WHOEVER sets aside human rights sets aside the God who instituted them; and whoever said, God aside does ignore God, but only sets himself aside from God.AMS May 25, 1899, page 319.4

THERE is something wrong when men show more deference to the demands of a Sunday law than to the principle of the Golden Rule.AMS May 25, 1899, page 319.5

The “civil” Sabbath acknowledges both the civil power and religion as its parents, and hence from proclaims well the child of that evil union—church and state.AMS May 25, 1899, page 319.6

AMS God made the Sabbath by resting on the seventh day and the Sabbath is his rest, there can be no real Sabbath rest without God; and as no human law can perfect God, it is plain that no human law can help any person to secure Sabbath rest.AMS May 25, 1899, page 319.7

SOME people professing to be Christians are more disturbed by an act some other person does which is contrary to their opinions of right, then by a spirit of hatred and revenge in their own hearts.AMS May 25, 1899, page 319.8

The “best people in the world”—the religious people—are the very ones who are fitted to do and are doing the worst thing in politics; that is, forming a union of church and state. The best emperors of pagan Rome were the ones who most rigorously persecuted the Christians; and the more religious the people who engage in politics, the more danger is there that religion will be advanced by political means, and the jurors become united with the state. If the “best people” had kept out of politics, and let the “worst people” run politics, that worst of all things—the union of church and state—would never have been in civil government.AMS May 25, 1899, page 319.9

“War—The True and the False Estimate” American Sentinel 14, 21, pp. 319, 320.

ATJ

VERESTCHAGIN is a Russian artist who paints war scenes so horribly real that rulers and generals do not like to have either the soldiers or the people see the pictures, lest they refuse to go to war. This artist has been in Battle himself, and fought so well as to be honored with the highest military decoration known to Russia. This man who has been in it, who knows so well exactly what it is, and to can so powerfully reproduce it on canvas, thus defines war:—AMS May 25, 1899, page 319.1

“War is the loss of all human sense; under its influence men become animals entirely. The artist looks always for passion, and passion is seen at its height on the battle-field.... Every hour brings something new, something never seen before, something outside the range of ordinary human life: it is the reversal of Christianity.”AMS May 25, 1899, page 319.2

And yet to-day in the United States, actually the great majority of professed ministers of the gospel hold war to be perfectly compatible with Christianity—that Christians can go to war and still be Christians!AMS May 25, 1899, page 319.3

Read the following from a sermon on Sunday, April 30th, by Rev. Frank C. Brunner, of Grace M. E. Church, Chicago, on “the sword in American civilization“:—AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.1

“The sword is a great history-maker. There is such a thing as a Christian war. Such to-day is the case in the Philippines. Nothing can check the advance in the Philippines. It is the hand of God in history. The pessimists may hold howl about the slaughter of the innocent and hold their anti-expansion meetings. It will avail nothing. They mistake the signs of the times. God is marching on. Some of these timid souls forget that hero is the stuff out of which divine history is made. The thunder of George Dewey’s guns had the roar of a marked civilization in them. Manila, the Venice of the Orient, it is to become the hub of a new civilization. It is to radiate the light of American intelligence to the uttermost rim of the 1,200 islands. The crack of the rifles of General Otis’ advancing army has in it the muscle of the coming of the Son of man. In a hundred years that territory, equal in English miles to Great Britain and Ireland, will be under the sway of the Son of God, the fruits of the triumph of the American sword. Nothing can change the sovereignty of human history. The purpose of God is right in the present conflict. He who opposes the struggle hits the providence of God in the face.”AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.2

Is it not high time that there were a revival of the preaching of the gospel of peace? Is there not a loud call for the message of that angel of the revelation, “flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people”?AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.3

Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace, not war. His gospel as the gospel of peace, not war. The preachers of his gospel are sent to preach “peace by Jesus Christ.”AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.4

The creatures that preach war are not the ministers of Christ, whatever their profession may be. General Sherman, one of the greatest warriors of modern times, in the quiet of times of peace, soberly declared that “War is hell.” How can any Christian, then, go to war? How can any Christian preacher preached in favor of war? “Babylon is fallen, is fallen.” Apostasy, apostasy, apostasy, has overtaken the church.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.5

A. T. J.

“Note” American Sentinel 14, 21, p. 320.

ATJ

IF the legislature can properly tell an individual what is allowed on the Sabbath and what is a desecration of the day, the legislature can take the place of conscience in the matter of Sabbath observance; and if it can take the place of conscience in this matter, it can take it in other matters as well, and the individual conscience can be dispensed with.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.1

And this is exactly the tendency of religious legislation. It invades the realm of conscience, and wherever conscience consents to the invasion, it is weakened, and the individual robbed in like degree of his manhood.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.2

Legislation which destroys manhood is not a blessing to any land, but a curse.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.3

“Popery in Protestantism” American Sentinel 14, 21, p. 320.

ATJ

POPERY is the religion of human nature. But nature calls for a pope, and loves to be led by one. But only the divine nature, the nature conferred by Christianity, that frees men from the influence of the ... popery. And as Protestantism, in the nominal sects is not synonymous with Christianity, but embraces the numbers in whom the divine nature has not supplanted in the human, it is only to be expected that in such Protestantism there will be seen outcroppings of popery.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.1

The system of Mormonism is nominally Protestant, but represents popery full-fledged. Popery is seen wherever the word of finite man is laid down as of blind authority in matters of conscience; and of this instance are, unfortunately, not at all scarce, on scales greater of greater or less magnitude, in the nominally Protestant bodies.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.2

Just now public attention is being called to an example of this kind in the city of Chicago. This example is furnished by the “Zion” Church of Dr. Alexander Dowle. In making note of this growing religious institution, a late issue of the N. Y. Independent says:—AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.3

“What requires serious warning is the new development which proposes to erect this Zion of Dr. Dowle, into a financial, perhaps political, organization very much like that of the Mormon Church. In a late number of The Leaves of Healing, which is Dr. Dowle’s organ, he issues an order, as general overseer, to the members of his ‘Christian Catholic Church in all parts of the world. It is on the subject of tithes, and it commands that every member shall contribute a tithe of his income for the purposes of the church. These tithes go to Zion’s Storehouse, and are administered by Dr. Dowle and his assistants appointed by him. For he is apparently an absolute dictator of this remarkable denomination, as absolute as ever was Brigham Young. This is the way he lays down his commands for tithes:—AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.4

“‘I have no fear of being misunderstood, and it is only wicked and unregenerate hearts that could doubt my statements. Zion is no place for those who do not trust their general overseer, and who will not obey his Lord and Master’s commands.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.5

“‘Elders, evangelists, deacons or deaconesses, and conductors of the gatherings of the friends of Zion, will please read these words to all members in conference assembled. I also charge such officers to report immediately any who will not obey, and who speak disrespectfully of or dispute this order.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.6

“‘This order must not be discussed. It must be obeyed.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.7

“‘Immediate suspension will follow disobedience, and, if there is not repentance and obedience, then who shall cut off all who so conduct themselves from those who are enrolled in Zion.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.8

“‘Obligations to family, obligations to the State and business obligations and debts of every kind, must not be dealt with until the whole tithe has been sent into Zion’s Storehouse.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.9

“‘God must be first, and God must be last in all things.AMS May 25, 1899, page 320.10

“‘No matter what the consequences may be, I have issued this letter at God’s command, and I am prepared to part with nine tenths of the fellowship should it be necessary.’AMS May 25, 1899, page 321.1

“He allows no discussion. He declares that others ‘cannot know the needs of the field as I do here at headquarters,’ and he adds:—AMS May 25, 1899, page 321.2

“‘I hereby solemnly call for the resignation of every member who wilfully disobeys these plain commands of God, and of myself as his overseer.AMS May 25, 1899, page 321.3

“‘That human nature can long submit to such over-topping audacity we could not imagine had we not seen it actually exemplified in Utah. We are not surprised to see that last week two evangelists and one elder were removed for cause.’ His organization is likely to break down on the side of its very ambitious financial schemes, and as Archbishop Purcell nearly wrecked the Catholic Church in Cincinnati with his banking and his building. He says he has, in the ten years he has been in this country, ‘spent more than a million dollars in God’s work,’ and has used for himself and his family less than a quarter of a tithe of his income—that is, less than $25,000. When religion goes into great financial schemes it leads either to great tyranny or to a great collapse.”AMS May 25, 1899, page 321.4

“Back Page” American Sentinel 14, 21, p. 334.

ATJ

SUNDAY laws are not made to compel any person to work on the day he regards as the Sabbath, we are told. Nevertheless, just this thing is wrapped up in them. The law arrests him for working on Sunday, convicts him and puts him in the chain-gang, and then he is forced to work on the seventh day, which he observes as the Sabbath. First it makes a criminal of the man, and then it compels him to work on his sacred day as a matter of prison discipline. There is merely a little beating round the bush to accomplish the same thing that would be done by a law directly commanding Sabbath labor. We do not say every Sunday law has done this; but this is what might have been done, and doubtless will yet be done. It is a possibility which stamps the Sunday laws as bad legislation.AMS May 25, 1899, page 334.1

May 18, 1899

June 1, 1899