THE Creator worked on the first day of the week; and why find fault with any man for following the example of the Creator? The reason why moral and social conditions are alarming to-day is not that men have followed the example of the Lord, but that they have not followed it.AMS August 10, 1899, page 481.1

[Inset.] A HOPELESS IDEA OF “REFORM.” THE would-be reformers of the day who depend upon the power of civil enactments to reform society, have summoned the legislators of the land to A hopeless task; namely, that of making the “narrow way” broad and smooth, and the “broad way” narrow and difficult. In other words, they want laws that will make it easy for people to do right, and difficult to do wrong. The illustration shows this modern type of “reformer” addressing a group of those to whom he looks for the realization of this idea of reform. He calls upon them to level down the mountain of which the narrow way leads to life, and make this way broad and smooth so that it can be easily traveled, and at the same time fill up the “broad way” leading to destruction, so that it will be made a difficult path. The narrow way cannot possibly be made smooth—right doing cannot be made easy—by any human reformer. For help in traveling the way of life the soul must look alone to God.AMS August 10, 1899, page 481.2

“The State and Religion” American Sentinel 14, 31, pp. 483, 484.

ATJ

A GREAT many people who are much opposed to any union of church and state, as they declare, still think it would be a dreadful thing for the state to be separated from religion. They seem to think that if the state had no religion, it would be opposed to all religions, and would wickedly disregard every religious right of the people.AMS August 10, 1899, page 483.1

But let us see about this. From whence comes the most violent opposition to religion? Does it not come from religion itself? In other words, is there not more bitter hostility between two opposing religions, than between any religion and mere worldliness? Yes, the history of religious persecution shows this beyond any question. Every state that ever persecuted, was joined with religion. Religious hostility, and that alone, has always been the actuating motive in persecution.AMS August 10, 1899, page 483.2

Separated from religion, the state would never persecute; joined with religion, the state will always persecute, because it will then be a party in a strife between opposing religions.AMS August 10, 1899, page 483.3

And besides, if the state is to be religious, why should it not join the church? For all professors of religion, church membership is a logical necessity; the church exists for the very purpose of joining professors of religion into one company. If the state can properly profess religion, it can properly be joined with a church; and if it cannot properly be joined with a church, it cannot properly profess religion.AMS August 10, 1899, page 483.4

Whatever religion the state may profess, will in itself identify the state with some church. For the state’s religion must be something definite, and there is no definite religion that does not belong to a definite church or religious body.AMS August 10, 1899, page 483.5

Separation of religion from the state, therefore, is the only proper attitude of the one for the other. No one person has power to force his religious views upon another, and if civil force cannot properly be joined with the religious views of one person, it cannot be properly joined with the views of two or more persons. A non-religious state does not mean an anti-religious state; for as we have seen, it is always a religious state that employs its force against religion.AMS August 10, 1899, page 483.6

The non-religious or purely secular state simply interferes with no religion, but leaves all religions free to stand on their own merits, to survive or perish as the case may be. All false religions ought to perish, and the true religion, being imbued with the life and the power of God, cannot fail. Religion and the state, therefore, must be kept wholly separated in order that both may fulfill their proper mission in the world.AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.1

“Law as a Remedy for Bad Society” American Sentinel 14, 31, p. 484.

ATJ

THERE are many good people who, as they note the indications that things are going to the bad in society and in politics, feel it their duty to raise a cry of alarm and call for vigorous legislation to stay the advancing tide of evil. And it is quite proper that they should sound an alarm; that much is perfectly scriptural. But what is to be gained by an appeal to legislation?AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.1

How good can society be made by the power of human law?AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.2

The fountain of all this evil is in the heart, where no human law can touch it. “An evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things.” “From within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within, and defile the man.”AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.3

What would human society be with all these things, or even a part of them, in the hearts of the people, unrepressed by any power save that of the law of the land? Human society would simply be unendurable; it would be utterly that. The society of the beasts of the forest would be far preferable.AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.4

In antediluvian days will whole earth became so wicked that it had to be destroyed by a flood, and that wickedness is described by the statement that “every imagination of the thoughts of his [man’s) heart was only evil continually.” But how much can legislation do to suppress the imagination of the heart? And if it can do nothing to root out these, how much can it do toward preventing the earth from becoming even as wicked as it was in the days of Noah?AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.5

The only law that touches the thoughts of the heart is the law of God; the only power that cleanses the heart is the power of divine grace, exercise through faith. When the tide of moral evil is rising in the land, good people should double their zeal in holding up and calling the people to the one great remedy. To spend time and strength in efforts to stop the flood by legislation, is worse than useless.AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.6

“Civil Government Enforcing God’s Law” American Sentinel 14, 31, pp. 484, 485.

ATJ

THE purpose of all human law is not to enforce what is right, but to enforce rights.AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.1

God’s law commands what is right; and it seems, at first thought, that the laws of men should do the same. It is often said that we must have laws which will enforce the laws of God. Many have the idea that unless the ten commandments were “backed up” by the laws of the land, society would lapse into chaos, and government would go to ruin.AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.2

But as a matter of fact, the law of the land does not enforce the law of God in any case. In the first place, it cannot do so, for the divine law prohibits wicked thoughts as well as wicked acts. It prohibits covetousness as well as murder. It commands love to God and to man. And in the second place, it would be suicidal for the state to attempt to enforce God’s law.AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.3

Why?—Because that law prohibits sin, under the penalty of death. And as all men are sinners, there would remain only the death penalty to be enforced upon all by the state. The state would thus exterminated self.AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.4

There is a large religious party in this country which is laboring to “put God into the Constitution” and incorporate his law into the law of the state. They are trying to get Congress and the legislatures to remodel the Government on this basis; and if they could succeed they would be ready to run the Government on this Christian (as they call it) plan. But where would they begin executing the penalty of violation of God’s law? Would they begin on themselves? or on others? Evidently, they would begin on the dissenters, and would never reach themselves. History tells us it has always been this way in the past, and there is no reason to suppose it would be different now. Of course, it would be bad enough if they should be consistent enough to begin at home; for the purpose of the gospel is to save man from the immediate execution of the penalty for sin that he may have time to repent and accept the substituted sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Enforcement of the law of God by a human government would be a proceeding diametrically opposed to the gospel.AMS August 10, 1899, page 484.5

“Not More Law, But More Liberty” American Sentinel 14, 31, p. 485.

ATJ

“MORE law, more law,” is the cry the comes from the conventions of the religious societies of the land, as they consider the threatening evils in civil government and in society. Prominent among the things that appear most evil in their sight is the growing desecration of Sunday. This impresses them deeply, and they give expression to their feelings on the subject by resolutions calling for more stringent Sunday legislation.AMS August 10, 1899, page 485.1

All this they do as professors of the Christian religion. They do it in the name of Jesus Christ. But is this what Jesus would have them do? Is this the fulfilling of the mission of Christ to the earth? This is a vital question, and should be carefully considered by Christians before taking action as has been taken by these societies.AMS August 10, 1899, page 485.2

Did Jesus Christ come to the world to condemn the world, or to add condemnation to that already upon the world?—No; he expressly declared that he came not to condemn the world, but to save the world. The world is condemned already; it is overwhelmingly condemned by its sin, and unless it can escape from the condemnation, it must perish. The mission of Christ was to provide this way of escape from condemnation, and the mission of Christians is to point the people to this way of escape.AMS August 10, 1899, page 485.3

The law of God condemns the world. Every law condemns the transgressor; and that is all it can do for him. The more law, therefore, the more condemnation. The people of the world are already overwhelmingly condemned by their sin, and now professed Christians want to keep upon all this the condemnation of new laws for observance of the Sabbath. They want new and more stringent legislation, to make the world better! But legislation has no power to save, but only to condemn.AMS August 10, 1899, page 485.4

Jesus Christ came to save the world, but made no effort to secure legislation. He did however give a “new commandment,” and what was it?—“A new commandment I given unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 13:34. This is the only new law that can properly be advocated in the name of Christ.AMS August 10, 1899, page 485.5

In the synagogue at Nazareth Jesus Christ announced his mission to the world in these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and the recovering of sight to the blind; to set at liberty them that are bruised.” The gospel message is a message not of repression, but of liberty. This and this only is the message of Christians to the world to-day.AMS August 10, 1899, page 485.6

“Is He a Methodist President?” American Sentinel 14, 31, p. 486.

ATJ

AT the late meeting of the Epworth League at Indianapolis, the committee on resolutions seriously considered for a while the framing of a resolution demanding of President McKinley the dismissal of Attorney-General Griggs from his cabinet on account of Mr. Griggs’s annulling of the army canteen law by his violent interpretation.AMS August 10, 1899, page 486.1

Such a resolution was not offered; but one of the reasons given by members of the committee as to why it might be offered is of interest. Two members of the committee declared that the convention to “unite in requesting a Methodist President to accede to the wishes of a great Methodist society.”AMS August 10, 1899, page 486.2

It is true, we believe, that President McKinley is a Methodist. But is he a Methodist president? Is he a president of the Methodists?AMS August 10, 1899, page 486.3

Such a suggestion as that shows how ready church members are to take the advantage of the denominational affiliations of a president in crowding upon the government their own will. It illustrates too the danger to the nation, and the evil to themselves, of religionists engaging in politics. The danger to the nation is of a union of church and state, the religious power dominating the civil. The evil to religionists themselves is in their compromising or even abandoning their religious principles and moral standing for political effect.AMS August 10, 1899, page 486.4

Nor was this the only token of the union of church and state, the religious power using the civil for the furtherance of its aims and the executing of its will upon those who are not in any sense under the church’s jurisdiction. The convention adopted the following resolution on the enforcement of Sunday observance:—AMS August 10, 1899, page 486.5

“The encroachments continually made upon the Christian Sabbath by Sunday newspapers, Sunday excursions, and Sunday baseball games and kindred amusements, demand unwearied vigilance by precept, example, and the enactment of the vigorous enforcement of laws on the Sabbath question; we shall continue to oppose the wanton desecration of the Sabbath day.”AMS August 10, 1899, page 486.6

If the Epworth League, the Baptist Young People’s Union, and the Christian Endeavorers, should unite their zeal and their forces, in what they all extol as “good citizenship,” a religious despotism would not be far off. And one great danger is that they will do it, and that soon.AMS August 10, 1899, page 486.7

“Back Page” American Sentinel 14, 31, p. 496.

ATJ

“WE have a law,” was the excuse by which the Pharisees justified themselves in putting Jesus Christ to death.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.1

IT is a bad sign when the clergy get more concerned over the suppression of crime than over the eradication of sin.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.2

UNTIL there can be a law passed which will make the devil cease work on Sunday, it will be well not to have laws making idle hands for him to find employment for on that day.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.3

THE best people in the State are not those who are willing to conform their consciences to the decisions of legislatures, but those with whom conscience is the dictator of conduct under all circumstances.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.4

THAT the Creator did not make man incapable of doing wrong, is conclusive proof that He did not mean that any man should be forced to do right.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.5

JESUS CHRIST did not say to his followers, Tarry ye in the halls of legislation, till ye be endowed with power from the State; but “Tarry ye, ... until ye be endowed with power from on high.”AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.6

A QUIET Sabbath can always be obtained by spending the day in the company of the Lord of the Sabbath. No worldly labor by others will disturb the one who does this.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.7

THE Creator stamped man with His own image, yet this did not save man from falling into the gulf of ruin; yet it is now proposed to save the nation by stamping God’s name on its Constitution.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.8

SINCE the people create the state, it is radically wrong for the state to act as if it were the creator of the people, and the dispenser of their rights.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.9

THE more state religion, the less home religion, is a never-varying rule.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.10

STATE law and religious persecution never settled a religious controversy.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.11

TRUE religion is ever intolerant of false principles, but never intolerant of men.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.12

THE sacredness of a right depends not at all upon the number of people that possess it.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.13

HUMAN law cannot be based upon God’s law, for the divine law is finitely higher than the level of the laws of men.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.14

CIVIL government cannot undertake to compel people to do right without working at cross purposes with the gospel.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.15

CHRISTIANITY has invariably proved a blessing to the savage races of the earth, but mere “civilization” has more often than otherwise proved a curse. The white man’s vices are copied far more readily than his virtues.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.16

THE deep piety and spirituality which may be seen in the religious work of people who derive no aid or support in religion from either the law of the land or popular custom—as for example those who observe the seventh day Sabbath—is proof positive that real piety and spirituality are in no way conserved by such “helps,” and will in no way suffer among the people if these are wholly withdrawn. The more a person leans on the world, the less will he depend on the Lord.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.17

A RIGHTOUS nation cannot be a nation whose righteousness is of the law. For righteousness is not of the law, but of faith.AMS August 10, 1899, page 496.18

August 3, 1899

August 17, 1899