ANOTHER striking fulfilment of prophecy, told over and over again, was the great commercial emporium of ancient times.
Fall of Tyre
The antiquity of Tyre "is of ancient days." "It was founded by a colony from Sidon, about twenty-five miles south of the mother city on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It was 'planted in a pleasant place;' and in the days of Isaiah, 715 B.C., she was 'the crowning city,' 'a mart of nations,' and her merchants were princes, and her 'traffickers' were 'the honorable of the earth.'
"The builders of Tyre were so accomplished that they are said to 'have perfected her beauty.' Five hundred and eighty-eight years before Christ, Tyre was so rich that she could afford to make all her shipboards of fir, and their masts of cedar of Lebanon; their oars of oak of Bashan, and their benches of ivory; their sails of fine linen with broidered work from Egypt, and their coverings of blue and purple from the Isles of Elishah. The inhabitants of Zion and Arvad were her mariners, her own wise men were her pilots, and her army was hired from Persia, Lud, Phut, and Arvad. Her traffic was so great that she enjoyed a continual 'world's fair.'
"Because of the multitude of all kinds of riches, and the multitude of the wares of her own making, Tarshish came to trade in her fairs with silver, iron, tin, and lead. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, Libia, and Russia came with persons of men and vessels of brass. The house of Togarmah came with horses, horsemen, and mules. Bedan came with horns of ivory and ebony, and with precious cloths for chariots. Syria came with emeralds, purple and broidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and agate. Damascus came with the wine of Helbon and white wool; Judah and Israel with wheat, and honey, and oil, and balm; Arabia came with lambs, and rams, and goats; Sheba and Raamah came with chief of all spices, and with precious stones and gold; Babylonia and Assyria came with all sorts of things in blue cloths and broidered work, chests of rich apparel bound with cords and made of cedar; and she enriched the kings of the earth with the multitude of her riches and her merchandise." Read Ezekiel 27.
Ezekiel's Prophecy.
In the height of her power, Ezekiel uttered the following prophecy:
"Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. . . . With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets."
"By the work of Nebuchadnezzar there was fulfilled that part of the prophecy which said that they should destroy the walls and break down the towers, and that with the hoofs of their horses they should tread down all her streets; but there were yet two important statements unfulfilled. These were: 'I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock;' 'and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.'
"After its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, the Tyrians rebuilt the city, but they rebuilt it on the island instead of on the mainland, and left the old city lying in its ruins. The new city in the course of time regained much of the glory that had so exalted the old." "It was built very strong, being 'completely surrounded by prodigious walls, the loftiest portion of which on the side fronting the mainland reached a height not less than 150 feet.' Thus it stood, a mighty city, when, in 332 B.C., Alexander the Great, in his course of conquest, was compelled also to besiege it, or leave behind him a powerful enemy. He determined to take the city, and accordingly began 'one of the most remarkable sieges ever recorded,' which lasted seven months.
"His first move was to build a solid mole two hundred feet broad from the mainland to the wall of the city, and, says Grote, 'he had stones in abundance' from old Tyre, for the work, and here was the perfect, literal fulfilment of the prophecy, spoken more than two hundred and fifty years before, that 'they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water;' for, to make that mole, the troops of Alexander the Great did literally lay the stones and the timber and the dust of old Tyre in the midst of the water. Nor was that all, for the prophecy had also said that they should 'scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.' And so it came about that in the very nature of the case, the builders were compelled to literally 'scrape' the dust from old Tyre, and at the last to leave her 'like the top of a rock.'
" 'It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea.' This was not fulfilled by the capture of the city by Alexander. Altho he took the city, he did not destroy it, and altho Alexander sold many of the people into slavery, yet the place was soon repopled, and regained much prosperity. In the fourth century, Jerome called it the noblest and most beautiful city of Phœnicia, and wondered at what seemed to be the non-fulfilment of the prophecy that pronounced its desolation. In the time of the crusades it sustained a long siege, and was taken in 1124; but from the conquest of Syria by Selim I, in A.D. 1516 its decline was rapid, and soon its ruin became complete.
Words of Travelers.
It was visited by Sandys, the traveler, in A.D. 1610-11, who said:
"This once famous Tyre is now no other than a heap of ruins; yet they have reverent aspect, and do instruct the pensive beholder with their exemplary frailty."
In 1697, Maundrell visited it, and said of it:
"On the north side is an old Turkish ungarrisoned castle, besides which you see nothing here but a mere Babel of broken walls, pillars, vaults, etc., there being not so much as one entire house left."
Dr. Robinson, in 1838, spent a Sunday there, and wrote of it thus:
"I continued my walk along the shore of the peninsula, part of which is now unoccupied, except as a place to spread nets upon, musing upon the pride and fall of ancient Tyre. Here was the little isle once covered by her palaces, and surrounded by her fleets; but alas! thy riches and thy fame, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise that were in thee—where are they? Tyre has indeed become like the top of a rock. The sole tokens of her ancient splendor—columns of red and gray granite, sometimes forty or fifty heaped together, or marble pillars—lie broken and strewed beneath the waves in the midst of the sea."
The word uttered by Ezekiel, nearly twenty-five hundred years ago, concerning Tyre, has been literally fulfilled.
[In the next paper will be presented "The Burden of Egypt" the conclusion of this article.]
FIFTEEN FACTS REGARDING THE SABBATH OF THE LORD.
By Francis M. Wilcox
CHRIST is the active agent in the creation of all things (Col. 1:18; John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6); therefore Christ made the Sabbath.
2. Christ rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2), thus making it His Sabbath, or rest day.
3. The Sabbath was given to Adam, the father of the race, and was thus enjoined upon his descendents, the whole human family. Gen. 2:1-3; Mark 2:27.
4. The Sabbath was given to man in his innocency, and was therefore designed to meet the needs of a holy race.
5. In thus being given before sin entered the world, it therefore bore no relation to the types, ceremonies, or ritual connected with the remedial system of sacrificial offerings.
6. The Sabbath commandment is and was a part of God's law. As such it was observed by Abraham and all the holy patriarchs after sin entered, thus proving it to be suited to the needs of man in all conditions. Gen. 26:5.
7. The seventh day in particular is the specified holy day of the weekly cycle. This is emphasized by the fact that for forty years God rained manna from heaven, to supply the needs of His people for the first six days of the week, and withheld it every seventh day.
8. God is a moral Governor. He has given a law of moral principles for the guidance of man. All moral principles are eternal7principles, reflections of the moral character of their divine Author. The Sabbath command was placed in the very bosom of that law of moral principles, thus proving it to be likewise moral in its nature, and as eternal and enduring as the other nine associated with it. Ex. 20:3-17; Neh. 9:13, 14.
9. When Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath, visited this earth, His bearing toward the day He had honored as His own was in keeping with its sacred character. He labored by precept and example to rid its observance of the burdensome traditions of the Jews, and bring it back to the place and use appointed it in the beginning—a day of joy and delight. Matt. 5:17-19; 12:1-12.
10. It was customary for Christ to use at least a part of the seventh day for the purpose of public worship. Would we follow His example, we will do well to devote a part of it to the same object. Luke 4:16.
11. His most intimate disciples, those who performed for Him the last sad rites of burial, understood nothing else from His example and teaching than that they should sacredly regard the day enjoined in the commandment. Luke 23:56.
12. These same disciples regarded the seventh day so holy that they would not perform upon it the work they did without scruple upon the first day of the week. Luke 23:56; 24:1.
13. The apostle Paul, following the example of Christ, by whom he had been instructed in many visions and revelations, used the seventh day of the week as a time for regular public worship. Acts 17:2; 18:4, 11.
14. This he did, not alone while laboring for the Jews, but also when preaching to the Gentiles. Acts 13:14, 42, 44.
15. The Sabbath will be observed and regarded as a stated and set time for divine worship by the ransomed of the Lord in the world to come. Isa. 66:22, 23. Thus does the Sabbath, like a mighty arch, span the gulf of sin, reaching from Eden, the garden of God, to Paradise restored. The design of God in its observance has been turned aside for a time, but not thwarted. In the eternal ages will the Sabbath institution, planted in beauty and holiness, be carried out according to the design of God—an eternal joy, blessing, and delight to the nations of men.
FRANCIS M. WILCOX.
MODERN CONFUCIANISM.
By T. E. Bowen
THE Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed." It pleased the Father to reveal eternal salvation thru His Son. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." His name was called Jesus; for He was born into our family for the express purpose of saving "His people from their sins." Thus the power of God to save, is found alone in Jesus Christ; wholly apart and separate from the individual. This is Christianity pure and simple.
The science of heathenism is the salvation of the individual accomplished by the evolution of the supposed good in himself. The farther one studies into such science, the farther away he gets from Christ, because the starting point is false. The goal is the deification of self. This is the artful design of the deceiver—the god of this world. The moment Christianity is shorn of its real living power—that saving faith in Jesus Christ which brings to the soul God's righteousness—and degenerates into a form, it becomes powerless to cope with the science of heathenism.
A master mind, that once sealed up the wisdom of God, has planned the science constituting the foundation of false religions. These are not all devoid of good, but the good is used in such a way as to make it deceptive and misleading.
The science of self-salvation—heathenism—is as old as the race. The separation began in Eden itself; Cain brought an offering to the Lord, but it was not accepted. It was a Christless sacrifice, and the very offering of it was in fact a challenge by Cain that God should accept him just as he was. This God could never do.
Many of the false religions deify the nation and hold up the national life and character as the highest goal to be attained. This is but the deification of self, for the national character can be only the reflection of the character of the men who have been prominent in national affairs. Upon these shoals the Jewish nation shipwrecked.
Confucian Classics.
Prominent among national deifications are the sacred books of China known as the Confucian Classics. These constitute, in fact, the Bible for the masses of the common people, as they are more familiar with these than other works held as sacred. These books are of venerable age, their origin dating, according to Chinese traditions, as far back as 2850 B.C. The last of these heathen scientific scriptures (as the nine books constituting the Confucian Classics are to the religion of China what the Bible is to the Christian) were not completed until the second century of the Christian era.
Let us notice briefly a few of the doctrines taught by these ancient Confucian classics. Rev. G. Owen, one of the revisers of the Mandarin Bible, in "The Bible in All the World," says:
"The underlying thought of these classics is mainly political. Some of them, as the Book of History, are mostly lessons and examples in good government. Even the odes are largely governmental. Confucianism is primarily a political system, and aims at the production of a perfect ruler in a perfect State. Confucius himself spent the greater part of his long life in wandering from court to court seeking, among the feudal princes of the empire, one who would take him as philosopher and guide. Even in training his private pupils his aim was to equip a body of wise and efficient men for the service of the State. He never once addressed the people, or spoke to the multitude. Mencius, one hundred years afterward, pursued the same course. The government they sought to establish was a benevolent despotism, or mild patriarchy. It was, doubtless, for this reason mainly that the Government of China early patronized these classics, and finally adopted them as its text-books in the examination of all official candidates."
That pantheism is one of the foundation doctrine pillars of these classics is shown by the following quotation:
"Thruout these classics, the inherent goodness of human nature is explicitly taught or implicitly assumed. The whole teaching is based on the assumption that MAN IS GOOD. He comes into the world with a heaven-endowed moral nature. GOODNESS IS NATURAL TO HIM."
And this teaching is held up before all China as the goal. It is all the poor working classes know as far as human help and teaching are concerned. These are the sacred books from which the scholars deal out short scraps to the ignorant masses for their hard-earned money, to be eagerly devoured by them as spiritual food. Dr. Owen, upon this point, says:
"Tho termed sacred, these books can hardly be called religious, for the religious element in them8is secondary and incidental. Primarily, they teach politics, sociology, and morals. They are pervaded by a reverential spirit and a belief in a Power that makes for righteousness, but the religious teaching is vague."
Such is the teaching, as well as the instilled education of centuries, our missionaries must meet in the far East. Nothing but the truth as revealed in the third angel's message, can effectually rescue these people. In this message alone can the people be invited to worship Him "that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." This message presents to the mind and heart of the Confucian scholar, also the unlearned peasant, the only true God who can create; whose name appears in the true Sabbath commandment as the authoritative Lawgiver; a Being able both to create and destroy; and one abundantly able also to redeem. And with this teaching, the Holy Spirit will work in power to convert the soul by tenderly touching the heart of the poor heathen worshiper, without which argument and learned words prove unavailing.
Putting the comments of the learned Dr. Owen as to the teaching of Confucian classics beside the teaching of the pulpits in our professedly enlightened land, we are led to wonder which of the two can command the greater respect, or in a contest for supremacy, which of the two would win out in the end. With the modern pulpit teaching in mind, carefully read again the quotation cited above: "Tho termed sacred [the teaching of], these books can hardly be called religious, for the religious element in them is secondary and incidental. Primarily, they teach politics, sociology, and morals. They are pervaded by a reverential spirit and a belief in a Power that makes for righteousness, but the religious teaching is vague."
HOW TO SYMPATHIZE.
By John S. Bunting
[Rev. John S. Bunting, in the S. S. Times.]
YOUR sympathy for another should lay hold, not only of the fact of his suffering, but also of his yearning to triumph over it and know the freedom of joy. You must reach that, and share it with him, if you would share all that he feels. To feel for his grief is good, but to aid his yearning to rise above its bondage is even better. To share the one with him calls for unselfish interest, but to share the other calls for love's finest ingenuity and service. Does your sympathy merely mourn, or does it also seek to deliver?
With many of us sympathy needs not added intensity, but clearer perception. It needs to see that beneath his dark burden the man may be a prisoner looking for light and joy, which you can not indeed bestow as a gift, but which you may yet put him in the way of securing by leading him to some of the sources from which it is drawn.
Console him, then, with the healing story of some great life or splendid work; refresh him with a walk amid the "miracle of God's flowers and trees" in the great world of the out-of-doors; or unburden him by bringing him near the burdened heart of some life that cries out for release louder, it may be, than does his. When you do this you will do better things for him than when you merely "feel sorry for him." It will not be merely diverting the man's thoughts, it will be delivering the man. It will be like helping Job to pray for his friends, or urging Jonah to go on to Nineveh, or accompanying the leper as he goes to pay his vows to the priest. As Muriel Strode says, "Only what you send forth from yourself can still the deeper crying of your soul."
Tho all things earthly pass away,
And friends their dearest ties must sever;
Tho grass and flowers may fade and die,
The word of God shall stand forever.
Then build, O, build upon the word,
And as your life unfolds its pages,
'Twill show a character of worth,
And stand undimmed the test of ages.
NELLIE M. BUTLER.
THE FIFTH UNIVERSAL KINGDOM.
By Chas. Nelson
IN the second chapter of Daniel we read of a dream which was given to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. In this dream he saw a great image whose head was of gold, breast and arms of silver, sides of brass, legs of iron, feet part of iron and part of clay.
He also saw a stone cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet and broke them to pieces. At the same time the other metals were broken up, and together they became as the chaff of a summer thrashing-floor; but the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Verses 31-35.
In the interpretation of this dream, we learn that there should be five kingdoms that should rule over all the earth. The first of these was Babylon, represented by the head of gold. The second, symbolized by the breast and arms of silver, was Medo-Persia. The third of brass, Grecia; and the fourth of iron, Rome. The feet and toes part of iron and part of clay denoted that the fourth kingdom should be divided, but yet retain some of the strength of the iron. This prophecy has thus far been literally fulfilled.
Babylon was overthrown by Medo-Persia, B.C. 538. Medo-Persia was conquered by Grecia, 331 B.C. At the time of the birth of Christ, Rome ruled the whole world. Luke 2:1. Between A.D. 351 and 476, this kingdom was divided, and since that time there has been no kingdom that has ruled over all the world; neither will there be till God sets up His kingdom.
This brings us to verse 44: "And in the days of these kings [the kingdoms represented by the iron and clay] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." This will be a world kingdom like the other four before it, but with this difference, that it will stand forever, and the saints of God will be the subjects. Dan. 7:27. It was to this that Jesus referred when He said, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32. Again: "Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth." Matt. 5:5.
God promised Abraham that he should be the heir of the world (Rom. 4:13), yet he did not receive any of it while he lived; no, not as much as he could set his foot upon. Acts 7:5.
When Fulfilled.
This promise will not be fulfilled till Jesus comes again. Then all the righteous will receive their reward. They that sleep in the dust of the earth will come forth, clad in immortality; the living will be changed; and together they will meet their Saviour. "Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Matt. 25:34. "Flesh and blood [man in his present state] can not inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Cor. 15:50. It is thru the resurrection from the dead that God will bring His people into the land that He promised to Abraham, the father of the faithful.
In the 37th chapter of Ezekiel this truth is made very plain. The prophet was carried out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set down into a valley of dry bones. He was told to prophesy, and there came sinews, flesh, and skin upon them. Again he was told to prophesy, and there came breath into them, and they stood upon their feet an exceeding great army. Verses 1-10.
That these represent all of God's people that shall come out of their graves, and not the children of Israel after the flesh alone, is clear from the following: "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, O My people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel." Verses 11, 12.
To make this yet plainer to their understanding, the prophet was to take two sticks and write upon them. One stick for Judah and the children of Israel his companions, another for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all of Israel his companions.
He was then to join them one to another, and they should become one stick in his hand. Verses 16, 17. These sticks on which the prophet had written he should hold in his hand before the eyes of the people. Verse 20. Now when they should ask what was the meaning of this, he should answer: "Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in Mine hand." Verse 19.
As these two literal sticks were made one in the prophet's hand, so should the time come when Israel and Judah would be united and become one people. This has not yet taken place, and will not take place till the final gathering of God's people when Jesus comes.
Then one King shall rule over them all. They shall no more defile themselves with their idols, nor detestable things, but shall walk in His judgments, and observe His statutes and do them. They shall dwell in the land forever, and God will set His sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. Verses 22-28.
The seer of Patmos describes the conditions that will exist then as follows:
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God." Rev. 21:1-3.
This is the fifth universal kingdom—the kingdom of God represented by the stone which smote the image set up on the earth after sin is eradicated and God makes all things new.
There Christ Will Be King
and sit upon the throne of David and reign forever. Luke 1:32, 33. The New Jerusalem, "whose builder and maker is God," (Heb. 11:10) will be the capital. Thru its gates of pearl, on which are written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, will all of God's people enter.
Here will be no death, sorrow, or pain; "for the former things are passed away." Here the river of life will flow, clear as crystal, and on both sides of the river will be the tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruit, a kind each month.
"And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads." Rev. 22:3, 4.
"In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation
That keepeth the truth may enter in."
Isa. 26:1, 2.
"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in thru the gates into the city." Rev. 22:14.
CHAS. NELSON.
OUR COUNSELOR.
By H. A. St. John
"His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Isa. 9: 6.
THUS some of the attributes of our Saviour are named in the prophetic word. In this world of multiplied dangers and perplexities, how excellent is an accessible, willing, good, and wise Counselor. We need never to harken to, or walk in, the counsel of the ungodly. Our glorious Redeemer has made ample provision whereby we may have just the counsel we need at all times and in all places. Every means of communication known to man, angels, or the Eternal Father, are known to the Lord Jesus, and will be used by Him to convey the good pleasure of His will to any and all of His children here below; for they only need to know such things as pertain unto life and godliness.
When we pray in true sincerity and submission, "Lord, not my will, but Thine be done, in all things," He will surely find a way to communicate to every such soul a knowledge of His will, and the power to obey.
Are we troubled and burdened with a load of sin? Our Counselor says: "Repent, and thy sins shall be forgiven." Are we conscious of a moral impurity of soul, because of sins committed?—Our Counselor says: "If you confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive, and to cleanse from all unrighteousness." Do we feel weary and heavy laden?—Our Counselor says: "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Are we anxious about our source of food and raiment supply for the days to come?—Our Counselor says: "Take no anxious thought for the morrow, as to what you shall eat or what you shall wear."
If we tremble at the strength of Satan's temptations, our Counselor says: "They shall not be greater than you can bear, and with every temptation I will make a way for your escape." Do we inquire how we should feel when men revile us, persecute us, and say all manner of evil against us falsely?—Our Counselor says: "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven." Do we ask how we should feel toward our enemies, and how we should treat them?—Our Counselor says: "Love your enemies, and do good for evil as you have opportunity." Are we in sorrow, and feel the need of comfort?—Our Counselor says: "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted." Are we homeless, and long for earthly inheritance?—Our Counselor says: "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." Do we cry out for wisdom for all the vicissitudes of life?—Our Counselor says: "If any lack wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not."
And these are but a few samples of the great multitude, diversity, and helpfulness of the gems of counsel our Counselor has placed at our command. So rich and full are His counsels, that He tells us He will never leave nor forsake us, that we may lead a constantly triumphant life; that no good thing will He withhold from us, that our steps may be ordered of the Lord; that if God's law is in our hearts, we will delight in it, and none of our steps shall slide. To sum up, He says that if we love God, all things shall work together for our good. Truly the path of the just who walk in the counsel of the Lord, is as a shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. And then in the endless, perfect day we will walk in the counsels of infinite power, wisdom, and love, with a sweetness of joy and delight, unspeakable and full of glory. H. A. ST. JOHN.
THE SUNDAY.
By Max Hill
IN the minds of some men, to state a thing is to prove it. Facts, plain, historical facts have nothing to do with a matter when these men want proof for their belief and actions. Indeed, the word of God is not authority for them. Many times they do not know of its teachings. As an example of this is the statement of the Rev. Charles M. Sheldon, the author of many semi-religious books, that "as a matter of fact, the Author of the best law we have on Sunday observance is God." He then tells his readers the objects "for which Sunday was established at the beginning of history."
Now our Bible, which we believe to be inspired, in spite of the grave doubts of its critics and the wilful misinterpretation of others,—our Bible says that God "rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He rested from all His work which God created and made." And this is the inspired account of the "beginning of history." We can not read even between the lines any mention of the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday.
Another of his arguments is this: "All the best Sunday laws which have been enacted in this country have been declared constitutional by the supreme courts of the States and by the United States Supreme Court, and in rendering their decisions the supreme courts in many instances have declared that Sunday laws rest down ultimately upon a fundamental need of the race of one day in seven which differs from the other days." Laws relating to murder and other crimes are constitutional. This has never been questioned. The State is within its province in making them. But here is a law that must be supported by the assertion that it is constitutional. There is doubt in the minds of some, evidently, or no attempt would be made to prove such a point. Indeed, we do not know what the Framers of the Constitution meant when they inserted the provision, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion," etc., unless that meant that no religious legislation should be enacted in the United States. A Sunday law sounds like religious legislation to us, all the supreme courts in the United States to the contrary notwithstanding.
"Sunday laws rest down ultimately upon the fundamental need of the race of one day in seven which differs from other days." Why Sunday? Why not Wednesday? And why must the State regulate the matter? Where are the churches whose duty it is to teach the people these vital truths? Did you ever tell your child to do something, and then feel that tho he did it, there was absolutely no willingness or love in it? He did it only because he was compelled to do so, in which case there was really no obedience at all. The same sort of "Sabbath-keeping" will be the result of enforced Sunday laws, whether constitutional or not. Only willing obedience can be pleasing to God.
"History has proved many times that nations which disregard Sunday and use it for dissipation, for commercial enterprises, or for purposes of entertainment are in decline or decay." Which nations, for instance? The Jewish nation declined, we read, but God Himself told that nation that it was because they broke the Sabbath that He allowed the Babylonians to take them captive. Egypt refused to obey God and declined as a result. Greece knew nothing about the worship of the true God, and retrograded. Rome. There is the nation! She it was that exalted the "venerable day of the sun"—"the wild, solar holiday of all times." During her supremacy, the "fathers" tell us, the day was set apart for worship. Yet she declined and apparently still declines. We wonder why. Who set it apart?—The fathers.
"There can never be any repeal of the old commandment, 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,' without striking a blow at the very fundamental basis of the Republic." One would think that those who advocate Sunday laws would hesitate to quote the commandment to support their views, for it says nothing about the first day of the week. It says distinctly, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Besides, if they have a civil constitution for support, what need is there to quote God's word in the matter! Back of the Sabbath is the Constitution of heaven.
MAX HILL.
MY COMFORTER.
By Samuel Longfellow
I LOOK to Thee in every need,
And never look in vain;
I feel Thy strong and tender love,
And all is well again;
The thought of Thee is mightier far
Than sin and pain and sorrow are.
Discouraged in the work of life,
Disheartened by its load,
Shamed by its failures or its fears,
I sink beside the road;
But let me only think of Thee,
And then new heart springs up in me.
Thy calmness bends serene above,
My restlessness to still;
Around me flows Thy quickening life,
To nerve my faltering will;
Thy presence fills my solitude,
Thy providence turns all to good.
Embosomed deep in Thy dear love,
Held in Thy law, I stand;
Thy hand in all things I behold,
And all things in Thy hand;
Thou leadest me by unsought ways,
And turn'st my mourning into praise.
—Samuel Longfellow.
BE GENTLE TO THY MOTHER.
By George Washington Bethune
Be gentle to thy mother; long she bore
Thine infant fretfulness and silly youth;
Nor rudely scorn the faithful voice that o'er
Thy cradle prayed, and taught thee lisping
truth.
Yes, she is old; yet on thy manly brow
She looks and claims thee as her child e'en now.
Uphold thy mother; close to her warm heart
She carried, fed thee, lulled thee to thy rest;
Then taught thy tottering limbs their untried
art,
Exulting in the fledgling from her nest;
And, now her steps are feeble, be her stay,
Whose strength was thine, in thy most feeble
day.
Cherish thy mother; brief, perchance, the time
May be that she will claim the care she
gave;
Past are her hopes of youth, her harvest-prime
Of joy on earth; her friends are in the grave;
But for her children, she could lay her head
Gladly to rest among the precious dead.
Be tender to thy mother; words unkind,
Or light neglect from thee, will give a pang
To that fond bosom where thou art enshrined
In love unutterable, more than fang
Of venomed serpent. Wound not her strong
trust,
As thou wouldst hope for peace when she is
dust.
O, mother mine! God grant I ne'er forget,
Whatever be my grief, or what my joy,
The unmeasured, unextinguishable debt
I owe thy love; but find my sweet employ,
Ever thru thy remaining days, to be
To thee as faithful as thou wast to me!
—G. W. Bethune.