The Present Truth, vol. 11
March 14, 1895
“Front Page” The Present Truth 11, 11.
E. J. Waggoner
The highest character is that which is the embodiment of truth; and this is the character that God will give men through the reception of His word. “Thy word is truth.” John 17:17. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.1
The word is not simply true; it is truth. He who knows the word of God will not have gained merely a knowledge of some peculiar theories relating to one particular part of the domain of human thought, but in every department of thought and life he will have been made wiser. There is no truth which originated independently of God’s word. “He spake, and it was; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Psalm 33:9. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.2
The purpose of the Scriptures is to make men wise unto salvation. 2 Timothy 3:15. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105. If the Scriptures are earnestly and prayerfully studied with this purpose in view, they will be found to be the words of eternal life. If they are studied for some other purpose, it will be found not to yield the satisfaction sought. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.3
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.” Hebrews 11:30. In the record in Joshua we read that at the seventh time Joshua said to Israel, “Shout, for God hath given you the city.” Joshua 6:16. This, then, is the language of faith. The Apostle John writes, “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4. Jericho was the world, representing all its wickedness, cursed, and devoted to destruction. It was the enemy of Israel; and when Israel met it, God had given them the victory over it. So it is with every enemy that stands between us and our entrance into the promised land. The language of faith to us is, Shout, for God hath given you the victory. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.4
“Where Sunday Laws Come From” The Present Truth 11, 11.
E. J. Waggoner
This is a subject of the utmost importance to everybody, because on it must depend our relation to Sunday laws. There is not a soul that it does not concern, and therefore we shall endeavour to place it before our readers in such plain language that no one can misunderstand it. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.5
It must be very evident that Sunday laws come from the same source as the Sunday itself. We shall therefore begin with the Sunday institution, and show where it comes from. And first, in order to clear away some confusion that exists in the minds of many, we shall show PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.6
WHERE SUNDAY DID NOT COME FROM
In a word, It did not come from the Bible. The surest way to prove this is to read the Bible through. Whoever does so will find that it contains not one word to sanction the observance of Sunday, and that the seventh day of the week is the only Sabbath known in the Inspired Word. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.7
This fact is acknowledged by men who nevertheless keep the first day of the week. In fact, it must needs be acknowledged, since it is a point the truth of which can be tested by any child who is able to read. Most of the testimony that we shall produce on this point has already been presented in the PRESENT TRUTH, but will have fresh force in this connection, and is absolutely necessary that the fact should be firmly fixed in the mind of every person. First let us have the words of Dr. Thomas Scott, the commentator. In writing on Acts 20:7, concerning the rest day, he said:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.8
The change from the seventh day to the first, appears to have been gradually and silently introduced, by example rather than by express precept. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.9
The Rev. Dr. Isaac Williams, in his recently published work, “Plain Sermons on the Catechism” (Longmans, Green & Co.), says:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.10
In the first place we are commanded to keep holy the seventh day. But we do not think it necessary to keep the seventh day holy, for the seventh day is Saturday. It may be said that we keep the first day instead; but surely this is not the same thing; the first day cannot be the seventh day; and where are we told in Scripture that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day.-p. 3. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.11
And then he tells us that although the observance of the seventh day is done away with, “there is no warrant in Holy Scripture for doing so.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.12
Canon Knox-Little, in “Sacerdotalism” (same publishers as above) says that it is certain that our Lord when on earth did observe Saturday, and did not observe Sunday. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.13
And then he says of those who think it necessary to follow our Lord’s example to the letter, that if they are consistent, as I have said, they must keep Saturday, not Sunday, as the day of rest. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.14
The necessity of following our Lord’s example strictly ought to be apparent to everyone, since we are told, “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as He walked” (1 John 2:6), and Christ Himself said, “If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men do gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:6. He who does not follow the example of Christ, has no part in Him. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 161.15
We might multiply testimonies like these just cited, but we do not wish to do more than simply to establish each point. Besides, more evidence will come in as we proceed. We may therefore at once come to the question, PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.1
WHO INSTITUTED SUNDAY OBSERVANCE?
In the book already referred to, Dr. Williams says:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.2
The reason why we keep the first day of the week holy instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observe many other things, not because the Bible, but because the Church has enjoined it. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.3
The question may arise, “What Church enjoined it?” and to that the only answer that can be given is this, It was the Church which sets itself above the Word of God. It makes no difference what name is given to it; that is sufficient designation. It is the church which says that the Bible is not a sufficient rule of faith, and does not thoroughly furnish a man to all good works. The church which has always been specially distinguished by that claim, calls herself Catholic. One of her priests, in a book entitled, “A Sure Way to Find Out the True Religion,” has said:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.4
Lastly, the keeping holy the Sunday is a thing absolutely necessary to salvation; and yet this is nowhere put down in the Bible; on the contrary, the Bible says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), which is Saturday, and not Sunday; therefore the Bible does not contain all things necessary to salvation, and, consequently, cannot be a sufficient rule of faith.-p. 95. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.5
The “Catholic Christian Instructed” contains the following question and answer:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.6
What are the days which the Church commands to be kept holy? PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.7
1st, The Sundays, or the Lord’s day, which we observe by apostolical tradition, instead of the Sabbath, etc. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.8
Again the question is asked:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.9
What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday, preferable to the ancient Sabbath which was the Saturday? PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.10
Answer-We have for it the authority of the Catholic Church, and apostolical tradition... Therefore those who pretend to be so religious observers of the Sunday, whilst they take no notice of other festivals ordained by the same church authority, show that they act by humour, and not by reason and religion; since Sundays and holydays all stand upon the same commendation, viz., the ordinance of the Church. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.11
SUNDAY COMES FROM PAGAN ROME
We may pass by as unworthy of notice the statements that the observance of Sunday comes from the apostles of Christ. The fact that the Bible nowhere mentions the fact, and nowhere warrants such observance, is sufficient to settle the matter. Besides, the apostles abode in Christ, and therefore they walked even as He walked. Our readers may, however, be interested in the following statement from the Presbyterian journal, the Christian at Work, now Christian Work (New York):— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.12
We hear less than we used to about the apostolic origin of the present Sunday observance, and for the reason that while the Sabbath and Sabbath rest are woven into the warp and woof of Scripture, it is now seen, as it is admitted, that we must go to later than apostolic times for the establishment of Sunday observance. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.13
That Sunday was kept by some professed Christians as early as the second century, may readily be admitted. Mosheim declares, and in this declaration he is in harmony with all other Church historians, that the Christian bishops purposely multiplied sacred rites for the purpose of rendering the Jews and the pagans more friendly to them.... A large part, therefore, of the Christian observances and institutions, even in this century, had the aspect of pagan mysteries.-Cent. 2, Part 2, chap. 4, sec. 5. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.14
Dr. Killen, an Irish Presbyterian theologian and historian, in the preface to “The Ancient Church,” says:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.15
In the interval between the days of the apostles and the conversion of Constantine, the Christian commonwealth changed its aspect. The Bishop of Rome-a person unknown to the writers of the New Testament, meanwhile rose into prominence, and at length took precedence of all other churchmen. Rites and ceremonies, of which neither Paul nor Peter ever heard, crept silently into use, and then claimed the rank of Divine institutions. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.16
We have no hesitation, therefore, in admitting that before the days of Constantine Sunday was observed to some extent. Nevertheless, that it was not observed as a sacred day, is very evident from the two quotations which follow. Mosheim says:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.17
The first day of the week, on which Christians were accustomed to meet for the worship of God, Constantine required, by a special law, to be observed more sacredly than before. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.18
Mark the fact that this special law required that Sunday should be observed more sacredly than before. Now read the law:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.19
Let all the judges and town people, and all artisans rest on the venerable day of the sun. But let those who are situated in the country freely and at full liberty attend to the cultivation of their fields: because it often happens that no other day is so fit for selling corn and planting vines: lest by neglecting the proper occasion, they should lose the benefits granted by the Divine bounty. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.20
Only town people and professional men were required to rest on the day of the sun; all the country people were given full liberty to work as usual. Yet this law required the more sacred observance of Sunday than before. The reader will have no difficulty in seeing that Sunday was not regarded as a sacred day for at least three hundred years after Christ. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.21
Of this law which we have just quoted, “Chamber’s Encyclopedia” says:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.22
Unquestionably the first law, either ecclesiastical or civil, by which the Sabbatical observance of that day [Sunday] is known to have been ordained is the edict of Constantine 321 A.D. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.23
At this time Constantine made no profession of being a Christian. “The devotion of Constantine was more peculiarly directed to the genius of the sun, the Apollo of Greek and Roman mythology; and he was pleased to be represented with the symbols of the gods of light and poetry. The unerring shafts of that deity, the brightness of his eyes, his laurel wreath, immortal beauty, and elegant accomplishments, seemed to point him out as the patron of the young hero. The altars of Apollo were crowned with the votive offerings of Constantine, and the credulous multitude were taught to believe that the emperor was permitted to behold with mortal eyes the visible majesty of their tutelar deity, and that, either waking or in a vision, he was blessed with the auspicious omen of a long and victorious reign. The sun was universally celebrated as the invincible guide and protector of Constantine.”—Decline and Fall, chap. 20, par. 3. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.24
Bishop Arthur Cleveland Coxe says of the so-called conversion of Constantine, PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.25
It was a political conversion, and as such was accepted, and Constantine was a heathen till near his death. As to his final penitence and acceptance—‘forbear to judge.’ PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.26
In connection with the Sunday law above noted Constantine issued another edict directing the regular consultation of the haruspex, that is the heathen customs of determining the future by the examination of the entrails of animals. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.27
A PAGANISED CHURCH
The fact that Sunday comes from Pagan Rome has been fully established, yet that fact is not at all inconsistent with the claim put forth by both Catholics and professed Protestants, that Sunday was set apart by “the church.” We have already had the statement by Mosheim that as early as the second century after Christ a large part of the Christian observances and institutions had the aspect of pagan mysteries. To this we may add that of the late Dr. Merivale, Dean of Ely. He says:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.28
Paganism was assimilated, not extirpated, and Christendom has suffered from it more or less ever since.-Epochs of Church History, p. 159. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 162.29
The setting apart of Sunday in the place of the Sabbath of the Lord, in direct opposition to the commandment of God, is one of the strongest evidences of the paganised character of “the church.” This will appear still more clearly when we consider PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.1
THE CLAIMS OF THE CHURCH
We have already read the claims that “the church” puts forth to have of its own authority substituted Sunday for the seventh day of the week. Let us examine it a little more closely, to see exactly what this claim involves. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.2
In his commentary on the Psalms, Eusebius, a bishop who lived in the time of Constantine, says:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.3
All things whatsoever it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have transferred to the Lord’s day, as more appropriately belonging to it, because it has a precedence and is first in rank, and more honourable than the Jewish Sabbath. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.4
Notice that it is “we” who have done it. And in so doing men have put themselves on an equality with God. Does this seem too strong? Here is the proof. The Bible is God’s Word. The ten commandments are most emphatically His Words, since they did not come through human agency, but were spoken by God’s own voice in the hearing of all the people. Now here are men, no matter whether they call themselves “the church,” or simply “we,” who presume to give other commandments, and not only different from the Lord’s, but actually contrary to them. Thus they claim to be of at least equal authority with the Lord. Yes, even of greater authority, since to presume to change the laws of another implies the assumption of superior power. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.5
Last week we quoted from the sermon of the clergyman who said of the then forthcoming article of Mr. Gladstone, on “The Lord’s Day,“ PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.6
This much I may prophesy-that with all his great genius, and all his deep and reverent knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, he will not be able to quote a single passage in the New Testament which states that the Christian Sunday is a substitute for the Jewish Sabbath. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.7
I have that article before me at this moment, and concede that that prophecy is fulfilled, just as any Bible student could have told beforehand. Here is the main thought in the entire article:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.8
The seventh day of the week has been deposed from its title to obligatory religious observance, and its prerogative has been carried over to the first; under no direct precept of Scripture, but yet with a biblical record of facts, all supplied by St. John, which go far towards showing that among the apostles themselves, and therefore from apostolic times, the practice of Divine worship on the Lord’s Day has been continuously and firmly established. The Christian community took upon itself to alter the form of the Jewish ordinance: but this was with a view to giving larger effect to its spiritual purpose. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.9
I have italicised the most important portions of the above statement. Notice them carefully. It is admitted that there is no direct warrant in Scripture for deposing the seventh day of the week from its rightful position. True a “record of facts” is referred to. We have not space at present to go into that “record of facts,” but will simply say that they are (1) That Christ appeared to His disciples on the evening of the day of His resurrection; (2) That after eight days, which would at the very lowest calculation be the next Monday night, He appeared to them again; and (3) That in the Revelation John mentions “the Lord’s day.” This is the “record of facts” which we are asked to accept as authority for Sunday observance in the place of the seventh day which stands upon the direct commandment of Jehovah. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.10
Mark this, however, that the most that Mr. Gladstone claims for this famous “record of facts” is that day “go far towards showing” that Sunday observance dates from the days of the apostles. But every candid reader must be forced to admit that however far they go towards showing that fact, they yet fall infinitely short of actually showing it. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.11
I did not design, however, to go into a detailed review of Mr. Gladstone’s article. That shall have special attention at another time all by itself. That to which I now wish to call special attention is the PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.12
MONSTROUS ASSUMPTION
that is put forth in it as a matter of course. Let me repeat one sentence with special emphasis. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.13
The Christian community took upon itself to alter the form of the Jewish ordinance; but this was with a view to giving larger effect to its spiritual purpose. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.14
Just think of it! Mere men taking upon themselves to alter a commandment of God, with the view of enlarging its spiritual purpose! Do you comprehend what this means? Consider the facts. God spoke the ten commandments with His own voice, in the hearing of all the people. The earth quaked at the sound of that awful voice. There never was any event before or since that has paralleled that one in grandeur. The law thus given is God’s own word. Of it the apostle says, “We know that the law is spiritual.” How spiritual is it? It is as spiritual as God Himself could make it. And now comes some puny men, calling themselves “the Christian community,” and presume to change it, “with a view to giving larger effect to its spiritual purpose”! Could blind blasphemous presumption soar higher? PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.15
THE MAN OF SIN
Now it matters not one whit whether those who presume to do this call themselves “the church” or something else. Nor does it matter in the least by what name “the church” or “the Christian community” which makes such assumption calls itself. One thing is most certain, and that is that the thing done is the work of none other than the one who is described as “that man of sin,” “who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4, 5. There is no other possible means by which anybody could exalt itself above God so completely as by presuming to give spiritual enlargement to the spiritual law of God. Therefore “the Christian community,” to which Mr. Gladstone refers, was none other than “the man of sin.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.16
The identical work of this “man of sin” is described in the thirteenth of Revelation, and ascribed to the power which is there called “the beast.” “He opened His mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” Revelation 13:6. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.17
Now it is a fact that the Catholic Church claims to have effected the change of which Mr. Gladstone speaks, and puts it forth as the badge and evidence of its authority. The “Abridgement of Christian Doctrine” contains the following question and answer:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.18
Question-How prove you that the Church hath power to command feasts and holydays? PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.19
Answer-By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of, and therefore they fondly contradict themselves by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feasts commanded by the same Church.-p. 58. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.20
A standard Roman Catholic work, “A Plain Talk about the Protestantism of To-day,” says:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.21
The observance of Sunday by the Protestant is an homage which they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Church. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.22
Some Protestants may be inclined to dispute this claim that is put forth by the Catholic Church, and may be disposed to say that the change was made before the Papacy was really established. Well, there is no need of stopping to dispute that point, although it can be clearly shown that the Catholic Church is fully entitled to the dishonourable distinction; but the fact remains that, no matter what name you give to the power that presumed to make the change, its description is accurately given in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, and Revelation 13:6, 7. And it is also true that there is no power on earth that so completely meets the specifications as that power known as the Papacy. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 163.23
We have already seen that Sunday originated in Paganism, as “the venerable day of the sun.” But Paganism never presumed to substitute it for the Sabbath of the Lord. That was reserved for “the church,” after it had, as Merivale says, assimilated Paganism, and had become the Papacy. About sixty years after Constantine’s Sunday edict, the Council of Laodicea enacted a canon commanding Christians to rest on Sunday only, and forbidding them, under penalty of anathema, to rest on the Sabbath. It is a fact, therefore, that PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.1
SUNDAY LAWS COME FROM THE PAPACY
and that whatever State makes and enforces such laws is acting as the direct agent of the Papacy. The existence of Sunday laws in whatever form on the statute books of any country, is the mark that is subservient, unconsciously, without doubt, to the authority of the Papacy. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.2
It is also just as evident that obedience to Sunday laws goes a long way back of allegiance to the Government which seeks to enforce them. It goes back to the power which is responsible for them, namely, to Rome. Obedience to Sunday laws is nothing else than obedience to Rome. Governments do not know it, but it is a fact that in requiring the observance of Sunday, they are requiring their subject to divide their allegiance, and acknowledge another power, which claims to be above every earthly Government, and above God Himself. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.3
But we have not yet quite done with this matter. In order that we may know exactly where Sunday laws come from, we must not be content with stopping with the Papacy which originated them, but must inquire PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.4
THE SOURCE OF PAPAL AUTHORITY
We shall not have to go far to find this. We turn to the thirteenth of Revelation, where we found in the description of the power which has thought to change the law of God, thus putting itself above God. Of “the beast” we read that PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.5
“The dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” Verse 2. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.6
That is, the power and authority of “the beast,” the Papacy, are derived wholly from the dragon. Now what is the dragon? The preceding chapter tells us that the dragon is “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.” Revelation 13:9. The devil is therefore the source of papal authority. The Pope of Rome, the head of the Catholic Church, whose blasphemous claim to be called “His Holiness” is allowed by almost all the people of the earth, professes to be the vicar of Christ, when as a matter of fact he is, by virtue of his position, nothing other than the vicar of the devil. To yield allegiance to Sunday laws is to acknowledge the authority of Rome, and to acknowledge the authority of Rome is to yield to the power of Satan. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.7
THE ADVERSARY OF GOD’S WORD
The above language seems very harsh, and indeed it is, but its harshness comes only from its truth. It is in reality nothing more than all professed Protestant Christians allow, only they are not accustomed to seeing it in that form. Let us then examine the matter a little more in detail. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.8
The devil is the adversary. He is represented as like a roaring lion going about seeking whom he may devour. He seeks to destroy the souls of men, and he does this only by seducing them from their allegiance to God’s Word. Three instances will suffice to cover the entire field. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.9
When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He said, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:16, 17. This was a plain commandment, yet “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,” said to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die.” In saying this he professed to be “giving larger effect” to the spiritual purpose of God’s commandment, because He said if they listened to him they should be like God. Eve was deceived and ate, and gave to her husband with her, and he ate, and so that sin brought death into the world. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.10
Now against what did the devil set himself in that case?—Against the Word of God. If our first parents had been loyal to the Word of God, just as God Himself gave it, they would never have fallen into the power of the devil. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.11
About four thousand years afterward Christ came into the world, the second Adam. The devil tried to make Him fall also, and he tried Him on the very point where he succeeded with the first Adam. Jesus was weak with long fasting, when the tempter came to Him and said, “If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:3, 4. Three separate and distinct temptations the devil brought to bear on the Lord Jesus, and each one of them was simply an endeavour to induce the Lord to swerve from the Word of God. The devil cared for nothing else but to get Jesus to deviate just a little from the written Word; and Jesus resisted the temptations and gained the victory only by His strict loyalty to that written Word. He met every temptation with “It is written.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.12
Lastly, we come to the description of the last great struggle with the adversary. After telling of the casting down of Satan, the record says, “And I 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. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelation 12:10-12. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.13
Here also we find that the controversy is about the Word. Satan seeks to destroy men by inducing them to forsake the Word of God, and they overcome him only by their steadfast adherence to it. The devil well knows that they who cling to the Word of God are safe. Therefore his whole effort is to induce them by some sort of deception to forsake it. There has never been a temptation that Satan has brought against mankind that was not a temptation to deviate from the Word of God; and there was never any perversion or alteration of that Word that did not originate with Satan. Therefore when it is claimed that “the church” changed the commandment of the Lord, no matter what the excuse alleged, it is as clear as the sun that the change was affected only by the devil working through the agency of that “church,” and that to acknowledge that change is to fall into the same snare of the devil, as did our first parents. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 164.14
THE COMFORT OF CONVICTION
“God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17. Yet God said of His Son whom He sent into the world, “I will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him.” Deuteronomy 18:18. Accordingly Christ said unto the Father, just before He left this earth, “I have given them Thy Word.” John 17:14. He gave the straight Word of God, which is to judge the world at the last day (John 12:48), yet although He spoke in the plainest terms, He condemned nobody. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.1
Now that Christ has gone to the Father; the Holy Spirit has been sent in His place, of whom Christ said, “When He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” John 16:8. And yet the Spirit is the Comforter. This shows that plain truth is not for the purpose of condemning, but of comforting. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.2
God knows that all men have been deceived by the adversary, and He pities our fallen condition. To leave us in error would be no kindness. Therefore He sends us the sharp reproofs of His Word, in order that we may repent and be saved. Take the case of Saul of Tarsus. He persecuted the people of God, even unto death, and was so deceived that he thought that in so doing he was serving God. Acts 26:9. Finally God spoke to him, and charged him with his sin. What was that for? Was it in order to condemn and kill him?—Not at all; it was to save him. Paul regarded it as an evidence of the mercy of God. “I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly, in unbelief.” 1 Timothy 1:13. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.3
God does not charge against men the sins of which they are ignorant. No man will ever be condemned for doing that which he did not know, and had no means of knowing, was wrong. Christ said of those who rejected Him, “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sin.” John 15:22. So those who have been deceived by Satan in the matter under consideration, are not condemned by the Lord until they hear and reject His word of warning. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.4
Still further, there are many thousands of people who have all their lives observed Sunday instead of the Sabbath, and who are doing so still, who are as loyal and loving to the Lord Jesus Christ as they know how to be. Their attention has never been directly called to the fact that they are not obeying the Word. They have read it, yet it has been with them as with the disciples who heard Jesus say plainly that He should be crucified, and yet did not realise that He must die. But they have accepted the Lord, and they are “accepted in the Beloved.” Now when the light comes to them that they are not following the Lord strictly, it does not come to condemn them. If they do indeed love the Lord, and walk in the light, there is no condemnation to them. They simply “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.5
A MERICFUL WARNING
The judgment that has been pronounced upon the Papacy is that “she shall be utterly burned with fire.” Revelation 18:8. “The beast was taken, and... cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Revelation 19:20. The “man of sin” is “that Wicked,” “whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8. Still further the voice comes from heaven, saying, “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation.” Revelation 14:9, 10. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.6
Now God has many people to-day who have been ensnared by the Papacy, just as well as He had four hundred years ago, before Luther began to preach. And now as the day of the Lord is fast approaching, and the judgments upon the Papacy are about to fall, He sends a special call, saying, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4. This call is most emphatically given in the truth that is being set forth in these days concerning the manner in which the Papacy has dealt with the law of God, especially the fourth commandment. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.7
CHRIST AND THE SABBATH
It may seem to some that the mere question of whether we shall observe one day of the week or another is so small a matter to serve as the only great test of man’s loyalty to God, but as the final preparation for the coming of the Lord. So it would be if it was merely a question of days. But it is a question of loyalty to God’s Word, and therefore of loyalty to God Himself. It is a question of whether men will regard God as supreme, and His Word as expressing completely His will, or whether they will divide honours with a rival power. It is a question of whether men will strictly follow the example of Christ, or whether they will follow “the church” which presumes to know the will of God better than He did. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.8
Remember this also: The same Word that says, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work” (Exodus 20:10), and “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honourable, ... then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord” (Isaiah 58:13, 14), says also, “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:22), and “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:7. It is the same Word also which says, “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sin.” Isaiah 43:25. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.9
Do you not see that if we reject the first word, knowing it to be the Word of God, or if we think that we may lightly change it, we have no sure confidence in the other? If I reject the commandment of God, how can I have hope in His promises? If I am not sure that the Lord means exactly what He says when He tells me that “the seventh day is the Sabbath,” how can I be sure that He means what He says when He tells me, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee”? Do you not see that the Word must all stand together? If we weaken the force of the commandment, we weaken to the same extent the promises of salvation. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.10
This comes still more forcibly when we consider that the commandments of God are in reality promises. “Hear O My people, and I will testify unto thee; O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto Me, there shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.” Psalm 81:8, 9. Obedience to the commandments of God brings life, because every word of God is life; and when we reverently listen to those words, they work within us the obedience which they enjoin, and the life which they promise. “And I know that His commandment is life everlasting.” John 12:50. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 165.11
This Sabbath question is therefore simply the question whether or not one believes that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” For a man to cease work on the seventh day of the week, and at the same time to disbelieve that God pardons freely through Jesus Christ, or to cherish hateful and unforgiving feelings, would be to reject the Word of God just as surely as to work on the Sabbath. No one keeps the Sabbath in truth, but he who yields himself humbly to God, accepting in meekness all the reproofs of His Word, and submitting to the will of God through the Holy Spirit. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.1
This being the case, is it not clear that the agitation of the Sabbath question at this time is for the purpose of effecting a thorough reformation in the church of God? Is it not evident that the acceptance of the Sabbath in truth, with all that implies, would make those who do so accept it, thoroughly prepared to stand before the Lord at His coming? Is it not most evident that the Sabbath question is to be the test of whether or not the Bible or “the church” is to be accepted as the guide for Christians? Is it to effect the final decision, not simply as to who will rest on the seventh day and work on the first, but as to who will be the children of light or the children of disobedience, the children of the kingdom, or the children of the wicked one. Surely, it is not a light matter. This question is in the world to stay until it arrests the attention of every soul, and forces each one to decide definitely whether he will follow God’s Word or the Papacy, Christ or antichrist. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.2
Wherefore, beloved, “be diligent, that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our God is salvation.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.3
“O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.4
“The Crucifixion of Christ” The Present Truth 11, 11.
E. J. Waggoner
Christ was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8. Not merely in the days of Pontius Pilate, and at the instigation of wicked Jews, has the Son of God been “lifted up.” “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. He was given when the opportunity and the need came of believing in Him for salvation; and He was crucified when He was given. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.5
The crucifixion of Christ meant His lifting up. He said “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.” John 12:32. Men were drawn to Him before the days of Pontius Pilate. From the very first, men were drawn to Him, for only thus could any be saved from sin; and they are being drawn to Him in multitudes to-day. But not, either before the days of Pontius Pilate or after them, by any mere statement, prophetic or historical, concerning His death. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.6
The lifting up of Christ was that He might be seen. Only by seeing Him can they be drawn to Him. In all ages, from the very first, men have seen Him lifted up. Just as He had “been evidently set forth crucified” among the Galatian brethren (Galatians 3:1), so He has been set forth wherever there have been believers, through all time. This has been done through His identification with them. “In all their afflictions He was afflicted.” Isaiah 63:9. His sufferings began with the sufferings of His people, and with His people He suffers still. They fill up the measure of His afflictions. Colossians 1:24. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.7
In his letter to the Galatians Paul speaks of his own identification with Christ, which is the identification of all who believe in Him. He says, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Galatians 2:20. When Paul was crucified, Christ was crucified; and what was true of Paul was true of all who, like him, died to sin by the crucifixion of the carnal nature. Romans 6:6; Galatians 6:14. In their crucifixion Christ has been lifted up, and by the like experience of His people He is lifted up to-day. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.8
Our identification with Christ means not a loss of His identity, but of ours. “I live,” said Paul, “yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” We are lifted up with Christ, yet we are not seen, but He; and men are not drawn to us, but to Him. In proportion as Christ’s people die to self, He is lifted up before the world; and in proportion as He is lifted up, does the light of life shine forth. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.9
“Satisfaction” The Present Truth 11, 11.
E. J. Waggoner
Satisfaction.-We are told that God “predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.” Ephesians 1:5. A synonym of “good pleasure” which equally represents the original, is “satisfaction.” That is to say, when God foresaw us as His sons in Christ, He took solid comfort and satisfaction in the thought. It pleased Him well. What confidence this gives us in giving ourselves to Him! It makes Him happy. Surely, if He derives so much pleasure from receiving us as sons, our lives ought to be one continual round of delight in the thought that He is our Father. If God is satisfied with His bargain, we ought to “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.10
“Secrets” The Present Truth 11, 11.
E. J. Waggoner
Secrets.—“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God.” Deuteronomy 29:29. But He does not keep them all to Himself, for we are assured that “there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets.” (Daniel 2:28); and “those things which are revealed belong unto us and our children for ever.” “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him;” to such He is very communicative. To him that dwells in the secret place of the Most High, the ways of God will be plain; but “none of the wicked shall understand.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 166.11
“The Papacy. Its Long, Unbroken Reign” The Present Truth 11, 11.
E. J. Waggoner
The prophecy continues: “And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Daniel 7:25. The “they” of course refers to the “saints of the Most High” and the “times and laws,” which are mentioned in the same verse. The “time and times and the dividing of time,” then, indicates the period of Papal supremacy, and of the unlimited reign of lawlessness. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 167.1
In the first place we may notice that in the Douay Bible, as well as in the Revised Version, “time and times and the dividing of time,” is rendered, “time, and times, and half a time.” We have no need to conjecture what this means, for the Bible is its own interpreter. In Revelation 12:14 we find the same period of time mentioned: “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” Now in verse 6 of the same chapter the same event is brought to view in these words: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” From these two verses we learn that “a time, and times, and half a time” is only another expression for twelve hundred and sixty days. Then the little horn of Daniel 7 was to have supremacy for twelve hundred and sixty days. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 167.2
But the question now arises, “Is it possible that 1,260 days, or three years and a half, cover the whole time which the prophecy allows to the Papacy?” We answer, No; and the explanation is simple. The prophecy is symbolic; four mighty empires are represented by short-lived beasts; the Roman Catholic power is represented by a little horn of one of these beasts. It is obvious, then, that the prophecy would not be consistent if it should express the duration of those powers in literal years. The time would be out of proportion to the nature of the symbol representing the power. Therefore it is evident that the time must also be symbolic. We inquire, then, What is the standard of time when used in symbolic prophecy? In Ezekiel 4:4-6 we read the answer:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 167.3
“Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it; according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days; I have appointed thee each day for a year.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 167.4
Since all prophecy of Scripture proceeds from the same source, and is not of private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20, 21), the interpretation given to a symbol in one prophecy; therefore the “time, and times, and half a time,” or twelve hundred and sixty days, indicate just twelve hundred and sixty years. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 167.5
The next question to be settled is, When does this period of time begin and end? There are several dates given by various authors to mark the rise of Papal supremacy, but 538 A.D. seems to be the one that has the only just claim to consideration. The prophet, in describing the rise of the little horn, says, “He shall subdue three kings.” Daniel 7:24. This is in explanation of the fact that three horns were to be plucked up before it. Of course the only powers that would be rooted up to make room for the Catholic power would be those who were opposed to it. Now long before 538 A.D., paganism, as a State religion in the Roman Empire, was dead. Since the time of Constantine, Rome had been nominally Christian. The barbarous tribes by which the empire was divided into the ten parts, also embraced the Christianity of the empire. D’Aubigne says:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 167.6
“Already the forests of the New had poured forth the most effectual promoters of the papal power. The barbarians who had invaded the West and settled themselves therein.-So recently converted to Christianity were ignorant of the spiritual character of the church, and feeling the want of external pomp of religion, prostrated themselves in a half savage and half heathen state of mind at the feet of the chief priest of Rome.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 167.7
But not all of these tribes were favorable to the pretensions of the bishops of Rome. Some of them, especially the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths, were professedly followers of Arius. The contest between the Catholics and Arians was bitter and unrelenting, and so long as these powers held Italy and the adjacent country, the Pope could not assert papal authority. In the year 493 A.D., the power of the Heruli was annihilated by the death of Odoacer. From that time it is impossible to trace them in history. In 534 the Vandals were conquered by Belisarius, the general of Justinian; and in 538 A.D., Rome, which until that time had been in possession of the Arian Ostrogoths, was occupied by the Roman army, and the Catholic religion was established. These conquests are described in detail in the thirty-ninth and forty-first chapters of Gibbon. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 167.8
When the last of these Arian powers was overthrown (A.D. 538), there was nothing to hinder the bishop of Rome from occupying the proud position for which he had so long been striving. Speaking of the way in which the Roman bishop gradually usurped power over other churches D’Aubigne says:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 167.9
“To silence the cries of the church, Rome found new allies. Princes, who in those troublesome times often saw their thrones tottering, offered their adherence to the church, in exchange for her support. They yielded to her spiritual authority, on condition of Rome paying them with secular dominion. They left her to deal at will with the souls of men, provided only she would deliver them from their enemies. The power of the hierarchy in the ascending scale, and of the imperial power which was declining, leaned thus one toward the other-and so accelerated their twofold destiny. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 167.10
“Rome could not lose by this. An edict of Theodosius II. and of Valentinian III. proclaimed the Bishop of Rome ‘ruler of the whole church.’ Justinian issued a similar decree [letter]. These decrees did not contain all that the Popes pretended to see in them. But in those times of ignorance it was easy for them to gain reception for that interpretation which was most favourable to themselves.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 168.1
To show plainly the object of these wars against the Arian powers, and what was gained by them, we make two brief quotations from Gibbon. After having rehearsed the defeat of the Vandals and the capture of Carthage by the Romans, the historian speaks as follows concerning Justinian:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 168.2
“He received the messengers of victory at the time when he was preparing to publish the pandects of the Roman law; and the devout or jealous emperor celebrated the Divine goodness, and confessed, in silence, the merits of his successful general. Impatient to abolish the temporal and spiritual tyranny of the Vandals, he proceeded, without delay, to the full establishment of the Catholic Church. Her jurisdiction, wealth, and immunities, perhaps the most essential part of Episcopal religion, were restored and amplified with a liberal hard; the Arian worship was suppressed, the Donatist meetings were proscribed; and the synod of Carthage, by the voice of two hundred and seventeen bishops, applauded the just measure of pious retaliation.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 168.3
The victory of Belisarius over the Ostrogoths (A.D. 538) is thus described:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 168.4
“The Goths consented to retreat in the presence of a victorious enemy; to delay till the next spring the operations of offensive war; to summon their scattered forces; to relinquish their distant possessions, and to trust even Rome itself to the faith of its inhabitants. Leuderis, an aged warrior, was left in the capital with four thousand soldiers; a feeble garrison, which might have seconded the zeal, though it was incapable of opposing the wishes of the Romans. But a momentary enthusiasm of religion and patriotism was kindled in their minds. They furiously exclaimed that the apostolic throne should not longer be profaned by the triumph or toleration of Arianism; that the tombs of the C?sars should no longer be trampled by the savages of the North; and, without reflecting that Italy must sink into a province of Constantinople, they fondly hailed the restoration of a Roman emperor as a new era of freedom and prosperity. The deputies of the Pope and clergy, of the Senate and people, invited the lieutenant of Justinian to accept their voluntary allegiance, and to enter the city, whose gates would be thrown open for his reception.... The first days, which coincided with the old Saturnalia, were devoted to mutual congratulation and the public joy, and the Catholics prepared to celebrate, without a rival, the approaching festival of the nativity of Christ.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 168.5
These quotations show most conclusively that in A.D. 538 the bishop of Rome did become literally “the Pope,” i.e., the father, or head and ruler, of the churches. The last opposing horn had then been plucked up, and the Papacy was free to enter upon that career of ecclesiastical tyranny for which it had long been preparing; and the “mystery of iniquity” which had been working so long was given full liberty. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 168.6
But since the supremacy of the Papacy was to continue twelve hundred and sixty years, it is evident that it must have been checked in the year 1798 A.D. Let us see if at that time anything happened to justify this conclusion. From “Chambers’ Cyclopedia,” article “Pius,” we quote:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 168.7
“At length the [French] Directory ordered the invasion of Rome; Berthier entered the city, February 10, 1798, and took possession of the castle of St. Angelo. Pius [VI.] was called on to renounce his temporal sovereignty, and on his refusal, was seized, February 20, and carried away to Siena, and afterwards to the celebrated Certosa, or Carthusian monastery, of Florence. On the threatened advance of the Austro-Russian army in the following year, he was transferred to Grenoble, and finally to Valence on the Rhone, where, worn out by age and by the rigour of confinement, he died in August, 1799, in the eighty-second year of his age and the twenty-fourth of his pontificate.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 168.8
Thus we see that from 538 to 1798 A.D. there were twelve hundred and sixty years of unbroken power, plainly fulfilling the prophecy. At that time the power of the Papacy was broken; indeed, it might well have been thought to be utterly destroyed. In March 1800, however, another Pope was chosen, and the Papacy has continued ever since, but with diminished power. Immediately after the enunciation of the dogma of Papal infallibility, July 21, 1870, Victor Emmanuel took advantage of the withdrawal of the French soldiers from Rome, to make that city the capital of his kingdom. Accordingly he entered it on September 20 of the same year, and that day marked the close of the temporal dominion of the Pope of Rome, who ever since has sulked in the Vatican, where, in order more effectually to work upon the sympathies of the people, he professes to be a prisoner. From his retreat, like Bunyan’s aged pope in his cave, he growls out at those who despise his pretensions, “You will never mend till more of you be burnt;” for his one ambition is the restoration of the Papacy to its former power. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 169.1
Whether this dream will ever be fully realised is not indicated in the prophecy under consideration; yet that, before the end, the power of the Papacy will increase far beyond what it is at the present, is plainly set forth in these words:— PTUK March 14, 1895, page 169.2
“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” Daniel 7:21, 22. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 169.3
For several years it seemed as though every vestige of the power of the Papacy was irrecoverably gone; but “the Scripture cannot be broken,” and now, although it has no territorial dominion, there is no kingdom on earth that approaches it in power. The Pope rules not only the vast host of Catholics in every land under the sun, nearly all of whom hold their allegiance to him above that which they owe to their civil rulers, but he rules nations. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 169.4
“News of the Week” The Present Truth 11, 11.
E. J. Waggoner
-Paper stockings are coming into extensive use in Germany. They are said to be useful in preventing colds. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.1
-The death rate at Liverpool and Glasgow recently reached the abnormal percentage of 55 per 1,000 of the population. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.2
-After a debate In the German Reichstag on anti-Semitism, a resolution against Jewish immigration was defeated by a largo majority. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.3
-According to Archdeacon Sandford, there is clear evidence that the drink habit is on the increase among the upper and middle classes of England. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.4
-In consequence of the influenza epidemic, the Pope has, in a brief to the Roman Catholic Bishops in England, dispensed with the observance of the Lenten fast. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.5
-A train filled with pilgrims who had been recently visiting a shrine rolled over an embankment In Mexico, killing 130 passengers and injuring eighty others. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.6
-The Chenab irrigation canal in Northern India is said to be the widest canal in the world. It is 110 feet broad, and will be 200ft. broad when completed, with a length of 450 miles. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.7
-A dispute in the boot and shoe trade has culminated in a decision on the part of the boot manufacturers to order a lock-out. The decision was the outcome of a lengthy meeting held at Leicester. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.8
-Sir Henry Rawlinson, Bart., well known for his learning and researches in the field of Assyriology, died at his residence in London, March 5, from Bronchitis and influenza. He was in his eighty-fifth year. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.9
-The civil war in Colombia still continues. At last reports the Government forces had sustained a defeat in a heavy battle near Cuenta, in which 800 were killed on both sides, and the revolutionists had captured the city. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.10
-Twenty-six young men of Tarnopol, in Galicia, mostly students at the Teachers’ Seminary there, are to be tried on charges of high treason, the object of the prisoners being apparently to restore the independence of Poland. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.11
-A heavy fell of snow has occurred in the San Sebastian district of Spain. According to reports received from other paste of Spain the present sowings are irretrievably lost, and farmers throughout the country predict a bad harvest. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.12
-The Simplon Tunnel, which is to be constructed under the Alps, will be nearly sixteen miles in length-longer than either the Mount Cenis or St. Gothard Tunnels. In one place there will be over 7,000 foot of solid rook above the tunnel. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.13
-It is reported that an imperial ukase has been issued abolishing the use of the knout as a punishment for offences committed by the Russian peasantry. Three thousand persons are said to have died as a result of this punishment within ten years. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.14
-Li Hung Chang has left Peking with full powers to negotiate terms of peace. It is stated that Li’s enemies at Court are in disgrace, and that if the Viceroy returns from Japan successful he will be authorised to make sweeping reforms in China. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.15
-A man who had been placed in a trance was on exhibition in London for ten days. When re-restored to consciousness by the operator the man declared that he felt neither ill, hungry, nor thirsty, and walked from the building as though nothing unusual had happened. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.16
-Fears are entertained for the safety of Hansen, the Arctic explorer. A balloon was seen, and is thought to have been hearing despatches from him, as he intended availing himself of such means of sending news. The balloon, however disappeared and has not been found. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.17
-Several French, Belgian and German bishops have made requests to the Pope to condemn the Christian Socialist party, whom they accuse of revolutionary tendencies. The Pope has designated a priest to make inquiry into the organisation of the Catholic workmen’s societies in those countries. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 174.18
“Back Page” The Present Truth 11, 11.
E. J. Waggoner
Past Christian experience gives no life in the present. The Christian is the one whose life is “renewed day by day.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.1
The frequency with which one strike follows another is such that nearly all the time there is industrial war, and consequent suffering among the families of the bread-winners. A great struggle in the shoe trade, which will affect thousands, seems already to have begun. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.2
It is a significant fact that the critics of the Bible are not developed in the missionary fields where the worker knows the need of a more than human power to lift men out of the pit of heathenism, but they spring up generally in comfortably placed pulpits in the home field. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.3
The people of Jamaica, West Indies, are evidently readers. Last week we shipped 1,000 copies “Steps to Christ” and 500 of “Eden to Eden” to that island. During the past 15 months they have taken over 2,500 copies of the “Steps,” and over 2,000 of “Eden,” and orders are now in for 1,000 more of the latter book as soon as another edition can be brought out. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.4
“But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared; the Lord of hosts is His name. And I put My words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of Mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art My people.” Isaiah 51:15, 16. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.5
What a blessed assurance that is to the people of God! It is He, the Lord of hosts, whose power divided the sea, who will perform the work of the Gospel. He does it by His Word, yet He associates men with Him, allowing them to speak it. This assurance is a perfect preventive of discouragement, since the work which He assigns us can no more fail than His Word can fail. But never let it be forgotten that success depends upon our being hidden in the shadow of His hand. His words must be heard from our mouths, but only His hand must be seen. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.6
The Pope has to pay the price of the support of earthly powers, however much he would like to escape the payment. He was asked to condemn one of the Austrian political parties, the anti-Semites, and has hesitated for some time; but now, a Rome correspondent says, he has yielded under the pressure of the Austrian Government. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.7
A member of the Centre, or Catholic party of the German Reichstag has brought a bill before a Committee proposing to go beyond a Government bill which makes it an offence to speak against religion. He wants to put a stop to all discussion, and make men believe by order of the courts. His bill imposes 600 marks fine, or up to two years’ imprisonment for denying the existence of God or the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. It ought to make people rub their eyes to see responsible bodies considering such questions as these. The drift is altogether toward the Dark Ages, though it seems hardly probable that the Reichstag can be prevailed upon to pass such a bill just at present. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.8
South America is such a stronghold of Romanism that we are specially glad to receive the encouraging news of the success attending our workers in that neglected continent. We cannot promise to notice every shipment of books to that part of the world, but as last week we mentioned the cases of books sent to the extreme south of the continent, Tierra del Fuego, we may add that during the week our publishers have shipped cases to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Valparaiso, Chili. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.9
“Sunday-Law Fines” The Present Truth 11, 11.
E. J. Waggoner
Last week we promised to tell why it is impossible for Sabbath-keepers to pay fines that are inflicted for Sunday work. The foundation for the answer is given in the article beginning on the first page, entitled “Where Sunday Laws Come From.” Whoever reads that will see that Sunday laws themselves are wicked, coming directly from the adversary of all truth and righteousness. Therefore it is sin to have anything to do with them in any way whatever. To obey a Sunday law is a sin against God. To pay fines imposed for disobeying it, would be to recognise the power which is at the bottom of it; and that would be sin. It would in reality be paying the devil for the privilege of worshipping God. Sabbath-keepers cannot in any way countenance Sunday laws of any kind. When God says of Babylon, “Come out of her, My people,” He says also, “Be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing.” PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.10
Some will say, “Well, your property will be taken to satisfy the fine, if you do not pay it, so what is the difference?” There is all the difference in the world. Suppose you were given the alternative of committing suicide or being killed; would anyone say, “You might as well commit suicide, since you are sure to lose your life”? All can see that if you committed suicide the sin would be yours, while if your enemy killed you, you would be free from all responsibility. The same principle applies in regard to the payment of fines for transgressing Sunday laws. It is not a question of losing property; that is of no consequence whatever. It is simply this: Will you be a party to the carrying out of a wicked law, or will you leave others to assume the responsibility, if they dare do so in the face of God’s Word? “It is impossible but that offences will come; but woe unto him, through whom they come!” Luke 17:1. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.11
“Caricaturing the Bible” The Present Truth 11, 11.
E. J. Waggoner
A play, which professes to be the representation of a scene from the New Testament, has just been performed in a Paris theater. It is in fact a caricature of the story of the beheading of John the Baptist by Herod at the instigation of his mistress. Of course the dancing by the daughter of Herodias lends itself very readily to a theatrical presentation. With the exception of the dancing, the scene, as described, bears about as much resemblance to the Bible narrative of John the Baptist, as it would to a description of a sitting of the Bible Revision Committee in the Jerusalem Chamber. It is said that the production, which was enthusiastically received, will probably be followed by a series which “may reverently delineate the great incidents of the Old and New Testaments.” The only result will be to make people think they are getting Bible history when they are getting a gross perversion of it, and to degrade the Sacred Book in the minds of the people to the level of the blood and thunder novel. PTUK March 14, 1895, page 176.12