Earlier text: General ArticlesThe Ten Kingdoms in the Dark Ages.
By J.
"THE accidental, or artificial, prodigies which adorned the expedition of Clovis, were accepted by a superstitious age as the manifest declaration of the divine favor. He marched from Paris [A. D. 507]; and as he proceeded with decent reverence through the holy diocese of Tours, his anxiety tempted him to consult the shrine of St. Martin, the sanctuary and the oracle of Gaul. His messengers were instructed to remark the words of the psalm which should happen to be chanted at the precise moment when they entered the church. Those words most fortunately expressed the valor and victory of the champions of Heaven, and the application was easily transferred to the new Joshua, the new Gideon, who went forth to battle against the enemies of the Lord. Orleans secured to the Franks a bridge on the Loire; but, at the distance of forty miles from Poitiers, their progress was intercepted by an extraordinary swell of the River Vigenna or Vienne; and the opposite banks were covered by the encampment of the Visigoths. "Delay must be always dangerous to barbarians, who consume the country through which they march; and had Clovis possessed leisure and materials, it might have been impracticable to construct a bridge, or to force a passage, in the face of a superior enemy. But the affectionate peasants, who were impatient to welcome their deliverer, could easily betray some unknown or unguarded ford; the merit of the discovery was enhanced by the useful interposition of fraud or fiction; and a white hart, of singular size and beauty, appeared to guide and animate the march of the Catholic army. The counsels of the Visigoths were irresolute and distracted. A crowd of impatient warriors, presumptuous in their strength, and disdaining to fly before the robbers of Germany, excited Alaric to assert in arms the name and blood of the conqueror of Rome. The advice of the graver chieftains pressed him to elude the first ardor of the Franks; and to expect, in the Southern provinces of Gaul, the veteran and victorious Ostrogoths, whom the king of Italy had already sent to his assistance. The decisive moments were wasted in idle deliberation; the Goths too hastily abandoned, perhaps, an advantageous post; and the opportunity of a secure retreat was lost by their slow and disorderly motions. "After Clovis had passed the ford, as it is still named, of the Hart, he advanced with bold and hasty steps to prevent the escape of the enemy. His nocturnal march was directed by a flaming meteor, suspended in the air above the cathedral of Poitiers; and this signal, which might be previously concerted with the orthodox successor of St. Hilary, was compared to the column of fire that guided the Israelites in the desert. At the third hour of the day, about ten miles beyond Poitiers, Clovis overtook, and instantly attacked, the Gothic army, whose defeat was already prepared by terror and confusion. Yet they rallied in their extreme distress and the martial youths, who had clamorously demanded the battle, refused to survive the ignominy of flight. The two kings encountered each other in single combat. Alaric fell by the hand of his rival; and the victorious Frank was saved, by the goodness of his cuirass, and the vigor of his horse, from the spears of two desperate Goths, who furiously rode against him to revenge the death of their sovereign. The vague expression of a mountain of the slain serves to indicate a cruel though indefinite slaughter; but Gregory has carefully observed that his valiant countryman Apollinaris, the son of Sidonius, lost his life at the head of the nobles of Auvergne. "The decisive battle of Poitiers was followed by the conquest of Aquitain. Alaric had left behind him an infant son, a bastard competitor, factious nobles, and a disloyal people; and the remaining forces of the Goths were oppressed by the general consternation, or opposed to each other in civil discord. The victorious king of the Franks proceeded without delay to the siege of Angoulême. At the sound of his trumpets the walls of the city imitated the example of Jericho, and instantly fell to the ground; a splendid miracle, which may be reduced to the supposition that some clerical engineers had secretly undermined the foundations of the rampart. At Bordeaux, which had submitted without resistance, Clovis established his winter quarters; and his prudent economy transported from Thoulouse the royal treasures, which were deposited in the capital of the monarchy. "The conqueror penetrated as far as the confines of Spain; restored the honors of the Catholic Church; fixed in Aquitain a colony of Franks; and delegated to his lieutenants the easy task of subduing, or extirpating, the nation of the Visigoths. But the Visigoths were protected by the wise and powerful monarch of Italy. While the balance was still equal, Theodoric had perhaps delayed the march of the Ostrogoths; but their strenuous efforts successfully resisted the ambition of Clovis; and the army of the Franks and their Burgundian allies, was compelled to raise the siege of Arles, with the loss, as it is said, of thirty thousand men. These vicissitudes inclined the fierce spirit of Clovis to acquiesce in an advantageous treaty of peace. The Visigoths were suffered to retain the possession of Septimania, a narrow tract of sea-coast, from the Rhone to the Pyrenees; but the ample province of Aquitain, from those mountains to the Loire, was indissolubly united to the kingdom of France. "The Visigoths had resigned to Clovis the greatest part of their Gallic possessions; but their loss was amply compensated by the easy conquest, and secure enjoyment, of the provinces of Spain. From the monarchy of the Goths, which soon involved the Suevic kingdom of Gallicia, the modern Spaniard still derive some national vanity."—Dec. and Fall, chap. 38, par. 12, 13, 29. As, from this time (about A. D. 508) onward, the Visigothic kingdom occupied Spain; and the Suevi occupied a "part of the peninsula which now forms Portugal," the future history of these two nations is the history of Spain and Portugal; and it cannot be expected that we should follow the history of these two great nations throughout. Besides this it is only our purpose upon the best authorities to fix under the modern names of Western Europe the descent of the barbarian nations which founded their kingdoms upon the ruins of Western Rome. Therefore, by the following quotation we shall take our leave of the Visigoths and the Suevi:— "In Spain the Goth supplies an important element in the modern nation. And that element has been neither forgotten nor despised. Part of the unconquered region of northern Spain, the land of Asturia, kept for a while the name of Gothia, as did the Gothic possessions in Gaul and Crim. The name of the people who played so great a part in all southern Europe, and who actually ruled over so large a part of it, has now wholly passed away; but it is in Spain that its historical impress is to be looked for."—Encyclopedia Britannica, art. Goths, par. 18. In keeping the connection in the story of the Visigoths, we have been obliged to anticipate the important movements in the earlier history of Clovis. There was a small portion of Gaul, embracing the cities of Rheims, Troyes, Beauvais, Amiens, and the city and diocese of Soissons, which was still fairly Roman, and was ruled by Syagrius, a Roman, under the title of Patrician, or, as some give it, king of the Romans. "The first exploit of Clovis was the defeat of Syagrius," in A. D. 486, and the reduction of the country which had acknowledged his authority. By this victory all the country of Gaul below the Moselle, clear to the Seine, was possessed by the Franks. Up to this point the Franks and the Alemanni had made almost an equal progress in Gaul, and had made their conquests in that province, apparently in perfect national friendliness. But now both nations had become so powerful it was impossible that two such fierce and warlike nations should subsist side by side without an appeal to arms for the decision of the question as to which should have the supremacy. Here also the scale turned in favor of the Franks, as likewise it did soon afterward in the contest with the Burgundians, and still later with the Lombards. But though the Franks defeated, and established their supremacy over, all these, yet they all were allowed to still maintain their own national existence, and were governed according to their own manners and institutions, only acknowledging the overlordship of their more powerful rivals. The defeat of the Alemanni was by Clovis in A. D. 496, and is related by Gibbon as follows:— "From the source of the Rhine to its conflux with the Main and the Moselle, the formidable swarms of the Alemanni commanded either side of the river by the right of ancient possession, or recent victory. They had spread themselves into Gaul, over the modern provinces of Alsace and Lorraine; and their bold invasion of the kingdom of Cologne summoned the Salic prince to the defense of his Ripuarian allies. Clovis encountered the invaders of Gaul in the plain of Tolbiac, about twenty-four miles from Cologne; and the two fiercest nations of Germany were mutually animated by the memory of past exploits, and the prospect of future greatness. The Franks, after an obstinate struggle, gave way; and the Alemanni, raising a shout of victory, impetuously pressed their retreat. But the battle was restored by the valor, and the conduct, and perhaps by the piety, of Clovis; and the event of the bloody day decided forever the alternative of empire or servitude. The last king of the Alemanni was slain in the field, and his people were slaughtered, or pursued, till they threw down their arms, and yielded to the mercy of the conqueror. Without discipline it was impossible for them to rally; they had contemptuously demolished the walls and fortifications which might have protected their distress; and they were followed into the heart of their forests by an enemy not less active, or intrepid, than themselves. The great Theodoric congratulated the victory of Clovis, whose sister Albofeda the king of Italy had lately married; but he mildly interceded with his brother in favor of the suppliants and fugitives, who had implored his protection. The Gallic territories, which were possessed by the Alemanni, became the prize of their conqueror; and the haughty nation, invincible, or rebellious, to the arms of Rome, acknowledged the sovereignty of the Merovingian kings, who graciously permitted them to enjoy their peculiar manners and institutions, under the government of official, and, at length, of hereditary, dukes."—Chap. 38, par. 5. Individual Responsibility
The doctrine of individual responsibility is clearly taught in the Bible. Every man is held responsible for his own acts, and will be acquitted or condemned according to the deeds done in his body. One man is not held accountable for another man's sins, nor can one man's virtues atone for another's crimes. God deals with us as individuals, and there is no possibility of us escaping the consequences of our own acts.—Sel. "Only for the Jews."
By C. P. Bollman
HOW OFTEN it is that we hear the assertion made that the Sabbath was made "only for the Jews"! But this is not as the Bible teaches. Said the Saviour: "The Sabbath was made for MAN," and that can mean nothing less than for the race. However, there are other considerations which prove the same thing quite as clearly and conclusively, though not so directly, as do the words of the great Teacher. All will admit that the Sabbath which the Jews kept was enjoined by the fourth commandment of the decalogue, which is frequently referred to in the New Testament as "the law." It will also be admitted that this is the law of which Paul speaks in the second and third chapters of Romans. Thus far all must go, and they who admit that proposition must go still farther, or else repudiate Paul's testimony. In verses 6 and 11 of chapter 2, the apostle says that God "will render to every man according to his deeds:" "for there is no respect of persons with God." He continues: "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law." Verse 12. Those who "have sinned without law" are the Gentiles who did not have the written law, while the Jews had; but the justice of their condemnation appears from verse 15, for some of the very things which they themselves allowed to be wrong "show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing" them. "The work of the law written in their hearts" was the trace of the law which still remained after the fall. "God made man upright" (Eccl. 7: 29), and though they had sought out many inventions, all still retained enough knowledge of right and wrong to have condemned them even though they did not have the written law; and, as we have seen, that is just what Paul teaches. Then, too, the justice of God appears in the fact that all will be judged according to the degree of light which they have had: the Jews, who had the written law, must answer to that law in its fullness; while the Gentiles, who had but a trace of the law, will be judged only by that which they had. But let none conclude from this that some of the heathen may then be justified and saved upon their own merits; for the apostle elsewhere says plainly that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." And this shows that all have the law, though, as we have seen, not in its written form, for sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3: 4); and "where no law is, there is no transgression." Rom. 4: 15. But that all the world, both Jews and Gentiles, are amenable to the law, is also shown by the apostle in verses 19 and 20 of chapter 3. He says: "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 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." Here we learn that because of that which the law says "all the world become guilty before God; therefore all the world must be amenable to that law" For "we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law," that is, as Professor Boise translates it, "within its sphere." This is positive proof that the apostle taught that not only the Jews but also the Gentiles were under obligation to keep the law; and, as all agree that the Sabbath was a part of that law, therefore, all the world, both Jews and Gentiles, were under obligation to keep the Sabbath. The conclusion reached is certainly legitimate and cannot be avoided without ignoring the foregoing texts, besides many others; and not only so, but it is abundantly confirmed by the Old Testament. In Isaiah 56 we read: "Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. . . . Also, the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him. . . . Every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain." Verses 2, 6, 7. "The sons of the stranger" were Gentiles, and this text shows clearly that they could not be accounted as serving God without keeping the Sabbath; and there never has been a time when it was not the duty of all men to serve God. And so the proposition that "the Sabbath was made only for the Jews" falls to the ground before the testimony of the prophets, as well as before that of Christ and the apostles. The words of the Saviour, "The Sabbath was made for MAN," are in perfect accord with every part of the Scriptures; and of the law we may say with David: "Thou art near, O Lord, and all thy commandments are truth. Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them forever." "Thy word is true from the beginning; and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever." Ps. 119: 151, 152, 160. Character and Reputation.
By Methodist Recorder
THERE is a difference between character and reputation. Character is what we really are; reputation is what others suppose we are. A man may have a good character and a bad reputation, or he may have a good reputation and a bad character. The reason of this is that we form our opinions of men from what they appear to be, and not from what they really are. Some men appear to be much better than they are, while others are better than they appear to be. Most men are more anxious about their reputation than they are about their character. This is improper. While every man should endeavor to maintain a good reputation, he should especially labor to possess a good character. Our true happiness does not depend so much on what is thought of us by others, as on what we really are in ourselves. Men of good character are generally men of good reputation; but this is not always the case, as the motives and actions of the best of men are sometimes misunderstood and misrepresented. But it is important, above everything else, that we be right and do right, whether our motives and actions are properly understood and appreciated or not. Nothing can be so important to any man as the formation and possession of a good character.—Methodist Recorder. HAVE you ever noticed how badly boys write at the bottom of the pages in their copy-books? There is the copy at the top, and in the first line they look at that; in the second line they copy their own imitation, and so the writing grows worse and worse as it descends the page. Now the apostles followed Christ, the first fathers imitated the apostles, the next fathers copied the first fathers, and so the standard of holiness fell dreadfully; and now we are too apt to follow the very lees and dregs of Christianity, and we think if we are about as good as our poor, imperfect ministers or leaders in the church, that we shall do well and deserve praise. But now, my brethren, cover up the mere copies and imitations, and live by the first line. Copy Jesus. "He is altogether lovely," and if you write by the first line, you will write by the truest and best model in the world.—Sel. WATCH well two points in life, I heard a wise man say, the beginning of each labor, and the end of every play.—[Saadi. Prayer a Special and Divine Blessing.
By John F. Bahler
GOD has given to man the matchless gift of his Son, through whom all classes, whether rich or poor, can be saved by calling upon his name and asking that help which is needed in all that pertains to Christian life. Prayer is the key that unlocks the treasure-house of our heavenly Father and bring down rich blessings upon the head of the humble but believing suppliant. God has said, "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." If the sick are to be healed, prayer and faith claim their restoration. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick," and other innumerable promises might be given that are yea and amen to the child of God. Prayer is one of the grandest privileges given to man. Through it he gains strength to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil; hence he is able to stand amid all his own weakness as a strong man in Christ Jesus, Christ's strength being made perfect in his weakness. Prayer leads to homage, adoration, and reverential awe. Prayer and faith move nations. After the king's decree was signed forbidding all to call upon any other being save upon the king, Daniel prayed, and the Lord heard his prayer and sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths. His three companions also refused to offer homage to the golden image that was set up in the plain of Dura, though their fate was that they should be burned. They prayed with faith to their God, who delivered them from the fiery furnace. Prayer was their shield, and the nation was moved. See Dan. 3: 29. Prayer is one means of enlightening the soul, and the man who avails himself of its divinity will see new beauties in the word of God every day of his life. But "he that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." Dear reader, if we keep the law our prayers are not of this kind, for the Saviour said, "Blessed are they that do his commandments." And thus our prayers will ascend to the sanctuary, and there be offered as sweet incense upon the golden altar. Yea, they shall go up before the Master, who said, If you ask in my name I will pray the Father for you. Oh, how often we neglect this precious privilege! But prayers are often formed vocally, as follows, O Lord, help me to have a missionary spirit! O Lord, help me to overcome my impetuous nature to-day, and help me to love Brother A. or B., who has wronged me; and many other forms of expression, and yet scarcely an effort is put forth to do or overcome any of these things. Such prayers are an insult to the One who instituted this holy avenue of communication between God and man. Man can live physically without breath as easily as the Christian can live without prayer; but these are impossibilities. God has given us the breath of life as the motive power to the body; and he has instituted prayer as the means whereby we may draw from Heaven that which is the life of the renewed soul. Then let us make divine and holy use of this great institution. Let us think about it in our wakeful hours at night, and share of its blessings during the day, and then we shall have a safe journey during each twenty-four hours, in divine things. Obstacles and hindrances will be moved out of the way, and thus we may go on, walking with Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, and who said, "I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." JOHN F. BAHLER.
Denison, Texas. Bible Answers to Bible Questions Concerning Man.
By J.
IN the thoughts of man there are a great many questions which arise concerning himself. Some of these are highly important. So important indeed are they that the word of God itself has recorded them. Nor is that all. This word has not only recorded the questions, but it has also recorded the answers to the questions. And when the word of God asks a question and answers it, then in the answer we have the absolute truth on that question, and there is an end of all dispute, there is no room for controversy. For "Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go." Isa. 48:17. Therefore whatever the Lord teaches is profitable teaching. Whether we believe it, or whether we like it or not, makes no difference so far as the teaching is concerned. The teaching is profitable, and everything that conflicts with it is unprofitable. The way the Lord leads is the way that we should go, and to follow any other lead is to go in the way that we should not. In the eighth psalm and the fourth verse is this question, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?" Of course there are more ways than one in which this question can be referred to man, but the thing about man upon which we wish now to bring it to bear is that of immortality. "What is man?" is he mortal or immortal? We have not far to go for an answer. "Shall mortal man be more just than God?" Job 4:17. "O Lord, thou art our God; let not mortal man prevail against thee." 2 Chron. 14:11, margin. Thus we find in answer to the question that the word of God calls man mortal, and everything that the Bible says directly about immortality is consistent with this answer. Says this word in 1 Timothy, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." Chap. 1:17. Here it is shown that immortality is an attribute of God, equally with eternity, wisdom, honor, glory, etc. None of these belong to man as he is. Again, speaking of the appearing of Jesus Christ, the word says, "In his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see." 1 Tim. 6:15, 16. Christ has brought this immortality to light. Says the word, the purpose and grace of God "is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." 2 Tim. 1:10. What the gospel is, in a few words, is shown by 1 Cor. 15:1-4: "I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, . . . for I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." Thus, then, in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is summed up the gospel; and "through the gospel" it is said Christ "brought life and immortality to light." Certainly it was not by dying nor being buried that either life or immortality was brought to light, for both these things were familiar to all men; but to rise again from the dead and bring with him a multitude of the dead, who also appeared unto many (Matt. 27:52, 53) that was to bring to light something that had never been seen before; that was to bring life and immortality to light indeed. Therefore it is through the resurrection that Christ has brought immortality to light. Again, the Scripture says that God will render eternal life "to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality." Rom. 2:6, 7. Now as immortality is to be sought for, and as God is the only one who has it, and as Christ is the only one who has brought it to light, it follows that immortality must be sought of God, through Christ. Even so says the Scripture, "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." "This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Rom. 6:23; 1 John 5:11, 12. Having then sought and found immortality in Christ, when is it bestowed upon us as our own? "Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. . . . Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 15:51-57. Thus the story which the word of God tells about immortality is this: Man, being mortal, has it not; God has it; Christ has brought it to light through the gospel; man is to seek for it of God, through Christ, and will obtain it at the resurrection of the679dead; for then it is that this mortal puts on immortality; then it is that death is swallowed up in victory. This comes "at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible," and the living shall be changed. But when is it that the last trump sounds? It is when the Lord Jesus comes in his glory. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. Immortality is obtained of God, through Christ, at the resurrection of the dead. It is the sound of the last trump that awakes the dead. That trump is sounded at the coming of the Lord. Therefore without the second coming of the Lord Jesus we shall never receive immortality. For this reason we long for his glorious appearing. We watch, we wait for him, who shall change our "vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body," for "we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." J. The Spirit as a Guide.
By W.
WHEN Christ told his disciples that he was about to go away, and that they could not follow him, their hearts were filled with sorrow and anxiety. They dreaded to face an unfriendly world alone. He had been their guide and instructor, and they had learned much from his teachings. They knew of no one who could fill his place. Peter had echoed the sentiments of all the disciples when, in answer to Christ's inquiry if they also would go away, he said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." They knew that no one else could do for them what Jesus had done; and the thought of being separated from him was a sad one. To comfort them, Christ gave them the assurance that he would come again and receive them unto himself, and that by this means they could again be with him. But even this promise was not sufficient, for there would still intervene a long period during which they would be left alone. How could they do without the presence and counsel of their Lord? Again Jesus meets the difficulty by promising that whatsoever they should ask in his name should be done for them; and he added, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth." John 14:16, 17. This Spirit was to be sent in his name, and was to take his place until his return. Said Christ, "I will not leave you comfortless [orphans]; I will come to you." This coming does not refer to his personal, visible coming, when he will receive his people to himself, but to the Spirit who should come in his name. The Spirit was to be their guide, to prepare them for his coming at the last day. The offices of the Spirit are many; but there is a special one pointed out in this discourse of our Lord. Said he, "These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:25, 26. It is as a teacher that the Spirit is here brought to view. Many persons entertain very erroneous views as to the manner in which the Spirit operates. They imagine that it will teach them something which the Bible does not contain. When certain Bible truths are presented to them for their observance, they excuse themselves from all responsibility in the matter by saying that they are led by the Spirit of God, and do not feel it their duty to do that particular thing. They say the Spirit was given to guide into all truth; and, consequently, if it was necessary to obey that portion of the Scripture, it would have been brought to their notice. The fact that they do not feel impressed to obey, is proof to their minds that there is no necessity for obedience. To such persons the Bible is of no account; they make its truth depend entirely upon their own feelings. And they actually charge God with the inconsistency of authorizing his Spirit to speak in contradiction of his revealed word. The fact that God cannot lie should convince any one that his Spirit and his word must always be in harmony. Christ prayed for his disciples, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." The psalmist David said, "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth." From these passages we learn that when Christ said, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth," he meant that the Spirit would lead them into a proper understanding of that which had already been revealed. He plainly stated this when he said, "He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." Many things that Christ said were not understood at the time; but they were made plain by the Spirit, after Christ had ascended to Heaven. And it is thus that the Spirit teaches us now; it leads those who are humble and teachable into a proper understanding of the written word of God. Paul gives testimony on this point which is not uncertain. In Eph. 6:13-17, he describes the Christian's armor. The following is the concluding portion: "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Christ said that when the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, should come, he would "reprove [convince] the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." Paul says that "by the law is the knowledge of sin." Both these passages are harmonized by the one quoted from Paul to the Ephesians. The Spirit does indeed convince of sin, but it is by impressing on the minds and hearts of men the claims of God's word. The Bible is the sword, the instrument by which the Spirit pierces the heart and lays bare its wickedness. The Spirit is the active agent, but the word of God is that through which it works. The two always act in unison. We should look with suspicion upon any spirit that counsels opposition to the word of God. John tells us that there are many spirits, and that we are to try them. In Isaiah we are told by what we are to try them: "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:20. It is the spirit of darkness that leads men to act contrary to the word of God. W. Why Will They Do It?
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
LAST week we made the inquiry that if the first day be the Sabbath why then is not the commandment printed so? We believe that every one will agree with us in the answer which we gave, that to print the fourth commandment so that it would read first day instead of seventh day as God wrote it would be wrong. Now we ask in all seriousness, for it is a serious thing. If it would be wrong to print the commandment so as to read first day instead of "seventh day," then how can it be right to teach the commandment as though it read, first day? With but two exceptions, all professed Christian churches throughout the world teach that the first day of the week is the Sabbath according to the fourth commandment. This too in the very face of the commandment as God wrote it, and as it stands printed in the Bible. In the Sunday-schools, everywhere, and in the Bands of Hope, the fourth commandment is given to the children as a task to be learned. The children are told that that is the word of God; that God wrote it himself, and that it is sin to do contrary to it. The children learn the commandment as God wrote it, and as they find it printed, and that is, "the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God;" they recite it so in their classes, very often in concert; and then when any of them innocently ask, as they often do, "Why do we not keep the seventh day," immediately they are told by their teacher that the seventh day is not the Sabbath. We personally know of a Sunday-school concert wherein a part of the exercise was, that the whole school should in concert repeat the fourth commandment. They did it, and did it correctly. Then the minister, a presiding elder he was too, by the way, asked some questions on the commandment, one of which was this: "Which day is the Sabbath?" And in the very words of the Lord and of the commandment, the young voices in concert rang out loud and clear the answer, "The seventh day is the Sabbath." Then the minister said to them, "O no! the first day is the Sabbath." Now we say that such is not fair dealing with the children nor with the word of God. First the children are required to learn that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and then they are required immediately to unlearn it. First they are required to learn that the words of the commandment are the words of God, and then they are required immediately to put away the words of the Lord and accept the words of man instead. If the seventh day is not the Sabbath of the Lord, then why are the children required both to learn and to unlearn that it is? If the first day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord, then, to learn it, why are the children sent to the commandment that says the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord? Why not teach them at once and directly, that the first day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord? Why not at once point them to the scripture that says, "The first day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work," and have them learn that? Oh, every one will say, There is no such scripture. True enough. Then why are the poor innocent children taught it, as though it were scripture? It is true that there is no such scripture. It is true that such is not the word of God. It is equally true that such is the word of man; then why not have the children learn it as such? "Oh," it is said, "it would never do to teach the children to accept the word of men instead of the word of God." But that is precisely what is done now. To require them to learn the word of God in the fourth commandment, "The seventh day is the Sabbath," and then require them immediately to put that away and accept the word of man that the first day is the Sabbath, is nothing else than to teach them to accept the word of man instead of the word of God. It is nothing else than to teach them to disobey the commandment of God as he spoke it with his own voice and wrote it with his own hand, and to follow the word of man. And by the inculcation of the idea that the Lord says one thing and means another, the way is opened wide for the introduction of any scheme that the mind of man can invent, and the effect is to destroy the word of God as of authority. To those who are sure that the first day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord—the rest day of God—again we say, Why do you not print the fourth commandment so that it shall read so? But they and everybody else will say that they dare not do it. Then how dare they teach what they dare not print? J.