. 31:18), but Moses' handwriting (Deut. 31:9). That which was "nailed to the cross" was "against us" and "contrary to us," and in our way. Connected with it were "meat," "drink," "feast days," "new moons," and "sabbath days," which were shadows. How can this refer to the law of Ten Commandments?
The Sabbath referred to is not the weekly Sabbath of the Lord, but the "shadow" sabbaths connected with the feasts of the old dispensation. They are the sabbaths that are "beside the Sabbaths of the Lord."
The New Testament speaks of a law which is not binding upon us. It never refers to the Ten Commandments as not binding, but to the law of ceremonies, connected with the theocracy of Israel. The law of Ten Commandments is a law of God's universal government, but the law regulating the Levitical priesthood is not.
The last battle to be fought by the church of Christ will be upon the question of the Sabbath and the law. The battle will not be to the "strong," but to those who yield to the Spirit of God, and enlist under the banner of Christ. "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual." The "sword of the Spirit" must pierce the heart. Christ is our commander-in-chief. Against the Sabbath and the law of God will be arrayed the hosts of darkness and the governments of earth. Sabbath-keepers will be persecuted, but Jesus will be with them, and sustain them. In the judgment day how glad we will be that we listened to Jesus, and heeded his instruction by keeping the law, even the "least commandment." "Hear ye him."
W. L. ILES.
Prescott, Arizona.
"I DON'T SEE ANY HARM IN IT."
THIS is the way cold professors and compromising preachers talk. You never hear an honest soul speak thus. With them the question is not whether there is any harm in a certain thing, but is there any good in it? If not, then there must be something harmful in it. There is no neutral ground as to right and wrong. It is one or the other.
"Innocent amusements"(?) and every other questionable thing, can easily be settled by prayerfully applying the following question, Are you willing to see any harm in it?—The Good Way.
Convicted by Others’ Faults
"We can seldom discuss the faults of others without thereby convicting ourselves."
Obedience, the Remedy for Doubt
"The best remedy for doubt and the best recipe for faith is obedience."
What Seems Good in God’s Sight
"WHAT seems good in God's sight must seem good in our faith."
PLEASE explain Ex. 24 : 11 and John 1 : 18 : "They saw God," and, "No man hath seen God."
The passage in John declares that "no man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."
No mortals could look upon the unveiled glory of God's face. 1 Tim. 6 : 16; Ex. 33 : 20. The overpowering brightness would destroy them. But the Son of God, in whom is manifest the character of the Father, has in different degrees vailed his glory and revealed God to the children of men. See John 14 : 7-10. He has been seen as the elders saw him, as Isaiah saw him, as Moses saw him, but the ineffable glory of God no man hath seen.
THE POSSIBILITY OF STATE RELIGION.
By W. N. G.
UTAH statehood seems to be developing the fact, which many people have been slow to realize, that States may establish religion notwithstanding the declaration of the Federal Constitution that Congress may not do so. While, theoretically, the State Constitution must not be inimical to the fundamental law of the Federal Government, it is true that "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." At a late mission conference held in Salt Lake City, the sentiment was expressed by resolution that the Mormon people never were so diplomatic, powerful, and aggressive as now. It was also asserted that Statehood had embarrassed rather than assisted evangelical work. Dr. Wishard, superintendent of the Presbyterian Mission, declared that "Statehood has given the dominant church the reins of power." The discussion brought out the fact, more than once reiterated, that in many places the public schools are run in the interest of the Mormon Church. Dr. Wishard stated that "a young lady who applied for a school near Monroe was asked by the Mormon board if she would close the school every Friday afternoon an hour earlier than usual and devote the time to teaching the Mormon religion. And when she refused to do so, her chance for the position vanished." When interviewed on the subject by a press reporter, a prominent Mormon official replied:—
"Let me ask, Would a Catholic select an outsider for a position, with one of his own people available? Would a Methodist, or a Presbyterian?—No. Then would it be expected that our people, when in the majority, would discriminate against themselves, and go hunting around for others on the outside? Have not the others set us an example? Have they ever put a Mormon in a position when they had the power to keep him out?"
As soon as they have the power, there is little doubt that the Constitution of the State will be so altered as to recognize the Mormon religion as the religion of the State. But in doing so they will be again following example—following the same principle on which other denominations of professed Christians procure the enactment of Sunday laws, thus establishing their religion as far as they can agree on points of doctrine to such an extent as to unite in asking for their legal enforcement.
The masses of the people imagine that a union of Church and State in this country, with all of its attendant evils, is impossible. They rest in imaginary security on the proposition that the Federal Constitution is a permanent barrier to any such innovation. They seem oblivious to the fact that in principle it already exists in nearly all of the States, and that strong, persistent forces are doing all in their power to arouse public sentiment to the point of further aggression along this line. Many are unconscious that measures which they ardently advocate are directly in this line, while others seem regardless of consequences if they can secure political control through any means. Such catching ideas as "Christian citizenship," "applied Christianity," "the nation for Christ," "purifying politics," "protection of the American Sunday," etc., are samples of the alluring baits that are calculated to lead the unwary into the Church-and-State current.
The significant fact is that all these so-called reforms are religious in character, while their advocates aim to advance them through political means for political ends. They are worked in the same way and for the same purpose that the Mormons are furthering their cause. The aim is political control in the interest of religious dogma. No religious denomination, or society, or individual, working for the advancement of any sort of religion by political means, can consistently condemn the Mormons for doing likewise. The New York Christian Advocate says:—
"We have had some letters from Methodists in Utah declaring that they ought to recognize the Christian part of Mormonism; and one elaborate letter proceeded on the assumption that Mormonism should be recognized as a branch of Christianity."
Of course the Advocate denounces all such sentiments; but if Methodists, or any other professed Christians in Utah out of the Mormon faith, so regard the Mormon religion, how can they condemn the Mormons for adopting the same course in the furtherance of their peculiar Christianity that is advocated in principle by other "branches"—not only in Utah but in other States? If the people of the United States would avoid the evils of Church and State union, they must needs repeal all the State laws that foster the principle; then close up the gap in the Federal Constitution which leaves the way open for such a thing in the States; and then guard with jealous eye the civil and religious rights of every individual, no matter how obscure.
W. N. G.
What About “Germs”?
By Editor
No. 661. What About "Germs"?
We read in Gen. 1:28 that Adam had dominion over every living thing that moveth on the earth. Now I understand that disease in mankind is all caused by living germs. Are not those included in "every living thing"? Did these germs then exist when there was no sickness, or are they of late origin?
"Every living thing" doubtless included all the lower forms of life, even the microbe or bacillus. But, before sin entered, these lower orders were not antagonistic to man or each other. All was perfect harmony, and each served the other. Such will again be the case when sin is forever banished. No, all diseases are not believed to come from germs, unless it be the germ of sin, which is selfishness, a most potent destroyer of life and health. It is yet a question whether the presence of many germs in a person, or part having a so-called germ disease, is not the result of the disease rather than the cause. But whatever may be the truth concerning this, it is a fact that man finds many enemies among these lower forms of life, lurking everywhere. When man yielded to Satan, he yielded all; and Satan has, so far as he has been permitted, perverted all, and set all creatures against each other. By reason of man's sin, "the creation was subjected to vanity," sin and death, and will be till man, the rightful lord, in the person of Jesus Christ, shall reign again. It is instructive to note in this connection how low sin has brought man—till he is overcome by the lowest animalculæ. Righteousness will reverse all this.
PLEASE explain 1 Kings 17: 22: "And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived."
It simply means that the life of the child came into him again. It says in verse 17 "that there was no breath [that is, breath of life] left in him." Elijah prays, "Let this child's soul come into him again." He did not pray that the child might come into his body again, but that the life, the breath, the vitality, might come back into the child again, and it did, and the child lived.
