Earlier text: General ArticlesCalling Us to Christian Life.
"HE calleth thee." These encouraging, comforting words were addressed to the poor blind man who sat by the wayside begging as Jesus passed by. As soon as he knew that it was Jesus he cried after him, "Have mercy upon me," and immediately the answer came, and casting aside his outer garment, that he might the more easily and quickly reach him, he came to Jesus, and coming received the fulfillment of his faith. Oh, weary wanderer in by and forbidden paths, blinded by sin and the deceitful glamour of the world, come to Jesus—"He calleth thee"—and coming, receive thy spiritual sight—a sight that shall reveal to thee what a friend thou hast in him. He stands waiting. Cast aside all thy self-righteousness, and every sin that, like long garments, may hinder thee, and go to him and find how graciously he will receive and how freely forgive. Oh, thou who dost long for a true friend, go to Jesus; "He calleth thee," and will satisfy thy soul with all the fullness of his sympathy and love; a love that never changes or grows cold, and a sympathy that takes in all thy weakness, and weariness, and unrest, and when thou hast truly found him no power above or beneath shall be able to separate thee from him.—Sel. Work as Service to God
By Macdonald
THE work you have to do in the counting-house, in the shop, or wherever you may be, is that by which you are to serve God. Do it with a high regard, and then there is nothing mean in it; but there is everything mean in it, if you are pretending to please people when you only look for your wages.—Macdonald. HE only truly lives to whom the world is like a house immense, with no day passing by in which some new department is not visited. "None Other Name."
By S. P. Bollman
THE occasion which called forth the utterance which heads this article was the examination of Peter and John, by the Jewish authorities, as to the healing of the impotent man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and contains in one brief sentence the substantial elements of what is elsewhere called "so great salvation." Heb. 2:3. To carry out the divine plan of redemption, specific directions and special requirements were laid down or revealed in pursuance of promises made and reiterated at various times, designed to impress deeply on the minds of men what they must do and what they must believe in order to secure eternal life. Three main features characterize the requirements under the former dispensation,—faith in God and in the promised Saviour, the observance of the ceremonial, and obedience to the moral, law. Under the latter, faith in the Father and in his Son, and obedience to gospel ordinances as instituted by Christ, and obedience to the moral law. Under the former dispensation the ceremonial law was typical and temporary, and to be done away in Christ. The moral is perpetual, and hence passing over into the latter constitutes the rule of Christian life under the closing dispensation of grace, which is ended by the Saviour's second coming to gather his ransomed home. As all the sacrifices pointed to Christ and in themselves could not take away sin, their total abolition was especially appropriate when accomplished amid the sublime scenes which took place when the Lamb of God, by the sacrifice of himself on Calvary, took away the sin of the world. The essential oneness of the plan of salvation in its adaptation to sinners in every age is thus clearly made manifest by the Scriptures, and also from the nature of the case. Sin in every age is a transgression of the same law, and redemption from sin must be effected by the same Saviour, for "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." We see, then, the force of the apostle's assertion that "Christ is all, and in all." Col. 3:11. Faith in Christ is the means by which Christ and his benefits become ours, and love for, and obedience to, the law are the evidences of our union to Christ. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:3. This obedience, when from love in the heart, as expressed in Roman 7:22, is satisfactory evidence that the possessor is by faith in Christ, a branch of the living vine, and thus enabled to bring forth "the fruits of righteousness unto eternal life." As "when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law [subject to its penalty], to redeem them that were under the law," he has established the regulations and requirements essential in every age, and required of every nationality. That God, and he alone, as the Creator and sovereign Lord, has the right to impose laws and definite regulations, and to require obedience thereto, none will deny in words, though creeds and practices sometimes show a non-compliance therewith. The paramount question now to be considered is, are God's laws to be observed as given, or may men mutilate or alter them, either in whole or in part? If salvation is one and the same in every age, and the procuring agencies are also the same (as they undoubtedly are), can happy results be attained by disobedience to any part of the law and the substitution of a different requirement from that which God has laid down? Assuredly not. As there is but one Lawgiver,—"one Lord, one faith, one baptism,"—the idea of a partial obedience, and a partial loyalty to God's law as he himself enunciated it, is preposterous, and is contradicted by all scripture bearing upon this point, because not in harmony with God's plan which is the infallible rule of faith and practice. The salvation of men by the Lord Jesus, is a salvation from sin, from its consequences, and from its practice. "Sin is the transgression of the law,"—the law of ten commandments—and those who are saved by Christ, are saved from the breaking of any of God's commandments. The commandments were given as a rule of life, for all who are saved by the Lord Jesus. Their spirit and requirements as God gave them, are in exact harmony with the spirit of Christ, and "as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Rom. 8:14. Thus Paul reasons in Gal. 4:4, 5: "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." Rom. 8:17. Thus we find this "only name whereby we must be saved," pointed forward to by sacrifices as the true objective point of faith; and that the grand central thought of the gospel message from lost Eden until Jesus comes the second time, is, "There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." And in the great day when Jesus comes to receive and reward his own, will not all the redeemed harmoniously unite in the grand acclaim?— "All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him Lord of all."
S. P. BOLLMAN. The Sunday Law and Sabbath Persecution.
By Editor
IN the Christian Cynosure of August 12 we find, under the above heading, the following letter from Elder R. M. Kilgore. It gives, in brief, the details of the Arkansas persecutions, and shows very clearly that it is a spirit of hatred to the Sabbath of the Lord, that prompts all these so-called Prosecutions. It should be preserved for future reference:— EDITOR Christian Cynosure: In your issue of July 29, 1886, you refer to the sermon given by myself, as reported in the Inter Ocean, July 19, in which it was stated that "the aim of the National Reform Association was to secure a religious amendment to the Constitution of the United States, thereby making our Nation a Christian nation, thus forming a union of Church and State, and restricting the rights of conscience; that already persecution has broken out in Arkansas, Tennessee, etc., and those who worship God according to the teachings of God's Word, are suffering under this Sunday Law." This article is called forth in response to your statement, that "if there are Seventh-day Baptists now in jail or fined because, having kept Saturday as their Sabbath, they have refused to keep Sunday also, their names and the jails where they are confined should be published at once." We are Seventh-day Adventists not Seventh-day Baptists, and as I am now on the ground where our brethren are feeling the effects of this bitter spirit of persecution, I am glad to give you and your readers the desired information. Two years ago a church of Seventh-day Adventists was raised up in this place (Springdale, Ark.). Last fall they erected a house of worship, and for painting, one Sunday, on the rear of the house, unseen from the road, Elder J. W. Scoles was indicted by the Grand Jury at Fayetteville, Washington county, Ark., tried, convicted, and fined by the Circuit Court. An appeal was taken, and the case is now pending the action of the Supreme Court of the State. James Poole, of the same county, a conscientious Sabbath-keeper, for pulling weeds in his garden on Sunday morning, was indicted by the Grand Jury and fined by the same court, though he had attended public worship in the forenoon and afternoon, four miles from his home. William Martin was indicted by the same jury for sowing oats, and tried before the Circuit Court, but the jury disagreed. J. M. Davis was indicted by the Grand Jury for "harrowing oats on the Christian Sabbath or Sunday," and tried before the Circuit Court, but failing to sustain the charge the court picked up a man who swore that he saw Mr. Davis hauling wood on Sunday, and without even an indictment for said offense, the court fined him and taxed him the costs. F. M. Elmore, for three minutes' labor on Sunday, was indicted, convicted and fined in the Circuit Court of this county. The second arrest of J. A. Armstrong, of Springdale, was effected July 9, for digging potatoes on Sunday for the table. In four hours after his arrest he was on his way to jail at Fayetteville, where he was kept five days to commute the fine imposed upon him, which he refused to pay, and thus honor an unjust law and a partial administration which oppressed the conscientious observers of the Fourth Commandment, while others who observed neither day were permitted to go unmolested. The railroad cars could rumble, and carry their heavy burdens, and the loud voice of the locomotive could be heard more than once every Sunday, and yet go unrebuked. The factory could ply its vocation and keep its servants at work every Sunday; the hotels could send their runners to each train soliciting patronage and collect their fees for labor performed on Sunday without a word of censure from the authorities. Other citizens could drive their hogs to market, livery teams could be hired to pleasure-seekers and money exchanged for such service, and no one was disturbed enough to take cognizance of the matter, and report it to the Grand Jury; and when the jury was told of these breaches of the law by a Sabbath-keeper who was summoned to testify against a brother, no notice was taken of them, while the brother was arrested and fined for wielding, quietly, a paintbrush, after he had conscientiously observed the day before as the Sabbath, according to the commandment of God. Allen Meek, of Star of the West, Pike County, was indicted by the Grand Jury for planting potatoes on Sunday morning, on the testimony forced from a friend who was visiting him. While the case was pending in the court he was cited to appear on Monday morning twenty-five miles distant. The road being rough he was compelled to repair the break in his wagon on Sunday. He was again indicted and fined for that offense, on the testimony of a man who came to see him on business. The man who came on business could go home free after causing the arrest of the Sabbath-keeper. Others with whom I am personally acquainted in this same county, and whose names I could give, have also been arrested and fined in this same manner. Any one can see that it is not because the Sunday law is broken, or that these good and conscientious Sabbath-keepers make more noise or disturbance than others; but the strong arm of the law is the best argument that can be wielded against their faith and practice. However "abhorrent to our Constitution such persecution" may appear to the editor of the Cynosure, we are now realizing its effects. Service, Not Services
By Rev. J. E. Johnson
WHAT God wants is not "services" but service. A Christian life is the best argument for Christ.—Rev. J. E. Johnson. Be loving, and you will never want for love; be humble, and you will never want for guiding. "BUT before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed." Verse 23. It has been abundantly proved that "under the law" indicates, in general, a state of sin and consequently of condemnation. See the comments on Rom. 6:14; Gal. 4:4, 5, 21; 5:18; and Romans 7. The idea of bondage is everywhere connected with sin. It is a cruel master. Paul says: "The law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin." In the verse before us, we have the strongest expression on this point that occurs in the Bible. Take earthly laws as an illustration of the fact. When they are violated, the offender is seized as soon as possible, and cast into prison. He is "shut up" to await either the execution of the penalty or a pardon. Of course in earthly affairs miscarriages of justice often take place. Sometimes a culprit is not apprehended, and very often the guilty escape without either sentence or pardon. But from the law of God there is no escape. There is a standing sentence of death on all who violate it, and consequently as soon as a man sins, he brings himself under its curse. He is "condemned already." Moreover, although sentence may not be executed speedily, God's Government does not, like human governments, need detectives to ferret out the criminals. "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." Prov. 15:3. As in human governments the criminal is cast into prison as soon as he is detected, so violators of God's law are at once "shut up." As soon as they transgress the law, they are indicted and condemned, and there is no possibility of escape from the threatened penalty. Yes, there is just one way of escape. "The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ" will make the man stand free before God. The sinner, as is described by Paul in Rom. 7:14-24, may strive with all his might to keep the law, and to get rid of the body of death that is fastened to him. But how can the guilty one help himself when he is "shut up" in prison, "in bondage," and securely chained to a body of death? All his struggles are fruitless. He makes an effort to escape in this direction, but finds himself confronted by the prison wall; then he makes an effort on the other side, and there the massive wall opposes an effectual barrier to his progress. He is absolutely "shut up" to the faith which may afterwards be revealed as the only means of escape from present guilt, and from the wrath to come. Peter carries out the same idea when he calls the wicked antediluvians "the spirits in prison," and says that Christ, by the Spirit, went and preached to them. 1 Peter 3:18-20. If they had listened to this preaching, they might have been released from prison, for it is the mission of Christ "to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." Isa. 61:1. Take notice that in every case of just imprisonment it is the law that seizes the criminal, shuts him up, and keeps him confined until his trial and execution. The sheriff, jailer, and executioner are only agents of the law. It is the strong arm of the law that gives power to the prison walls and bolts. But for the violated law, they could have no power to confine a man. So the law is in reality the jailer to every criminal. This idea is carried out in the verse under consideration. The New Version makes it emphatic by saying, "But before faith came, we were kept in ward under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed." The addition of the words "in ward" is not unwarranted. The Greek is sugklesmenos, which carries the idea of confinement, from kleis, a key. Alford says on the expression, "were kept in ward": "Not simply 'kept,' as authorized version, but as Chrysostom says, as it were in a fortress." And this agrees strikingly with Luther's version, which reads: "Wurden wir unter dem gesetze verwahrt und verschlossen." "We were under the law, guarded and imprisoned." The word verschlossen means "locked up," from schloss, a lock, a castle, a fortress. All this agrees with the known office of any law,—to confine within prison walls those who violate it. "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Gal. 3:24. The word "schoolmaster" does not convey to us the idea of the original. The Greek is paidagogos, pedagogue. The paidagogos was a slave who attended the children on their way to school, beating them if they were inclined to play truant. He also had charge of them out of school, having the general duty of correcting their manners. We have come to use the word pedagogue as synonymous with school-teacher, but in reality we have nothing which corresponds to the ancient paidagogos. In the New Version the word is rendered "tutor," the first definition of which is, "One who guards, protects, watches over, or has the care of another." The word occurs in but one other place in the New Testament, in 1 Cor. 4:15, where in King James's Version it is rendered "instructor." "Though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." Here the same idea is conveyed as in Gal. 5:24, 25. The Corinthians might have many tutors, many who would lay down the law to them, and show them their errors, but they had not many, who, like Paul, would preach "Christ, and him crucified," and with the tenderness of a father win them to faith in Christ. The old meaning of "pedagogue" still attaches to the word "tutor," for it is very common to speak of "tutoring" some person, the idea being that of disciplining, of correcting with authority. This idea is still further carried out in Luther's translation, where the Greek word paidagogos is rendered zuchtmeister, which means "a master of a house of correction;" "a task-master;" "a jailer." Before faith came we were kept in prison, under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed; wherefore the law was our master in that house of correction, to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. The reader will notice that the idea that the law acts as a jailer to sinners does not conflict with the idea that it also acts as a tutor, or pedagogue. It acts as pedagogue by virtue of its office as jailer. As jailer it shuts us up in a stronghold from which we cannot escape. Now the more galling this imprisonment is made, the more our desire to escape is increased; and since there is no means of escape except through faith in Jesus Christ, it follows that the more of a jailer we feel the law to be, the more of a pedagogue it becomes, forcing us to flee for refuge to the hope set before us. This office the law now has, and it has no other. It cannot pardon; it can only point out our sin. It is this which, directed by the Spirit of God, convicts of sin. Stung by his awakened conscience, the guilty one seeks peace and rest, but the law relentlessly charges him with his sin. All that it will do is to deepen conviction, and thus add to the load that weighs down the sinner. Finally, when he loses confidence in himself, and cries out, "O wretched man that I am," he is forced to cast himself at the feet of Jesus, saying, "Lord be merciful to me, a sinner." This is the only avenue of escape, and it is one that never fails. Thus the law literally drives the sinner to Christ, by shutting up every other way of freedom from guilt. And when the sinner has come to Christ, he learns from the one whose life is but the embodiment of the righteousness of the law. He is thus exhorted to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18. Christ says: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me." Matt. 11:29. He is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), that is, the law in its perfection. In Christ he may perform good works, because he walks at liberty. As the justified one abides in Christ and Christ in him (John 15:4), he is enabled finally to grow "unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." "But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Gal. 3:25-27. The best comment on the expression, "after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster," is found in Rom. 8:1-4. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Or this: "For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." Rom. 6:14, 15. Still another comment on Gal. 3:22-25, and a parallel passage is found in Rom. 3:20-25: "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." Not only may the above text be applied the same as Gal. 3:20-25, but it must be applied to the same thing, for the argument in each place is exactly the same. "For as many of you as have been baptized into Jesus Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal. 3:27-29. This closes the chapter, and the argument. In the fourth chapter, an exposition of which has been given, the apostle goes over the ground in another way, to bring out additional points. There, as here, Christ is the focal point. Baptism is for the remission of sins. We are buried with Christ by baptism into death, and by that act we "put on Christ." And if we are Christ's, which honor we attain to519only by the exercise of faith, then we are children of faithful Abraham, and with him are heirs of the promise. In this way, and in this way alone, can we be made "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." W.