Earlier text: EditorialTHE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
By Elder F. M. Wilcox
LAST week it will be remembered we dwelt at some length upon the "great tribulation" spoken of in Matt. 24:21. We showed that it could not refer, as some contend, to the judgment visited upon the Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem. On the other hand, we found that every specification of the prophecy regarding this period met a complete and plain fulfillment in the long reign of papal persecution which came upon the church from 538 A.D. to 1798. There was also noted the fact that, while the days of the temporal power of the Papacy continued till 1798, owing to the restraining influence brought to bear through the opening up of the New World and the edict of toleration by the empress of Austria, the persecution was not continued after 1776. In this paper we desire to consider what relation this period of tribulation bears to the coming of the Lord. Let us say, by the way of anticipation, that the relation it bears to our subject is a most important one, for it furnishes valuable data regarding the time when the Lord may be expected. After speaking of the "great tribulation" (verses 21, 22 of Matthew 24), and of the rise of false Christs and false prophets (verses 23-26), and showing, in contradistinction to the secret manner of their work, the open and widely visible manner in which he himself will be manifested at the last day (verses 27, 28), Christ comes directly to the answering of the question, "What shall be the sign of thy coming?" In verses 29 and 30 he says: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days SHALL THE SUN BE DARKENED,
and the moon shall not give her light; . . . and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Here, then, is a notable sign predicted by Christ, indicating in its fulfillment the near approach of the coming of the Lord. Surely God could not have chosen a more conspicuous way in which to warn the world than in the matter of darkening the great light-giving luminary of day. When God created the "lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night," he said, "Let them be for signs, for seasons, and for days and years." In the prediction of Christ we find but the repetition of this same expressed purpose. Let us now determine from the words of Christ WHEN THE SUN WAS TO BE DARKENED.
And right at this point we note the relation between the period of persecution and the coming of the Lord: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light." It was not after those days, but "after the tribulation of those days." Upon this point the record given by Mark is somewhat clearer: "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light." Chapter 13:24. Then it was to be in the days of papal supremacy, or before those days ended, but after the persecution had ceased, that this great sign was to occur. As before stated, the days ended in 1798, and there was no persecution after 1776. Here, then, is a period of twenty-two years to which309we are shut up to look for the fulfillment of this notable event—the darkening of the sun. Another proof that the sun was to be darkened about this time is found in connection with the prophecy of the seven seals, as brought to view in Rev. 6:12: "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood." The earthquake here referred to is undoubtedly what is known as the great earthquake of Lisbon, which occurred November 1, 1755. As will be noted, the darkening of the sun was soon to follow this. An additional feature regarding the moon is presented here—"it became as blood." Joel bears this testimony with reference to these wonderful signs: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come." Chapter 2:31. And as to the time of day when the sun would be darkened, the prophet Isaiah thus speaks: "The sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine." Chapter 13:10. We have, then, collated before us these wonderful predictions regarding this twofold sign: (1) The sun was to be darkened as a sign of the day of the Lord (Matt. 24:29; Joel 2:31); (2) it was to be darkened after the great earthquake of 1755 (Rev. 6:12); (3) it was to be darkened somewhere between the years 1776 and 1798 (Mark 13:24); (4) it was to be darkened in the morning (Isa. 13:10); (5) in connection with this sign the moon should not give her light (Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24; Isa. 13:10); (6) and whenever the moon should chance to be seen, it would present the appearance of blood (Rev. 6:12; Joel 2:31). It now becomes us to inquire if this twofold sign was fulfilled at the time and in the manner above specified? We affirm unhesitatingly that it was. May 19, 1780, witnessed the fulfillment of all these specifications. In proof of our affirmation we wish to present the following undisputable testimony, selected from the many witnesses who might be called upon to testify. Says Robert Sear's "Guide to Knowledge," published in New York in 1844:— On the 19th of May, 1780, an uncommon darkness took place all over New England, and extended to Canada. It continued about fourteen hours, or from ten o'clock in the morning till midnight. The darkness was so great that people were unable to read common print, or tell the time of day by their watches, or to dine, or to transact their ordinary business without the light of candles. They became dull and gloomy, and some were excessively frightened. The fowls went to roost. Objects could not be distinguished but at a very little distance, and everything bore the appearance and gloom of night. . . . The cause of these phenomena are unknown. They certainly were not the result of eclipses. Milo Bostwick, writing from Camden, N. J., March 3, 1848, says:— The 19th of May, in the year 1780, I well remember. . . . The sun shone with a pale and yellowish hue, but kept growing darker and darker, until it was hid from sight. At noon we lit a candle, but it did not give light as in the night, and my father could not see to read with two candles. My father and mother, who were pious, thought the day of judgment was near. They sat up that night, during the latter part of which they said the darkness disappeared, and then the sky seemed as usual, but the moon, which was at its full, had the appearance of blood. Webster's "Unabridged Dictionary," edition of 1869, contains the following:— The dark day, May 19, 1780, so called on account of a remarkable darkness on that day extending over all New England. In some places persons could not see to read common print in the open air for several hours together. . . . The true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is unknown. In closing our testimonials on this most interesting event, we append the following tersely written lines from the Quaker poet, J. G. Whittier:— "Twas on a May day of the fair old year
Seventeen hundred eighty, that there fell
Over the bloom and sweet life of the spring,
Over the fresh earth and heaven of noon,
A horror of great darkness, like the night
In day of which the Norland sages tell—
The twilight of the gods.
Birds ceased to sing, and all the barnyard fowls
Roosted; the cattle at the pasture bars
Lowed, and looked homeward; bats on leathern wings
Flitted abroad; the sounds of labor died;
Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp
To hear the doom blast of the trumpet shatter
The black sky." In these historical extracts we see a fulfillment of every one of the six specifications noted above. Truly the fulfillment is a remarkable one. Scientific men have sought to divine the cause of these remarkable phenomena, but they are forced to confess, after all their searching, "the true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is unknown." What was the cause, kind reader? Was it the workings of natural law?—Certainly not, at least so far as lies in the power of man to determine. Rather does it seem the direct interposition of divine power, setting aside for the moment natural law, and proclaiming himself, in the darkening of the sun and moon, a wonder-working God. The time came for the prophecy to be fulfilled, and God, as it were, reached forth his hand of power and obscured the great orb of light as a token of the day of his manifestation. To what point are we brought in this prophecy?—Down to the year 1798, less than one hundred years ago. We have seen through others' eyes the great forerunner of the day of wrath. Other signs in the prophecy bring us still further down the stream of time, still nearer the great sea of the eternal ages. Soon He that shall come will come and will not tarry. The opening heavens will reveal the coming of the great King. Are we prepared for that great day? Will you, dear reader, be found of him in peace at that great day? This question is one of eternal importance, and may this solemn subject of the soon-coming King receive from you that careful consideration which it so justly deserves. Peru’s Great Inca Aqueduct
The greatest aqueduct ever built was that constructed in Peru by the Incas, 360 miles long. LOVE—THE LIFE AND MOTIVE POWER OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
By Matthew Larson
BY ELDER MATTHEW LARSON.
(Concluded.) But how can we become partakers of this divine gift, this divine nature? "Ask, and ye shall receive," "Ask, and it shall be given you" (John 16: 24; Luke 11: 9-13), is the Saviour's command and promise. "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace." John 1: 12, 16. But what is this power? It is not faith, for it is something that we receive by faith. We obtain it by believing on His name. In Luke 24: 49 we learn that Christ told his disciples to tarry at Jerusalem until he should send "the promise" of the Father upon them, and they should be "endued with power from on high." This referred to the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. "But ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. . . . But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." Acts 1: 5-8. Then this power emanates from, or is begotten in, us by the Holy Ghost. It is the bestowment of the Holy Ghost, and this promise, we learn, is extended to every child of God—all, "even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts 2: 38, 39. One of its attributes is love. 2 Tim. 1: 7. "Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Rom. 5: 5. It is this that puts life in our faith; it is this that makes our faith active and productive of good fruit. And this is the kind of faith we want,—a living, active faith, a "faith which worketh by love." Gal. 5: 6. "If ye love Me, keep my commandments." "He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me. . . . If a man love Me, he will keep My words." John 14: 15, 21-24. For "love is the fulfilling of the law" (Rom. 13: 10), is the keeping of "His commandments" (1 John 5: 2, 3; 2 John 6). And "if ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love." John 15: 10. "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love." Heb. 6: 10. But "faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being by itself" (margin). James 2: 17. Love, then, we have found is the vital force or power of faith, and hence that which causes it to bring forth, or to produce works. Love, perfect love, is one of the most powerful agencies, or magnets, in the universe. It draws, it subdues, it pleads, it entreats, it persuades, it compels, it conquers, it comforts, it pardons, it saves, it strengthens, it heals, it endures all things, hopeth all things, is gentle and easy to be entreated; it "passeth knowledge," says Paul. Eph. 3: 19. It was love that brought Christ from the throne of God in heaven to this sin-stained, sin-cursed earth, to toil, to suffer, and to die, for our salvation. "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." John 3: 16. And if that love dwells in us, it will be sufficient to bring us from earth to heaven. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." John 12: 32. Love knows no defeat; it will conquer, it will remain firm even in the face of death. "For love is strong as death." Songs 8: 6. Hence Christ's prayer, "That the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them." John 17: 26. As the noble ship, when the steam is turned on, forces its way through the waters; or as the electric car, when connected with its motive power, the electricity, moves off, carrying its burden with perfect ease, so the Christian, when filled with the love of Christ, moves onward in the line of duty. His faith, animated and kindled with that divine grace, will find the trials vanish, the difficulties surmounted, the yoke become easy, and the burdens light, and labor for Christ will then become a pleasure. "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be310able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God, according to the power that worketh in us." Eph. 3: 14-20. If the love of Christ dwells in us, we shall then find enjoyment in his service—in laboring for him, and for the salvation of those whom he came to redeem. This will be our meat and our drink, "because as he is, so are we in this world." And Christ says, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work." That which we most enjoy in this world, that which affords us the greatest pleasure, is the very thing which we will be very apt to engage in and talk about the most. And that which we love the most is the very thing from which we will obtain the greatest pleasures, or enjoyment. In fact, our pleasure or enjoyment is simply a result, or an index, of our love. We enjoy the company of our friends only because we love them. The company of those whom we do not love would afford us no pleasure. The things we hate, or dislike, we will avoid. If we love God, we will love the things of God, and hence will take pleasure in them; we will enjoy engaging in them, and talking about them. "Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." Col. 1: 29. "Being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness." Col. 1: 10, 11. IN HONOR OF THE RESURRECTION.
By Frank M. Burg
THERE is a trite adage, "A poor excuse is better than none." Strictly considered, this is not true. If a person is excusable for doing a certain thing, it necessarily follows that, although, generally speaking, the course would be considered wrong, the immediate circumstances form a basis for a legitimate reason for his so doing. Hence if he is excusable at all under the circumstances, he is wholly so,—his course is strictly legitimate,—and not, as the adage implies, barely excusable. Many Sunday keepers give as their reason for first-day sanctity the fact that the Saviour arose from the dead on that day. Now it is not making a statement for which facts do not afford a basis, to say that in many, if not the great majority, of instances this is merely made an excuse for persisting in a wrong course,—something to pacify a troubled conscience. And if it be on the part of a minister, and he has so long persisted in a course known to be wrong, endeavoring thus to lessen his convictions, as an inevitable result of pursuing a dishonest course, he will soon, without a reproof from his seared conscience, hold this up to his flock as a reason for them to pursue a course which he knows to be out of harmony with the Bible. The only available means of knowing whether a course is legitimate or not is to examine it in the light of inspiration. Now to observe the first day of the week in honor of the resurrection of Christ is not scriptural; it can only be advanced as a human-devised reason, which can only be as far inferior to Scripture reasons as "earthly, sensual, devilish" wisdom is inferior to that "which is from above." Did the Scriptures instruct us to observe the day for this reason, there would be an end to controversy; we would surely fall into line. What Holy Writ has already said should be an end to all controversy in the matter; it is with those who keep the Bible-enjoined Sabbath. And if all men were truly conscientious, if they truly believed the Bible to be the once-spoken, unchangeable word of God, there would be no division among men concerning this important matter. It is argued that a reason why the first day should be kept commemorative of the resurrection of the Saviour, rather than the seventh day in remembrance of creation, is that "redemption is greater than creation." Now to begin with, this is merely human reasoning, and hence "of the earth, earthy." The first and most obvious point to the Bible student, but one overlooked by those wishing to support a human institution at all hazards, is that redemption is not yet completed, nor will it be till the "redemption of our body" at the coming of Christ. Rom. 8: 23. Compare 1 Cor. 15:51-55; 1 Thess. 4:16-18. It is contended that the work of God in redemption is greater than that in creation. To say no more, is it not claiming a great deal for a person to assume ability to draw a comparison between the two manifestations of God? When finite minds can apprehend and locate the bounds of infinity, then will men be justified in the attempt at drawing such a comparison. No more able is man to do this than he is able of himself to create the minutest fraction of an atom. It is only "by faith," which comes from a knowledge of God's word (Rom. 10: 17), that "we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God" (Heb. 11:3); and it is only in the same way that we can in any degree understand the mystery of redemption,—the applying of infinite power to us, who are because of sin "less than nothing and vanity," and thus re-creating us in Christ Jesus, making us worth the price he paid for us. The same divine power, which is only apprehended to a slight extent "by faith," is exercised in both creation and redemption; redemption is re-creation. Then if the seventh-day Sabbath was instituted to commemorate the Creator, in whom alone is this power to create,—to redeem,—and since redemption is re-creation,—a manifestation of the same power,—if any day should be observed to commemorate the Saviour's resurrection, wherein infinite power was manifested to make provision for our redemption, why not the one originally given? Then when redemption is completed, when all who will have the work done are re-created and saved in eternity, is it not in harmony with reason, as well as being a scriptural fact, that the Sabbath will be still the observed memorial of divine power? Isa. 66: 22, 23. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.
By Ellen G. White
IN the prophecy of Daniel it was recorded of Christ that "he shall make reconciliation for iniquity, and bring in everlasting righteousness." By his perfect obedience he has satisfied the claims of the law, and my only hope is found in looking to him as my substitute and surety, who obeyed the law perfectly for me. By faith in his merits I am free from the condemnation of the law. He clothes me with his righteousness, which answers all the demands of the law. I am complete in him who brings in everlasting righteousness. He presents me to God in the spotless garment of which no thread was woven by any human agent. All is of Christ, and all the glory, honor, and majesty is to be given to the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world.311 Many think that they must wait for a special impulse in order that they may come to Christ; but it is necessary only to come in sincerity of purpose, deciding to accept the offers of mercy and grace that have been extended to us. We are to say, Christ died to save me. The Lord's desire is that I should be saved, and I will come to Jesus just as I am without delay. I will venture upon the promise. As Christ draws me, I will respond. The apostle says, "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness." No one can believe with the heart unto righteousness, and obtain justification by faith, while continuing the practice of those things which the word of God forbids, or while neglecting any known duty. Genuine faith will be manifested in good works; for good works are the fruits of faith. As God works in the heart, and man surrenders his will to God, and coöperates with God, he works out in the life what God works in by the Holy Spirit, and there is harmony between the purpose of the heart and the practice of the life. Every sin must be renounced as the hateful thing that crucified the Lord of life and glory, and the believer must have a progressive experience by continually doing the works of Christ. It is by continual surrender of the will, by continual obedience, that the blessing of justification is retained. Those who are justified by faith must have a heart to keep the way of the Lord. It is an evidence that a man is not justified by faith when his works do not correspond to his profession. James says, "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was his faith made perfect?" The faith that does not produce good works does not justify the soul. "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness." Imputation of the righteousness of Christ comes through justifying faith, and is the justification for which Paul so earnestly contends. He says: "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. . . . Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law." Grace is unmerited favor, and the believer is justified without any merit of his own, without any claim to offer to God. He is justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, who stands in the courts of heaven as the sinner's substitute and surety. But while he is justified because of the merit of Christ, he is not free to work unrighteousness. Faith works by love and purifies the soul. Faith buds and blossoms and bears a harvest of precious fruit. Where faith is, good works appear. The sick are visited, the poor are cared for, the fatherless and the widows are not neglected, the naked are clothed, the destitute are fed. Christ went about doing good, and when men are united with him, they love the children of God, and meekness and truth guide their footsteps. The expression of the countenance reveals their experience, and men take knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus and learned of him. Christ and the believer become one, and his beauty of character is revealed in those who are vitally connected with the source of power and love. Christ is the great depositary of justifying righteousness and sanctifying grace. All may come to him, and receive of his fullness. He says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Then why not cast aside all unbelief and heed the words of Jesus? You want rest; you long for peace. Then say from the heart, Lord Jesus, I come, because thou hast given me this invitation. Believe in him with steadfast faith, and he will save you. Have you been looking unto Jesus, who is the author and finisher of your faith? Have you been beholding him who is full of truth and grace? Have you accepted the peace which Christ alone can give? If you have not, then yield to him, and through his grace seek for a character that will be noble and elevated. Seek for a constant, resolute, cheerful spirit. Feed on Christ, who is the bread of life, and you will manifest his loveliness of character and spirit. The World’s Highest Inhabited Altitudes
THE highest inhabited altitude in the world is the Buddhist Cloister at Halne in Thibet, 16,000 feet above the sea level. The next highest is Galera, a railway station in Peru, 15,635 feet. Near this place a tunnel, 3,847 feet long, is being bored through the peak of the mountain, 600 feet above the perpetual snow line. A miner's habitation on Mount Lincoln, Colorado, is 14,157 feet above the sea. Chinese Students in American Schools
CHINESE boys educated in the United States have been found fully able to compete successfully with their Anglo-Saxon school fellows. "KEPT."
By R. Kelso Carter
Beset by danger, and dark, and doom,
Along the path that ends in a tomb,
'Neath shrouded skies and lowering gloom,
"Kept!" Helpless and homeless, sad and lone,
Weary and worn, in the desert prone,
Too faint to cry and too weak to moan,
"Kept!" Under the cold blue hollow sky,
Mockingly echoing every cry,
Desperately tempted to wish to die,
"Kept!" When trooping legions of doubt assail,
When friends prove false, and foes prevail,
And human resources utterly fail,
"Kept!" Bound hand and foot, nowhere to go
But into the flames, that the mighty foe
Hath seven times heated in fiery glow,
"Kept!" Right in the sweep of the tyrant's rod,
Walking the path that the Master trod,
Close by, the Fourth, like the Son of God,
"Kept!" Steadily upward faith forges each link,
Actually rising when seeming to sink,
Lifted to life from death's very brink,
"Kept!" Greater the foe, and stronger the fight,
Greater the victor. Dark the night,
Clear the stars, in their heaven-born light,
"Kept!" Tell of the strength of the chains now riven;
Sweeter the tribute when "much forgiven;"
Chief of the praises that ring in heaven,
"Kept!" CONGRESSMAN BOWERS ON RELIGIOUS LEGISLATION.
THE following letter from Hon. W. W. Bowers, member of Congress from California, was called forth by the request of a Ventura County minister that he would use his influence and vote against the repeal of the act of Congress closing the World's Fair on Sunday. It shows that the congressmen have not all lost their regard for, or understanding of, the plain principles of our national Constitution in regard to the religious rights of the people of every persuasion:— REV. GEORGE GLUNG, BARSDALE, CAL.—Dear Sir: I have yours of the 20th inst., regarding Sunday closing of the World's Fair. It is not usual for members to reply to such letters, for they come in such numbers—from both sides of the controversy—that it is impossible. But I have disposed of the mail that has come to me in the House this afternoon, and must sit here to vote on the bill now under discussion, and will occupy the time in answering your letter. It is much like hundreds of others received. You say that you "want your representative on record as opposed to any violation of the explicit command of God." You are asking a good deal of me to fill such a bill. Do you do it? Do you know anyone who does? But who is to say what are "the explicit commands of God"? Who among the contending sects is authorized to pronounce the law for others? The history of the world shows that for centuries the people of one religious sect burned the people of other sects at the stake in public for the sole reason that they differed in opinion as to what were the "explicit commands of God." The reformer who broke away from "religious bigotry"—as soon as he acquired the power—burned those who differed from him in religious belief. They tell us the Puritans came to this country to "escape religious persecution," and to "worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences." But they tortured those whose consciences did not dictate in the same line with theirs. *It seems to be taken for granted that the days of religious persecution, when men were thrown into prison and cruelly treated because of their religion, are long past. Would to God they were. We are especially fond of boasting that under the American flag civil and religious312liberty is guaranteed to all citizens. The boast is a lie. The evangelical churches of Arkansas and Tennessee have made it a lie. The shameless persecutions, engineered by these churches, of Christians in those States whose only offense was in obeying the command of Jesus Christ as they conscientiously believed, in keeping the Sabbath day—the seventh day—causing them to be thrown into prison—their homes and property confiscated, is a disgrace and an outrage on the dearest right of the American citizen, and shames the annals of the Dark Ages of religious persecution. Thanks to the patriots who founded and those who preserve the republic, I am enabled to live in a State where no church can cause persons to be thrown into prison and cruelly treated because of a difference in religious belief or observance,—the State of California, that repealed its Sunday law.* Before entering upon my duties as congressman I took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States. That Constitution declares that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. In my opinion every member of Congress who voted for the Sunday closing of the World's Fair did so in direct, unquestionable violation of his oath. It was at the command of religious organizations, and for religious purposes only. If any American citizen's religion impels him to work the six days beginning with Monday, and to observe Sunday as a holy day, he has that right under the Constitution. And if another citizen's religion impels him to work six days, beginning with Sunday, the first day of the week, and to observe Saturday, the seventh day—the Sabbath of Christ—as a holy day, he has that right under the Constitution to select his own day, whatever day it may be, and to work the other days. And Congress is prohibited by the supreme law of the land from interfering between these citizens making laws establishing the religion of one and prohibiting the religion of the other. Yet this is unquestionably what Congress attempted to do in its World's Fair Sunday legislation. In all the history of the world the blackest pages—the saddest—are those whereon is recorded the cruelties, the horrible murders, committed by those who spread and enforce their religion with the sword. Those who in these days seek to enforce their religion upon others by employing the sheriff's posse are just as cruel and infinitely meaner than those who used the sword. Cannot the evangelical churches see that their very existence depends upon the absolute liberty of the citizen in all matters of religion, upon the utter absence of all religious legislation, of laws regulating and establishing religion? Can they not see the danger they invite by letting down the constitutional bars and demanding that the nation enter upon a system of religious legislation? Do they not realize that just as surely as they let down those bars, and open the gates, the "Mother Church" will make the laws, and they will not be in accord with evangelical doctrine? Are they blind to the signs of the times, deaf to the public, bold avowals of the managers of "Mother Church"? The preservation of civil and religious liberty in this country depends wholly upon the absence of religious legislation. I believe the best citizen of the United States—the best man in the world—is the real Christian whose religion has taken all the cruelty out of his heart and filled it with love of his fellow man—that has taken all the devilishness out of his disposition; who, rejoicing in his freedom to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, freely accords to others the freedom he enjoys, who, if he cannot persuade others by reason and argument to believe as he does, never thinks of employing the sword, the sheriff's club, or the prison, to compel them. And the worst man—the most dangerous man—is, and always has been, the religious light who would force his religion upon others by the sheriff's club and the prison's discipline; and the more conscientious he is the more dangerous he is. As for me, I shall keep my oath, as I interpret it by the ordinary meaning of the English words used in the Constitution, and shall strive to keep up the bars, and the gates closed against the religious legislation demanded by mistaken churchmen—and forbidden by the Constitution of the United States. Very truly yours,
W. W. BOWERS. "HE GOES BEFORE."
By W. H. M'Kee
ALONG all the paths of life He leadeth them who are His. However commonplace and familiar the road, or however strange, His feet have trodden it before, and His footprints are there to guide, strengthen, and comfort those who follow. Where His feet have been is sacred ground, and no harm can befall those who, carrying His message, tread the same hallowed path. In the crowded cities, where the lords of wrong have held visible sway so long that every stone and brick of all the buildings, and every paving stone of all the streets, might drip with the heart's blood of those who, in sorrow, and pain, and care, and hunger, have handled them over and over, and where every room of every house, from the palace to the prison, might cry out, and echo back and forth from every wall the wail and outcry of lost souls, and where nightly, even now, the gathering voices of the sons and daughters of Belial are heard through all the traveled ways,—yet all this accumulation of terror, which, if it but had expression, would so shake these walls and pavements that not one stone would be left upon another, is held by Him in abeyance until the feet of those who do His will have passed by upon their errand of mercy, and have told His message of love and salvation on their way. On the lonely level plains where the sun beats hot, and the wind blows cold, where the prince of the powers of the air rides in the tornado and his imps play their wild freaks with wind and lightning, there, unharmed, amidst their wild game of destruction, the messengers of the Lord carry the word of his truth. Across the seas that have hungered for men's lives since they fed upon the life of all the world at the flood, speed the winged ships that safely carry the consecrated missionary, while he fears not wind or wave or hidden reef; for that same Christ who once brought the little boat load of those who loved and called upon him, safely to land, will equally protect those who go forth now, the last time, to teach that he is the way and the truth and the life. As Paul shook from his hand the poisonous serpent, and, though they looked to see him fall dead, felt no harm, so again, amid pestilent miasms, and ravenous beasts, and ravening wild men, shall the messengers pass unhurt who tell the last tale that is to be told, and, following the blessed feet that have gone before, seek out those who will listen, from every kindred, tongue, and people. Wherever they carry his message, to whomsoever they bring it, under Indian suns, or through Siberian snows, African jungle growths, or Argentine treeless plains, mountain heights that boldly look the sun in the face, or quiet shadow of the valleys between,—through all the strange paths that must be trod, He goes before.