Earlier text: The Place of SafetyHigher Criticism the Enemy of Seventh-day Adventists
By Earle Albert Rowell
We hear and read much about Higher Criticism lately. Many of us regard it as a remote subject, of interest only to theologians, and not at all likely to affect Seventh-day Adventists. This is a great mistake, for a plunge into the abyss of Higher Criticism is the only escape from being a Seventh-day Adventist. If this is true, the Higher Critics will so turn their largest guns of criticism upon us as the message swells into the loud cry, in order to weaken the force of our message by knocking away our foundation. That Higher Criticism in this country has set itself to overthrow Seventh-day Adventists is not a deduction of mine, but the open and avowed position of one of the best-known religious teachers of the United States, the Rev. Prof. William Newton Clarke, D. D., teacher of doctrinal theology in Colgate University. His “Outlines of Christian Theology” is the text-book of thousands of divinity students, and his “Use of the Scriptures in Theology” has become the guide of many thousands of ministers and laymen in the study of the Bible. Both books are written from the standpoint of Higher Criticism. In a volume that he published a few months ago, “Sixty Years With the Bible,” he gives a sort of spiritual autobiography of his life, and tells in detail how he came to be a Higher Critic. I quote his own words:— “Father Miller came along, a godly man and a powerful preacher, aflame with new discoveries. He simply applied the very same method to the predictive and apocalyptical parts of the Bible, ‘taking them as they read,’ . . . and bringing out startling and revolutionary results that he believed with faith invincible; and no one could answer him or show him to be in error, because the average mind that he addressed not only believed in the method he employed, but knew no other. . . . With the average untrained readers of the English Bible, he was irresistible. The great calamity of 1843 was due to a general misapprehension and misuse of the Bible. Intelligent use of the Holy Book would have made it impossible. “Such light upon the Bible as was opening upon me in my first pastorate, I felt, would have prevented the disaster from which my parish, like a multitude of others, was suffering still. With rational conceptions of the Bible, such things could not occur; and I desired to be helpful in preventing them from ever coming to pass again.” Consequently he says, “With what delight and satisfaction then did I welcome the message of Higher Criticism!” Is not this an unexpected honor paid the methods of our noble pioneer and reformer, William Miller, and his simple method of interpretation, “taking the Bible as it reads”? The great Higher Critic thus openly admits that it is only by seeking refuge in some recondite method of explaining away the Bible facts, that one can escape the Adventist’s faith. Higher Criticism is the only refuge from our faith. The Higher Critics themselves being the judge, the only alternative is to cast aside the Holy Book and be a Higher Critic, or take it as it reads and be a Seventh-day Adventist. Let us take renewed courage when we see that our position is so strong, so Gibraltar-firm, that the only escape is practical infidelity. Indeed, we may stand with holy confidence upon “the Scripture that can not be broken.” Knowing and Trusting
By A. A. Proctor
I THINK if thou couldst know,
O soul that will complain,
What lies concealed below
Our burden and our pain,
How just our anguish brings
Nearer those longed-for things
We seek for now in vain,—
I think thou wouldst rejoice and not
complain. I think if thou couldst see,
With thy dim mortal sight,
How meanings, dark to thee,
Are shadows hiding light;
Truth’s efforts, crossed and vexed,
Life’s purposes all perplexed,—
If thou couldst see them right,
I think that they would seem all clear,
all wise and bright. And yet thou canst not know,
And yet thou canst not see;
Wisdom and sight are slow
In poor humanity.
If thou couldst trust, poor soul,
In Him who rules the whole,
Thou wouldst find peace and rest.
Wisdom and sight are well, but trust
is best. “A MERRY heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” “Behold, He Prayeth”
By T. E. BOWEN
THINGS are done by God while men pray. No time is lost in God’s work while men pray. Unless God works, nothing of any account is done; and God works in answer to prayer. While men pray and put away sin, God sets in operation somewhere, in some manner, often in a very insignificant way as men view things, a movement that results in the direct answer to their prayers. Very often the answer comes through some human instrumentality, whether this human agent recognizes it or not, that God has wrought upon specifically to bring the answer. There is power in prayer. By it we are turned so as to catch God’s heavenly vibrations, as the receiver upon board some ship away out at sea catches the electric air waves sent out by a harmonious instrument miles distant upon the shore. It was when Moses stretched up his hands in prayer that Joshua prevailed in the valley below. It was Elijah’s simple yet fervent prayer that brought fire down from heaven, and consumed the water-soaked sacrifice on Mt. Carmel. Daniel prayed in secret over Jeremiah’s prophecy of Israel’s return from captivity. He knew the time for its fulfilment was near, but there seemed no earthly way by which this word of God could be accomplished, so Daniel besought the Lord to work it out. God heard, and sent Gabriel to move upon the hearts of the Persian king and his courtiers, but their hearts being very stubborn, Michael went to Gabriel’s assistance, and at the end of three weeks their united efforts succeeded in arranging matters for the answer to Daniel’s prayer. “Behold, he prayeth,” surely meant something to Israel’s prosperity at this time. It was while the church was praying for Peter that a mighty angel smote him in his dungeon cell, and led him out past the guards and through the great iron gates to a familiar street in Jerusalem. The church prayed. They were in earnest. Peter was needed, and God did what they could not do. As a people, we face tremendous propositions. Millions, in both foreign and home lands, are yet unwarned of the fast-approaching end. The Word of God tells us the message must go to the world—to the “uttermost parts of the earth.” There are barriers more formidable than the cities across the Jordan, which to ancient Israel seemed to be “walled up unto heaven.” The populous cities of the nations, and the heathen religions centuries old, are like great fortified strongholds of the enemy. Their evangelization is a proposition altogether beyond the stretch of human power. What are we to do? We can pray. We can march around these Jerichos or into them, and do what we are commanded to do; at least this much we can do. We have God to assist us, and this includes all the rest. He can shake down walls, and bring great victories to his praying servants still. All this is a mighty call to prayer. “Behold, he prayeth.” When this can be said of God’s remnant people, we shall see wonderful results. But let us not be discouraged nor surprised if we find some conditions needing attention in our own lives. These may be revealed to us while we pray. The disciples, just before the day of Pentecost, had some things to make right among themselves. Israel found an Achan in the camp after the mighty walls of Jericho had tottered and fallen by an unseen power. So sin must be cleaned out of our hearts and lives now before we can expect to see very much done. But we shall be given the victory if God beholds us praying. Envy, backbiting, covetousness, dress display, robbing God, all will go when God can say of us, “Behold, he prayeth.” When men and women pray, there is hope. Great things can be done quickly by our God when he finds us in humble, earnest, fervent prayer. Such prayers “avail much,” we are told. So let us not forget to pray. “One Thing I Know”
By K. C. Russell
“ONE thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” John 9:25. In a time like this the uncertainty that prevails on the part of many regarding their relation to God is cause for alarm, especially when the world needs men and women who can speak with assurance of the Saviour's love. God's people in all ages have spoken with full confidence concerning the Lord's keeping power, and of their future hope. Can the reader conceive of a more clear and striking illustration of the certainty of one's acceptance with God than is afforded by the Scripture incident of the man blind from his birth? It can hardly be imagined how— the light of day until thirty years of age, could reply, when asked if he could see, “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” This incident is intended to teach us that we can be absolutely certain that we are accepted of Christ, as the blind man was certain that he could see, after his eyesight had been restored. The apostle Paul says that he who is born again, is a new creature: “Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The Scriptures recognize a sinner as one who is blind; hence we can see the force of this— given of the man who was blind and had his eyesight restored. Every person born into this world since Adam's fall was born spiritually blind, or, in other words, born in sin. The apostle Peter, speaking of those who lack the Christian graces enumerated by him,—faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity,—says that they are “blind, and can not see afar off.” One can determine for himself by the aid of the Holy Spirit whether he— Is Lacking These Elements
in his Christian life, and if he finds that he is, he may be sure that he is blind; but if, on the other hand, he finds these graces predominant in his life, he may know that whereas he was blind, he now sees. The Scriptures say that one who lacks these things can not see afar off. When one is unable to see afar off, it is evident that he is near-sighted. Many instances of those who are spiritually blind might be mentioned. Often people who admit the truth of this message, will say, “I can't obey it, for it would entail upon me so many hardships,—the loss of my former associates, the sacrifice of a lucrative position, and in other ways I should experience many things that are unpleasant and unsatisfactory.” Now in viewing these questions at short range, or in a short-sighted way, all these considerations might be technically true; but those who have— Ventured to Take Their Stand
by faith upon the naked Word of God know from experience that to view things in this way is altogether too narrow and circumscribed. It is not present pleasure that we are to expect as the result of a life of devotion and sacrifice to the principles of truth, but the ultimate results. Even in this present life we may realize some of the fruits of genuine faith and obedience to God's Word; for the Saviour says, “Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” What do all these present enjoyments, social or financial, amount to if we lose the future immortal life? Or, as the Saviour says, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Many fail to realize that the misfortunes which overtake them in this life may be made to contribute to their good, but look upon all such experiences as dire calamities. Is it not because they are blind and can not see afar off, or, in other words, are near-sighted? For we should know, if we are truly converted, that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” Often even professed Christians are found murmuring against God when sickness or death visits their home, when, if they could only take a broader view, they would know that all such experiences are for their good, and also for the good of others. Many persons have been aroused from their carnal security by some adverse experience that overtook them, who might never have accepted9Christ as their Redeemer had it not been for these misfortunes. How important it is for us that we seek to obtain a broader and more far-reaching view of the experiences that overtake us in this eventful life. How many times we have drawn— Hasty and Unwarranted Conclusions
regarding the deportment of some brother or sister who we thought had pursued a wrong course; but after we had considered the matter in a more deliberate way, we saw where we were mistaken, or were near-sighted. All such experiences emphasize the fact that we are blind, and can not say, as did the young man whose eyes Jesus opened, “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” It is by the medium of the Holy Spirit that men are convicted of sin; for the Saviour says: “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin.” Many have sought in vain to heal themselves, or have tried to obtain salvation by some works or efforts of their own. It is the Holy Spirit that gives assurance to the child of God, as is emphasized by the words of the apostle in 1 John 2:27, 28. Through the Spirit's cleansing, the true children of God, when Jesus appears, will have “confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” If, when Jesus appears, one is to be so confident that his peace has been made with God, he must now, in this present life, be able to say, “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” Seeing Not and Hearing Not
By E. R. Lauda
“HAVING eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?” Mark 8:18. The thought expressed in this scripture is one of personal interest. The disciples had had the opportunity of seeing with their eyes the miraculous power of God, and hearing with their ears the praises offered to Christ from those who had been healed. They had been instructed by the Great Teacher concerning his mission and the experience he must pass through; but the discouraging condition expressed in the text was now visible. They had eyes, but saw not; ears had they, but heard not; nor did they remember the teaching of their Instructor. Can it be true that the above scripture has its application in our time, that we are in the same predicament? Let us consider a few facts: We have been privileged to see the dark day of May 19, 1780; the falling stars, Nov. 13, 1833; signs in the earth and among the nations; and the third angel’s message going to all the world. The inventions of our day are a fulfilment of Daniel’s prophecy. The low ebb of Christianity, the prevalence of crime, and other signs are all heralds of Christ’s coming. Notwithstanding the unmistakable omens of our Lord’s return, our lukewarmness is clearly observed when we do not see in these the writing “Jesus is coming,” nor hear the thundering tones from heaven “Get ready, the Lord cometh.” If we do not sense the meaning of these signs, we need to awake and renew our hold on this blessed truth. We should study anew the way-marks pointing to the eternal rest, so as to experience the blessing recorded in Matt. 13:16: “Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear.” If alive when our Lord returns, we shall see him as he is. O, what comfort will then be realized! If sleeping, we have the assurance from Christ that when the hour arrives, we shall hear his voice and come forth clothed in immortal bloom, never more to die, never more to sorrow, but to be happy through all eternity. It pays to serve Jesus. May we hold on to the arm of the Master, and soon, very soon, be privileged to see him as he is. The Women Find Jesus Risen
By Arthur V. Fox
Joseph of Arimathæa and Nicodemus had wrapped the body of Jesus in linen, with spices, when they laid it in the tomb. John 19:40. This was the custom with the Jews. These women knew it; nevertheless they bought spices, too, to anoint him. It was not enough that others had done it; they would do it also. It was a service of love; and love is not content to serve by others. We see their love also in their being at the sepulcher so early, “at the rising of the sun.” This was on the first day of the week, Sunday. Then they bought the spices, and came to anoint the body. They had rested on the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, “according to the commandment,” which to-day is as binding on Christians as ever. But they had seen a great stone placed at the entrance. They thought of this as they were coming, and spoke of it to one another. That morning they could think and speak of no subject but one. Unless the stone was rolled away, they could not get to the body; it was a great stone, too great for their strength; who would help them? No man was near. Upon arriving at the place, they saw, even in that dim light, that the stone was rolled away. Now therefore they could go in. God often rolls away the stone for us when, wishing to do him service, we see some difficulty in our way. No human help appears, perhaps the case is even beyond the help of man; but when we come up to the place,—when we are brought face to face with the work we have to do,—the stone is gone, the difficulty is removed. We should have more faith beforehand. Now the women went in, to apply, as they thought, their spices. But no, the body was gone. The Lord had risen. Instead, therefore, of doing honor to the dead body of the Lord, these women were to spread the news that he was alive. Their work was quite different from what they had expected. But so it often happens with the servants of God. The women were to tell the disciples, especially Peter. The last thing we saw of him he was going out to weep after denying the Lord. Well might he think himself cast out from the number of disciples; well might he go apart from all, and hide himself in shame. But his and our most gracious Lord sent him a special message. He was a disciple still, for he was to meet Jesus in Galilee with the rest. The message was, in fact, a message of forgiveness. The Gospel of Mark is the only one in which it is mentioned. No wonder Peter loved to tell of it; often, no doubt, had Mark heard him do so. There is comfort for us here, great comfort. The Lord had seen Peter’s tears. Even thus does he still deal with those who mourn because of their sins. He forgives them, and sends them messages of comfort. The Sure Word of Prophecy
By R. L. Underwood
THE prophecies are given us as a sure guide. Let us for a moment notice the words of Peter. He was favored with the grand privilege of being present at the transfiguration on the holy mount. He was an eye-witness of Christ’s majesty. He says: “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.” 2 Peter 1:19. This word of prophecy was what saved Noah at the time of the flood. It cheered the heart of Abraham in his long sojourn without receiving the promise. It moved Moses to give up the riches of this world, and to undertake the great task of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. Prophecy cheered God’s people while in Babylon, the Lord having foretold their deliverance. It gave to John the Baptist the time when his message would be due. So it is the prophecies of the blessed Bible that tell us when this earth’s history shall close. Can we know anything about it? If we are students of prophecy, we can. The apostle Paul, referring to this class, says, “Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” 1 Thess. 5:4. In order that we be firmly established for the trying hour that is just before us, we must study to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen “that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim. 2:15. Dead Flies and Little Folly
“DEAD flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor.” A Merited Rebuke
By F. M. W.
We have reached the days in earth’s history of which it was declared, “It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law.” The Scriptures of truth are not only the object of bitter criticism on the part of open and avowed skeptics, but they are made the sport of men who profess to take them as the basis of their faith and action. It is sad but true that this spirit of subtle infidelity has entered even the Christian ministry. In the pulpit are to be found those who, while they outwardly profess faith in the divine Word, treat it with such indifference or contempt that it is made to appear ridiculous in the eyes of the worldling. Even the immutable law of Jehovah, spoken with his own voice from the blazing peaks of Sinai, written with his own finger on tables of stone, and delivered to his church as the eternal rule of faith, does not escape. We hear much of late regarding the revision of the ten commandments. Men, wise in their own conceit and glorying in their own folly, feel that they can improve upon the laws and precepts of Jehovah. The latest effort to adapt the ten commandments to modern thought and needs of present-day society is that of a Chicago clergyman who issued recently a revised edition of the commandments, making an application exclusively to men. The new decalogue formed the basis of this clergyman’s Sunday sermon two weeks ago. The first commandment reads, “Thou shalt have no other woman except thy wife;” the sixth, “Thou shalt not smoke ten-cent cigars nor wear silk socks when thy wife wears a last year’s hat.” These are fair samples of the whole. Later, this minister issued another revised code for the benefit of mothers. Speaking of such works as this, the editor of the Washington Post for October 29, delivers the following well-merited and stinging rebuke:— A Chicago minister issued last week, to a waiting world, a portion of the new decalogue. Its application being exclusively to men, the guilty shouldered the burden of reprobation with awkward grace, acknowledging their remissness, and hoping that the worst was over. Conscious, however, that there were two tablets of stone given amid the thunders of Sinai, the Rev. W. B. Millard purposes to-day to deliver ten commandments to mothers. They have been made public and are a lot of trash. . . . At the close of a long period of gradual decadence, the true prophets of Jehovah inveighed against a religious system that made jest of the holy ordinances, and offered maimed cattle in sacrifice to the Lord. If the travesty afforded by the Chicago minister’s revised commandments means anything, it points to a present condition, which, in its moral aspects, bears close relationship to that existing in that earlier day. The man of the world is not without his own kind of discernment. When he sees the accredited ministers of the gospel trailing in the dirt the oracles committed to their charge, he draws his conclusions; and these, like a two-edged sword, cut both ways, overturning the obligations imposed, and holding up to merited ridicule and scorn those who make a mock of their calling. If the wearer of the cloth can make sport of the “Thou shalt not’s,” wherein lies the sinner’s defection? It becomes to him a play and a game. . . . With pulpit examples such as these, the unregenerate well may cry, “Physician, heal thyself!” And the rulers of the church might consider whether buffoonery in a preacher should not be prohibited as rigidly as immorality or heresy. With what regard can we expect the average man of the world to hold the law of Jehovah when it is thus trampled in the dust by men who profess to be set for its defense? There is much lament to-day, from many quarters, over the lessening of moral responsibility among the masses of the people. This age is coming to be noted above all others for terrible outbursts of passion, and crimes that outrage and shock the moral sensibility. These conditions result in a large measure from the fact that the church of God no longer stands as the sentinel of truth. Many whom God has set as watchmen on Zion’s walls have forsaken their posts. They no longer give warning of the approach of evil. They have forgotten their high and holy calling, and have lowered their own standard of faith and living down to the common level. Men are losing the fear of God and regard for sacred things out of their lives. Less moral restraint is felt, and the consequence is that the flood of human passion is rapidly on the increase. We need to-day, even in our own hearts, to cherish a deeper regard for sacred things. We need to suppress the careless word, the idle jest involving the name of God or some Bible character. We need a spirit that will tremble at his Word in believing faith, that will appropriate his promises of power, that will cherish closeness of communion with his Spirit. This only will hold us in hours of temptation. Unless we cultivate this relationship to God in our own experience, we shall unconsciously partake of the careless, indifferent spirit of the age. F. M. W. Forging New Fetters
By C. M. S.
What Is Involved in the Movement to Establish a Theocracy in America
In the true theocracy, God spoke through men appointed by himself, by that means leading men, admonishing them, pleading with them, warning them, and laying out before them the way in which they ought to walk. In the false theocracy, men appointed by other men or self-appointed assume to speak for God, compelling men, threatening them, forcing them by bodily punishment, and laying out before them the way in which they must walk. There is as much difference between the two systems as there is between light and darkness, between righteousness and sin; because the one is the offspring of light, the other was conceived in darkness; the one is righteousness working out in government, the other is sin working out in tyranny; the one is real, the other a counterfeit. If Protestantism would continue to stand on the platform of true Protestant principles,—the right of private judgment and the separation of the church from the functions of civil government,—the world would never again have cause to fear the threatening menace of a false theocratic rule. But Protestantism is not standing there. Every organization that stands for the commingling of civil and religious affairs in government, stands for the theocratic principle in government. And because God has declared the theocracy ended, every organization which stands for the theocratic principle in government now, necessarily stands for a false theocracy. The National Reform Association has openly declared for theocratic rule, and is seeking in every possible way so to transform the fundamental laws of this country that this republic shall be governed upon the theocratic principle. Another great religious organization has declared: “A true theocracy is yet to come, and the enthronement of Christ in law and lawmakers; hence I pray devoutly, as a Christian patriot, for the ballot in the hands of women, and rejoice that the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union has so long championed this cause.” “The kingdom of Christ must enter the realm of law through the gateway of politics.”11 These two organizations have set themselves energetically to accomplish what Christ rebuked his disciples for attempting; that is, to make Christ king of this world. Said the organization last quoted: “The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, local, State, national, and world-wide, has one vital, organic thought, one all-absorbing purpose, one undying enthusiasm, and that is that Christ shall be this world’s king: yea, verily this world’s king in its realm of cause and effect,—king of its courts, its camps, its commerce; king of its colleges and cloisters; king of its customs and constitutions.” To attempt to make Christ the king of this present world, in the face of his refusal to accept any such position, is a project as belittling to our Saviour as it is impossible of accomplishment. To declare him king of such a realm as this present, unregenerate world, is to put upon him the responsibility for all the wickedness in the world, and to take that responsibility off the shoulders of Satan, where it properly belongs. That old temptation which Satan laid before Jesus, and which he spurned, Satan is now laying before the professed followers of Christ, and they are not spurning it. Could they accomplish that purpose, they would place upon a throne made by human hands some individual claiming to be or to represent Jesus Christ. He would be the recognized ruler of the world, the regulator of its national constitutions, and the chief politician of the realm. Under such a régime these misinterpreters of the spirit and purpose of the gospel expect to “march up to the polls to worship God;” and it is in the furtherance of such a purpose that they are willing to join hands with Rome “in resisting the progress of political atheism.” That organization (as also the National Reform Association) proposes to enthrone Christ in law and lawmakers. But they both forget that when the true theocracy comes, there will be but the one Lawmaker—Jesus Christ. The business of the politician and the professional lawmaker will be forever gone, and the codes of this world will be things of the past. In working for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom, enthusiasm is not the all-important thing. A knowledge of the character of the great King and of his plans and purposes is of much greater moment than blind enthusiasm. That King declares, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” That declaration applies most emphatically to this movement for the establishment of a false theocracy. There is certain to be destruction in it, both for its promoters and for those who allow themselves to be deceived by it. This sad result is bound to follow, for two reasons: sons: first, it is in opposition to God’s plan and purpose, and all such things are as certain to end in disaster as God’s way is certain to triumph over Satan’s; and, second, being in opposition to God’s plan, whoever is exalted to its headship when it is finished is bound to be an opposer of God and his government. It is impossible that he who opposes God and his law and government should carry out the divine purpose and lead men in the ways of truth and righteousness; but they must be led in that way if they are ever to have a part in the everlasting kingdom of God. The commingling of the sacred and the secular in false theocracies has everywhere had a most ruinous effect upon the morality and the spirituality of the people. Heathenism as well as apostate Christianity has had its Pontifex Maximus. Nebuchadnezzar took to himself that prerogative when he compelled his subjects of all creeds to bow down to his golden idol. Darius took kindly to the suggestion that no prayers should be offered, for a period of thirty days, to any god but himself. Says B. P. Noel:— By the aid of the superstition the despot fortified his tyranny, and by the aid of the despotism the priest gave currency to his falsehoods. Thus the union of the state and the priesthood was an alliance of force and fraud. Neither party was strong enough to rule alone. But when the priest preached for the despot, and the despot governed for the priest, both the more easily kept their feet upon the necks of the people, and made the universal degradation subservient to their greatness.—“Union of Church and State,” page 36. That was the false theocracy brought to such a state of perfection in the early centuries of the Christian era, and of which Mosheim speaks thus:— The bishops assumed in many places a princely authority; they appropriated to their evangelical function the splendid ensigns of imperial majesty. A throne surrounded with ministers exalted above his equals the servant of the meek and humble Jesus; and sumptuous garments dazzled the eyes and the minds of the multitude with an ignorant veneration for their arrogated authority. The example of the bishops was ambitiously imitated by the presbyters, who, neglecting the sacred duties of their station, advanced themselves to the indolence and delicacy of an effeminate and luxurious life. The deacons, beholding the presbyters deserting thus their functions, boldly usurped their rights; and the effects of a corrupt ambition were spread through every rank of the sacred order.—Mosheim, Cent. III, Chap. II, Sec. 4. The chief distinguishing characteristics of a false theocracy are oppression and the boycott. John Cotton, the defender of the Congregational theocracy of Massachusetts, declared: “We never persecuted any for cause of conscience, but for sinning against their own consciences” . Thus did they put themselves in the place of God as the judge of men’s consciences, determining when men were sinning against their consciences and what the penalty should be. Since the theocracy was disestablished by God, every pretended theocracy has been putting men in the place of God. But that other characteristic, the boycott, has not been so generally recognized. When the State of Rhode Island began its career as the advocate and protector of soul freedom, the Congregational theocracy of Massachusetts pronounced a boycott against the inhabitants of that State. No Rhode Islander could buy or sell in the markets or at the ports of Massachusetts. They could not even purchase arms or ammunition with which to defend their homes against the savages. Therefore Rhode Island was compelled to pass a law that every householder in the State should provide himself with a bow and arrows and practise with them and teach his sons to use them, that they might have some weapons of defense in case of need. The book of Revelation tells of the coming of a time when a certain power, operating upon the theocratic principle and dictating to men in religious things, shall declare a boycott against all who refuse its dominance in the spiritual realm, and only those who make known their subserviency to that power will be permitted to traffic in the marts of this world. See Rev. 13: 12-17. That theocracy can not come until professed Protestantism, abandoning the principle of the sacredness and importance of private judgment, the rights of conscience, and individual choice in religious things, shall, in its endeavor to secure the enforcement of a compulsory day of worship, join with Catholicism and compel the state to do its bidding in this matter. When that combination has been effected, and these united powers have joined religion and the state, the last theocratic impostor we shall ever see in this world will be in full fruitage, and we shall not have to wait long to hear the dragon voice pronouncing a universal boycott against the loyal children of God. The overtures necessary to bring about that combination have already been made, and the object to be attained by such a combination has long been considered an all-important one by both Protestantism and Catholicism. In that combination new fetters will be forged for the people of this world, fetters which Americans at least had fondly supposed had been broken off the limbs of the race for all time. It is not without significance that this last and greatest false theocracy is to be ushered in just prior to the time when Jehovah will put into the hands of Christ the literal rulership of this world, restoring12to man through man’s Redeemer the dominion lost in Eden. It is peculiarly characteristic of the deceiver of souls that he should make his last and greatest endeavor in the work of deceiving men at such a time as that, putting the counterfeit for the genuine at the time when the genuine is due. But there is no need of being deceived. God has plainly declared that the theocracy is overturned and will be no more until he himself establishes it by his own mighty power and in his own way. Eze. 21:25-27; Dan. 7:9, 10, 13, 14. The true theocracy says: “In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment.” “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.” The false theocracy says, by the records of its own history: “By oppression and the boycott have I repelled and persecuted all who will worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences.” The true theocracy carried into effect makes men servants one of another, and exalts the truth of God above all things else; the false theocracy elevates men to the highest pinnacle of exaltation, and turns the truth of God into a lie. The true theocracy magnifies the law of God, and teaches men the exceeding sinfulness of its transgression; the false theocracy mutilates the law of God, tramples it underfoot, and absolves men from sin for any and every breach of its precepts. All through the one is the Sabbath of Jehovah; all through the other is a rival sabbath, with oppressive laws to enforce it upon the people. It should not be a difficult matter for the child of God to detect the difference, and abandon the present and spurious for that which is yet to come in the power and glory of Almighty God. C. M. S.