Bible Readings for the Home Circle Part 138

"For this is the message that ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? _Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous._" 1 John 3:11, 12.

NOTE.-The following comment upon this pa.s.sage by M. de Chesnais, a Catholic priest of New Zealand, is well put: "If you would read the Word of G.o.d, you would find that from the beginning all good people were persecuted because they were good. Abel was slain by his brother because he was good, and Cain could not endure the sight of him."-_Kaikoura (New Zealand) Star, April 10, 1884._

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

The Fiery Furnace. "Our G.o.d whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace." Dan. 3:17.

4. Commenting upon the treatment of Isaac, the son of Sarah, by Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, what principle does the apostle Paul lay down?

"But as then, _he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit_, even so it is now." Gal. 4:29.

5. What other instances of persecution mentioned in the Bible, demonstrate the correctness of this principle?

_a._ Esau, who sold his birthright, persecuted Jacob, who vowed his loyalty to G.o.d. Gen. 25:29-34; 27:41; 32:6.

_b._ The wayward and envious sons of Jacob persecuted Joseph, who feared G.o.d. Genesis 37; Acts 7:9.

_c._ The idolatrous Egyptians persecuted the Hebrews, who wors.h.i.+ped the true G.o.d. Exodus 1 and 5.

_d._ The Hebrew who did his neighbor wrong thrust Moses, as mediator, aside. Ex. 2:13, 14; Acts 7:26, 27.

_e._ Saul, who disobeyed G.o.d, persecuted David, who feared G.o.d. 1 Samuel 15, 19, 24.

_f._ Israel, in their apostasy, persecuted Elijah and Jeremiah, who were prophets of G.o.d. 1 Kings 19:9, 10; Jer. 36:20-23; 38:1-6.

_g._ Nebuchadnezzar, while an idolater, persecuted the three Hebrew captives for refusing to wors.h.i.+p idols. Daniel 3.

_h._ The envious and idolatrous princes under Darius, persecuted Daniel for daring to pray to the G.o.d of heaven. Daniel 6.

_i._ The murderers of Christ persecuted the apostles for preaching Christ.

Acts 4 and 5.

_j._ Paul, before his conversion, persecuted the church of G.o.d. Acts 8:1; 9:1, 2; 22:4, 5, 20; 26:9-11; Gal. 1:13; 1 Tim. 1:12, 13.

NOTE.-The history of all the religious persecutions since Bible times is but a repet.i.tion of this same story,-the wicked persecute the righteous. And thus it will continue to be until the conflict between good and evil is ended.

6. Who does Paul say shall suffer persecution?

"Yea, and _all that will live G.o.dly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution_." 2 Tim. 3:12.

7. What is essential to extensive religious persecution?

Ecclesiastical control of the civil power, or a union of church and state.

8. Since persecution is invariably wrong, and the persecutor is generally in the wrong on religious subjects, what must be true of persecuting governments?

They likewise must be in the wrong.

NOTES.-"There are many who do not seem to be sensible that all violence in religion is irreligious, and that, whoever is wrong, the persecutor cannot be right."-_Thomas Clarke._

"Have not almost all the governments in the world always been in the wrong on religious subjects?"-_Macaulay._

"Do not the Scriptures clearly show that they who persecute are generally in the wrong, and they who suffer persecution in the right,-that the majority has always been on the side of falsehood, and the minority only on the side of truth?"-_Luther._

"Religion was intended to bring peace on earth and good will towards men, and whatever tends to hatred and persecution, however correct in the letter, must be utterly wrong in the spirit."-_Henry Varnum._

G.o.d never forces the will or the conscience; but, in order to bring men under sin, Satan resorts to force. To accomplish his purpose, he works through religious and secular rulers, influencing them to enact and enforce human laws in defiance of the law of G.o.d.

9. Under what terrible deception did Christ say men would persecute His followers?

"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that _whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth G.o.d service_." John 16:1, 2.

10. Who is the original murderer?

"Ye are of your father _the devil_, and the l.u.s.ts of your father ye will do. _He was a murderer from the beginning_, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44.

11. When James and John wished to call down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans who did not receive Christ, what did Christ say to them?

"He turned, and rebuked them, and said, _Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them_." Luke 9:55, 56.

NOTES.-Some of the reasons given in justification of persecution may be noted in the following quotations:-

"The state cannot afford to permit religious liberty. We hear a great deal about religious tolerance, but we are only tolerant in so far as we are not interested. A person may be tolerant toward a religion if he is not religious.... Intolerance means fervor and zeal. The best the state can do is to establish a limited religious liberty; but beyond a certain degree of tolerance the state cannot afford to admit the doctrine."-_Monsignor Russell (Catholic), quoted in Was.h.i.+ngton Post, May 5, 1910._

"The church has persecuted. Only a tyro in church history will deny that.... We have always defended the persecution of the Huguenots, and the Spanish Inquisition. When she thinks it good to use physical force, she will use it.... But will the Catholic Church give bond that she will not persecute at all? Will she guarantee absolute freedom and equality of all churches and all faiths? The Catholic Church gives no bonds for her good behavior."-_Editorial in Western Watchman (Catholic), of St.

Louis, Mo., Dec. 24, 1908._

"The Inquisition was a very merciful tribunal; I repeat it, almost a compa.s.sionate tribunal.... A man was only allowed to be racked once, which no one can deny was a most wonderful leniency in those times."-_Catholic Mirror, official organ of Cardinal Gibbons, Aug.

29, 1896._

"We confess that the Roman Catholic Church is intolerant; that is to say, that it uses all the means in its power for the extirpation of error and sin; but this intolerance is the logical and necessary consequence of her infallibility. _She alone has the right to be intolerant, because she alone has the truth._ The church tolerates heretics where she is obliged to do so, but she hates them mortally, and employs all her force to secure their annihilation."-_Shepherd of the Valley (St. Louis, Mo.), 1876._

This erroneous position has been well refuted by Lord Macaulay in the following words: "The doctrine which, from the very first origin of religious dissensions, has been held by all bigots of all sects, when condensed into few words and stripped of rhetorical disguise, is simply this: I am in the right, and you are in the wrong. When you are the stronger, you ought to tolerate me; for it is your duty to tolerate truth. But when I am the stronger, I shall persecute you; for it is my duty to persecute error."-_Essay on __"__Sir James Mackintosh.__"_

Benjamin Franklin well said: "When religion is good it will take care of itself; when it is not able to take care of itself, and G.o.d does not see fit to take care of it, so that it has to appeal to the civil power for support, it is evidence to my mind that its cause is a bad one."-_Letter to Dr. Price._

John Wesley gave the following Christian advice: "Condemn no man for not thinking as you think. Let every one enjoy the full and free liberty of thinking for himself. Let every man use his own judgment, since every man must give an account of himself to G.o.d.

Abhor every approach, in any kind or degree, to the spirit of persecution. If you cannot reason nor persuade a man into the truth, never attempt to force a man into it. If love will not compel him to come, leave him to G.o.d, the Judge of all."