The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1920-12-23
DO WE WANT THE
OLD BLUE LAW?

4 The Lord at one time said, "Th'
zeal of my house has eaten me up.
4 Jewish priests made about $500, 0C(
= yearly buying and selling in the Tenn
pie. Their zeal for helping God ou
financially would destroy the very
thing they were jealous for.
y Some people make the very best
A things in revelation "get down on al
fours" from a lack Of balance.
Holy balance is one of the finest
! traits Of good men.
Sweet wine is approved all through
the Scriptures; strong drink is con-
demned to the same extent.
Christ set wine on his table as a
! symbol Of his blood, to be drunk by all
| believers, in memory of his death, on
each first day.
Jesus drank wine Paul told Timothy
to drink wine. Jesus turned water in
to wine and guests drank it in his
presence and praised its quality. 1t
was sweet and no more intoxicating
than the grape. Both were the product
of the creator S hand.
The world is for the Christian and he
is encouraged to use it without abuse.
The first settlers of America would
have destroyed themselves and their
religion if it had not been for a few
level headed men such as Roger Will
Jams and William Penn.
Many people are like the pendulum
of a clock, which swings from one
extreme to the other. AS a rule the
prosecuted, delivered. also become
prosecutors. Russia is a great eX-
ample.
In colonial days a woman had wart
which was considered evidence of be-
ing possessed Of the devil and she was
hanged; rash showing on bodies was
sufficient evidence Of Witchcraft and
death the penalty Burroughs was put
to death on some such foolish Whim.
Youths were required to "Let the
! bars down softly when they brought
cows through on the Sabbath :" moth
ers were forbidden the natural right to
4 kiss their babies on the Sabbath. Life
was made a gloom.
Paul says: "'Rejoice! and again |
say. rejoice - He also said, 1.-THE
kingdom of God is not meat and drink,
but righteousness, peace and JOY in the
Holy Spirit.
The Hebrew Sabbath was a day of
solmen rest. No work was to be done
by man, servant, or beast. The pen
atty for disobedience was death. They
were to remember the creation and
that God rested ON the seventh day,
and that God delivered them from
Egypt.
Christ took all that old covenant, the
Ten Commandments, and all tied up
with it, "the rudiments of the world,
out of the way, nailingFit to his cross.
There is no executive power behind
the Ten Commandments today. If one
kill, steal, bear false witness or com
NIT adultery now in America the gov
eminent of Uncle Sam executes the |
will of God, for ''the powers that be |
are ordained of God. "
But Uncle Sam cannot define rulings |
on church membership. Christian bap-
tism and the purposes of the Lord as
to the first day of the week.
Attaining thesabolition of the saloon,
which is fine effort on the part of the
Anti-Saloon League, some ministers
and church people now think it is sea-
sonable to have a Sabbath law, 1t is
another extreme of the pendulum.
In the nature of circumstances it
would be class legislation, for there
are several organizations that are sab
batarians who always work on the
first day to show their disregard for it
as a divine day. BY their convictions |
they would have to keep two days.
God forbid that we should revive the
spirit of the colonial theocracy. We
do not want that destroying zeal.
! cannot imagine Paul seeking to
effect Sunday legislation through the
Roman government. The church under
Roman persecution multiplied amaz-
ingly, but when it converted the world
there followed a reign of church and
state and the inquisitiOn.
What a blessing that in America one
may worship God. through our Lord /
Jesus Christ, according TO his con-
science without fear or molestation.
The Ten Commandments and its as
sociate rulings were shadow Of bet
ter things to come. Christ is now
our Sabbath, He is our rest every day.
Come unto me and | will give you
rest =" he said.
Palestine was a country where the
Sabbath, according to its law, could
be kept. In a period of ten years, as
was observed by one of our scientists
the temperature did not fall below
55 or rise above So degrees.
What a glorious message the Chris
tian minister has as against law II
Grace and truth :" Christ, and Him
crucifed; :" "They (apostlesl ceased
not to teach and preach Jesus Christi
God was is, in Christ, reconciling
the world unto Himself
Efforts on that line will bring the
people to hear. believe and live. 81.
If be lifted up, will draw all men
unto me, Christ said.
With charity for all,
Faithfully,