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agnosticism and infidelity, contamination by Rousseau, Voltaire and Renan; the fashion-insanity and birth-control by preventives, having defiled and polluted the women folk of the world, by France; the massacres of innocent Christians, the stupidity, insolence and fanaticism of the Moslem, having held in bondage the Holy Land and having profaned the Holy City, by the Turk-this, in short, growing from bad to worse, has reached a stage where Divine interference became a necessity, or satan, the prince of this world, would absolutely predominate and control everything, and the God, Creator of Heaven and earth, dethroned, His commands ignored, His ordinances profaned, and His will and authority scoffed at.

Can any sane, spiritually minded and inclined person expect this awful, this accursed thing to be allowed to continue undisturbed by Almighty God? The wonder is that the thunderbolts were not let loose long ago.

Object of the Forbearance and Long-Suffering of God.

Paul, the Apostle, writes to the Romans (2:2-11): "But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth, against them that commit such things.

"And reckonest thou this, O man, who judgest them that practice such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

"Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

"Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

"To them that by patience in well-doing, seek for glory and honor, and incorruption; eternal life:

"But unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation.

"Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek;

"But glory, honor and peace to every man that worketh good; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek:

"For there is no respect of persons with God * * *

"For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the DOERS OF THE LAW shall be justified."

Here, now, is the word of God, respecting races and nations. Do you, my reader, suppose that races and nations can go on sinning with impunity?

My Christian friend, this world war will impress us with the fact that a day of reckoning has come, and that there is no escape from it.

God has three mighty disciplinarians, generally commissioned in company, though sometimes dispatched separately, one by one, namely: the sword, famine, and pestilence.

The sword has been active for four years, famine has done its work of terror in Poland, Serbia, Belgium and other places more than we have any idea of. The white plague is prevalent among the soldiers, and diseases of various kinds will spread among the

nations.

The Bleating of Sheep, and the Lowing of Oxen.

"And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said unto him: Blessed be thou of the Lord. I have performed the command of the Lord. "And Samuel said: What meaneth, then, this bleating of sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of oxen which I hear?

"And Saul said: They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

"Then Samuel said unto Saul: Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him: Say

on.

"And Samuel said: When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?

"And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said:

"Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

"Wherefore didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoils, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord.”

Self-justification. "And Saul said unto Samuel:

"Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag, the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

"But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal."

Obedience better than sacrifice. "And Samuel said: Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

"Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord he hath also rejected thee from being king."

Hypocritical Confession. "And Saul said unto Samuel: I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their

voice.

"Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.

"And Samuel said unto Saul: I will not return with thee: for Thou hath REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD, and the Lord HATH REJECTED THEE from being king of Israel *

* *

"Then Samuel said: Bring ye hither to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately * *

*

"And Samuel said: AS THY SWORD HATH MADE WOMEN CHILDLESS, SO SHALL THY MOTHER BE CHILDLESS among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal * * *

"And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul. And the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.”

The hypocrisy of Saul. Notice: (1) That Saul shields himself by putting the blame onto the people, saying: "But the people took of the spoil." And after being admonished by the prophet, Samuel, and told of the consequences of his disobedience, Saul was constrained to make a confession, and he said: I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words; because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. (2) He exonerates himself by offering a bribe, saying: The people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God. This excuse he offers twice.

All of which goes to show that Saul was dishonest and his confession, several times repeated, hypocritical.

Saul and David. Herein we notice a vast difference between David and Saul. Comparing the lives of the two, superficially, David committed serious mistakes and shameful sins. But David never offered any excuse. But he broke down into tears and repented in sack and ashes always extoling the law. In reading his psalms, 19, 23, 32, 51, for example, we descern the honest, upright and penitent disposition of him. Therefore Nathan, the prophet, said to David: "So hath the Lord taken thy sins away thou shalt not die," after his sin with Bathsheba.

How different with Saul. He admits of sin having been committed but lays the blame for it (a) on the people, that they took the spoil; (b) on his timidity, that he feared the people, and (c) that it was committed with the best of intentions: to sacrifice to the Lord thy God.

Saul, a Type of the Present Generation. Respecting the present generation, we notice gross ignorance of the contents of the Bible. The family Bible is used more as a luxury in families than as a holy message from God to men. Very few can repeat the ten commandments, the first and the twenty-third Psalms; very few are now able to give an outline of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, Ruth, Esther, Martha, Mary, Tabitha, etc.

We notice further, respecting this generation, a gross disregard for the Bible, the Gospel and the church of God. God's commandments are not authoritative in the opinion and sentiment of men, hence not binding on their consciences; and consequently not convicting of sin.

Even among Christians, church members, the consciousness of sin has been blunted, the sensitiveness benumbed, so that inward,

secret sins, sinning in thoughts, sinning in hate, sinning by looks, sinning by lust, sinning by passion, sinning by vain words, sinning by unkind words, sinning by anger, sinning by ungodly emotions, sinning by carelessness, sinning by selfishness, sinning by vainglory-these are disregarded.

The author has only started this catalogue of inward, hidden, secret sins, and suggests that the reader study these for a beginning, and then arrange them properly, adding to each group, as he detects in himself by prayerful self-examination, these classes of sins, the most dangerous and threatening, because we are so apt to forget, or to pay no attention to these. For not recognized or admitted, these sins are not confessed, or guarded against, hence not forgiven.

Furthermore, dear Christian brethren, let us continuously adopt David's humble, heart-searching prayer: "Search me, Ó God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

"And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Ps. 139:23, 24.

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Again: "Who can understand his errors?

"Cleanse me from SECRET faults." Ps. 19:12.

Yes, that is the most important thing, that we may know our hearts and our thoughts.

This was a matter the foolish virgins had neglected, with the most dire consequences, that, accompanying all the rest to meet the bridegroom, they were shut out.

Now, let us return to Saul for another moment.

What was the sentence of God, pronounced by God's faithful servant Samuel, to the delinquent Saul? The indictment and sen

tence are contained in two short clauses:

The indictment: THOU HAST REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD.

The Sentence: THE LORD HATH REJECTED THEE.

O my friends, how many of you does this, will this, indictment and sentence apply to? How many of you shall, like the foolish virgins, find yourselves utterly unprepared, at the last moment, when the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, shall appear in judgment, notwithstanding your church-membership, your lame, meaningless confession, your outward religious attitude?

The author will tell you right now. Listen: If you, reading this, experience no fear that something might be wrong with you and your Christianity; if no searching sensation penetrates you; if you are not constrained by the Spirit of God to rush into the chamber to pray to God to search you, as we have inferred from David's petition in the thirteenth Psalm; if you are not constrained to continue thus until you shall have assurance by the Holy Spirit that your being and your doings are acceptable to God -if not so, then you are on the wrong way, and if Christ should come at this moment, you are not prepared to enter into heaven. You are actually a lost soul. Your name is not in the Lamb's Book of Life. You are not known in heaven.

O Consider the Far-Reaching Effects and Consequences of Sin!

CHAPTER XXXIX.

SUMMARY

Victory Assured-Sacrifices Estimated and Compared-Duration of the War-Peace-Conformity to the Teaching of Jesus Christ an Absolute Condition.

There is and can be no question whatever respecting the final victory for World Democracy. Development and progression and advancement in the science of government as well as in every other branch of observation, experimental philosophy and experience demand it. The time and rule of Imperialism, Monarchism, Feudalism, Lordism, Peeragism, Autocracy, Plutocracy, Baronetcy, and to a very large extent, Landlordism and Corporation ownership and control is passed. In the new World Democracy, corporation ownership and control will pass into national, state and community ownership and control. Even the ownership of large tracts of land by corporations or individuals will eventually revert to states and communities. This transformation will take time to develop, but it is nevertheless essential for the NEW IDEAL COMMONWEALTH. IT IS COMING.

UNCLE SAM, THE TEACHER OF THE WORLD, has placed the proposition squarely before the whole world.

What does "Government by the consent of the governed; equal opportunity, equal responsibility, universal brotherhood, universal suffrage, direct legislation or the initiative, the referendum or the recall;" what does all this in reality IMPLY when once fully understood and put into operation?

The world is taking the instruction at the hand of UNCLE SAM very seriously; the leven is mixed into the dough and fermentation has set in. We shall either have delicious victuals or a terrific explosion.

Victory is assured. The tempest has started, the ocean is roaring, the billows are rolling mountain high. Anything in the way will be crushed, washed away in the general house-cleaning pro"The world will be safe for Democracy."

cess.

Sacrifices Estimated and Compared.

Sacrifice comprises one of two conditions—either RENUNCIATION OR CAPITULATION.

If we renunciate we shall not have to capitulate. We have the choice between voluntary laudible renunciation and a forced, disgraceful capitulation.

Voluntary renunciation and submission to the form, standard or model attainable without bloodshed, destruction of property and force of arms, capitulation and surrender attainable through force of arms, destruction of property and bloodshed.

Our condition of mind and attitude toward the LORD GOD of heaven and our surroundings and dependents will determine the magnitude of our sacrifices and suffering.

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