Earlier text: MOUNTAINS OF REFUGEFIRST SAMUEL.
By F. D. Starr
As stated in the preceding article, the design of this series is to encourage the study of the Bible itself. Many ask, How can we study the Bible ourselves without some one to outline our study for us? How does the miner dig the precious ore from the mountain? He does not have to get some one to guide his every stroke. We are to seek for truth as for hidden treasures. Prov. 2:4. It is a good thing to have some helps, however, and there are plenty of these. In the first place, a reference Bible furnishes an inexhaustible source of help in this line. Some who possess reference Bibles, however, do not know just how to use them. Let us take an example to illustrate this method. In the book we are now studying, I Samuel, chapter 2, verse 8, we read, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill.” By this verse we find a letter corresponding to one in the margin, where we find references to such scriptures as Ps. 113:7, 8; Dan. 4:17; and Luke 1:52, where we find statements like that in the first text. A concordance is also a great help in studying the Scriptures. There are also many books of reference that are very helpful. The tract entitled “Scripture References,” published at the office of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, costing only two cents, is one of the best helps that can be found. I know of a class of two girls 10 and 14 years of age, who have used this tract as their text-book in their home and school the past winter, and have found it interesting and profitable. As to the book of First Samuel, we find the full title is, “THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL OTHERWISE CALLED THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS.” The Septuagint does not give the name Samuel at all, but calls this book simply First Kings or First Reigns. So we have in the Septuagint four books of the Kings. It would seem that this way of naming these books is better. The books of Samuel can not be given this name because of Samuel himself. He was dead before the first book was completed, for we read of his death in 1 Sam. 25:1. So a portion of this book and all of Second Samuel record events that transpired after the death of Samuel. This book is of special interest because it gives us the history of such noted men as Eli, Samuel, Saul, David, etc. One of the most important lessons to be learned from the book is the failure of home government in the lives of these prominent individuals. Eli’s sons were very corrupt, and young Samuel had the example of Eli’s failure right before him, and we might suppose he would avoid a like course, but we read in 1 Sam. 8:3 concerning Samuel’s sons, “And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” David grew up under the instruction of Samuel, and must have seen the failure in Samuel’s family, and no doubt determined to avoid the like. But what do we find concerning David’s sons?—We find such deplorable specimens as the incestuous Ammon; the proud Absalom, who instigated a rebellion against his own father’s reign; and the perverse Adonijah, another usurper who, while his father was on his death bed, said, “I will be king,” and came to an untimely end. Of this latter son it is said, “His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so?” 1 Kings 1:5, 6. This was exceeding Eli even in this instance in failure to correct an erring son; for of Eli we read that he did reprove his sons (1 Sam. 2:22–25), tho he did not restrain them. It must have been a great consolation to David to have one such son as Solomon. All these instances seem to show the difficulty of bringing up children properly when they are exposed to the vicissitudes of public life. Seclusion is preferable. The transition from the simple form of government designed of God for His people, to the worldly pomp of royalty, is recorded in this book. Sad change! But the people failed to make proper use of the system of rule of judges. Everything seemed to be at loose ends, as stated in Judges 21:25, and a change was an absolute necessity. But what change should be made? The people said, a change in the system, when the change needed was a change in themselves. The system was better than the one they were determined to have. We find the time during which the judges ruled was 450 years, as stated by Paul in Acts 13:19–21. The two events that bound this period of 450 years are the divisions of the land of Canaan, and the anointing of Saul as king. But we find in the margin of Joshua 21 that the divisions and conquest of the land were completed in B.C. 1444, and also in the margin of 1 Samuel 10 that the anointing of Saul is set down for B.C. 1095. Subtracting these dates we have 349 years remaining, instead of 450, as given by Paul. Thus Mr. Usher’s chronology stands corrected by about a century, and we are consequently that much farther this side of Creation than commonly computed. Verily earth’s 6,000 years are well-nigh run. The term Christ is used many times in the Septuagint Version of this book, for instance in ch. 2:35, where we read: “He shall walk before My Christ forever.” Other instances of the use of the word are found in chapters 16 and 24, anointed in English, being equivalent to Christ in Greek. The term ecclesia (church) is also found in the Septuagint Version of this book, for instance in ch. 17:47. The army of Israel, the Lord’s army, is here spoken of as the church. Here it is indeed the church militant, the church at work. The story of David and Goliath, with which this incident is connected, is quite well known to most youthful readers, and, if no other matter of interest were found in the book, this alone would make it an important history. “He sees above the vault of night
Ten thousand gleaming points of light;
Beyond the dark and shadowed way
The purple streaks of coming day;
And, tho the way be hard and long,
He cheers him onward with a song—
The optimist.” PROPHECY, A LIGHT TO THE WAYFARER.
PROPHECY, foretelling the future, is a mighty external evidence of the truth of God's Word. It not alone confirms the faith of His children, but it convinces the skeptical that the Inspirer of the prophecy is the true God. There are many souls rejoicing in Gospel light to-day who were turned from the darkness of infidelity by the overwhelming evidence of the prophetic Word. There would be many more if to the watchmen of God that word became what it was to Peter of old. Note what he says of the evidence which convinced him of the mighty message of not only a crucified and risen Saviour, but a Saviour to come:— “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount.” “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.” “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Clearer than the testimony of the eyes which saw the dazzling glory of Christ's transfiguration; louder than the evidence of the ears which heard the Voice from glory; stronger, surer, than any evidence of human sense, is the “more sure word of prophecy,” which predicts in varied ways the glorious coming of Christ, and which had been confirmed to the apostle by all the predicted and fulfilled events of Christ's first advent. That prophecy is designed as a light to the way-faring pilgrim. He is passing through a world gloomed and befogged by sin. Man walking in the sparks of his own kindling, or following the ignis fatuus of sin-blinded philosophy, has ever walked into deeper darkness, into greater confusion. Over this fog-bank of sin, into the gloom of the world's darkness and confusion, the clear light of the prophetic word has illuminated the path of the pilgrim, has revealed the meaning of the times, and has painted upon the darkest sky of the world's despair the covenant-bow of promise. Sometimes a city, a nation, a world, becomes so crystallized in sin and selfishness that there is no forgiveness, because there is no more repentance; no salvation from sin, because no hatred of sin, no love for righteousness, no yearning after God. Yet God will not leave that city, that nation, that world, unwarned. “Shall there be evil in the city, and shall not the Lord do somewhat? Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?” Amos 3: 6-8, margin. Nineveh, warned by Jonah, repented; but Sodom and the cities of the plain became so identified with sin, that in that condition the earth could bear them no longer. The festering plague of the fair valley must be extirpated. But before Infinite Justice could do this, Infinite Mercy pleads again. Lot stirred to repentance, lifts warning voice, but his words are regarded by his own relatives as mockery. Nothing could stay the impending wrath and the merited destruction. Egypt, Babylon, Israel, are instances of nations warned of God, who sent to them His prophet “messengers, rising up early and sending; . . . but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of Jehovah arose against His people, till there was no healing.” 2 Chron. 36: 15, 16, margin. The antediluvian world was warned through Noah. For one hundred and twenty years the old patriarch prayed and labored and preached, yet how few regarded, and the Flood came and swept them all away. We are now in a time of great uncertainty, religious and political. Optimistic as men endeavor to be, it is frequently the optimism of fear, and the “hope” is but the wish. While the worst is feared, the best is hoped for. Yet from fearful hearts is often forced the confession of darkness and uncertainty, and the longing cry for light. Said the late Bishop Newman:— This is the most unsettled condition of the world since the crucifixion of Christ. The stability of government is no longer a fact. Change is in the atmosphere. It is just as true now as a thousand years ago, “Thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Statesmen are at their wits' end. Philosophers speculate in vain. Archbishop Ireland, not long ago, said:— The bonds of society are relaxed; traditional principles are losing their sacredness, and perils hitherto unknown are menacing the life of the social organism. Signor Crispi, for many years prime minister of Italy, says of the nations of earth:— We are marching toward the unknown. Who knows what to-morrow has in store for us? The Springfield Republican, in 1900, said:— We see the boiling rapids of torrent plunging toward what abyss no one knows. . . . What the next stroke will be who can say? The Presbyterian, of Philadelphia, recently said:— Doubt and uncertainty abound. Loose thinking is dominant. All sorts of opinions prevail in and out of the church. A hearing is given to all kinds of isms. And these voices might be multiplied. The world is in darkness. Men are crying, “Peace and safety,” but know not what lies before. Why? Why the doubt, the darkness, the uncertainty?—Because men have forgotten God and turned from the light of His holy Word. “But ye, brethren,” says an apostle, “are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of the light, and the children of the day.” Why?—They heed the light of the more sure word of prophecy? More than twelve lines of prophecy culminate in this our day. They converge in this one generation. In the “dark place” of this world they are shining with clearer light than ever in the past. O, why will not the ministers of God, the church of God, give heed? They do well that they take heed. They do ill to neglect the light of God. Why slumber on and on till the final doom of earth breaks upon a sleeping church and world? Why not study and pray and know what God's Word so clearly declares? Has the apostle deceived us? He declares that prophecy is a light in the darkness, to which we do well that we take heed. Has Christ deceived us? He has said that we should “know” when His coming is near. “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets;” the prophets have revealed it unto us; and Jesus says, “Whoso readeth let him understand.” And upon him who heeds and does is His abundant, threefold benediction pronounced. Rev. 1: 3. HE that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels." Rev. 3: 5. The overcomer is one who has accepted pardon through the atonement and mediation of Christ, and has been enabled to resist temptation by walking in the light of His Word. Through the Spirit of prophecy the apostle John heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony ; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Rev. 12: 10, 11. An overcomer, then, is one who is clear of sin by virtue of the righteousness of Christ. His blood-sacrificed perfect life—has been accepted in lieu of the sinner’s imperfect life, which was forfeited because of sin. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6: 23. “This then is the message . . . that God is light, and . . . if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, . . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1: 5-7. In the third chapter of Zechariah “Joshua the high priest” is placed to represent the redeemed church. “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel. And He answered and spake unto those that stood before Him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” What is meant by the clothing of the overcomer in white raiment is further explained by the Spirit of prophecy in Rev. 19: 7, 8: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor unto Him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.” Now the righteousness of the saints is the righteousness of God imputed unto them because of their faith. See Rom. 4: 3-13; 3: 29. And Paul further says, in regard to his own faith, “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; . . . that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Phil. 3: 8, 9. The possibility of enduring faithful unto the end is shown by the Lord’s reference to the Sardis church, of whom He testified, “I have not found thy works perfect.” Notwithstanding this sad fact, He says, “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments.” They had been made white in the blood of the Lamb, and had been kept so by a faithful walk in the light of His truth. Therefore the promise, “They shall walk with Me in white; for they are worthy.” Rev. 3: 2-4. The promise that the names of overcomers shall not be blotted out of the book of life clearly implies that some names will be blotted out. When men accept Christ, or profess to do so, their names are enrolled, and they are not stricken off until the investigative judgment reveals from the record of their lives that they have not continued faithful. Even Judas was reckoned as a disciple of Christ. Peter says, “He was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.” Acts 1: 17. That the life-record is to determine this matter is shown by the testimony of John, concerning the future judgment. He says, “I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Rev. 20: 11, 12. “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. . . . As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue confess to God.” And this adds emphasis to the next statement of the apostle: “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” See Rom. 14: 10-12. But “judgment must begin at the house of God.” 1 Peter 4: 17. This judgment will naturally clear up the book of life, and erase all unworthy names; and this makes clear the after statement of the Apostle John, as he looks forward in vision to the judgment scene and relates what he saw: “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Rev. 20: 15. The remainder of the promise under consideration—“I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels”—calls to mind a special condition that needs to be made more prominent in these last days. Jesus said to the people and to His disciples: “Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of7Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8: 34-38. There is nothing in these days of which men are so prone to be ashamed as of the commandments of God, and especially of His specific “sign” between Him and His people—the Sabbath. Those who confess Christ in word and deed will be acknowledged by Him in the judgment as overcomers. Matt. 10: 32, 33. The true confession of God is obedience. Of those who stand firm through all the trials and tribulations of the last days, the Spirit says, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14: 12. OUR POSITION ON THE UNION QUESTION.
By Editor
We have received a letter from a man in Colorado, who says he is not a union man, but a “Seventh-day Adventist.” He finds large fault with us, because of our “condemnation of organized labor,” and he thinks we say “very little, if anything at all, against organized capital.” And then he says:— “Where, in all the Holy Scriptures, do you find anything in condemnation of the laboring class? The facts are, my brother, there is no such a thing as the tyranny of organized labor, even tho they should demand all of the profits of the capitalist class. There would be nothing unjust about it; for it must be remembered that labor, and labor alone, produces all wealth. There is no other source of wealth.” Let us say again, as we have said many times before, that we have the greatest sympathy and respect for the laboring man. Of all men he is worthy of pre-eminent respect. The editor of the SIGNS is a laboring man; he has been a laborer since he was old enough to labor. He has worked on a farm from starshine in the dawning to starshine in the gloaming, twelve, fourteen, sixteen hours a day. He has worked in the forest, the factory, the mine, the mill. He has taught school. He has attempted, in a modest way, to preach the Gospel of Christ. He has endeavored, as best he could, to edit Christian papers, and by pen publish the Gospel in both England and America for a score of years. During all this time he has labored, but he never labored as hard behind the plow or scythe, or in the mill or factory, or with the pick and shovel, as he has labored in the ministry or at his desk. Body sweat is not as hard as brain sweat. There is nothing he enjoys any better than to lay aside all intense mental labor and work with his hands in the garden, or at the bench, for a few hours a day, or a few days, if he can get the time. Therefore, he sympathizes with all laborers, physical, mental, and spiritual. He knows that there is a difference in value of labor. He knows that the brain labor of some men oftentimes furnishes physical labor and wages for others, which they would never get but for the brain labor. An author writes a book that the world needs or wants. He was at his desk from one to four hours a day while he was writing it. The mass of the people counted him working only during the time spent in the actual writing. But after all, that is the least part of his labor. He was working hardest when he seemed to be idle. It is so with some of the rich men, who, in long hours of intense study and planning, have evolved mighty schemes, given employment to hundreds of men, and greatly enriched themselves with small profits. For it is often true:— “The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.”
So much for the question of labor of itself. The rich man in his palace may be a very much harder worker than the man in his mine, or in his factory. One of the great evils the world has ever been burdened with is the use the rich man has made of his wealth and his talent and genius in producing it. Instead of recognizing it as a gift from God, to be used to His glory for the good of humanity (Deut. 8:11-15), he has taken the glory to himself, and used both power and wealth in the oppression of humanity. That which might have been a great blessing has proved, in many cases, a great curse. Through it directly and indirectly many have been enslaved; and many more, if not enslaved, are laden with heavy burdens and grievous to be borne. Often human nature has rebelled, and endeavored to throw off the yoke. In many instances it has accomplished the task. Christianity, perverted tho it has been, is a mighty power which has been used in lifting the burdens. But they are not all lifted. The oppressed are not yet free. Combined capital would bind still stronger the heavy burdens, and place all the world in bondage. To meet this we have combined labor. Both have the same rights to organize. Labor has the stronger temptation, because for centuries under “the rights of property” laws have favored the rich much more frequently than they have favored the poor. The thing has been placed before the man. The commodity has been counted of more worth than the soul. Man has been counted of worth according to his land, his bonds, his coin, instead of his character. One rich man, in the balances of Cæsar’s court, has outweighed many poor ones. The great giant wage-worker has looked upon the injustice, has bowed under its burden, has felt its iron in his soul, and has rebelled. In these latter days he has organized both wisely and unwisely. He has broken confidence with his employer, sometimes a friend for years, and thrown himself with all his power in the arena against capital. In the struggle, led oftentimes by ambitious, unwise, unbalanced, unscrupulous, sometimes shrewd and crafty, leaders, he has forgotten what is just, what is due the rich man,—often a much greater slave to labor,—and has even overridden the rights of his poorer fellow-laborers, who do not, and sometimes can not, join his union. Men have been forced out of business and ruined by labor unions. Men, again and again, have been deprived of the opportunity of earning a livelihood. Personal friendships of years between employer and employee have been sacrificed and ignored at the behest of the union. Men have not been allowed to employ their own sons because of union dictation. Houses have been burned, and wives and children beggared by union men, who claimed to be friendly to labor. Men have been hunted, and killed in cold blood for daring to assert their manhood and independence. But, despite all this, our correspondent declares, “There is no such a thing as the tyranny of organized labor.” Does he know what the meaning of the word is? Toward the last of his long letter he seems to get out of the fog a little, for he says:— I do not wish it understood that I am in favor of the means employed by organized labor to attain their ends; that is, I am not in favor of using the strike and the boycott against the capitalist class. But shall we suppose he is in favor of the strike and boycott and violence against unorganized laborers, who believe in the right to labor when, where, how, for whom, and for what they will? Yet he tells us that “they [organized labor] should demand all of the profits of the capitalist class, there would be nothing unjust about it; for it must be remembered that labor, and labor alone, produces all wealth.” But does unorganized labor—by far the largest multitude—have no part in this? If it is not unjust for organized labor to demand all the profits, where is there hope for the capitalist or the non-union man? In the eyes of our correspondent, and he echoes the thoughts of unionists, none outside of the ranks of unionism have rights worthy of respect. “All the profits!” Here is an instance in fact. Two brothers, working at the repairing of watches, eking out a bare existence. One said to the other, “Will, we must get out of this ten-cent business and make something.” “All right,” replied the other, “if some one would tell me what to do, I would do it.” Responded the first: “I saw the other day that there was a fortune to a man who would make a successful nut lock.” Will replied at once, “I can do it.” In a short time the drawing was made, and pronounced a success. A few days later a model was forwarded to the Patent Office, and patents were secured. The first offer for the patent was several thousand dollars. We can easily see scores of workmen employed in the future because of this device. Does the profit all belong to them? One of the results of organized labor is the forming of the majority of the people into citizens’ unions and employers’ associations, which will fight the union with its own weapons, and the end is strife, confusion, trouble, and greater poverty and sorer suffering. We are sorry, sorry that our correspondent and other laboring men can not see in the light of all history and the more sure Word of prophecy, that man’s hope, temporally even, does not lie in the strength, the chicanery, the tyranny of men, but in the living God. There is more power to right matters in the Golden Rule to-day, than all the unions and trusts and politics of any sort can furnish. We have no plea to make for overreaching, oppressing wealth. It is selfish and must perish. We would do all in our power to save working men from the same spirit. This life, at the longest, is but a moment. There is a life that parallels the life of God. Better to suffer injustice in this than to lose the other, and in the effort to ruin in this, lose both. 1539.—Questions Concerning Divorce.
(1) Can a woman who has been divorced from her husband marry again? (2) Does she not commit adultery by so doing? (3) Does not the man who marries her commit adultery? (4) Does not Matt. 5:32; 19:9; Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18 expressly state that he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery? J. R. (1) Is there any scriptural ground for divorce? If any, what is it? (2) A man and woman were married; he left her and married another; she got a divorce on the ground of adultery, and she also married again. According to Scripture, had she a right to marry again? H. U. J. The above are two sample letters among many which come to us on the divorce question. Loose, marital notions, and we may add, practises, constitute a marked sign of the times. They are always consequent on a low regard of God's law. In the beginning man and wife were united, never to be separated—united not only in their own life, but in that of their offspring. “The twain shall be one flesh,” the two elements in the union equal, but differing. When men and women departed from God, when His law was forgotten, loose conceptions of marriage prevailed; woman was made a plaything, and even in the nation having the highest plane of moral practise, a man could put away his wife for any cause. The teaching of Jesus placed marriage back on its original foundation. God had suffered the blindness of the past; in the increased light of Christ, men must come back to first principles. Mark 10: 2-9. Yet, according to Matt. 5: 32, 33 and 19: 9, the Master allows one just cause for divorce, namely, fornication. And we know no reason why it is not as applicable on one side as on the other. See Mark 10: 11, 12. Both stand equal. But Luke 16: 18, and Mark 10: 11, 12, in the sweeping condemnation of adultery, have reference to the loose manner of divorce at the mere pleasure of the party, and must exclude the exception made in Matthew. Then, in the light of these considerations, the obvious answers to the first series of questions are as follows:— 1. If she herself is not guilty of fornication, if the husband has been guilty of fornication, and if she is freed from him in the eyes of the law, she may marry again. It seems to us she has the Scriptural right. 2. She does not. Her former husband lost his moral right to his wife by fornication, and the divorce grants the legal separation. 3. If she have the right to marry, the man who marries her, if he be otherwise free, has also the right to marry. 4. Exception is made, we understand, in the case of fornication. The innocent party, if divorced, is not guilty of adultery, tho he or she marries again. As to the second series: (1) the scriptural ground, as above given, is fornication. 2. When the husband left the wife and married again, he committed adultery, thus freeing the woman from moral obligation to him. Her divorce granted legal separation. She had the right to marry. There are cases where separation seems almost absolutely necessary on account of cruelty or persecution. But this gives no right to marry, as set forth in 1 Cor. 7: 10-15. But separation is always attended with great temptation and danger. Better to suffer and be true to God, and perhaps win a soul, than to throw two lives under the power of special temptation. OUR LONDON LETTER.
By M. Ellsworth Olsen
(From Our Own Correspondent.) Canon Henson's Attack on the Scriptures.
CANON HENSLEY HENSON's attack on the authority of the Scriptures is still the subject of comment in religious circles, and some of the church papers have referred to it in terms of what would appear to be genuine regret, while others commend the courage of the canon in openly avowing a position quietly held by the generality of church-goers. A short time ago the newspapers announced that Dr. J. Guinness Rogers, a widely-known and respected Congregational minister, would reply to the strictures of Canon Henson in an address to be given in the old Dutch Reformed church (near the Bank of England), where noon meetings are conducted on Tuesdays for London business men. I attended the meeting, and listened to an able address by Dr. Rogers, a well-preserved man of some eighty-two years, who is sometimes referred to as the “Grand Old Man of Non-conformity.” But the speaker really did not take issue with Canon Henson, except in the matter of substituting other books for the Bible at divine service. He said he could not agree with the canon that the service of church or chapel could be improved by going outside the Scriptures and using the works of approved devotional writers; but as for the criticism directed against the Bible as a whole, he had little to say. He thought there was danger of misunderstanding the article in question, and taking it to mean more than was intended by the writer. Most of the criticism of the canon's article has come from his own church, rather than from the non-conformists, there being still a fairly strong element in the State Church that sticks close to the English Prayer-book and the doctrinal ideas which prevailed at the time when it was first issued. Thus the matter has been brought to the attention of Dr. Davidson, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he has promised to give it careful attention, which probably means very little. The Tendency of the Times.
The fact is that the whole tendency of the times is toward unbelief and rationalism, and the subtle yet powerful influences at work are not easily detected. Many are possessed of a feeling of vague apprehension, seeing the dangers threatening Christianity, and not knowing what course to take to avoid them. In his Oxford Commemoration Sermon, preached last Sunday, the Bishop of Liverpool well expressed this general feeling of disquiet and anxiety. “The day broke,” he said, “on an unquiet world and upon a troubled church. Everywhere was upheaval and unrest, distress and perplexity. The powers of Christendom, armed to the teeth, were standing watching each other with undisguised fear and distrust and resentment; each unwilling to strike the first blow, which might lead to the blotting out of nations, and the changing of the political map of Europe. All were looking with strained eyes toward the Far East, where a Christian and European power was battling with an Asiatic and heathen foe, and all were striving to forsee what shall be the end thereof.” These words, it should be noted, are not those of an alarmist, but of a conservative, thoughtful official in the Church of England. Referring briefly to the controversy raging around the Bible, he said that “in the church, men bewildered and sick at heart were asking what they ought to believe about the Bible, and where, with the full effect of judgment and eternity before them, they were to find certainty and peace. That sacred thing which doubt had never dimmed, and controversy had never soiled, . . . was it after all a human book, or was it from God, and, if from God, how much of it, a part only, or all?” Here, you might think, was a splendid opportunity for this able preacher to strike a clear, definite note himself, and nobly maintain the truth of the Scriptures, but he failed to do it. At least there is no trace of it in the full report of his address which appeared in a most reliable daily paper, from which the foregoing quotations are taken. His references to the political outlook are typical of the feelings of thinking men in this country. The old idea, taught by Herbert Spencer and other evolutionists, that in the natural development of civilization wars would more and more become a thing of the past, and everything would be settled by arbitration, has been shown to be a fallacy. Europe to-day is acknowledged to present the appearance of an armed camp, and no one can tell what will be the outcome of the great struggle now taking place in the East. Militarism—Compulsory Military Service.
One thing is certain. The striking success which has thus far attended the armies of Japan and her excellent navy, can not but spur on other powers to increase their military resources, and especially to put their armies and navies in a state of preparedness, so that in the event of war, they will do themselves credit. This tack is already being taken by the English and the Continental press. They say, The Japanese are teaching us a lesson; we must wake up, and emulate her example. Thus the military spirit grows. The recent report of a commission appointed to inquire into the defenses of the country is to the effect that Great Britain never can have a satisfactory system of home defense until she adopts the plan of compulsory military training for all males. A number of prominent men are members of this commission; so its report, if not accordant with general public sentiment, is at least indicative of the feeling of a powerful minority. The London Times significantly says that the time has not yet come for such a move to be made, but the words amount to a hint that, in the opinion of this powerful moulder of opinion, such a time may not be far off. Some of the leading papers, including the London Daily Mail, speak approvingly of the plan. The Result of Spiritual Death.
One very interesting feature of the religious situation is that, along with the remarkable dearth of power amongst the so-called orthodox churches, evinced by dwindling congregations and general lack of religious interest, is a marked forward movement amongst the Roman Catholics on the one hand, and such outside bodies as the Mormons, Theosophists, Spiritualists, Christian Scientists, and Dowieites on the other. The Mormons are exceedingly active in the country, and seem to be regarded with greater favor than was the case some years ago. Dowie, it is true, found no place to lay his head on his recent trip to London, but that was owing to the newspapers. His followers really are increasing. Annie Besant is giving popular lectures, showing that reincarnation, as she claims, is the very foundation of the Christian religion. A prominent clergyman of the Church of England was announced to act as chairman at one of her meetings, but the Bishop of London interfered and forbade him to do so. Nevertheless, Theosophy is gaining ground rapidly. Spiritualism is also going steadily forward. It is a very common thing for its leading principles to be discussed in the magazines and reviews as well as in the daily papers. As confidence in the Word of God falls off, these deceptions naturally flourish more and more. It is most sad to see the great lack of Christianity right in this heart of this so-called Christian nation. It has been said recently that Japan is just as truly a Christian nation as England, since there, as here, it is only a small minority of the people that even profess to be Christians. In London scarcely one man in ten attends public service regularly in church or chapel. London, England, June 22, 1904.