The American Sentinel 12
March 4, 1897
“Editorial” American Sentinel 12, 9, p. 129.
“SELF-PRESERVATION is the first law of nature.” AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.1
But self-sacrifice is the first law of grace. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.2
In order to self-preservation, self-defense is essential. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.3
In order to self-sacrifice, self-surrender is essential. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.4
In self-defense, the only thing that can be employed is force. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.5
In self-surrender, the only thing that can be employed is love. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.6
In self-preservation, by self-defense, through the employment of force, force meets force, and this means only war. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.7
In self-sacrifice, by self-surrender, through love, force is met by love, and this means only peace. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.8
Self-preservation, then, means only war: while self-sacrifice means only peace. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.9
But war means only death: Self-preservation, then, meaning only war, means only death. While self-sacrifice, meaning only peace, means only life. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.10
Self-preservation being the first law of nature, nature then means only death. While self-sacrifice being the first law of grace, grace means only life. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.11
But death is only the wages of sin: nature, then meaning only death, it is so only because nature means sin. While life being only the reward of righteousness: grace meaning only life, it is so only because grace means righteousness. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.12
Sin and righteousness, nature and grace, are directly opposite and antagonistic elements. They occupy realms absolutely distinct. Nature, self-preservation, self-defense, force, war, and death, occupy only the realm of sin. Grace, self-sacrifice, self-surrender, love, peace, and life, occupy only the realm of righteousness. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.13
The realm of sin is the realm of Satan. The realm of grace is the realm of God. All the power of the domain of grace is devoted to saving men from the dominion of sin. This in order, that “as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign, through righteousness, unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.14
On which side do you stand in this great controversy? AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.15
“Is It a Christian Mission?” American Sentinel 12, 9, pp. 129, 130.
THE Christian Observer observes that “the work of the Rev. Gilbert Reid, in China, is distinctly to the higher classes. In that country Mr. Reid believes that the educated and official classes must be reached before much can be accomplished for those beneath them.” AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.1
This work of Mr. Reid is professedly Christian work. It is a mission distinctly to the higher classes. It is proposed to bring these higher classes to Christianity; then by these bright examples of Christian grace and virtue accomplish much for “those beneath them.” AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.2
But we wonder what means is to be employed by Mr. Reid to do this. As his mission is professedly Christian, the Bible is the only thing that can rightly be used for the work to be done. But for the mission and the method of work here proposed he has not Bible; for the Bible is directly against it. AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.3
The root idea of this mission is distinction of classes—respect of persons: while the Bible holds to the eternal truth, that “There is no respect of persons with God.” How then can he use the Bible in the work of a mission whose root idea is against Bible principle? AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.4
As this is professedly a Christian mission, it is fairly to be presumed that the faith of Christ is to be the all-important theme; but the faith of Christ plainly forbids that which is the fundamental proposition of the scheme. It is written, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.... For if ye have respect of persons ye commit sin; and are convinced of the law as transgressors. How then can men be brought to Christ, by methods whose fundamental principle is contrary to the expressed word and faith of Christ? And if they are not brought to Christ, then what will the mission accomplish? AMS March 4, 1897, page 129.5
But this is not all: As Mr. Reid’s is professedly a Christian mission, it is to be supposed that he will follow the method, and present the word, of Christ. There came to Jesus once, one of “the higher classes”—one of “the educated and official class”—a ruler of the Jews, a member of the Sanhedrim. The first words that Jesus said to him were these: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” AMS March 4, 1897, page 130.1
This high-class man didn’t understand that, and asked, “How can a man be born when he is old?” “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” AMS March 4, 1897, page 130.2
It Mr. Reid does not preach this to the higher classes to whom he has gone, then he will not preach to them Christianity at all. And as certainly as he does preach it, and as certainly as any of them accept it and are born again, so certainly they will no longer be of “the higher classes.” On their own part they will not count themselves of “the higher classes,” but of the lowest, the chiefs of sinners; and on the part of “the higher classes” those who are born again will no longer be recognized or counted as belonging in their “class” at all. AMS March 4, 1897, page 130.3
Yet more than this: Even though Mr. Reid’s scheme should succeed exactly according to his plan as described, no man would be justified in concluding that it was the work of Christianity throughout. Even though he should succeed in getting “the higher classes” to accept his religion and still remain “the higher classes,” so that “those beneath them” could be attracted by their example, the mission would yet lack the essential element of Christianity. AMS March 4, 1897, page 130.4
Everybody knows the readiness of the lower classes to court the attention and favor of the higher classes by imitating their ways, whether it be in the cut of their hair, the cut of their beard, the cut of their coats, or the cut of their religion. Whatever becomes fashionable among the higher classes will be readily copied by those beneath them. And only let Mr. Reid’s religion become fashionable among the higher classes of China or anywhere else, and just then he will find “much accomplished for those beneath them” in the way of their imitating the ways of the new fashion in religion. AMS March 4, 1897, page 130.5
But it would not by any means be Christianity. Whole nations have been thus “Christianized;” but they were further from Christianity when it was done, than when they made no pretensions to being anything but heathen. At first they were only heathen. But after being so “Christianized,” they were heathen and hypocrites besides. When they were only heathen, there was room, and a possibility, for them to become genuine Christians by accepting the faith of Christ upon principle. But when they became heathen, who, by only outward form, gave themselves credit for being Christians, they thus shut themselves off from becoming Christian indeed, by having made it only a cloak for their heathenism. AMS March 4, 1897, page 130.6
Christianity is not a fashion: it is a principle. It is not a thing that can be imitated: it is a new life put in the heart. It cannot be derived from any example of “the higher classes,” but from God alone, by a positive faith in Jesus Christ. AMS March 4, 1897, page 130.7
And just because it is a principle and not a mere profession; because it is a new life and not a new fashion, in its very nature Christianity can never recognize classes, nor class distinctions, nor have any ... of persons whatever. The cross of Jesus Christ abolishes and obliterates all middle walls of partition, obliterating “the enmity” from which arise all things. AMS March 4, 1897, page 130.8
In the light of the plain words of Scripture, and what Christianity really is, it is plain enough then that Mr. Reid’s mission is, is to carry to China a view of philosophy and civilization that is different from that which they have. But neither philosophy nor civilization, nor even a compound of both, is Christianity. AMS March 4, 1897, page 130.9
“Note” American Sentinel 12, 9, pp. 138, 139.
ONE of the assumptions upon which Sunday laws are sought to be upheld, is that Sunday as a rest day is an “American institution.” It seems incredible that an intelligent person could regard this plea as anything more than an assumption, and an exceedingly poor one at that. An American institution is something the origin of which can be traced back to some event or series of events in the history of the American nation. But every person knows, the Sunday rest can be traced to, or ages before the American nation came into being, and if it were, as claimed, an American institution, that fact would entirely destroy its claim to rest upon an authority higher than that of man. But in the matter of commanding and enforcing religious observances, man has no authority whatever. AMS March 4, 1897, page 138.1
By way of making this claim more plausible, however, it is asserted that the Sabbath is “an American institution on the civil side of it.” This was said by a prominent speaker at the recent Sabbath Observance convention at Pittsburg, Pa. But was the Sabbath instituted by the Creator with one side of it lacking, which it was to be left for man to supply? Was not the Sabbath a perfect institution when it came from the hand of the Creator? Did the Creator ever make anything that was imperfect? AMS March 4, 1897, page 139.1
These question answer themselves, and entirely sweep away the idea of a “civil side” to the Sabbath. The Sabbath came to man in Eden, before there was any civil government on earth; it was a complete institution then, and it was the same then that it is to-day. AMS March 4, 1897, page 139.2