LAST week, under this head, we referred to warnings that had been given to this nation concerning the evils that must follow the doing, by the nation, of the things that the national authority was asked to do.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.1

These warnings were given not only with respect to the setting up of Sunday in place of the Sabbath, in a union of religion and the state; they were given likewise with respect to the abandonment of the Constitution and the repudiation of the Declaration of Independence.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.2

We are going to give in this study only an illustration on each of these points. We say only an illustration, because whole pages could be filled with it.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.3

First, as to the abandonment of the Constitution by the national authority. In Congress, and everywhere else in the country, much has been said within the last two years about the national authority governing “without the Constitution.” We ourselves have had somewhat to say concerning the principle. And that is now the established policy of the national administration, in, as yet, Porto Rico, the Philippines, and Alaska. Yet as far back as May 7, 1891,—more than nine years ago,—the writer of this article, in reviewing a decision of the United States Supreme Court, published in the American Sentinel, under the heading, “The New American Revolution,” the following words:—ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.4

“This [decision] at once creates [in these United States] a sovereign power [apart from the people], and clothes it with paternal authority. And if this doctrine shall be maintained, so that it becomes a principle of American law, and shall become established as a principle of government here, then the revolution backward is complete; government of the people is gone; and that of a sovereign parent of the people is put in its place. THEN the doctrine of the Declaration of Independence and of the Constitution is subverted, and the doctrine of sovereignty, absolutism, and paternalism is established in its stead.”ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.5

And concerning these consequences of that decision, and other things akin, we wrote, one week later, in the American Sentinel of May 14, 1891, these words:—ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.6

“So long as the American principles of government shall prevail, all such wild schemes will amount to nothing. But let the European and the Roman principles of government supplant the American, then what is to hinder the carrying into full effect every item of the different schemes proposed and advocated? This is why we say that the Supreme Court decision under consideration, means vastly more just at this time than the mere enunciation of the principle which it has adopted.”ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.7

That word is now being fulfilled to the very letter, in very deed in the government of the United States: and that very decision of the Supreme Court which we were then reviewing, is now used as the justification of what we then said would be, and that which now is, a “revolution” in the order of government in this nation.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.8

Second, as to the repudiation of the principles of the Declaration of Independence: This, too, has been largely discussed in Congress and everywhere throughout the country. This, too, has become the policy of the national administration. This goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the Constitution. And on this also the writer of this article wrote in the American Sentinel more than nine years ago, and as definitely as we can write to-day so far as the principle is concerned.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.9

In an article in the American Sentinel of June 11, 1891, under the heading “There Is Mischief in It,” we discussed certain issues that were then current. In that discussion it became necessary to consider and note the principle and development of a one-man power, a civil despotism, in the Roman Republic; and the turning of it by the church power into a religious despotism. And what we said then, by and for the American Sentinel, is just as fresh and true and appropriate now in the REVIEW AND HERALD. Here is what we said then, in the Sentinel, and what we can say now, and with an emphasis, in the REVIEW AND HERALD:—ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.10

“[Thus there was developed] more and more the despotism of the many, till it was merged into a despotism of three,—the first triumvirate,—which ended in the despotism of one, whom they murdered, which was followed immediately again by a despotism of three,—the second triumvirate,—which ended again in the despotism of one,—Cesar Augustus,—and the final establishment of the imperial despotism, the most horrible civil despotism that ever was, and which continued until Constantine and the political bishops turned it into the most horrible religious despotism that ever was.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.11

“That was the end of that story then and there; and the perfect likeness to it will be the end of this story now and here.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.12

“And this answers the query of one of our correspondents,—What business has the Sentinel, a religious paper, to touch this question which is political? We are persuaded that the Sentinel has not missed its calling, nor spent its efforts in vain in this respect. The Sentinel is a religious paper, that is true; and it exists for the sole purpose of exposing to the American people the movement for the establishment of a religious despotism here, AFTER THE MODEL OF THE PAPACY.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.13

“But no religious despotism can ever be established over a free people. It were literally impossible to establish a religious despotism over the royal freemen who made the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.14

“This gradual but steady perversion and subversion of the genuine principles of this government as established by our forefathers, this steady inculcation of the principles of paternalism, is but sowing the seeds of a despotism,—whether of the many, of the few, or of one, it matters not,—which at the opportune moment will be joined by the political preachers; and out of the wicked alliance thus formed there will come the religious despotism in the perfect likeness of the one which was before, and against which the continuous efforts of the American Sentinel have ever been, and ever shall be, directed.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.15

“And that is the reason, and the only reason, yet reason enough, why the American Sentinel, a religious paper, touches this otherwise political question.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.16

“It may be that our correspondents will not agree with us just now; but that matters nothing to us. Five years ago [1886], when the Sentinel first called attention to the movement to establish a religious despotism, we were criticized and pooh-poohed for that, more than we are now for calling attention to this surest forerunner of it. But the Sentinel knew then just what it was doing; and it knows now just what it is doing, just as well as it did then. Those who objected then, know now that we were right then; and those who object now may know some time that we were right now: and we shall have known it all the time....ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.17

“And we are perfectly willing to trust to the event to demonstrate that the coming religious despotism will be established substantially in the manner here outlined.”ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.18

And now, in 1900, this which in June, 1891, we said would come—a one-man power—is coming as fast as the days go by. That which in June, 1891, we were “willing to trust to the event to demonstrate,” is now, in 1900, being constantly demonstrated before the eyes of the whole world by the steady progress of events.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.19

And in all this there is also demonstrated the truth that we are now occupying exactly the same position that we have always occupied, and are speaking precisely the same things that we have always spoken, when, in proclaiming the Third Angel’s Message, we call attention to the abandonment of the Constitution of the United States and the repudiation of the Declaration of Independence by this nation; and when, in warning, we point out the evils which must inevitably come upon the nation as the result of such a course.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.20

In 1891 this was the Third Angel’s Message. In 1900 it is still the Third Angel’s Message. For the sure result of these things in this nation will be the Image of the Beast in its full, active power. And whatever points out the making of the Image of the Beast, and warns against it, is, so far and in its place, the Third Angel’s Message.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.21

“‘In Ten Years’” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 77, 28, pp. 440, 441.

UNDER the heading the Springfield Republican of June 26 compares the situation ten years ago with what it is to-day, with respect to the reign of peace on earth. The comparison proves, in fact, to be a mighty and most ominous contrast. It should be published everywhere; and, therefore, to do our part we send it along. The editor says:—ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.1

To see how fast we are moving, it is necessary sometimes to cast a short backward glance. One grows so quickly accustomed to daily news of war that it is easy to forget how new a thing it is in our time. To-day it seems hardly believable that only a few years ago the world was at peace, and peace lovers were not without excuse for believing that a brighter, sweeter era was at hand than any this blood-soaked planet had ever known. War seemed a remote possibility; peace seemed the normal and natural thing. To see how far we have moved from that tranquil time, it is only necessary to turn back to a newspaper of, say, ten years ago, and compare it with one of to-day. The contrast is overwhelming, appalling.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.2

The Republican of Wednesday, June 25, 1890, was not so large as the paper of the present day, but it gave in compact form the news that was of most import. The only item of Old World news which was sufficiently important to be given a place in a crowded paper, ten years ago yesterday, was a fourline paragraph to the effect that Mme. Sarah Bernhardt had accidentally taken an overdose of chloral. Nor did any of the editorials mention any foreign topic, except the action of Newfoundland in regard to the purchase of bait. How dull and disappointing such a day’s news would be to the reader of to-day, whose appetite is whetted with daily horrors from all quarters of the world!ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.3

To complete the contrast, it is only necessary to analyze the contents of yesterday’s Republican. The principal news page was given up almost exclusively to war—to four different wars. We read of “North China Ablaze,” of Minister Wu’s opinions on the war, of the supposed safety of our people in Peking, of the rise of the Boxers in Canton, of the rumored killing of a missionary, of the shipping of vast stores of ammunition to China, of the departure of marines from Washington, of the part of England and the United States in the war, and that of Germany and Russia, of the sailing of the Sixth Cavalry, of the killing of four Americans in an ambuxcade, of the sailing of the cruiser “Brooklyn,” of the transfer of the headquarters of the Asiatic squadron, of the plans of the War Department, of our ex-minister’s views on the war, of the rescue of a missionary, of the sailing of a Russian cruiser, and the augmentation of the Indian army bound for China, of pressure brought to bear on Turkey, of England’s war with the Ashantees, of General Buller’s progress in South Africa, and the raids of the Boers, of the departure of Boer envoys, of the war with a mob in St. Louis, of General MacArthur’s dealings with the Filipinos, and the movements of American garrisons in the Island of Samoa. There is barely room in this appalling record of bloodshed for a brief statement to the effect that about nineteen million persons are starving to death in India. There is much peaceful news, too, baccalaureate sermons, sermons from local pulpits, the happenings of the day; but the dominant note is war, one sensation topping another....ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.4

The contrast between the two snap-shots of the world in 1890 and 1900 throws a strong light on the pace at which the world has been moving. The view ten years ago showed a placid, smiling river; now we see the boiling rapids of a torrent plunging toward what abyss no one knows. War has followed war with swift succession, the scene shifting from Greece to Cuba, from Cuba to the Sudan, from the Sudan to the Philippines, from the Philippines to South Africa, from there to China. What the next stroke will be, who shall say? The record of ten years ago was dull and humdrum, but the world was moving steadily forward toward the ideal of the wise men of all ages. Can as much be said for the record of to-day?ARSH July 10, 1900, page 440.5

And at the present rate of the plunging torrent extended ten years further, what mind can contemplate any other result than the “abyss” here suggested, and which the whole field of prophecy foretells? The day of the Lord cometh, it is nigh at hand. “Get ready, get ready, get ready.”ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.1

“Studies in Galatians. The Two Covenants. Galatians 4:21-24” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 77, 28, p. 441.

“TELL me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants: the one from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.”ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.1

The covenant from Mount Sinai is the covenant that God made with the children of Israel when he took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.2

That covenant was faulty. “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.” Hebrews 8:7.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.3

That covenant was faulty in the promises: for the second covenant is “a better covenant” than that, in that it “was established upon better promises.” Hebrews 8:6.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.4

The fault in that covenant was primarily, in the people. “For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold the days come, saith the Lord when I will make a new covenant.” Hebrews 8:8.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.5

Therefore, since the fault of that covenant was in its promises, and the fault was primarily in the people themselves, it follows that the promises upon which that covenant was established were primarily the promises of the people.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.6

What, then, were these promises?—They are in the covenant which was made with them when they came forth out of Egypt, and here is that covenant:—ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.7

“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” “And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.” Exodus 19:4-6, 8.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.8

In this agreement, all the people promised to obey the voice of the Lord. They had not yet heard what that voice would speak. But in the twentieth chapter, they heard that voice speaking the words of the ten commandments, to which, when the Lord had spoken, “he added no more.” And when they had heard this, they solemnly renewed their promise: “All that the Lord hath said will we do and be obedient.”ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.9

That this is the covenant that the Lord made with them when he took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt, is made certain by the following words:—ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.10

“For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices; but this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, AND I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.” Jeremiah 7:22, 23.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.11

And this certainly is confirmed in the following words: “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you; so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God.” Jeremiah 11:3, 4.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.12

Note carefully each of these three statements of the covenant, and see how the promises lie. The first one runs, on the part of the Lord: “IF ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, THEN... ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation,” etc. By this the Lord’s promises could not come in until they had fulfilled their promises; for the covenant begins with an “if.” “IF ye will” do so and so, “THEN” so and so.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.13

This is the arrangement also in the second statement, “Obey my voice AND I will be your God, AND ye shall be my people.” According to this agreement, he was not to be their God, nor they his people, until they had done what they promised; until they had obeyed his voice, as they had promised.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.14

The third statement stands the same: “Obey my voice and do them, according to all which I command you: SO shall ye be my people, and I will be your God.” This makes it perfectly plain, not only that none of the Lord’s part could come in until they had done what they had promised; but that the Lord’s part was to come in BY THE DOING of what they had promised. “Obey my voice,” “and do;” “SO [in this way, by this means] shall ye be my people, and I will be your God.”ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.15

Since, then, in this covenant the Lord’s part, what the Lord could do, the Lord’s promises, could come in only in the secondary way as a consequence of the people’s doing what they had promised, it is perfectly plain that that covenant rested, was established, only upon the promises of the people.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.16

What, then, were these promises of the people worth? What had they promised? They had promised to obey the voice of the Lord indeed. They had promised to obey his law,—to keep the ten commandments, indeed.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.17

But what was their condition when they made these promises?—It corresponded to the condition of Ishmael in the family of Abraham. They corresponded to Ishmael: they had been born only of the flesh, and knew only the birth of the flesh, and so had only the mind of the flesh. But “the minding of the flesh is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither in-deed can be.” “They that are in the flesh can not please God.”ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.18

This being their condition, what could be the worth of any promises that they might make to keep the ten commandments indeed?—Any or all such promises could be worth simply nothing at all.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.19

Accordingly, in that covenant, the people promised to do something that it was simply impossible for them to do. And since the Lord, with his promises, could not, in that covenant, come in until they had fulfilled their promises; until they had done what they agreed, it is certain that, for any practical purpose which the people discerned, or designed, that covenant was worth nothing at all, because the promises upon which it rested were worth nothing at all.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.20

In the nature of things that covenant could only gender to bondage; because the people upon whose promises it rested were themselves already subject to the bondage of the flesh, the bondage of sin; and instead of keeping the commandments of God indeed, they would break them. And not only would they break the commandments, which they had promised not to break, but they would inevitably break the promises that they had made not to break the commandments. This simply because they were in a condition in which they were not subject to the law of God and could not be.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.21

And this was demonstrated immediately. For, when Moses had gone up into the mount, to receive a copy of the law, which they had promised to “obey indeed,” he had been gone but forty days when they exclaimed: “Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.22

Exodus 32:1. And they made themselves a golden calf—the god of Egypt—and worshiped it, after the manner of Egypt; which shows that, in heart, they were still in Egyptian bondage, and were indeed as Ishmael, the son of Hagar the Egyptian, “born after the flesh.”

And though all this is written for the understanding of all people who should come afterward, and for our admonition “upon whom the ends of the world are come,” it is a singular fact that even to-day there are persons who, knowing only the birth of the flesh, not having been born again, not knowing the birth of the Spirit, yet will enter into exactly such a covenant; and will sign to it, to keep all the commandments of God indeed. But the trouble with these is just the trouble that was with the people at Sinai, as it is always the trouble with people at Sinai: “They had no true conception of the holiness of God; of the exceeding sinfulness of their own hearts... Feeling that they were able to establish their own righteousness, THEY DECLARED: ‘All that the Lord hath said will we do and be obedient.’”ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.23

Of course the questions arise here, Why, then, were they allowed of the Lord to enter into such a covenant? Why did the Lord make such a covenant with them? The answer to these questions will be given next week.ARSH July 10, 1900, page 441.24

July 3, 1900

July 17, 1900