The Ladysmith news and Ingram news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1905-1906, 1905-08-05

convictions we will not question. 1t is
believed by them that this religious
reform is necessary TO the civil well
fare of the nation, and the spiritual
life Of the soul. They have resolved
that the religious principles must
control our national life of we perish. !"
Touching the spiritual life it is ex-
pressed this way: ''It Sunday is
the test of all religion. He who does
not keep the Sabbath does not wor-
ship God: and he who does not worship
God is lost. eve will force respect
for the Sabbath" We see their OBJ
ject is to save the state and the souls
Of men. This theocratical theory was
the precise doctrine Of the dark ages,
when the church Of Rome reigned su-
preme, and martyrs persisted at the
stake by the millions for conscience
sake. Can it be possible, says one,
that q union of the protestant churches
with the state will result in perse-
cution to any one? Let those who
favor this state religion answer the
question. In speaking Of the .opposers
Of this religious legislation, Rev. NJ.
A. Ganlt said: "OuT renaedy for all
these maleic influences, is to have
the government simply set up the
moral law and recognize Gods author
ity behind it, and lay its hand on any
religion that does not conform to it. "
Another has expressed it this way:
Give US the law in our hands and
we will show them what their end
viii be-. These, and many but strong
er utterances that might be cited,
show what manner Of spirit this move
meDt is of.
Such system is not born Of Heaven.
The Master of the heavenly religion
said: my kingdom is not Of this
world; if my kingdom were Of this
world, then would my servants fight,
that I,5hould not be delivered to the
Jews; but now is not my kingdom
from hence. |'He maketh his sun
to rise en- the evil and On the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on
the unjust. = ''Let both grow to-
gether until the harvest. - '"The har-
vest is the end Of the world. -
Earthly governments are civil and
not religious. In dealing with the
transgressions of their subjects they
punish for the crime and not for the
sin. Sin is the transgression Of the
heart. ''Whosoever hateth his brother
is murderer" says the bible. The
state cannot punish for this heart hatred;
murder in the heart. If this hatred is
not checked, but develops into an overt
act of manslaughter, then the state de-
fines and Furnishes for the overt act,
the crime. AS far IS the state is con
cerned, that which is crime on Mon
day IS crime Sunday if4peEformed on
Sunday. It is not crime. before the
state to plow and SOW, reap and NOW
on Monday nor is it a crime to perform
the same en- Sunday. It would be a
sin before God to perform this secular
work on the rest day Of Jehovah, but
not crime before the state, for the
state law IS purely civil. No state can
enforce any law to affect the hearts Of
its subjects if the subjects do not feel
inclined towards that law. BY threats
OF punis hnents and force Of arms sub
iects may be. held in check from open
violations, but their hearts remain I'M !
changed. For instance, the prisoner
may be held in check for years from
open violation, but when liberated, his
heart is the same. The gospel law can
enter the cell and change the prisoners
heart, if he will permit, but the civil
law cannot. It has no spiritual power
over the thoughts Of the heart. The
state cannot enforce the law Of God
upon the heart Of man, for that law IS
spiritual. Itmay enforce the letter Of
the law, but the heart remains the
same. For this reason God has not
given the state the mission Of writing
religious laws on the hearts of men.
That is the work Of God through the
Holy Spirit. The Sabbath instituted
in Eden is purely spiritual and religious
therefore the state cannot put it in the
heart of men. If the state cannot
Judge the thoughts of the heart, how
can it tell when the law has been re
ceived in the soul so that the man is
just before God? Impossible. Faith in
God and in his gospel is a personal
matter. A union Of church and state
is destruction to both the state and
the individual. May heaven save US
from such a union.
&. SWinSOn