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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmd d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d drolte, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 32 X 1 2 3 4 5 6 e REV. 189T ^ >^^ u and! abbath By th« REV. W. H. JAM5ES0N, Ph.D.» O.D. BLENHEIW, ONT. 189T •.«=.* ywUfeV* ^: ^ •V. \'' ^- - '■■¥ •.'€). ^ V. HE REV. MONTRRAL HE NATION AND THE SABBATH BY REV. W. H. JAMIESON, Ph.D., D.D. TORONTO: WILLIAM BRIGGS, Wesley Buildisos. MONTRBAL : C. W. COATES. Halifax : S. F. HUESTIS. 1897. O mm' J CONTENTS. . PAOB Introduction g Chapter I. The Nation o Chaiter II. The Rise and Progress of the Nation . . . 25 Chapter III. The Nation and the Nation— Inter-Relations . . 41 Chapter IV. The Sabbath gg Chapter V. The Observance of the Sabbath . . . . 71 Chapter VI. The Influence of the Sabbath on the Nation . . 77 Chapter VII. The Right Attituic of the Nation toward the Sab- bath go "Fii corn ir merit c the coi ble. 1 runniri tlie pr back, matter evolve waters shore, ocean's home, Steadi OU8 \vc tions s finishe execut was nc ence di INTRODUCTION. " First the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear." Such was an incidental state - inent of a great law. Everywhere and all along the course of divine operation that law is discerni- ble. A gradual development has been the plan running through the ages. No pause has broken the progress ; no step has been retraced. Far back, " in the beginning," Onniipotence created matter, and through unmeasured ages order was evolved. Every wind that swept over the dark waters, every wave that rippled on the rising shore, every plant that grew to moulder in the ocean's bed, every insect that built its coral home, wrought under the great Architect. Steadily, through advancing stages, the stupend- ous works of nature rose, till her firm founda- tions stood secure and the author looked on a finished world and saw that it was good. The execution of God's purpose to people the earth was not instantaneous. One pair received exist- ence direct from the hand of Deity, and thus 6 Introduction. \i i he stream of liuinan life began. Througl, cen- ur.es the world's population increased and divided mto tribes and nations, and, doubtless, m the distant future every isle shall be inhabited and the waste places of the earth shall be the scenes of busy life. Religion was not instituted at once full and complete. A Saviour was promised ; but, at first, only the din, shadow was given. By rude altars of earth and stone for ages the patriarchs worshipped. Then came the tabernacle with its vessels and sacred rites then the glory of the temple with its solemn service to be succeeded, in time, by the greater glory of the Christian dispensation. On this uniform, progressive plan history has been running its course. In their culture and conquests the nations of the earth, unconscious ot the fact, have been gradually working out the purpose of God. Each, as it rose and flourished and fell, accomplished the design of its existence. Neither wicked men nor ungodly potentates have ever defeated the counsels of infinite wis- dom. He " who hath his way in the whirlwind and m the storm," who "causeth even the wrath of man to praise him." who "doeth according to His will ,n the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth," has been ruling the world and controlling destinies. The couL of Introduction. events, through the ages, has tended steadily up- ward. Prophecy, likewise, may be distinctly traced in the workings out of God's plan. In nature, from the first seaweed up through the ascending scale of vegetable life, from the earliest and simplest animal form up to the latest and most complex, something rudimentary gave promise of a higher development. In velation, from the first hope-inspiring promise, with each suc- cessive prediction, from primitive patriarchal worship up through the higher ceremonial obser- vances, the future was more and still more clearly shadowed. In history the same principle is seen. The thought and civilization of each succeeding age have given token of the future. With the world's progress prophecy has been pointing, with increasing clearness, toward the goal of history. Along the lines indicated, development and prophecy, we propose pursuing our subject — The Nation and the Sabbath. 3 course of T l! ! il,' f It i cuss ( the n{ sider divine earth] this o spect playe< ment. Th( Of al and 1 visibL the in becan THE NATION AND THE SABBATH. CHAPTER I. THE NATION. It is not our intention in this chapter to dis- cuss questions of political science, or to define the nation as commonly understood, but to con- sider its importance in the workings out of the divine purpose, and to arrive at that of which earthly nations are but the prophecy. With this object in view we shall take a brief retro- spect of some of the great powers that have played a prominent part in the world's advance- ment. The Hebrew nation occupies the first place. Of all the kingdoms of the world, in its origin and life the divine purpose is most distinctly visible. In the ages succeeding the flood, with the increase of wickedness again in the earth, it became necessary that God should have a separate 10 1:1 TIte Nation and tlie Sabbath. people among whom thTt^^ih^^i^iTbT^ i served and along whose history reHgion infl 1 be developed He therefore, cLe Ibrl f d ^ cal ed him to leave his country and his kindr«l and promised to make of him a . at natLn' From a single famiW fl.o* i, " """OH- until „n!l r • ^ * "^"^"^ •■""e increased betme . '"' ^^^^""^ """^ discipline, it became a power among the nations. It was han, and to enjoy the advantages peculiar to that people; but the distinctive posi«on of the nation was not always to continue, no "elt .nstituhons to be permanent. As the husk t necessary i„ the early development of f h! such wt^fs ''"V""''"'"''^^ ^° '^^' """"n, as se^e rt ^7 '"^"'""ons, wa« but to serve a purpose and to be the prophecy of « the world was prepared for a more spiritual dis Td:: rthTtsf tt:^ - '-"-^ east o. The di^L-ZCrthTurn:: re7tor"'"'''""^^^-'^--ofGoii: the*"n°J "''?'"''* '" '"''"'•^ ^« S° ba^k beyond the nations to a time when the whole earth waa of one language and of one speech. The coT The Nation. 11 mand of God to Noah and his sons after the flood, was that they should go out and replenish the lands. Their f . niilies multiplied and the people increased, but the command was not obeyed. As they journeyed from the east they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. To prevent their being separated, and as if to defy the Almighty, at the instiga- tion of Nimrod, they set to work to build a city and a tower; but above their perverse will there was a stronger power, and their efforts were vain. God confounded their language and scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. Infinite wisdom directed the course and fixed the destination of each family. Thus, in the will and under the control of God, originated those first nations. They peopled the earth and progressed in the arts of life. Each wrought out a civilization of its own. As the ages passed many of them were lost sight of by history, but the eye of God was upon them. Most of them forgot God, but they were not forgotten by God. Though permitted for a time to walk in their own ways, and apparently left to themselves^ there was a mysterious hand over-ruling and guiding their movements. He who " hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on aU the face of the earth, and hath determined the 12 The Nation and the Sabbath. times before appointed a"i^7u^7b^^ii^^ habitation, that they should seek tr^' ha"' never been unmindful of the hea^ en in u" and : r, tl!"'^ "^'■■""^ '" "•^'^ ?"--*« and we pa.^over ^r^ '^n fr:: to'u"' greatness ru/r'" '"""™^'''' <>' <>» age of advanced Ts «„ T" ''^^'^ "'«. "-t admiration of the learned t r'"?''."'^ providence of Onrl in I,' ^ mysterious lawgiver a,^,,a:L''n ' ^"^' '"'"'' '«->-, contact wi^h tlat elvi r"' ""^ '^~"«'" '"^^ in all the 1 earl'nl ofttt""' ? ""' ^'"'"''^'^ e-e, was «uedtfth!-r,rs;:d't The Nation. 13 laying the foundations of God's own nation. Thus we see God's hand in history. But the day came when Egypt's sun began to decline. The next great form of civilization that rose to prominence was the Assyrian monarchy. In many respects a higher condition of life was reached. In architecture, sculpture and the use- ful arts an excellency was attained hitherto unknown. The world was progressing. Again we see at least a considerable part of the Hebrew people brought in contact with the highest material advancement of their time. The ten tribes were carried away captive into Assyria, from which, as a wliole or in their tribal charac- ter, they never returned, though doubtless many found their way back to Palestine and became absorbed in the Jewish nationality. But another great power was fast rising. On the site of Babel, ages later, stood magnificent Babylon with its massive walls and hundred gates. Under Nebuchadnezzar that power attained to a world-wide dominion. Human ambition and the force of arms had been at work, but the hand of God was in that greatness. In Daniel we learn that the most high God gave Nebuchad- nezzar a kingdom, and maj esty, and glory and honor : and for the majesty that He gave him all people, nations and languages trembled and would he aet „n „ . ''J "''"'' ""'^ "''«"• h" down. l\I "^'.ro "•''°'" ''« -""'d he put to the o::^pr„?;7;"T„'r "H"' least we see the rli J "" '"''"""<' «' Ood chastted His P onl'"'""- ^''~"S'> '^ wickedness. Neblhadn ™ "="°""* °^ ">«'^ remaining two tribe^f .' "'"'"'^ '''^''y ">e «vo to labic-'ir; tt:x'rr- ^ was Ezekiel, who nred,Vt..i 7k captives destruction ^f jXltm Th' T'f''" """ he saw by the river (Vk ^''^'=''«™h™ that ■Israel represented the^ " '^' ^'^ "^ chadne Jar A^yfTT"^ ^"'^ ''^ ^ebu- ment, and above tl. fl '™'"" ^''^ « «™-- throne. andtpl h f^^ZToul t"^^^ °^ ^ the likeness L ih '^"^^« ^^ the throne was given, we are tod watl ""'P"™ '' glory of God. And^hent. """"■'""'' "^ ">^ ehadnezzar actuanvl ^ ""^ <>' '"^^hu- above the[r^S„: "''°" •^'™'«'''^"'' throneof thetSGTtlsir '^'^'^ of the bow that k i„ fi , ^ appearance rain, so wl the 1 "'°'''' '" ^^' ^ay of round ab?ut." nTr" "' ''^ *'"^'"-- God designed the ttV""""^ «'«« symbolized. 'gned the chastisement for good. After The Nation. 15 the restoration of the Jews from Babylon they never again lapsed into idolatry. But suddenly in the reign of Belshazzar the Babylonian empire fell, and the Medo-Persian kingdom succeeded to universal • dominion. Under Cyrus, the first king, the Jewish captives were restored to their own land, and the pro- phecy in reference to their return was fulfilled. We see, then, another of the world's great powers working out the will of God, and executing the plan devised by infinite wisdom. Civilization advanced and widened. The religion of the Persians, though pagan, was superior to the idolatry of Babylon. The heathen world, not entirely in vain, was feeling after God. Two hundred years passed, and the Medo- Persian kingdom tottered and fell, and on its ruins the Grseco- Macedonian empire rose to a world-wide monarchy. Humanity was prepared for a higher civilization. For centuries it had been maturing in Greece, the home of philosophy. The time had come for its diffusion, and a fit agent had appeared. Through the conquests of Alexander Greek culture was spread over all the lands whither he went. Old barriers were broken down, and Greek thought and Greek life circulated freely throughout that vast empire. New cities were built, and became 16 The Nation and the Sahhath. centres of learning and ^^^^^^^^TH^^^^Z^, hitherto confined to n,o k„ j . ureeK trade, ranean fonnT^. ^'^'"'' "^ *« Mediter- Greek ialr» t "'"^ '"'° •'^^''y '"'"d' «"<< the Oreek language hecame familiar to the world -r.^' -- -S" probably out of respect to their religion, a place of residence beyond the Tiber. Thfough thl I • bath. The Nation. 19 lan arnia and God's chosen ans in large i^s might be ir dispersion ;^hen the ten Israel, were Later fol- when from the two re- kingdom of salon beino- ge numbers hither they horn Nebu- ;ed a Baby- m and fled d to live, conquered em, he car- abitants to sir 'I'.-.'Iity ered Wiem ir masters ■ assigned, >n, a place ugh these circumstances, and through commercial enter- prise, at the time of the early supremacy of Rome, Jews had become scatteivd far and wide o^•()r tiie w.ild. Thus the Hebrew religion was brongfit in contact with (;reek cult'iire and Koman civilization. In almost every heathen city, side by side with a pagan temple, rose the Jewish synagogue, where the true God was worshipped. Many of the Gentiles had become proselytes to the Jewish faith, and many more had learned to respect its sacred rites. But Judaism was only a prophecy of something yet to come. Many earnest hearts were longing for a deeper and more spiritual religion. It was at this juncture of Greek and Roman and Hebrew civilization that the greatest events of history transpired. The fulness of time was come and Christ entered into the world, accom- plished His atoning work and established His Church. In the state of the Roman empire at this time we see a negative preparation for Christianity. The world had been prostrated by the force of arms, and the nations lay bleeding and lacerated under a cruel tyranny. Humanity needed con- solation and a balm. We see also a positive preparation. A powerful government held all the lands together, and channels of communica- 20 The Nation and the Sabbath. tion were opened to every country. Thus the means of a speedy dissemination of Christianity were providea. Paul, the great apostle of the Gentiles, a Roman citizen, enjoyed the protection and privileges of Roman law wherever he went on his missionary journeys. The time came however, when Rome assumed a hostile attitude toward the Christian religion. But those days of persecution passed and Christianity triumphed Rome at length became nominally Christian. But the dissolution of that vast empire was drawing near. Rome, unconscious of the divine purpose had held the world together for the propagation ot Christianity. That purpose accomplished, the last world-wide monarchy was broken up From the fall of the Western empire came torth the nations of modern Europe. Whilst let us believe, the truly pious have never grown fewer, yet that widespread Christianity was largely m name and external form. But in that It was a negation of the paganism of preceding ages, and also contained germs of truth, it was the preparation for a deep and extensive spiritual revival, and thus proved a step in the world's advancement. True, errors increased and the growing system of ecclesiastical tyranny became oppressive, but every system of injustice and wrong contains the elements of its own ruin The Nation. 21 The more unjust tliat system the sooner will it work its own destruction The history of the mighty revolutions that have agitated the world is but the history of the rise and fall of those systems, and the bringing about of that day when truth and right shall rule supreme. As the centuries went by the great heart of humanity struggled for religious freedom. It came. In the Protestant Reformation spiritual Christianity burst every restraint and asserted its supremacy. Circumstances had been transpiring which, in the providence of God, prepared the way for the development and dissemination of this great religious movement. The art of printing had furnished a new medium for the diffusion of knowledge. The general use of the magnetic compass had given invaluable aid to navigation. The discovery of a new world had opened a home for millions on a free soil. Though the Protestant Reformation broke out in Germany, it spread and was felt more or less by all the nations of Europe. Britain, how- ever, was destined to be the centre from which the most permanent and wide-spread influences were to emanate. True, the Reformation in England was slow, and lacked at first the deep spirituality that was so distinguishing a feature of the movement in some of the other lands ; yet 22 The Nation and the Sabbath. Protestantism, after varvino- fovf„», u from the Continent deepened he" t^^^^^ greater reform in England. Bnt e^tn Protest ant.sm becan.e intolerant. The attemnf 7 -force unifonnity of worship le to " Z t f ef S'lr"'"; "f '^"'"^ ^"^ conscience ke on the virgin soil f^l'v^Cl^r olW.d and increased the nnmt The td ol God was in that movement WK -te the M„ence for .rd^f thi at^^lt ar;i;;rd't;Ter--^''"^''^*-°^^^"' return the P f T """" '">"°" ? B«t to thofi f I««for.nat,on in Scotland was from the first. n,ore startling and thorough 'm a ^We\J CroTsMllcT ^^'■■™°'^ ^" "-ir families to s^ek? "^Trr",' bringing with them their indu We in! " ' The Nation. 23 forced from year to year to seek homes in foreign lands. They have gone forth from the midst of Christian institutions and Christian influences to carry with them tlie Gospel. Thus Christian civilization has been spread over this broad American continent. One nation has become two. They have gone to Africa, to India, and to the Islands of the sea. Through migratory movement, by missionary effort, and on the wings of commerce the truth is being carried into every land. These great English-speaking powers are being used by God, as no other nations are, for the evangelization of the world. Looking abroad on the progress of to-day we see a civilization in advance of that of any pre- ceding age. The wheels of time have not revolved in vain. In the present, too, we see a prophecy of the future. Indications are point- ing to another universal kingdom. That power has been growing and extending. It is not of this world, and yet it shall rule the nations. It is a kingdom of righteousness and peace. Earthly powers are receding from prominence, and this kingdom is coming more distinctly in view. It is the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Already we have in the Christian spirit of the age, a prophecy that confirms in its widest sense the prediction of the ancient seer : " He shall 'J 24 The Nation and the Sabbath. have dominion from sea to^^T^iiTw^ serv" ht^..''T ^''^"'•V*'™^ -" -tions shall felt Z- ? °°^ "'^ ^^""<^ ^-g° i« being ltarni„„ hT P'"=' ^'* ^''"'' "t^er art s«ord but upon the implements of industrv upon fnendly relations and mutual interern^e' We are hvng i„ the deepening dawn of tlS day when "nation shall not lift up"] agamst nat.on. neither shall they learn'var any more^^ Disbanded armies shall then " beat their swords mto ploughshares, and their spears into prumng-hooks." and turn their attentfon " 1 arte of peace. Then shall the earth yield her ~e and the nations shall be confederated m Chnsfan love. But this kingdou. on earth in >ts highest glory, shall be bu^ the prophecy' of something higher. Human history shalruT Its coni^e, the nations shall cease to be time shall end; but Christ shall reign for ever and ever. " and of his kingdom thereVhall be no end " From every age, out of every kindred, and people and nation and tongue, separated from the dis-' obedient and lawless, the redeemed shall be gath- ered home, a countless multitude. This shall be nItMN ''™^'""^'' *''' ^"""^ "^ history-THE Rise and Progress of the Natiofi. 25 CHAPTER II. THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE NA TION. When Christ stood before the high priest and was asked if He were the Son of God, He re- pHed : " I am ; and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven." In that reply there was evidently an allusion to the vision recorded in the seventh chapter of Daniel. The prophet saw four beasts coming up in succession out of the sea, after which he saw one like unto a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. The four beasts, so miimtely described, represented the four great powers that w^ere in turn to exercise universal dominion. Their rising out of the sea indicated that they were to be of this world, or earthly powers. They were the same as were represented in Nebuchadnezzar's image, viz., the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the GrtBCO-Macedonian and the Roman. The fifth was, likewise, to exercise a universal dominion ; but the fact that it was represented as coming from above meant its heavenly origin. 26 The Nation and tlu Sabbath. it w^to ar„oe„; \f"""" '^'r^-'''"^ reDresent.7 at u , ""'''•'^^Ponded to that represented in Nebuchadnezzar's vision bv a S Ton! It .'^°""""" "'•'' ^- to be £o^p;th\„:t;:.°^;-::et.!:^:; rni;:r::iir,f^or^;s- recorded by the Evangelists. He eaufd 'Se" cause h! f r"" "^ """"^<^ "^ «"« b " cause He had come to obtain a kingdom th» John the forerunner of Christ, spoke of the SeTthatt-"^; "' '^^"'- ^'>''^t I^™ i*: n:;?'''TKcTt.!:tV^r^^ r.^ ^ • -liie ract that One like unto a ^on thT V- T ''S'"«»nt of the way in which emblem of mystery. That same mysterion, ong,n was .ndicated in Nebuchadnezza^ • Z by tlie fact that the stone was cut out JT mountain ■■^Ukout hands." Tl>e even w Lf take place within the lifetime o h 1 L^t on contemporary with Christ " Tl. ^eneiation them that stand here " sa d H. " ''^' '^ ^ "ere, said He, on one occasion, n Rise and Progress of the Nation. 27 " which shall in no wise taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." And to the high priest : " Thou shalt see the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven." That high priest before whom Christ uttered tlie prediction lived to see its fulfilment. Christ's coming was, from time to time, in every great movement that signalized the progress of His cause ; but His coming on the day of Pentecost was the event that marked the first appearance of the Christian Church as a distinct power in the world. On that day the high priest, in accordance with the prediction of Christ, saw the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. Before his very eyes, in Jerusalem, that kingdom then took definite form, though he knew not the manner. From the time of its supernatural origin, on through the remainder of the world's history, this movement was destined to increase, attain- ing, at length, to immense proportions. Such was the course pointed out in prophecy. The stone cut out of the mountain without hands was to grow until it would fill the whole earth. Christ, especially in the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven, taught the progressive character of the kingdom and its ultimate great- ness. John, late in life, after the rest of the 28 The Nation and the Sabbath. « o fe l„ul pa.s,,od away, witnessing its intens, Vi al.ty and its expansive power in fhe ,„,dst o b.tto.-e.st opposition, and loolcing down hltt l.e v.sta of tl,e future, saw tht time when th k.n«don.s of this world would beeon.e ^ eli '! dom of our Lord and of His Christ A,., le j,lance at the history of Christianity and at the present state of social and politiea l.te w,|l reveal to wh.t extent, thus f^ ! outline has been Hlled in. ' A new force entered the world on that in ausurafaon day of the Church. Those tJd cates of the doctnnes of Christ. The comDanv o ^l..sc.p es felt the pulsations of a ZTiJe ncic.tscd. Persecution at Jerusalem scattered e disc ,es abroad, onlyto fonn the nule To other Christian communities. At Ca^sarea, the ^cl the Church began to recognize the fact haniaua for the last time, He sent out amoL i t:"r'tirfr7 *"^ ^^'^^''*>' - -" ,uists, vu., that the Gospel was for all people rurniug to the tenth chapter of Genesis weld that, leavmg out Peleg, the progenitor of the Rise and Progress of tJie Nation. 29 Hebrew race, we have seventy names represent- ing the families of the sons of Noah, Then fol- lows the statement : " Of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood." The coui- nion notion among the Jews, therefore, that seventy represented the nations of the world apart from themselves, rested upon a solid foundation. Thus, while Christ was mindful of the lost sheep of the House of Israel, to whom the twelve were sent, He was not for- getful of the Gentiles also. This symbolic act was in harmony with that utterance : " Other sheep I have which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock, one shepherd." In connection with the conversion of Cornelius and the Gentile Pentecost at Caes- area, the Church came to understand that God's purposes were not confined to the Jewish na- tionality. Soon after the Gospel was freely spoken to the Greeks at Antioch, and later Paul and Barnabas were separated, ordained, and sent far away to the Gentiles. The Church had fairly started on its world-wide mission. At the close of the age of the apostles the Word had been preached throughout Palestine, in Syria, in Asia Minor, in Macedonia and Greece, and in the great capital of the Roman empire ; 30 ii The Nation and the Sabbath. and Christian communities liad been established ior centuries onward, the history of tlie Churcli' was hir^fely the history of lioresies and creed- '"7 °! ?"''"""« '"leration and persecution and of faithful living on the part of the pious' Vet heso were centuries of progress. Notwith- standing opposition and every form of torcure that human ingenuity could invent, Christians >n the true sen.se, multiplied. It was this in- crease in numbers, in spiritual strength and deep conviction, that enableil the Church to rise in the Protestant Reformation like a mighty R.ant and shake off the fetters that had been torged to bind the conscience of men With greater freedom of thought, with a growing ^.rit of investigation, with a return to the Word of God as the final court of appeal, and te more general dissemination, with the increas- mg diffusion of light, outward circumstances were thenceforward more favorable to the growth of the Church, and its progress wal correspondingly great. The last three centuries have witnessed an advance, both in the spread of Christianity and in the effects of its uplifting power, truly marvellous. The Christian civili zation o to-day with its homes for the unfoi- tuna e, its orphanages, assylums. hospitals, and Its almost numberiess institutions of charity Rise and Progress of the Nation. 31 in the in the in the in the in the in the bears testimony to the amelioratinf]f power of the Gospel, and to the fact that Christ's king- dom is coming. A few facts here, compiled by Sharon Turner, the great English historian : In the first century 500,000 Christians; second century, 2,000,000 Christians; fourth century, 10,000,000 Christians; sixth century, 20,000,000 Christians; eight century, 30,000,000 Christians; tenth century, 50,000,000 Christians; twelfth century, 80,000,000 Christians; in the fourteenth century, 100,000,000 Christians; in the sixteentii century, 125,000,000 Christians; in the eighteenth century, 200,000,000 Chris- tians ; while it is the usual computation that there will be, when the record of the nine- teenth century is made up, at least 400,000,000 Christians. And now we take our stand with John on Patmos, and, in the light of Revelation, we look out again into the future, remembering how far nineteen centuries of history have explained and confirmed those visions. Directing his eye for- ward, he beheld the terrible struggle between the powers of light .and darkness — saw the red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, which we recognize as pagan Rome, making war with the seed of the Church which kept ^ ^'''« JVa/wtt and the Snbhath. the con,„mn,l.,u,,t» of OocI, an.1 heW~th7te^ ...ony ot Jem,H Cl,ri«t Ajjain ),c saw a b«.st rise „p „ut of the nea, having seven l.ea.ls and ten horns anil upon his horns ten crowns, an.l upon Ins heads the name of Blasphemy. In this beast we recognize I'apal Kom,.. An,l the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great autlonty. The spirit of pagan Rome was transmitted to Papal Ro„,e, and with the »me cruel, bloodthirsty tyranny, that terrible power tortured and kille.l the saints of God. But John beheU, farther on in time, the first overthrow of that system under the figure of Babylon fallen and saw plague after plague fall and .smite with' increasing humiliation. We can hardly fail iu the ight of Wstory, to see here pictured Z ertects of the Protestant Reformation and the subsequent reverses that Rome suffered in the disasters experienced by sea and land, and the revolt of nation after nation from Papal control Ihe great capital had lost its power, and John again saw that .system in its weakened state under the figure of a woman drunken with the blood ot samts and the blood of martyi-s. seated on a scarlet-colored beast, full of the names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns We cannot fail to recognize identity under altered circumstances. On her forehead was a Rise ami Progress of the Nation, 33 name writton MYSTP:RY, P>ABYL0N THE (JREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. The woman was Babylon, and Baby- lon was the beast; for all three were different aspects of the one frroat system. With her the kings of the earth committed fornication. Papal Rome has ever been ready to prostitute her spiritual functions and to enter into unholy alli- ances with earthly potentates in order to further her aml)itious projects. But John saw her end. The ten horns, representing the nations, turned to hate her, and they accomplished her destruc- tion. These ten horns corresponded to the toes on Nebuchadnezzar's image. They were the nations into wdiich the Roman empire was broken up. They were the same as the horns which Daniel saw in his vision, and which were explained to him as ten kings, which meant ten kingdoms ruled by ten kings. This was indi- cated in the figure of the beast by the fact that the ten horns had on them ten crowns. The ever-recurring tendency in the European nations to the decimal number has been noted by many distinguished historians, and we in this Western world are, in our origin and in our social and commercial relations, but a part of the same great family of nations. It was these that supported her 3 34 The Nation and the Sabbath, and that once acknowledged her authority ; and when her temporal power was gone, they still drank of the wine of her fornication and paid deference to the woman on the seven hills of Rome ; and when these shall have become tired of Papal dictation, and shall turn and hate the system, then her end shall come and her funeral dirge shall be sung. John was not left ignorant of the potent cause of the passing away of that great system. Before the fall of Babylon he saw an angel flying in mid-heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. It was the Word of Truth that led men's thoughts to Christ, and that revealed the hollowness of priestly pretensions. That Word was studied by many an earnest enquirer, and taught by many a reformer before the Reformation. In the theo- logical chair and in the pulpit, here and there, men of deep conviction taught the Truth as opposed to the dogmas of the Church, and many sealed with their blood their devotion to the Scriptures. Thus time went by and spiritual desire was deepened. It was an eventful day in the life of Luther when he chanced to find in the library at Erfort a copy of the Latin Bible. That day was only less important than the day Rise and Progress of the Nation. 35 ity; and hey still and paid hills of me tired hate the ' funeral Ignorant of that ylon he ^ing the sm that on, and rvas the ) Christ, priestly y many nany a le theo- 1 there, uth as i many to the 3iritual ul day find in I Bible, he day when, fully grasping that truth, " The just shall live by faith," he entered into the liberty of a liigher life. Luther, fired by the Spirit, proved to be but the spark that touched off" the train tliat had been laid by thousands of earnest men before him, It was the Truth of God, it was the Everlasting Gospel that overthrew the citadel. But John was favored with a fuller revela- tion. After the song of triumph over the deso- lation of Babylon and the destruction of the harlot, he was permitted to see more clearly the mighty force that had been gradually gaining the victory over error, until final conquest was attained. The heaven was opened and he saw One riding forth on a white horse, the emblem of victory. His eyes were a flame of fire, and on His head were many diadems. He was arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood. He was called Faithful and True, and his name was called The Word of God. And He had on His garment and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. This was the crucified but exalted Saviour. And there followed Him on white horses, for they, too, were victors, the armies of heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and pure. These were the saints who had manifested the truth in their lives, and many of whom had been 36 The Nation and the Sabbath. \^wm martyred for the Word. In that conquering host there was but one weapon of attack, and that weapon was with the Leader, not in His hands but proceeding out of His mouth, a sharp sword— the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God— that with it He should smite the nations, not in violence, but with gentle, pervasive, illu- minating power. This it was that shall yet cause the ten horns to hate that terrible system of iniquity. But the range of John's vision extended wider and farther still. He saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and which had not wor- shipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands ; i.e., he saw the principles for which they contended, and for which they died, gain the ascendancy. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years — a definite for an indefinite period ; or, taking the scale that seems to be the one adopted in Revelation, a day for a year, three hundred and sixty-five thousand years. We may be living only in the beginnings of history, in the grey dawn of the world's day. John, in the transport of his vision, exclaimed, " Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resur- yt Rise and Progress of the Nation. 37 rectlon: on such tlie second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." What is this first resurrection ? It is conversion, a resurrection from the death of sin to a life of righteousness. It is such as have part in this resurrection, and only such, that are blessed and holy. Such are they on whom the second death hath no power, and who shall be priests of God and of Christ. These are they that shall reign with Him. That reign began when Christ established His kingdom in the world. He dominated the hearts of His disciples and all who came under the Spirit's power on the day of Pentecost, and through their lives, as they went forth, that reign extended over other individual lives with ever-widening influence. Days of persecution came, as we have already seen, and the powers of darkness were arrayed against the Truth. It was this period, in the history of the Church, long and dreary, that was represented by the vision when John saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held. The figure was that of the altar of burnt-offering in the inner court of the temple. The blood of the victims that were laid thereon was poured at m 38 T/te Natio7i and the Sabbath. I- the foot of the altar, and was carried off through an underground passage beneith the temple hill. That blood represented the life, and it was as though the lives of the victims lay under the altar. And so in those times of persecution it seemed as though the martyrs had been sacrificed and their souls from beneath the altar called for vengeance. But John saw the prin- ciples for which they suffered prevail, and thus they lived and reigned with Christ on the earth. That religion couldn't be crushed. Through the lives of its professors it gradually won respect. Many an executioner at his bloody work, wit- nessing the faith and constancy of those who died for the truth, threw down his instrument of death and confessed himself a convert to Christianity. More and more that religion moulded public sentiment and influenced public morals. It permeated society until nation after nation became, at least nominally, Christian. True the Church, so-called, afterward, inspired with the same hatred, martyred those who held the Truth; but it was the work of a false system that knew not the Spirit of Christ, and that time is past. No sect or nation to-day dare put to death for religious convictions. Quickly that power would be summoned before the bar of nations, and would be blotted out of existence. Rise and Progress of the Nation. 30 through temple , and it ly under secution id been he altar le prin- nd thus le earth, ugh the respect. rk, wit- >se who irument vert to religion I public m after iristian. nspired ho held system id that ire put ly that bar of istence. i The principles for which the martyrs died have triumphed, and we live in the deepening reign of the Prince of Peace. The great nations of the earth are Christian. They control the world's commerce and possess, to a great extent, its wealth. Through those nations the Truth is bearing rule. Every legislative body, every court of justice, every officer of State in all those great powers is sworn in on a Christian oath. Public opinion and public morals have reached a higher plain than in any past period of the world's history. The idea of good citizen- ship an(' purity in political life is taking hold on the minds of men as it never did before. Simultaneous with the reign of Christ was the binding of Satan. John saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bot- tomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent which is the devil and Satan, and boi\ d him, a thousand years — the same long duration through which the saints were to reign with Christ. The angel represented the going forth of the Gospel on its great mission, the chain the moral forces and civil restraints by which Satan was to be held in check. By quickening the moral sensibilities and presenting the true standard of ethics, the Gospel gradually formed public sen- n I ri ! t ^ .1!" ^"''"^ ""d the Sabbath. timent adverse to the lawlessn^s^^r&^i^ir~B^ every successive legal enactment against vice and violence, the chain that bound him was strengthened, until to-day in Christian lands his power is vastly restricted. And now as we look back, we see the bow in the storm-clouds of the past, and from our pres- ent standpoint we are prepared for an outlook into the future. The progress that history has revealed is a prophecy, and joins with the pro- phecy of Scripture in giving the as.surance that Chnsts reign shall continue to deepen, and that Satan shall be yet more securely bound Already we see a radiancy beaming from the eternal throne, and everywhere we read the meaning of that first Christmas carol- "On earth peace among men." The happy years gl.de by, genemtions come and go until the scene dissolves; and, lo, the full consummation of God s plan ! A new heaven and a new earth appear wherem dwelleth righteousness, and the great capital, the new Jerusalem, with the throne of God and of the Lamb And the nations of them which are saved shall wl do blf tt ''; """' "'^ '^'"^^ -' *>>« «-th Christ shall reign for ever and ever. Inter-Relaiions. 41 tan. By inst vice bim was an lands e bow in )ur pres- outlook tory has the pro- nce that en, and bound, 'om the 3ad the 1: "On '^ years itil the imation N earth nd the bh the id the I walk s earth t, and CHAPTER III. THE NATION AND THE NATION— INTER-RELA TIONS. " Man," said Aristotle, "is by nature a political being." If this be true, in his very constitution we read something of the divine plan in refer- ence to citizenship. 'The tendency to political life early manifested itself in the formation of those first nations, and later, wherever in the providence of God any considerable number of the race has been thrown together in a place of permanent set- tlement, apart from old forms of government, this tendency has manifested itself in the origin and development of a new nation. Nor is this inclination to organization something peculiar to human beings. It is a phenomenon appear- ing in many of the lower orders of life ; and, if we can trurt the permanency of habit in inferior animals, long before man's advent there were adumbrations of a state of things that at some time would reach perfection. There ex- isted what might be designated formM of gov- ernment. Various kinds, for convenience or 14 I i ,.J ne Nation and the Sabbath. mutual (lefenop \\^r^A~' \ " beaver. Certain »n„„- !.. ^'"ages, as the were the L ,eT» ^t h M '"■''^' '' "^^'^ '""''t^ eration, and decided ^ /^ '"^""''"^■^ ^"'^ ''^"b- others, in theh teal ^.t'":""''' "''«='-": flocks, obedient to a Lcd^::'°"'' T''' ™ system and precision „f "■' ""'' ^''h a passed by the n^ " / .'"•'•'"'^«'»«"t "nsur- found inte«st:nV :bil"o? ?!, ""^ "■'«"' "« 'i- In an caslst^J^retrtd ?"^''"^ instmet that guided T„ ,, ""™ *» it was and uniform, b'ut unprogres^t" ' N^r ^'""« nor experience ever entered a," f ^ ^'" '■""°" results were varied nrT , '^'°'" ^^ '^h'-'h it ™ght be eanrin^i^l'X^'orr-' T' order; yet, supplemented by'^eZ a^'/.-'^'^^f by experience, diversitv k/ "^ directed gress haa ma^kedTh ^ ^PP"*'"''''' ""^ P^o- under diCnf ittlstr'^^''^^^- t'-' the political inst^nctT . *"'' conditions, varied forms of Sverinr /''^r'"" '" in the course of S ^^1 "^ ^^ """^n, character distinc ifv v ^' ^ ^""^"^^ out a discipline, even i 7tf ' T"' ^"' P^'itic"' but a pr^pC; J';^^ -r* 'Advanced state, is *ionfor,iti.LM;L^^xs:x':^cp- Inter- Relations. 43 But if man is by nature a political being, it is no less true that he is a religious being ; and in this fact lies the condition for the exercise of his political functions. Every nation has had its foundations laid deep in a religious faith, A nation built on infidel principles is a spectacle the world has never witnessed. There would be nothing sacred — no oath to bind its members together or to insure fidelity on the part of its officials, no obligations by which its judicatory would be bound to dispense even-handed justice, no standard of right. Infidels may live in a nation, but they are not the stuff that a nation is made of. France tried twice to substitute infidelity for a religious faith, and each time the attempt ended in a reign of terror. The lowest form of pagan worship that rendered an oath binding and a nation possible is preferable to infidelity; and as that religion was a feeling after God, so the nearer the search came to God the higher that religion lifted the nation whose foundations were imbedded in it ; and as Christianity is the noblest and purest faith that the world has ever seen, so the Christian nations of to-day are the most advanced among the nations of the earth ; and as that religion more and more deeply permeates the life of men, this advancement shall continue. But not until the 44 I!!i^^>'^«nd tl,e Sabbath. \. new heaven and the x^^^^x, great nation of the r6de,.,„?i P^*'""' ""'' ">« ,"°' »"til then «hal pi:,','; f ""^-^ home. .YV-urity and pe,| ^ £ ^^'^!" ■" «''- "deal toward wliich thp n i*- ' ^^^ »™"d '''ong been point^W the fin '"i '"^"™' ^as all 'J'he realLtion "„ iS;"" f r"'"^''^' purpose on tlie part ,.r • , '^ conscious founders of a nation !' 7'<""">' "^ the early -oberof the b r pomie";?" "' ■^"' "^ ^-^ each must concede the 1 . '■«speeted, and this end la,vs at^^L'necTr/' "'^ "" '•«^'- To -P'- of justice, a d ev" t ci ir '"'^ '"^ P""' submit to those laws Mf '" " '^'^""''^^ ^ which every ,„emh„..' • '" " community in expressed i.^ Wis'tl^ f^f"'''' ''^ "'^O* - liberty ' ""* '"ghest state of civil tate, regardless of tie w^' ^ °''- 'T''"' ""^ '^'<=- K «uch were liberty Th ''^:"'«'e»' °f othe.^, -"id be found a,no^, tri^s^^' ""'*"«=« 0"t law, order, or resta.nr / "^"^ "'"h" ■"deed such a state oth ""^ '''"d, if But so far from liberty e.^^' "^'^^ '^'^ exist, •^f his own p J onf td ?"" "'^ ^'^^ «'-« fear to every oth" "Thffi'^r'r *''~"«'' ifte first step toward Inter- Relations. 45 liberty would be the enactment of laws in obedience to which each would be required to give up something of his own lawlessness for the general good. Thus, step by step hai-mony would be brought out of confusion, clashing interests would cease, safety to person and pro- perty would be secured, habits of self-restraint would be formed, until, in short, civil liberty would be the experience of all. The way to liberty, then, is through self-limitation in obedi- ence to law ; i.e., each must lose his life in order to find it. True, the case supposed is only imaginary. No such horde was ever known. The political instinct in man is too strong ever to have per- mitted its existence. Nor is the supposed pro- gress toward order tlje course in which a nation comes into existence. As every nation was designed to serve the purpose of God, so it has had its origin in some providental circumstance, and from the very commencement the political instinct, combined with a religious faith, was at work to prevent lawlessness and to secure and preserve liberty. And as light and intelligence increased the laws came more and more to be the embodiment of justice, and the object came more and more fully to be realized. Most of the citizens are born within the nation, inherit- 46 The Nation and the Sahbalh. "'« " t<=n'lency which is tht^T^^^i^^TZTT of obedience almost ,v,ou"h '''™* "'' *" " "'° -lf-lin,itation. ancf ril^; rr"r""' ">"' >;^ieh i. right, the Mk. h b^u! ""L '? c.y.I liberty point, toward liberty in a , • f »P'.»e; i.., i„ the kingdon, of CWs" J^f '" '.eartald'r!;Sn:rir"^*''« conformity to the divinf will f "\'."'° must be born into th„ l T "''^ ^y**"' nature, whid,, hted :1:^:T ""'"."^ * -- law a delieht In th ! "' '""''''' ^o^''" ofchri/::ertit:rr3h'::\t^-;^^ liberty," But th»t IK * P^*<^' '"'^ of this life. The noblest Ph'' T- "T """P''^ '" without some w» ''"" "^''""'''^ '^ "»' nature tZZ::^"' ZZTl', ^^ '"T °"' and yet that liberty in i ! n! '''''"''^' a prophecy of th ^;:te le'S? "^ ''T' '' shall haye reached the ptce : ' "r "•'? ""^ just men made perfect" tL •""*' "* shall haye ceased^nd he ZtZ """^ "°"'"<" Ji-est sense, what it is t: £ Lt "' '" "^ ^'^'- Inter-Relations. 47 Tlie highe-st statu of liberty enjoyed by man on earth was in Eden, when, capable of perfect obedience, he lived free to obey or dJHobey. By Hin he lost his freedom to that which was right, and became the slave of evil. From a law- abiding state he fell to a state of lawlessness. The work of sin has ever been to destroy law, order, harmony. Lawlessness and sin are iden- tical, and mean b(mdage. Amid the ruins of the fall, had the Spirit of God never reached him, man must forever have remained an abject slave ; but through the eternal provision of an atonement a portion of the Spirit is given to every man, constituting liim a religious being. And, as religion lies at * ' lo nidations of the civil structure, the nation owes its very exist- ence to Christ, whether it acknowledge Him or whether it be pagan. Only thus could civil liberty become a i)ossibility ; so that in a lower sense, as well as in the higher and strictly spiritual meaning, Christ's v/ork may be de- scribed as the preaching of deliverance to the captive and the opening of prison doors to them that are bound. Religion was instituted to re- store law, order, harmony; in short, to give liberty. Civil liberty is its gift ; it offers spirit- ual liberty ; and, in the great hereafter, when its work shall hq,ve been fully accomplished— 48 l,j :?: The Nation and the Sabbath. mmm monyahall be forever established ^^ '"' '""- r*^ e J -J '^^to^'^'^. toward, the same (^nt^ purpose to servs Tu eternal lined «7 r 7 J ' P""'*'™ ">'*' be are or- stands in ti.Xlafof"Gor"°"- ^'''' ""''- tice and a dispTnser oS " ThTT" "V"^" in the life nf tl,. .• ^ ^"® •'■t'^^n 'ives glory are his i ;r' ^'^ "^ '"^'°^^ »" ''« S ory are his. In the discharge of its loftv functions it calls for loyalty even t! the ? duly of laying down iffe i^„' rde^el T ..eulation nair^^^^^^^^^ Civil liberty was designed, it would seem to i andT'r'r' '" *•>« P-»-- f- -th ^J^ or tne tar-off future. Thronn-li f>,^ ages of human history up till th. cZ 7 comparatively few retainpH 1 ^hristian era y lew retained a correct knowledge Inter- Relations. 49 )ught out * attained like God and har- ual, is a e source, ■me end. institu- eternal are or- ienee is nation ' of jus- Jn lives and its 3 lofty sacred This ation's lential 3m, to m the erfect b the n era ledge of God and of true worship. Yet man never ceased to be a religious being. Thus through the darkest ages of paganism a religious faith supplied the essential condition of national life, and civil liberty was at least partially realized. We have seen that the nations, under a divine, over-ruling power, with ever- increasing light, wrought out higher forms of civilization, until the fulness of time was come. Already a degree of progress was made toward the perfect liberty that shall mark the consummation of all things. We have seen, too, how, since the advent of Christ and the establishment of the Church, God has used the nations to scatter the Truth and extend the Christian religion. With the increas- ing intercourse that characterizes modem civili- zation the people of the earth shall yet hear the Gospel, and civil liberty shall give protection in every government under heaven to those who worship God in Christ. Moreover, civil liberty, in its higher forms, is more than a step in the restoration of law, order, harmony. It is a pre- paration for a greater advance toward perfect liberty, inasmuch as the citizen, accustomed to self-restraint, more readily accepts the greater restrictions of Christianity, and, when he enters the kingdom, more fully conforms to its higher requirements than do those of a rude and more so The Nation and the Sabbath. barbarous state. And, ^ the citizen of Christ's tt rthltfn r f "^ °" ^'"""'' "« -« '«d to H.thorto we have dwelt for the most p.rt on « e relation of the nations to the kin^d^m of amst. and how they were used either toVrepart the way for or to advance that kingdom T! on them. ^ ^ '""'' ™*' ''« '"""-^nce When Christianity appeared i„ the worU separate and distinct u °™' temple looked forward He ' t'™""'" '"''^ "f.which the lawTad 'aidr'netrr "b.-ect that prophets foretold. in^Hr^S Inter-Relations. Christ's •erfected e led to lesigned earthly I on the part on (lorn of )repare . Let Chris- iuence world, } thing t^elop- ed at b had entre bions. irchs ding thed and ance the )oth 61 united and were"7ulfin;^];:;~^T^ pine, simple and spiritual. uted Christ has been the light of the world, and sliall be until the darkness shall have utierly vanished and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the glory of God. Never was the world so dark as just before that first promise was given. That was the earliest streak of daybreak in th- world's night. It is a mistake to think t > lere was suddenly a bright morn- ing, and 1 ..t the greater part of the race after- ward went back into spiritual night to emerge again into the light in the far-off ages of tfe future. Rather from that first streak the dawn grew The light of Revelation was yet dim and how little may have entered the mind of that first pair we can hardly know. In connec- tion with two of their children, we have the earliest recorded act of true worship and the first recorded act of false worship. The night still lay dark on the mind of Cain, while, of the many children of Adam, no mention is made of any that were true worshippers, save Abel, who died by the hand of his brother, until Seth came We have no good reason to believe that up till the time of the flood the number of the righteous was at any time greater than the eight who survived the destruction of the children of 52 The Nation and the Sabbath. called out of the n,idst ofidllal tJT T hi.. anVrSrttrfr ^r r ""r that many others ont„Vl. T »u ,. """^ ^^ descendant e^^ed he hvL "^'^ ''°*' '^"^ true God As fj,! f ^ """^ '^"«'' ">e touched the na« ' Wtrror""^! ''"'^ a faint knowledge of ZtZ^.^'^^T^ after the true and i'^.S^^ZtZ """=' ; u- - -^ ^^^^ "^^ conviction thflf PI Q*^ m h.s travels, gained some knowledt of th sacred writino-s nr,H *i. » _ """"«age ot the loftiest thought Is theto r '"'"''"' ^'^ as thought rose towi;^ Progressed, and ofGod'canTe r^reXTcr'r"^""" uplifting power and tharw '* ''^ ">« world f-His;r rental trr^! Inter- Relations, 53 ment of His own kingdom ? And when those events passed into history and the Gospel was preached far and wide, the progress became more marked. We have only to compare the world of to-day with the world as it was at the commencement of the first century, to see what Christianity has done for the nations. Materi- ally, socially and morally it has lifted them higher. Its principles have found embodiment to some extent at least, in the laws that govern them. Civil liberty means more to-day than it did then, because it has approached nearer to the Christian ideal. What do the past and present augur but a still greater advancement, and a future in har- mony with the prophesies of Scripture ? With the spirit of Christ's Kingdom still further pervading humanity, there shall come with ever- increasing measure the righteousness which exalteth a nation. Yea, " men shall be blessed in Him, and all nations shall call Him blessed." As the kingdoms of this world are gradually lifted up into the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, its peaceful nature shall more and more possess them. They shall need no armed defence. To them salvation shall be for walls and bulwarks. The millions spent in munitions of war shall be turned into the channels of com- merce, and wasted energies to productive labor. 54 i^^f_^^^ '>nd the Sabbath. burden of toil t^alf 1, r'T"'^'"^'" ""d the the people ' "^'"'"'"^ '''^^ «hall rule the ase8 is come tT * 7'«"<'"«Htion of all i-^ -eW, Twa Jlr tK t''"^ ^^^"' moved." The ereaf n^f ^''*''^ '""'""■tion number. The nolitin„l !■ "° """" ™n faith are forevef tn 1 , """' ™'^ "><> P^'-^^t perfected cifen ThA'".-""''' ^^^^^'^^ "nd and spiritu!r,iherf^hff ■"<=«- ""^'"^^ -'" one. Freedom nt ^ / ""'"^ '""^ they are of ever;t:,'^lr*: ™ '^ '"^. "^"^'^"^ "nothing that dehS ri"!^ a "^'- "r ' or maketh a lie." Blessed Hb rty' " aT'."! ""' Aall be no more sorrow nor • '^"'' the.-e shall there be «n„ „ "''■'""» neither reit DC anymore pain" "ill t «"ped away, and there shaH L ""'' "'•' "They shall hungerno mo!> .'! "^'■' <^'^''">-" '"ore ,. neither shtll the sun ill' 'T !^' ^^^ more, nor anv hpot t- ., ^ on them any the midst of t^ ;, "'^ ^'^"'^ "hich is in shall lal them*tt 1™"' f" '^^'^ *''-'■ -^ And Christ ZX^'^^^"^^ ^^ -ters." The Sabbath. 65 rn in the ' and the In every ister the hall rule »e weary on of all ^e event creation age and lan can ' purest led and Bn civil ley are erience «sness, fiation, I there leither fs are eath." it any [1 any is in . and ters." CHAPTER IV. THE SABBATH, Whilst from age to age prophecy has marked the divine course in nature and in the world's civilization and progress, the principle appears most prominent in the Hebrew nation. The greater number of its institutions had almost exclusive reference to the future. Out of the many prophetic observances we select for consid- eration one that had its origin prior to the exist- ence of that nation, and was designed for all nations and all time— The Sabbath. Sabbath (njir') is a Hebrew word, untrans- lated ; the English equivalent is rest Wherever, therefore, the former occurs, the latter may be correctly substituted. The term was applied to the day set apart by God to be kept sacred. We are now to enquire into the institution and design of the Sabbath. Was it established in Eden, and was it intended primarily to com- memorate the finished work of creation ? There are portions of Scripture that may seem to favor this view. We notice Gen. ii. 2, 3 : " And on the se '( J T/u Nation and the Sabbath. \{i seventh day God ended his work which he had made And God blessed the seventh day and .a„ct.hed ,t: because that in it he had Lt"d from all h,s works which God created and made." JZ^V:! r^" °' ^'^'^ ^''^''^'^' ""d this the first Sabbath day? We think not. Let us look a^the s^ days that preceded this sevent , day Were they s,x literal days? We think noT thlt Te '"" "'"' — h^l^-g evidence But anf t T' P'""^' °^ ™''"°"'" dumtion. rtordTrl r r'"™"' ^"'''"'<=«' ">« Mosaic record throughout cannot beai a litem 1 interpre- tation. In the recapitulation of the account of up thus: rhese are the generations of the heavens and of the earth, when they were ere! ated .n the day that the Lord God mad^e the ear^l and the heavens, and every plant of the field before ,t was ,n the earth," etc. Thus the whole day. In either case th. term "day" must be figurative, and in that case we have the k y to .ts interpretation in the other. From extern^ birr' tf 'T *''^"' ^^ "-« -- ^ and 1 f"^ ^T ''"'' ««"*'«- days, and that each covered a vast period. If then the SIX days were figurative days, we have yet stronger reason for believing the seventh da/to The Sabbath. 57 I he had lay and I rest'^d made." bhis the us look I I day. ik not. ^idence ration. Mosaic :erpre- unt of mmed )f the •e cre- earth i fieW whole ^s one st be ey to ernal 3n to iays, then yet y to be a figurative day also. To each of the preceding days limits are given: 'The evening and the morning were the first day. . . . The even- ing and the morning were the second day," and so throughout. But in speaking of the seventh day no such phraseology is employed. There was a beginning of that day, but we know not that it was ever to have an end. It is the day in which we now live. At the end of the six creative periods God's works were complete, and the future was to be for their continued exist- ence, especially for man, for whom immortality had been provided, and who had just received his being. We fail, therefore, to find in Eden the origin of the Sabbath, or as yet to under- stand its desiern. Let us search for its spiritual meaning. Man transgressed and lost the true enjoyment of that day that God had blessed and sanctified. But provision had been made whereby this loss might not be irreparable. Man might indulge the hope of regaining happiness. This hope, however, looked forward for its full realization to a future state. In the short life now left him here he must suflfer weariness of body and longings of soul, yet the original happiness of the day that God had given him might once again be his. This enjoyment, or this future state, is 58 The Nation and tlu S,.bbath. the heaven of the ble«aecl, broufjht before us .^ wufr/vl"?""' '"'' "'' ^''"Jo-^- Canaan was a type of a more glorioUH rest TKio , le^rn from the writing, of I'll ^i ^ '" words nf n„ J • ;, ^ "'■ H'' luotes the lyTf 1 ,; ,'" "'" "'"«'y-fifth Psalm: ■■ To- forty years Wll. f t '^'"^ "^^ ^'°^'^« y years. Wiierefore I was ffrievofl w,-fK this generation and sairl ' Tl. , ^'f ""^'^ ^^^h ^.e.h.rt.and^he^r.n^'lll:':--;:': p„i 7 ,'-*'■• (^"at rest was n the land thnf G«I had promised them.) Paul then exhort hat!tel7f f°>f' ' ""'' -"-'»-. shoX oft:n;tolera:ar.''''.?r„°^''^^^''''r AnTth:fh "°' -'-. ^~ -^^ --«; promise Cleft u^tf::;::-i^ hs rest any of you should seem to eome^short savs "/^'""' 'Pf'^'"S °f 'he same rest he 3ays, For we whieh have believed do enter The Sabbath. 69 fore us in ignificant syn- ft 1, is Canaan This we uotes the m : " To- not your day of • fathers ' works id with y err in 7 ways.' »t enter nd that exhorts howin^ failure !e that belief." of the refore, g into short st, he enter into rest." That is, it is the law of our dispen- sation that by faith we enter heaven. Quoting again a part of the ninety-fifth Psahn. " As I have sworn in my wrath if they shall enter into my rest; he carefully distinguishes the Canaan rest from God's rest since His creative work ; " Although the works were fini hed from the foundation of the world ; for He spake in a certain place of the sev^enth day on this wise, 'And God did rest th(; seventh day from all his works.'" From the foundation of the world, when God's works were finished, ever after is His rest. And when the faithful Chris- tian passes from earth he goes to be with God in this rest. Presence with God in the enjoy- ment of this endless day will be heaven. Man, restored to God, when he passes into this pro- mised rest, shall have regained all that he had lost, though under different circumstances from those that surrounded Him in Eden. That Canaan was not to be a permanent rest, but the type of a more glorious rest, we see again : " For if Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth, therefore, a rest to the people of God." And here we see some- thing significant. Paul had hitherto expressed rest by the Greek word KixranaviSi^, but now «0 The Nation and the Sabbath. Ill that he ha^ „ ,.ched a full an,l hold assertion in re erence to the ...,ainty of the existence of th state, as ,f to call it hy the name of an .ns..tut.on that had all along been recognized as , ts type, he uses aatipurw^oz from the Greek fom, of the Hebrew word, «a.,l«tl I ■s clear, then, from the third and fourth chap ters of Hebrews, that Pa.ul regarded not onTy Canaan, but also the Sabbath, as a type of heaven. That the Sabbath had reference! tl^ iuturo and not to the past He taught al.so in Coloss,ans where he speaks of it as a shaclow thuf ^^ r"" ^" ^^- ^^^^- 13-17 we read thus : Ver.ly n,y Sabbaths ye shall keep : for It IS a sign between me and you throughout trsrr';v, """^^ -/know that i: the Lord that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath, therefore : for it is holy unto you every one that defileth it shall surefy be ^Tu. that soul shall be cut off from among his people S- days .shall work be done; but fn Te seventh ,s the Sabbath of re.st, holy to the L d whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day,' he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath througlut tht gent^ t.ons, for a perpetual covenant. It is a si^ Lssertion in «istence of line of an recognized from the f»J>ath. It irtli chap- not only ^ type of nee to the it also in a shadow r we read «eep; for roughout hat I am ball keep nto you ; ►e put to therein, 8 people, in the le Lord ; ath day, fore the 3ath, to genera- a sign The Sabbath. 61 between me and the children of Israel forever : for in six days the Lord ma« for a mfrriagt festival to last m the time of Laban. Jacob served seven years for Rachel, showing Zt Twice, after intervals of seven days, Noah sent forth a dove out of the ark. Seven days afte The Sabbath. gg ba%, the seventh 4, orSbtth.^^^'^^"- llie question again presses us, When h«rl f>. Sabbath its orie-in ? tj. ^"^ ^*^^ in reference :rLf ^ Trhe":;:;^^': "^'^^ the fi'rst ZZ!:l7^ !r: °\r "'"t "''^^^ shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy 66 The Nation and the Sabbath. t convocation unto you: and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And ye shall do no work in that same day : for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day. he shall be cut off trom among the people. And whatsoever soul It be that doeth any work in that same day the same soul will I destroy from among the people. ^e shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a Sahhath of rest" Thus we see that the Sabbath was not only associated with sacrifices, but -vith the day of atonement. But that day looked for- ward to a greater when Christ was to accom- plish man's redemption. But that redemption was not complete till Christ rose from the dead" See 1 Cor..xv. 17, 20. "And if Christ be not raised your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your ^'""''i >' ■ ,;. * "^"^ "^""^ '^ ^^'"^^ ^^^«ed ^'rom the dead. We are already prepared to expect, from the Mosaic observances, that the Sabbath would be associated with the day that witnessed th'. finished work. And such we find to be the c- .st The first day of the week, the day on which oui Lord rose from the dead, was from that tim- The Sabbath. g^ i^oras JJay. John, in Rev. i. 10 refers fn if o a season of special grace, "I was t the slu on the Lords Day," Pa„,, ;„ j Cor xv T apeaW this day as the ti»e o£ ChHstia: worJ Ship. Upon the first day of tlie week let every one of you lay by hi,„ in store as G<^' hath prospered him, that there be no .atherin^ when I come." Paul ,,et with the cfurch of P^ach.n, and the Lords supper on th":! d J. Acts XX. 7, Upon the first day of the week on the day of PenteclftL^'brterrinrt: co^af ihf ' ''• ^^ «f "'^* 'he'4 Ste*! cost was the morrow after t.. .Jewish n the midst, and said, -Peace be unto 68 The Nation and the Sabbath. I\^l ■:1 llil s % you." According to mode of counting adopted by the evangelist botij the day from which and the day to which th.- reck< vung was made entered into the computation, so (hat 'he Sc'2ond appearance here spoken of was also <;n tiie first day of the week. These circum«tan»;.3S are significaiir., ajvd though we have no record of an express t>>TD-mand from Christ on the subject, yet tb.e chK?!.{^;,e, as ^ve have seen, was in liarmony with th(3 Mosaic dispensation, of which Chris- tianity is 51 development, and it was, do'ibtless, made on divine authority. Certainly it h id the sanction of inspired men. Since the time of the Early Church the observ- ance of the Lord's Day, or Christian Sabbath, has been gradually widening with the increas- ing influence of Christianity. The first civil enactment in reference to the Sabbatical observ- ance of the day was the edict of Constantine, A.D. 321, when Christianity became the religion of the Roman empire. The following is a trans- lation: "Let all judges, inhabitants of cities, and artificers, rest on the venerable Sunday. But in the country, husbandmen may freely and lawfully apply themselves to the business of agriculture, since it often happens that \ ow- ing of corn .id planting of vin"^ c> iot be advantagecu i V performed on any oy. j>: day ; The Sabbath. 69 adojted jch and 3 made 3 second fcbe lirst n,>3S are rd of an subject, larmony 1 Chris- Dfibtless, had the J observ- Sabbath, increas- rst civil 1 observ- istantine, } religion } a trans- of cities, Sunday, reely and siness of r' ^ow- aroiot be li^ii;- day ; lest by neglecting the opportunity they wliould lose the benefits which the divine bounty bestows on us." In England, as early as the reign of Alfred the Great, we find a statute pro- viding for the observance of the Christian Sab- bath. That law has been reaffirmed and its provisions extended under various monarchs, until the present English law in reference to the Sabbath is, in many respects, a stringent law. Not only in Great Britain, but in all the colonies throughout the vast Empire, Sabbath laws exist, and that sacred day is guarded, to some extent at least, from desecration. The earlier States of the now great American Republic, while as yet they were British colonies, one by one adopted Sabbath laws, until now they exist in almost every State of the Union. Is it not significant that these two great Sabbath-keeping nations are being used so largely by God for the evan- gelization of the world ? Through them the Sabbath with Christianity has found its way where hitherto the light had never shone. The large influx of Sabbath-keeping Christians into lands once unfavorable to Christianity, and their rapid increase, are leading to deliberation on the part of governments in reference to the adoption of Sunday as the public holiday, with no otlier view than to secure uniformity in business. U r 4 , t f 70 77ie Nation and the Sabbath. Clianges of thiw nature once effected, millions, released from their occupationH on that day,' would be brought in contact with the Gospel.' Such changes, and even more desirable, must come with the growing influence of Christianity. The Sabbath is essential to the preservation and extension of the Christian religion, and with every civil enactment for its observance, the nation and the Sabbath are more and more uniting for the spread of the kingdom of Christ. Indications are pointing toward the universal sacredness of the Christian Sabbath, as well as toward the highest period of civilization. But glorious as that day may be, it shall be but the prophecy of a state of things infinitely more glorious. Days and weeks shall cease. Sabbaths shall end, and time shall be no more ; but a rest remaineth, an endless day— The Sabbath. The Observance of the Sabbath. 71 nillions, at day, Gospel, e, must itianity. ion and d with ice, the 3 more Christ, liversal well as I. But 3ut the ' more bbaths r a rest CHAPTER V. THE OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH. Cessation from secular employment on the Sabbath is emphatically enjoined by the divine law : " In it thou shall do no manner of work." The ordinary occupations of life are to be laid aside, and the day spent as a rest from worldly activities. The ceremonial law, which was de- signed only for the Jewish dispensation, was strict and specific in its limitations. The kind- ling of fires was forbidden, as well as other acts of a domestic nature, which, in that country and climate, were not works of necessity. On one occasion the penalty of death was inflicted for the gathering of sticks on the Sabbath. Though the ceremonial law, with its minute prohibitions, is not binding on us, yet it teaches certain great principles in the observance of the Fourth Com- mandment which, as a part of the moral law, was designed for all people and all time. The entire absence of detail should not cause us to regard the day a« less sacred, or its obligations less binding, thv 'i in the case of the Jews. The ^^ '^^^ '*"''« nd the Sabbath. Sabbath >v.. destined to extend tcT^th^Ti^^^s and to spread over the wliole earth; and what mi^ht be a work of necessity ,v ^„^ ^^ and under certain circum.cances might not be a work of necessity in another country and under difforent circumstances. The general command, therefore, is given, and much, of necessity, must be le t to the individual conscience to determine. Ihe kmdhng of fires in cold northern climates tor comfort and the preservation of health, is no violation of the Sabbath, though in mild climates and when not necessary for the preparation of food, It would still be a transgression of God's law. Work, made necessary through unforeseen circum.stances. or for which no provision could be made, the non-performance of which might result in serious consequences or involve suffer- ing, IS always permissible. Thus, under varying and contingent circn.stanc though not with uniformity of observance, the spirit of the divine command may be kept. Even the ceremonial law with Its mixmte requiren.. nts, allowed the performance of certain works re^n rded a. neces- sary though all the cases that .nght arise could ^ot be specified. OurSa, ar sked the f. dt- law " n tr T'V'' *^' " ---^----.. of this aw, Doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall and lead The Observance of the Sabbath. 73 er nations and what J country b not be a nd under command, ity, must etermine. climates 1th, is no climates ration of of God's iforeseen on could h might e sufFer- varying lot with e divine <^monial ved the 3 neces- 3e could e fti .It- of this jabbath id lead him away to watering ? " Again, " What man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it and lift it out ? " And again, " Have ye not read in the law, how that on the Sahl,ath days the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath n-d are blameless ? " Though He Himself came to fulfil the law, yet many of His most remarkable miracles of heal- ing were performed on the Sabbath. He taught that relief of distress on this day is right, and that the Sabbath was made for man and not in /n for the Sabbath. Yet this was no relaxa- tioi. of the law of the Sabbath, but rather the interpi >tation of it even in the Jewish dispensa- tion mci under the ceremonial observances. The spirit of tl iw is still the same. The Sabbath may, therefore, be hallowed by relief of suffering and acts of charity within certain limits ; but work of a general character that, might be per- formed during the six days, left to the Sabbath, is a desecration of that sacred day. Neither is the refraining from work, on the part of the individual himself, in all cases a full observance of the requirement. " In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger tha is within thy gates." 74 The Nation and the Sabbath. Ihose havmg othom in thair on.ploy or under «.e.r control are lx.„nd by tl.„ L\, (;,„, « give them the privilege of that sacred rest, and afar „s „. tl,eir power, to enforce its oC: ance rh,s pr,no.plo, in our day, reaches beyond tl.e don,e»fe circle and far out into the relations of men and the business of life. A stockhold: m a railway company may ever so devoutly observe the Sabbath by personal cessation from worldly employment, yet if his vote and influ- ence are gtven in favor of running Sunday trams, thus depriving those in the In.pTny^ employ of the Sabbath rest, he is guilty E Ood. ihose, again, who avail themselves of such public conveyances on the Sabbath thus keeping up their demand and encouraging their continuance, ar« far from clear on thit pdnt oj Sabbath law. The moment I take my se'at on a railway train or street car on the Lord's day those necessarily employed become my servants and I have practically resolved that, for my W ; P ^. ''" °'" ■■''' "° *'^« Sabbath accord- ing to trod 3 commandment. « ^t\T^I '" °'''''"'"'y ^°* prohibited on the Sabbath, but worldly conversation and the seek! mg of pleasure. We see this in the conditions of one of those grand promises to those who keep the day sacred: "If thou turn away thy foot The Observance of the Sabbath. 75 or under )t* (iod to rest, and, 3 observ- 'S beyond relations ck holder devoutly on from id inHu- Sunday mpany's V before jlves of th, thus ig their )oint of !at on a i's day rvants, or my iccord- 3n the ! seek- ons of ) keep r foot from the Sabbiitii, from doinir thy pleasui-e on my iioly day, and call the 8al)l)ath a deli^dit, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and .shalt honour him, not doin«( thine own ways, nor Hndin^^ thine own pleasure, nor speakinir thine own words: Then shalt thou dcli-rht thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the hi^rh places of the earth, and feed thee with the herit- ajre of Jacob thy father : for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." (Lsa. Iviii. 18, 14.) Many who would abhor the open violation of the Sab- bath by en'- ^''^b- with crime and i. f I . ''^' connected ^iiiiie ana is the forerunner of if" ti celebrated judge, Sir Matthew Hale Is I!^ those convictprl ^f « -i i . ' ^y^ ^"^t on the bench in r^ """"'' ^''^" ''^ -»» confessed That the c""" '""'""'' "' "^^'^ career of crime I«v ~"'""^"»'"™t of their bath. Prot: r Cher thT'ff " '\'^'- e— St of Leipsic,t™ X — ?i ' 7 ' characteristic of society where thfs.KWK-" -.^idea a,„on~" "^ "°""'"' ""^ Monday for enc!7j^'r:f T <=°"'^*'' -« -« the influ- Ind now ^, \f "■'"""^ -"^ Public morality. a countrv ir *'''' P^fluctions of CdiTa^' ;rx::::r-'.Tr ^'^ entailing public exnoL ... """' '""•^'''"' cne right observance of the ff 86 The Nation and the Sabbath. Sabbath has a favorable effect on the wealth of the nation. Having looked suceeKsively at the physical, the social, the intellectual, an J tlie moral aspect of the question, we are prepared to admire the beauty and truth of the words of Lord Macaulay on the Labor Law before the British House of Parlia- ment : " Man ! man ! this is the great creator of wealth. The difference Ijetween the soil of Campania and Spitzbergen is insignilicant com- pared with the difference presented by two countries, W^^: one inhabited by men full of moral and pi ^ysical vigor, the other by beings plunged ; ivitellectual decrepitude. Hence it is that we i^re not impoverished; but, on the contrary, enriched by this seventh day, which we have for so many years devoted to rest. This day is not lost. While the machinery is stopped, while the car rests on the road, while the treasury is silent, while the smoke ceases to rise from the chimney of the factory, the nation enriches itself none the less than during the working days of the week. Man, the machine of all machines, the one by the side of which all the inventions of the Wattses and the Arkwrights are as nothing, is recuperating and gaining strength so well that on Monday he returns to his work with his mind clearer, 1 \ Is S lie wealth Lysical, the pectof tlie he beauty lay on the of Parlia- a-t creator he soil of cant com- 1 by two n full of by beings Hence it it, on the ay, which i to rest, jhinery is Dad, while ke ceases jtory, the an during Man, the he side of ttses and uperating L Monday d clearer. Influence of the Sabbath on the Nation. 87 ' with more courage for his work and with re- newed vigor. I will never believe that that which renders a people stronger, wiser and better can ever turn to its impoverishment We are here met with a plea in justilj. ..ion of Sunday labor often put forward in behalf of great corporations seeking franchise, viz., that those necessitated to work on that day will be allowed another rest-day in its stead. The plea is at present being urged by the agitators in favor of Toronto Sunday street cars. In most, if not ev^ry case, where a great system of operation gets under way, Sunday labor means seven days' labor. But in case that provision were guaranteed and observed, would a rest-day during the week be an equivalent for the Sab- bath i We answer with an emphatic No ! In the matter of rest, the body is subject in a large degree to influences exerted over it by the mind. The latter must be calm and peaceful before the former can enjoy - rfect repose. With business activity and feverish excitement around, the conditions would be unfavorable. But when noise and bustle subside, when the work of the week is done, and the sacred calm of the Sab- bath settles down on the cominunity, how favor- able for rest. In point of soc" il development, no other day could take the place of the ^'^U ^>. .1^, *-« S^. ^ '^"" r^0, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k f/ /- r/. ^ :/. 1.0 I.I 11.25 M 1116 6" V <^ /; r c^ Ttl I Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. M580 (716) 873-4503 «-V- Ct^ ^^ -V ^>^' K 88 Tlu Nation and the Sabbath. Sabbath While the many were engaged in the,r ordmary vocations, families scatterfd and spend IT" •"' T"'""' '""-"-'» -o»'d spend thf , ".f :" '^'""''°'*y' °'-- -°-«. tlT „ H .^^ '° '?'' '"'"'"«■ I" the intellec- strttlv "^^'"r''""' *° 'P'^'^'' ^^y«*°f the strictly spiritual, a sad deficiency of privilege would be experienced. In „o sense worthy! .erforrsat^--'-^-^^^^---'- We are now prepared to take higher ground and view the subject in a more important aspect The prosperity of a nation consists, not in ma- teria, ^-ealth alone, but, to a greater degree i„ Its free institutions, in the civil liberty it guar- antees, and in the high purpose it fulfils in the mfimte plan Under representative government the free, intelligent will of the people shapes the course of the nation. In the discussion of public questions, and at the polls, each citizen may perform a part in moulding the national lite. It will be conceded that the greater the mtelhgence and the better the moral character ot the people, the higher will that life rise We have already seen to what extent the proper observance of the Sabbath promotes these; and Influence of the Sabbath on the Nation. 89 therefore, we now see, i^^^^^^^^^^^^^^'^^^Z^^^ Its influence on the nation. What has made the American Republic a great, a free, and a pros- perous nation ? Go back to the time when those early States along the Atlantic were l^ritish colonies. In their infancy Sabbath aws were instituted, and the morals and in- telligeuce of the people were cultivated. Free- dom was the chief motive of large numbei^ of early settlers in seeking their new homes, and the Sabbath has been a powerful means toward widening and perpetuating that freedom. A striking incident in connection with the arrival of the P-lgrim Fathers is worthy of notice. They reached Plymouth coast on the Sabbath Ihey had spent sixty days on the ocean in a small ship. The vessel had sprung a leak, home were prostrate with disease. It would have been a great relief to them to have landed, but the day was holy, and they would not pro- fane Its sacred hours with needless labor. Thev waited in the close and comfortless cabin till the Y>Ki s day was over, and then they went on shore. Their influence has spread far and wide and IS felt to-day. Thus before the birth of the American Republic its moral education had > egun. Through the observance of the Sabbath a high tone of life has been preserved. Notwith- 90 Tlie Nation and l/te Sabbath. standing the great influx from non-Sabbath- keeping couutnes. the masses have been elevated and hght and liberty have been diffused. C mtel hgence and the moral life of the British people has risen as the masses have come more and r'' T " ^'"'^ ^'""''""^^ of *•>" Polpit result rh"f'""'' "^ "•" ^'^^''^'■' *"d as a result, liberty means more there to-day than .t ever did before. Canada, practically an inde- pendent and self-governing people, is a remak- able example. The great Daniel Web-ster was nght when he called the Sabbath "the b„)! m^ality. '""'"■ '^"^''^ " '« '""^ ''"'--Ic of ant M Tl '\ !r*'"' *" ^^^ t''^ J^ighest stand and to look at the question from a purely relicri- ous point of view. The Sabbath strict^^ kept in the right spirit is conducive to a deepfy Chnsfan life. Complete cessation from worldly employment and anxiety leaves the mind free to contemplate spiritual things and to engagl n t Ltb rr- K ™'^"«'' ^^"^'°"« devotions may be faithfully observed during the week vet of necessity they must be short and perfoi^ed more or less, amid worldly surroundings. En gaged in the duties of everyday life the mind matters. Were there no stated seasons of rest i'^fil^^^^^_^e^abbath on the Nation. 91 the tendency would be to \«^'<^^^^^^i^^~^^ Lf ;, ^ "'^ continually recurring Sab- bath with Its sweet reliefs from toil fiSs the eaith to heaven, and casts its hallowed influence over each succeeding week. It would be ^Z theTni"; r '^ ."'•'' P"™^ °f "- «"'"'''«>. unde c Irac. M '' '" "" '""'"'«- °f Christian c .uacter. Moreover, with its observance, Chri.- worlT Tt*^-'"' ''"'"""^ "^ ''<' -^ f-- "> the SaTd he- °Th"' "" ''™"' '^"""^'^ t" -« «>'- fea.d he. There is no hope of destroying the Chnst.an religion as long as the ChristL^slb! Dr M f ''"^^^'^''S^d *■«' kept as a sacred day." Ur. Macleod expressed his opinion in reference o the necessity of the Sabbath when he gave utterance to the following sentiment: "It is not of c"™ t '° Tf *'f ' "'"""' ^""^^^^ «- Church theeS."'"'''"°''"''"^''''^--'^--ton And now, if it be true that every nation is u ..r " '■'="«■''"« '-*■'• «»d the more It It be true that the Christian religion h the the nations of the earth; if it be trus that thf 92 rhe Nation and the Sabbath. national We ""^ '" ''^ '•«'''"°" *» O"-" 'bath. existence of 3ns great ; if est sense, the jlation to our CHAPTER VII. ^"^ '^'O'^T ATT,TUnE O, THE r^^no:^ TOWARD THE SABBATH. civil powers should protect thJ^Ty] ?, ' ^^^ ™ch action, whilst objections not iJ T °^ concWn in retercetirr material interests of a, el^ " wT '" f' seems impossible, the great,? . ' ""' greatest number , th» ^ , ^°^ *° ^^^ prevail. Now „ *t ^"""^^^ '^' ^'>°»'<' authority o. ::eiSi; fXl t^^a^: f position from which we cannot rlcedetiz H ? the strict observance of the SabblTl, .' "' 94 ■ncutnbent from the fact that 1^ '"""■ corporations with wideiv '^^''""f ™. °f '^rge Men who once manaZl f„a I ct '"'/"''^- the best policy would diofnf f ^'^^^ the em^ea aVa^d 'e r ^It for'r Sath^ ^ that .'aXr:::; \ t thr;-"'^ ployed M'ould Kp f^». ^ x "^^ *^^ ^m- name of John Stuart Ml t T «'™ ">« hath. the nation ity is further ly havb not '• Tlie eni- 'f-increasing ithout legal ^•cy of their civilization, on of large I interests, ns of their =>ugh force employ of s too often I. Whilst ss toward 5 Sabbath, s. With- rer would ' the em- day, and, L the end vould be give the there is ny. He right in en days' Rignt^ttitude of the Nulion. 95 "■ork would Imve tn~C '■ l ' — ^'affes," Tl>c SahI,„H ^""'" ^"'^ «'''= days' right of eve; cUien' T"?''' '' » "'''"™' weak would be nrnt»„t„ i " , " ™ '^o'"!? the be done to uL^tn ' ^T '"■*"'"'=« -°"1'1 bettor work would be i '" ''''^'"°"' "'°-''' ^^ the\"o:j^t:Se^r'.^-r--'-^ look at this objection T /, "" ''''^''- ^«' "« . «ea no reasonab e Sahh , ' '"'" "' ™''»«''' «' 'He ship „„::t f. oS rrr '' '"r "-'' for the day instead of pull "h! '° ""'"°"''" unnecessary labor abandoned ^,T '''""\ ^" restful Sabbath may be slnt tl Hr*"''^ IS under wav P„ u ?, '"'*' '^e vessel -tted to'itL Jortt hf r;'"^ ^ p^- preventing the laW a f ^'''^'' ''''>'• thus incident t! ^:^^ZL^''ZTtrT'^ ever, might be orppfl.. a f ^^^^^' ^o^" -pendfd fo;tC;;trnVrar """''^ panics insist on SundL ,^ "''*■>' <=<""- 'ines pleading thet""„i ^ Vo"w ^^^ '""^ petent to jud^e sav fh«f u ""^^ ^°"^- 96 Tlu Nation and the Sabbath. possible to cease Sun,Iay traffic altogether, or u.Ked that m the ease of live stock and perish- abe goods there exists a special necessity that hey should be hurried thmugh without delay fE:r' '':'''''''"'• ^^-.-theZe ot hfe stock on a long journey a day to rest by the way would be a great kindness; and as tb^ penshale goods, in these days of ;efrig;:t^; and modern lu.provements, the difficulty would not be senous. Were Sabbath laws enforced all necessary provisions could and would C, nad" and he whole system adjusted to altered ct' sary for the convenience of travellers on a lon^ journey who may be anxious to reach home Now, m all candor, which would be the greater nconvemence, for a passenger once in flif: t me to he over a day on his journey, or for those necessarily engaged in such train serv ce to spend their life without a Sabbath ? The'e may occur unusual conditions and circum! stances, constituting exceptional cases ; yet Tn the mterests of all those in the employ o 'the limit should be set to Sunday traffic Another duty of the civil government is in hath. iltogether, or It liuH been : and perish- ecessity that ithoiit delay, , in tlie case y to rest by ; and, as for [-efrigerators culty would enforced all Id be made, altered cir- y passenger '' are neces- s on a long each home, the greater in a life- >ey, or for lin service h? There d circum- 's ; yet, in loy of the reasonable lent is in Right Attitude of the Nation. 07 referonco to the pl.y.sieai well-being of the P opie. Provision is n.ade for the npi:>i„tn. f ^---'Is of Health ar.d the enfo ement o -atory n.oasures. Larg. sums of n.oney ar A such precautions are wise; but what of the S abb. , ^^^^^^^^ ^ ^^^ ^^ needs it T^ T^!'' '^^^ circumstances, need t. and that without it health is impaired and hfe shortened. The conclusion, the -efore follows that the law of the land ought to 3 .tect the Sabbath if for no other relH C sanatory considerations. Again, the State charges itself, and verv pro- perly too, vvith the care of Public Schooler, to some extent, of public libraries. It <.oes on citizen. Now, only a small part of - e life of the average citizen is spent at school, but out o oe, spent m the enjoyment of the superior onpor- The culture of the home can never be given by pubhc institutions, and on no other day t^ the same extent a,s o„ the Sabbath. The Sun day sehoo impart, education in the Ihest department of truth. The puipit stands pee f g" m N.Uio„j „d the SahbatI,. Was an educHtivo (K,;^;^^^"^;^,^^ of tl„. S, bWI, o«t of tho life .,F t|,e ^^,,^ .^j « Imt, tl„,„, „|,„„l,l 1,„ tlM, attitu.lo „f tl„. civil Soven„„..,,t t„wa,.,i tl,e SabLutl, ? ()„co„,o„' o T""" " "'""'''"•'' <=°'''--Pondingly • elevated has obtmned. It is right thit innno.^ ahty of every k,nd should be suppressed by 3 ti7J T'; " '" ''""""^ '•'■«'" -«i "-- hou! lb "" P''"""""" " '''«'' '»°''''' tone should be encouraged and protected. The seventh conuuandnient of the decalogue receives the sancfon of the civil authority^because i observance ,., necessary to the stability of the very foundations of society. It is ri^ht ttZ ^; Tf:^ "i '''' ""'"'''«' ->''«» ho 'd t guarded by the State. The eighth connnand! ment hkewise, is enforced by the civil law and bus he rights of owne.hip are p..teere'd t he interests of the individual and of society It arge. To the violation of the sixth, g Ig the sacredness of human life, the extrem? t/l. privileges citizen m\{\ 'i could HII. >f tho civil Oncu iiioie 'em nlnjost e reader, onsible for las always what con- y-civilized ipondingly a-t inimor- ressed by nd neces- loral tone ed. The e receives ecause its ty of the ight that should be omniand- law, and tected in iociety at guarding extreme i^" '-"""'"''• '/ l/>e Nation. 99 ""■' '-y the civil ,„ ■ ■; '"^" '•™"K'"-- of the State. We hi ' , ,"" "' ""' '"""'■^ authority as JL ."''"' "'"'■^'b' ')Uot,.cl |„V|, >-poet,:n Uso ^^■;f"'''',"'""''''^'' '•" «^» its « «»•>- it« open vi^lILr ' ''^ """""""S "' '«-t Further still, it is the duty of the <5f . . perpetuate its own existence T Z ^^ '" foundations n,„st be la d onti T "^"^ ""^ superstructure of L " '■""''• ""^ "le during. Th Xelt ? "r """^"'"'' «"» ''"'' «" theism Kwf and " """""■"' "''^ •^""t on of God." SentsTt'r ''"^" " ""' "'^ ^race «od-feari„;LLen'4Sire.f'"^- "^^^^ nation that e..istsh, the diwrtmirv:!: 11 ii 100 T/ie Nulion and the ScMatli. nfinite purpose. The unbeliever, the sceptic, the mfiJel who acknowledge no obligation to a Being higher than himself, is a weak spot, an.l however much we pity him, too often a speck of rot m the national fabric. Did the reader ever know an anarchist that was not first an atheist ? It IS faith m th- unseen that gives confi.lence in the fact that the powers that be are ordained of Uod. It IS deep religious conviction that makes tlie oath sacred and the nation strong When scepticism entei-s decay begin.s. Were faith in God to fail, were Christianity to become an empty name, that «^uld be the beginning of the end The nations history henceforth might be written thus: The Christian oath a jest ■ Sourts ot Justice a farce ! Corruption! Anarchy i These great nations would fall a. the mighty nations tell. Religion must be sacred, and its institu- tions revered. It is the ground and they are the pillars of the nation. But what of the Sabbath in its relation to the perpetuity of national existence ? By way of considering this, what would be the effect on the morals of the people if obscene pictures were pcsted in all public places ? An age of dewner- acy would inevitably follow. And such would be the effect on the religious life of the people If on every hand the spectacle of a broken ^isht^ude of the Nation. ^^ 101 '- on the tort ^T^l ^''l'"'^' -'- steamboat do th«,V 1 *'''' ^''"'ay and the streetcar and «t 1 °""''' '^'*'^«' '«' "''^ paper bee;rirsi:£"ler l^"^ '""''"^ tilings exist and it !, m ""''' * '''"'« of sentLent woX be ;r f ""Tl "'^' ''P— ' -ould exercise a Sv"v "' '''™"''""^ The tendency wn,?i I Tf^ *"'"*? influence, of the Sabbad. and ^/T"' '""^ ""■'-""on faith in chS;„it''t: fr °" "' '"^ P-'^''" the rest has been tdd T , ^' ™''' '*^'^'>«'' religious tone a,„ot: th "i "''"• '° -^ ^'^^ tinuance of « T ^ P'^'P'^ ""** "^e con- •"inder of Gods eovenatt :-;:'::: ^°'^- - -'retrntro/::?rrr^'^^^-« ^"'^- /^o ^on^ as the nat on permits « nif to be defrauded of a rio-hf iU \. n . ^'^^" him to enjoy, or permits ' . '^ ^'^^^"^^ that .ay i^e hi^tr; eldT:. ^^^^^^^^ ^ ^^^'^^ fault. We prondl.. J V' ^ ^'^^^^^ '« at -ation of frfeI?Jt sK T ""^ '° '^ broad Britisli Empire t-rf "'^K'^^"' »''« sands in the emnW ' f ""' *™''- ^hou- omploy of great corporations are 102 The Nation and the Sabbath. m denied a God-given right and are doomed to incessant toil, or to starvation as the only alter- native. The great American Republic declares that slavery has been abolished, and that under her- banner all men are free and equal. It is not true. Some years ago a deputation, represent- ing the employees of the late Vanderbilt, waited on that great railroad king with a petition detailing the hardships they suffered in being deprived of a weekly rest, of the sacred privi- leges of the sanctuary, of the society of their families; complaining of overtaxed strength and, in many cases, of failing health through incessant labor, and asking for their natural right — The Sabbath. That petition might have melted a heart of stone, and yet that magnate, the possessor of millions, denied their prayer. Let not the nation boast that she spent three thousand million dollars and laid more than half a million of her sons on the altar of liberty to free the black man of the South, let her not thus boast while she permits the cruel heel of moneyed tyranny and sordid greed to crush out the lives of thousands of free-born subjects. Christian citizen, when you mark your ballot to enfranchise some powerful corporation to do business on the Sabbath, remember that you become responsible to God for the enslavement h. doomed to only alter- ic declares that under . It is not represent- )ilt, waited a petition 1 in being ered privi- iy of their [ bcrength h through lir natural night have b magnate, 3ir prayer, pent three more than • of liberty iet her not lel heel of ) crush out 1 subjects, ^our ballot ation to do that you islavement Right Attitude of the Nation. 103 of some poor unfortunates unable to sacrifice their positions because there are little mouths at home to feed and little bodies to clothe. Oh ! when shall the Christian nations stretch forth their strong arm and say : " Every man shall be free?'i And now, one look more through the telescope of prophecy into the future. In the distance the days are brightening. The nations that honor not God nor keep His Sabbath are grow- ing few. The yokes are falling from the necks of the overburdened sons of toil. Homes are gladder, and light and liberty are spreading far and wide. Righteousness and truth cover the earth. On down the vista a halo gathers and eternity dawns beyond the wreck of nature. The types are lost in the anti-types, and forever remain in blissful, perfect union, the eternal kingdom of Christ and the rest of God — THE NATION AND THE SABBATH.