Earlier text: The Saxons Enter BritainHow Socialism Is Recruited.
As a matter of interest in connection with our study of the restoration of the Papacy, we insert the following from the European letter of the San Francisco Chronicle before referred to:— “What then is the outlook for Socialism, let us say, in France, where it is the most potent and progressive? It has its roots down deep in the sorrows of the people. It lives by discontent. It flourishes even by crime, though the great majority of those who profess its doctrines are by no means criminals. The situation is at the moment favorable to the Socialists. Their recruitment is from various classes besides workingmen. Among these recruits pessimistic writers give the first place to the annually increasing number of persons that come out of the schools and colleges. These young people are unable to find work suited to their capacity. They find it less now than ever, because the commercial8crisis is closing many of the avenues of labor. The bachelors of art are condemned to idleness, misery, discontent, and are easily converted into revolutionary material. “The sons of peasants, reared with difficulty and well educated by their parents, or those of little shop keepers, have no recourse when they graduate. They cannot dig, and to beg they are ashamed, like the man in the parable. The financial speculation of late years is said to have taken almost all the money of the people of small means. Hundreds of them may be seen about the Paris Bourse or in the afternoon studying the stock lists. Thousands have put their money into Panama Canal stock. Countless numbers have put their money in certificates of stock of various kinds which are scarcely worth the paper they are written on. The peasant has been obliged to sell or mortgage his land. The small merchants have, as I have already said, been sorely tried by the depression in business, and by having their trade captured by the great stores or bazaars that sell everything. When a man fails, the law and his neighbors regard him as a criminal. He has no recourse, and enters the discontented and revolutionary classes. “The great banks and money-lending companies are gradually absorbing the real estate. This is resold, perhaps, to peasant purchasers who cannot pay for it, or can only pay a part by using up all their savings and borrowing the rest from the company on credit, which exacts an interest beyond their means. Then comes a bad harvest, and the farm goes probably in default of interest into the hands of the village usurer. So, by all these means, the class of the impoverished is constantly increasing, and each individual considers himself wronged by society. He acquires a hatred for capitalists, and gravitates easily toward the revolutionary class, either as leader or follower, because anything is better than his present misery. And to all these have to be added the criminal classes, whom, if the Socialists seek to accomplish their ends by revolution, they will always find their most efficient allies.” IN its issue of June 26, 1886, the Golden Gate contained the following:— 'Truth is generally determined by the weight of evidence in its favor. Our Adventist friends declare with Job, that there is 'no knowledge nor device in the grave'—that the soul sleeps after death till the literal resurrection of the body. Now we can bring a great 'cloud of witnesses' who were once mortals like us, and who will all declare most positively that they were never more alive nor wide-awake than they are now. Shall we not believe our spirit friends in preference to Job, who evidently did not know what he was talking about, never having had any experience as a spirit separate from the body? It is hardly fair to insist that a man is dead, when he himself declares to the contrary.' Again, in its issue of July 17, we find the following in an editorial note:— 'Job said that 'the dead know not anything;' while the so-called dead come back to us by thousands, and declare that Job was mistaken. Who shall we believe?' It is not at all surprising that a paper which has no special use for the Bible should persist in giving Job credit for what Solomon wrote; we never knew an opponent of the Bible to be acquainted with its contents. The mistake is not so bad a one, however, for although Job did not use the language attributed to him, he did speak thus of the dead: 'His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.' Job's testimony is directly opposed to Spiritualism, and so the editor of the Golden Gate did not go so very far astray. But it is surprising indeed to see a man of his intelligence bring in behalf of Spiritualism a class of evidence that would not be accepted by a Police Judge in a petty larceny case, and then call it 'weight of evidence.' Here the spirits are on trial. The Bible charges them with being spirits of devils. We call them up and put the question, 'Guilty, or not guilty?' They reply, 'Not guilty,' and straightway the editor of the Golden Gate claps his hands, and says, 'I told you so.' The story is told that in a remote country village, a man of limited capacity was elected Justice of the Peace. The first case that came before him was that of a man charged with stealing chickens. To the usual question, the accused replied, 'Not guilty.' Immediately the Justice prepared to leave the court room. The prosecuting attorney asked in surprise if he were not going on with the trial. The Justice replied, 'What's the use? The prisoner admits that he isn't guilty.' We always thought that this story was the creation of somebody's imagination; but now we are prepared to believe it. Surely a country Justice should not be laughed at for doing that which is done not only by the learned editor of the Golden Gate, but by Spiritualists all over the world. We don't accept the evidence; and we would warn all unsuspecting persons against being imposed upon by such one-sided testimony. When you are asked to believe that there is no death, on the ground that some wonderful spiritual phenomena have been exhibited, remember that the Bible says, 'They are the spirits of devils working miracles;' and remember also that the only defense made is on the testimony of the accused themselves. But this is not all. Not only is there no evidence in behalf of the accused, except their own testimony, but their own testimony is admitted to be worthless. The Golden Gate of May 8, 1886, gave an account of a slate-writing seance, together with a fac-simile of the messages that were received. In the course of the account, the editor said:— 'It is not claimed that this writing was done, in all instances, or even in any instance, by the spirit giving the name. Much of it, no doubt, is done by the medium's control, or by spirits skilled in the manipulation of the pencil tips; and such spirits act as mediums for those less proficient in the matter. This explains the poor grammar and orthography sometimes witnessed in communications from spirits who, in earth life, we know would never have committed such mistakes.' In the face of this admission, we are asked if we shall not believe our 'spirit friends' when they testify in their own behalf! No; for the most 'advanced' Spiritualists admit just what the editor of the Golden Gate does, that there is no means of identifying the spirits. We could give abundance of testimony on this point, but prefer to use the recent matter all from the same source. The case stands thus: Certain spirits do communicate with men. This we all admit. We claim, on the testimony of the Bible, that they are the spirits of devils. Spiritualists claim that they are our 'spirit friends,' and offer the testimony of the spirits themselves as proof, at the same time telling us, what we would know without being told, that their statements are not to be relied on. And for the sole testimony of the accused, who are known only as liars, we are asked to throw away the Bible, which, by the exact fulfillment of prophecies covering the whole of earth's history, as well as by its general testimony concerning human nature, has been demonstrated to be the embodiment of truth. We shall stick 'to the law and to the testimony;' and we urge all people who are asked by Spiritualists to 'try the spirits,' to challenge the testimony that is offered. Christ said that lying is the characteristic of the devil. 'He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.' It has been shown that the only thing known about these communicating spirits is that they are liars. Do they not thus in themselves afford proof of the Bible charge that they are the spirits of devils? Next week, if we have space, and if not, the week following, we shall answer the question that is so often asked, namely, 'If these spirits are the spirits of devils, how is it that they sometimes heal the sick, and in other ways render aid to men?' It is not a difficult question to answer, yet thousands have stumbled over it. W. A Religious Reformation a Necessity of the Age.
By George I. Butler
WE are living in an age of invention, an age of great light and of general investigation. The human mind was never more active. We cannot doubt that there is real advancement in many directions. But how is it in religion? Is a general advancement being made in this over the practices of our fathers? Or is there a positive declension? God has given us a standard of true religion in his holy word. This is able to thoroughly furnish the man of God unto every good work. If so, it is just right. Does the religious practice of this time correspond with this standard? The apostolic church certainly set the highest example of Christian practice the world has ever seen. They were not too holy, too zealous. Indeed, it is evident that in many things their practice as recorded in the New Testament came short of the standard of perfection. How does the practice of the present time correspond with theirs? Does it equal or exceed it? If not, a reformation is demanded. The Bible clearly teaches that in the last days there will be great religious declension, that "the love of many shall wax cold" (Matt. 24:12), that the times will be perilous, and that a catalogue of grievous sins will be found in connection with religious professors, and that the power of godliness will be denied, and merely the form retained; and it authoritatively adds, "From such turn away." 2 Tim. 3:1-5. Having reached the period of time spoken of, viz., the "last days," we are in duty bound to look around us to see if such a state of things does exist; and if we are authorized from plain and notorious facts to conclude that it does, then we are solemnly bound to heed the requirement of the Scripture. It will be proper therefore to compare the condition of things around us in the religious world with the only correct standard of religious practice, the Bible, to ascertain the truth. The Bible forbids the love of the world. It declares that "if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15. Speaking of a fallen church which should be utterly destroyed, the prophet says her "merchants were the great men of the earth." Rev. 18. Christ says we "cannot serve God and mammon." And James says, "The friendship of the world is enmity with God." James 4:4. The Bible everywhere teaches that while it is the duty of God's people to labor for the salvation of wicked men, by bringing them to Christ, there must be a separation from the world. Its spirit, its honors, its pride, its pleasures, are not to be sought for by his disciples. In the apostolic church we see an example of this kind. A profession of love for Christ cost something then. But now a membership in a popular church is oftentimes a help to worldly honor and position. It is eminently respectable. Is this because the spirit of modern society is so much more holy than it used to be? No; this is an age of frivolity, of pleasure-seeking, and these are often carried right into our religious sanctuaries. Godless amusements, such as are destructive to all solemnity of feeling, and are grossly immoral in their tendency, are held in the church itself, and, under its sanction, all over our broad land. I refer to donation parties in which grab-bags and church lotteries figure, and women are kissed for a certain price paid into the treasury, and many other things of like character. Such practices as these prevail to an alarming extent all around us, and are so common as to excite little remark or thought. When these are held under the sanction of the church, the standard of religion is thus lowered down to a respectable worldly standard, and in some cases much below it. I might speak of this to great length, but the subject is too painful. These practices have even met the rebuke of respectable worldly journals, and I have no question but they enter largely into the cause of the general disrespect felt by a large class of intelligent skeptics and men of the world which we know exists all around us. When these things are whitewashed over, excused, and fellowshiped, the church is responsible for this effect. How plainly the apostle's reference to "lovers of pleasures" is here illustrated. The prevailing selfishness and universal desire to get rich is another illustration of the same principle. We do not observe any less desire for worldly riches among the professed popular church of Christ to-day than among worldlings who make no profession. Church members generally exert themselves fully as hard in this direction, and, in most cases, they do not scruple more at the means by which they obtain wealth. Sharpness and overreaching in deal are exceedingly common. And I cannot learn that there is any marked difference in this respect between church members and worldlings. Riches generally give men a high and influential position in the church, not because the person is morally better, but because he has money. This statement is indisputable. The Bible does not sanction any such sentiment. Our divine Lord chose to come to this world, and even set an example of poverty. He might have come as a rich man, had he chosen to do so. But he says, while "the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." He has chosen the "poor of this world, rich in faith," for his peculiar followers. He has positively declared that it is "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven;" yet we find no lack of modern professed followers of him anxious to make the experiment. He says, "Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation." Luke 6:24. But who now believes these declarations? Most assuredly it is not the popular church of to-day. But the apostolic church did, and practiced upon them. They made themselves poor, as we learn in the first chapters of Acts, that they might do good to their fellow-men. So I might take up the prevailing exhibitions of pride and vanity displayed in the modern churches. I confidently affirm that there are very few of their members indeed who pay any practical respect whatever to the plain teachings of the Bible upon the subject of dress. A godless and ridiculous fashion, originating in Paris, has tenfold more power upon the hearts of church members than the plainest declarations of Holy Writ. And this is thought to be something innocent. How must God regard this matter? He caused inspired men to write directions for his people in regard to dress, forbidding ornamentation, wearing of gold, and vain display, and requiring modesty, neatness, and simplicity. 1 Tim. 2:9; 1 Pet. 3:3, 4. But a worldly church rides right over these things as of no consequence, and runs eagerly after worldly fashion. The apostle says, "From such turn away." "Come out from among them, and be ye separate," says Paul. The standard of pure doctrine and holy practice has been lowered to harmonize with worldliness and pride. Our practice must be brought into harmony with God's word. It is the only rule of faith and practice. We are nowhere informed that we can deviate from this with impunity. God is not engaged in child's play. He does not tell mankind his wishes and will, to be just as well pleased if they obey or disobey. "Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." Obedience is the highest possible service we can render to God. Here our loyalty is tested. If we do obey him, we must walk differently from the proud and vain, even if they belong to a worldly church. There are many honest souls scattered here and there whose hearts are saddened by such things as I have referred to, and who long for something better. They hardly know which way to turn. There are many more whose minds have never dwelt particularly upon these things, and they do not realize their tendency. They need instruction. But the great masses love these very things which are grieving the Spirit of God from the churches. We boldly affirm that there is a necessity of reform in Christian practice generally. And we do not believe that there is any rational hope that the worldly, popular churches of our land can be brought back to humility and simplicity such as the Bible teaches. No doubt there are many good things taught in our modern pulpits. But our rich and popular church members will not tolerate that teaching which lays bare their sins and applies the ax to the root of the trees. The plain truth is smoothed over and made palatable to rich and popular sinners. And in a large majority of cases, the ministers are the very ones who do not wish this order of things changed. Where are the faithful men who cry aloud and spare not, and who "show my people their transgression"? A popular church is sinking down lower and lower into conformity with the world, and the siren song of "peace and safety" lulls them into carnal security. The insane frenzy for worldly wealth continues, and where is the hope for reform? It is not in such surroundings; but it is in a separate work which calls out the honest to a higher and purer practice. All around us are evidences which show such a reformation to be a necessity. Christ is coming, and this reformation will herald his approach. We ask the reader to ponder carefully these statements. They are not designed to excite or prejudice the mind; but they are designed to call attention to facts notorious to all. The sleeping senses of thousands of honest souls need to be aroused. Let us agitate, agitate, till the public conscience is touched, and people see the necessity of coming back to the humble simplicity of Bible teaching. Correct Ideas of Burden-Bearing.
By James White
GAL. 6:2: "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Verse 5: "For every man shall bear his own burden." The apostle Paul was decidedly a reasoner. A mind as logical as his would not find it difficult to preserve consistency either of statement or conclusion. Certainly he would not contradict himself in writing two sentences so nearly connected as are the above. And yet were all the "burdens" of life alike in their nature, and to be borne under like circumstances, we could see no consistency in the two verses. In looking around we shall find three kinds of burdens to be borne: viz., those which we can and ought to bear with or for one another; those which we cannot bear for one another; and those which we ought not to bear for one another. The first, referred to in verse 2, are burdens which are laid upon us as servants of God,—those which fall upon us because we are the followers of Christ. These are the scoffs, scorns, insults, hatreds, persecutions, losses, and injuries we receive or suffer as Christians. Such we should bear for each other's sake, not only as a duty, but as a joyful privilege. As a duty, because it is enjoined by our Saviour; it is to follow him in his labor of love, who suffered not for himself, but for others. It is the manifestation of the spirit of the gospel, the spirit of disinterested kindness, the opposite of all selfishness. As a privilege, because it is suffering for Christ's sake; rather, it is suffering with him. His servants are his representatives, and what we do to or for them, we do to or for him. Matt. 25:40. Paul rejoiced in his sufferings for his brethren, because he thereby filled up that which was behind of the afflictions of Christ, in his flesh, for his (Christ's) body's sake, which is the church. Col. 1:24. No doubt all the disciples regretted through all their lives that they "forsook him and fled" in the hour of his betrayal. It was a sore trial to the flesh then, but what a record would it have been for one of them to have stood boldly by his side, and braved the anger of the Jews and the power of the Roman soldiers for the sake of his Master, the holy Son of God! What a privilege it is to suffer with Jesus! And there are some burdens which we must bear alone; no human aid can reach us in the struggle. These are the burdens of personal duty, of self-denial, of cross-bearing, of overcoming our besetments and passions. These, perhaps, the apostle referred to in verse 5. Divine grace can assist us in the work, but grace will not do our work for us. Overcoming is a heart work, a life struggle. God will do great things for us—more than we can conceive; but he will not do for us what he has commanded us to do. Grace will enable us to obey; but it will not remove the obligation or necessity therefor. And again there are other burdens which we ought to bear alone; these are the burdens of our own wrongs. If we suffer as evil-doers, we have no right to throw the burden on our brethren, on the church, or on the cause of God. But alas! all these have to suffer when the professor of godliness turns aside from the narrow path. We should suppose that all would be ready and glad to bear the reproaches and persecutions which fall upon the servants of God for righteousness sake; that they would esteem it a privilege, as Paul did, to suffer for the body of Christ on earth; and that they would instinctively shrink from bearing reproach with them who are reproached for evil-doing. But the reverse is very frequently the case. It often happens that the godly is left to suffer alone for his devotion to the cause of Christ, without an eye to weep for his sorrows, or a heart to pity or sympathize in his afflictions; while he who is chastised for his unfaithfulness to duty, and bears a burden of his own wrong-doing, is the object of pity, and receives the strongest sympathy. That this is very often the case, we all know. But why is it so? What can be the motives actuating professed Christians to take such distorted views of duty, and to suffer their sympathies to be so perverted? The reason is found in this: that such professed Christians lose sight of the declarations of the word of God, and estimate things by a worldly standard. "The reproach of Christ" is a commodity of no value in this world; it is avoided by the worldling as something positively injurious; and very many professed followers of Christ are so imbued with the spirit of the world that they, too, fail to discern its worth. They deal so little in it, it is so slightly interwoven into their religious experience, that they do not recognize it when it is presented before them. They move with the world; they love what the world loves, and despise what the world despises. But let them know that if they do not repent and turn away their hearts from the world and worldly things, they will sink and perish in the world's destruction. Such professors, having wandered far from Christ, having lost their affection for his cross, the spirit of sacrifice and self-denial having died out of their hearts, they are blinded to the claims of moral worth, and see no beauty in the pure principles of Heaven. Their feelings and sympathies readily blend and harmonize with selfishness and worldly-mindedness. There they find their level. And if, as Paul says, when one member suffers, all the members of the body suffer, we are almost compelled to believe that these are no longer members of the body of Christ, they seem so perfectly indifferent and unfeeling while his chosen ones are suffering for his cause and name's sake. They love their ease. The world is so filled with iniquity that there is but little reproach attached to sin; and that is so easy to bear they choose it instead of the reproach of Christ. We may therefore set it down as a truth that the direction of a person's sympathies is one sure indication of his standing as a Christian. And it becomes every one of us to watch our sympathies with jealous care, and know that they move in harmony with the Spirit of Christ. When he or his cause suffers in the person of his followers, let us stand by their side; let us bear the reproach with them; let us suffer in their persecutions; let us rejoice at the privilege of bearing their burdens, that so we may fulfill the law of Christ; and though the selfish and carnally-minded may be ashamed of us now, Jesus himself will not be ashamed of us in that day when kings and mighty men will try to hide from his face. In that day the decisions of the present will be reversed. The honors of this world, its wealth and glory, now so highly prized, will then be worthless. The reproach of sin, now so light, so little cared for, will then be so heavy as to sink its possessor into despair and perdition. The reproach of Christ, now so lightly esteemed, yes, so generally despised, will then prove of infinite worth. Who, in that day, will regret that they suffered with Christ? Who, in eternal ages, will not rejoice that they were permitted to bear a part in his afflictions? Who would not feel eternally reproved by the wounds he bears, if they should choose the path of selfishness and ease? Let us throw all our feelings and sympathies forward into the Judgment, and try to view things now as we shall view them in eternity. If Jesus has his representatives on earth, let us do to them as we shall wish we had done when we shall be called into his presence. Now we have a little time and opportunity left to "suffer with him." It will soon be past, and the reproach of Christ cease forever. May we so bear the cross as to share the glory which shall follow. The Missionary.
By Stephen N. Haskell
The Commencement of the Hussite War.
ABOUT the time that hostilities commenced, King Wenceslaus died, and the queen who had formerly favored the reformers decided in favor of the papal party. The Pope, uniting with the emperor, determined to bring to an end the heresy that was already permeating all Europe, and daily gaining ground. Several of the German States were ready to engage in a crusade against Bohemia. The Bohemians saw the terrible tempest gathering on their borders, but they were not dismayed by it. The Emperor Sigismund, now claimed the crown, his brother Wenceslaus having left no heirs. Sustained by the Pope's influence, he gathered together, some writers say ten thousand, others, thirteen thousand men with which to subdue the rebellion. The war lasted eighteen years; and the historian says that it was characterized from the beginning to the close by miraculous victories for the Hussites. In 1419, on a great plain not far from Prague, forty thousand of the Bohemians met to celebrate the Eucharist, which was done in the most simple manner possible. Three tables were set, and the sacred emblems were brought forth and placed upon them. The priests officiating at each, gave the communion in both kinds to the people. They came to the place as pilgrims, with walking staves, and after the ceremony was over, they separated, the most part taking the road to Prague, where they arrived in the night, with lighted torches. The matter becoming known to the enemy, their second meeting of this kind did not pass off as quietly as the first. While several hundred of them were on their way, bearing as before, not arms but walking staves, they were met by the intelligence that the troops of the emperor were lying in ambuscade, awaiting their approach. They halted on the road, and sent messengers to the towns in their rear for assistance. A small body of soldiers was sent to their aid, and in the conflict that followed, the imperial cavalry, though superior in numbers, was put to flight. This was the opening of the war, and the Bohemians took this victory as an evidence that God would defend their troops and also that they were right in defending their liberties by force of arms. The Turks without any design of granting them help, greatly assisted them by attacking Sigismund's empire on the opposite side of Bohemia, which divided the forces of the emperor. Ziska, taking advantage of these circumstances, made haste to rally the whole of Bohemia before the emperor could dispose of the Moslems, and before the armed hordes of Germany, now mustering in obedience to the Papal summons, could have time to bear down upon the little country. He issued the following manifesto, signed, "Ziska of the chalice:"474"Imitate your ancestors, the ancient Bohemians, who were always able to defend the cause of God and their own. We are collecting troops from all parts, in order to fight against the enemies of the truth, and the destroyers of our nation; and I beseech you to inform your preacher that he should exhort, in his sermons, the people to make war on the anti-christ, and that every one, old and young, should prepare himself for it. I also desire that when I shall be with you there shall be no want of bread, beer, victuals, or provender, and that you should provide yourselves with good arms. . . . Remember your first encounter when you were few against many, unarmed against well-armed men. The hand of God has not been shortened. Have courage and be ready. May God strengthen you.—Ziska of the chalice; in the hope of God, chief of the Taborites." This appeal affected all the Bohemians like an electric shock. From town, village, and rural plains, the inhabitants rallied to the standard of Ziska, now planted on Mount Tabor. They were poorly disciplined, and still more poorly armed; but the latter defect was about to be supplied in a manner that they little dreamed of; the lack was to be made up by the visible manifestation of God's protection for this little band of worshipers. They had scarcely begun their march toward the capitol when they routed, captured, and disarmed a body of the imperial cavalry. The spoils of the enemy supplied them with material with which to arm themselves, and this they quickly did. A Roman Catholic historian says that the loss of Catholics at this time was about five hundred. The establishments of the monks in Prague, and throughout Bohemia were pillaged. In a very short time they were utterly wrecked, and their treasure, which was immense, consisting of gold, silver, and precious stones, went a long way toward defraying the expense of the war. That the emperor could be defeated, supported as he was by the whole force of the empire and the influence of the Papal Church, was a thing too incredible to be entertained for a moment; but it soon became apparent that the Hussites were not the contemptible opponents that the emperor had taken them to be. He was destined to be ignominiously beaten. His forces were driven in disgrace from the walls of Prague, and they could only avenge themselves by burning, rapine, and slaughter, which marked the track of their retreat. They fancied that they saw a Hussite in every Bohemian, and thus they destroyed, in many instances, their own friends. The battle lasted over a week. Churches and convents were pillaged, and monks driven away, and in some instances massacred. S. N. H.