Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1883-10-18


you. Be not conformed to the
world, but be We transformed by
the renewing of your minds The
basis of all Christ's teachings was
moral power. He presented motives
as incentives to action, and enforced
them by the highest wisdom that ever
fell upon the ears of mortal beings.
He endowed men. with supernatural
power to further develop the work
and instruct the world in the divine
lessons of this Kingdom. From this
standpoint we can see the force of
the Apostle Peters expression when
in speaking of the church on earth
he said, eye are a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, q holy nation, a
peculiar people, that you should show
forth the praises of Him who hath
called, you out of darkness into His
marvellous light. Here is distlnc-
ton drawn between the church and
the world, and it would be far better
for the souls of men in our day if the
distinction were kept up. The church
then was made the custodian of all
moral force and excellence, and if
the church had been true to its mis-
sion and preserved It's members in
that pure and spotless manner that
they were intended to do, instead of
becoming corrupted by SIN and world
ly influences so that no distinction
can be found between him who pro-
fesses Christ and the one who profess
fes him not, there would have been
no necessity for invoking the civil law
to aid the church. Long since that
stsne that Daniel saw cut out of the
mountains without hands would have
rolled on and filled the whole earth,
and it would have broken in pieces
all other kingdoms, and they would
long since have become the subjects
of the Lord and Christ. No legal en-
actments can make men moral, and he
who attempts such thing shows his
ignorance of the world of mankind
and the teachings of the Messiah.
Law, by appealing to mans cupidity,
may and does restrain him; but it
increases the depravity Of his moral
force, and simply turns the stream
into another channel instead of i'm
proving it. ...-.a
Jesus said, "Men do not gather
grapes of thorns, nor figs of thistles -
but He said, ''make the tree good,
and the fruit will be good.'' Let the
church then, in the true spirit OF
Christ, observe the Lords day, and
all the other duties enjoined in the
New Testament, and she will become
bright as the sun, clear as the moon,
and terrible as an army with banners.
To do this, the church must live so.
berry, righteously and godly in this
present world, denying all ungodli.
ness and worly lasts.
"Thus will the church below
Resemble that Above;
| Where streams of endless pleasures flow,
And every heart is love- e
But the question recurs: Have We
no power to enact law compelling
men to observe the day we call Sun
day? If by power is meant Divine
authority, we say, emphatically, no.
Society,", outside of the church, has q
right to protection, not as coming
from any teaching contained in the
Bible, but originating in that concep
ton that self lf-preservation IS the frs
law Of nature, and for the same rea
son that if A is in the act of taking
the life of B, the latter, to preserve
himself, may, if he can, take the life
of A. This is the teaching of pagan
Ism, but not of Christ. just in the
same manner the great mass Of man
kind, who labor for bread, can de
mand of their taskmasters a day O
exemption from toll, that they ma.
thus preserve themselves and thei
families who labor, and when the,
thus obtain such exemption, they d.
| it only as a means of rest and recu
peration, not in commemoration o
the end of creation, for that no on
does now; nor in memory of tn
! Savior's resurrection from the grave
4 for they have no faith in such a prop
! osition; but simply as a day of rest
The church should only feel tn
greater obligation to the world that
in choosing day of rest, they hay
by common consent enacted that me
> shall abstain from work on the frs
4 day Of the week, commonly calle'
!, Sunday. 1t is simply an act o
grace on the part of unbelievers j
j Christ that they have enacted AM
L chosen the first day of the week. l
q is one Of those unconscious acts tha
men do that demonstrates the trut
of the Bible, and inpresses the min
with that grand truth that, thougl
Jesus died ON the Roman cross, CAV
up his great spirit-slept in the tom
J, of Joseph of Arimathea during tn
t last and most eventful Sabbath, an
|, when the dawn Of the morning OF th
Il first day gilded the eastern horizon
!, He burst the bars of death triumph
!, ing over the last enemy and brougt
D light and immortality to light throug
the gospel. Since Jehovah broke tn
; silence of eternity, saying let US max
: man in our own image, no event Q
. such transcendant importance to At
3 am's fallen race has happened as th