Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-09-25

Correspondence.


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say you believe conscience is an infalli-
BILE guide. If it is the guide in this
question, it must be in all questions
and If conscience is to be the guide,
why not throw away the Bible and all
kindred works? | believe the Bible to
be the only true guide; that conscience
is simnly an ally, and may be cultivat-
ed or hardened the SAME as any othes
mental faculty. Some men have more
conscience, some less, and some appear
to have none at all. How was it with
the conscience of the Pharisees and
Jews while Christ was among them
Did their conscience reprove them ?
The A postle Paul thought he was do
ing God service while binding the disci-
pies and sending them to Jerusalem for
punishment. If Paul thought he was
doing God service, his conscience must
have been at rest :; and yet he and the
Pharaisees were all wrong, and wrong
when by properly studying the Scrip
turers they might have been right.
AS with the Jews, so with US. IF we
take anything but the Scriptures as
the rule of our lives, very much fear
many of us will eventually find our pla-
ces among the goats. In Acts II and
IL it is said the Jews of Berea were
more noble than those of Thessalonica.
IN that they received the word with all
readiness Of mind, and searched the
Scriptures daily whether those things
were SO. Let us initiate them by
searching the Scriptures instead of
trusting to conscience as our guide. 1t
will be mnch the safer way. IF our
conscience agrees with the Scriptures
it is right, if not it is clearly wrong.
You say, ''the fact that almost all
Christians observe Sunday, is fact
worthy of consideration, though prov
ing nothing Ia Theodore Tilton' s
paper (Golden Age)of June 7 the pop.
ulations of the different religions of the
Globe are given as follows Jews g.,
600, 600. Protestants, 50, 100000.
Greek Church and branches, $4,000,
coo. Mohametans 5000, 600.
Brahamists 100000, Romanists
139, 600, 900, Budhists 800, 100000.
All others :Confucius, Sintisim, Myth
olo9ioal, Naturalism, Manikism, Fetch
ism 46S, 600, 900, Total l ,27o, 600, 600,
According to this table, if numbers are
to be taken into consideration, we are
both wrong, and must become Budd-
hlsts, as they outnumber any other re-
llglon. You think if God saw a major
lty of his children placing themselves
in position to be damned, throaeh a
he would give them special
revelation to save them. This brings
us back to the original Text os Bro.
" ebster. | do not think any of God 5
children will be lost but if we do not
keep the commandments, we are not
God S children. and the fact that any
are lost, shows that they have not kept
them. Did God give the Pharisee a
special revelation? He gave them the
Scriptures, together with Christ's
teachings, and He has given us the
same; can we ask for more? I appre-
hend there IS no need Of special reyela-
tons, If we study the Scriptures care
fully, and with willingness to be gui-
ded entirely by them. You say the
fact that the Roman Empire saw fit to
designate the first day Of the week as
Sunday, proves nothing conclusive.
| wish to prove nothing by it, except
the fact of Sunday being the first day
of the week but as you admit it to be
a fact, we have no reason to argue
more upon that point. The only poiut
to be proven, is, which of the seven
days is the Sabbath. You do not ac-
cept the expression used in Genesis
2-3 as literal. Do you accept any
history as literal? The first chapters of
Genesis are simply history of events
that actually transpired, if the Bible be
true, and if history, accept it as literal,
or in other words, meaning just what it
says, or as untrue. If you think what
God meant by day, was one Of our
years, centuries, or ages, then in or
der to make your life agree with your
doctrine, you mast keep every seventh
gear instead of any one day. Would it
be right when God says keep every
seventh day, for you to keep every sew
enth second instead ? Clearly not.
The only way to obey, either in letter
or spirit, is to dc just what he said do.
In a former article you quote Exodus