We have shown that the National Reform movement, or the movement to unite religion and the State in this nation, is in the direct course of the fulfillment of Revelation 13:11-17.
We have shown that this movement to unite religion and the State is but to form an image to the Papacy, and is a fulfillment of the prophecy which speaks of its being said "to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live." (Revelation 13:14)
Legislative Power
We now propose to show that the logic of the National Reform movement is the exact fulfillment of the words which immediately follow: "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." (Revelation 13:15-17)
By the proposed amendment to the Constitution, the National Reformers propose to have this nation acknowledge God as sovereign, and as "the source of all authority and power in civil government." When that shall have been done, then, according to their own statements, what will follow? Let us see.
First, they say that: "The keeping of the Sabbath is an acknowledgment of the sovereign rights of God over us."
Secondly, they say, "Sunday is the Sabbath."
Therefore it inevitably follows that whoever refuses to keep Sunday denies the sovereignty of God.
Now the nation, in declaring that God is Sovereign, virtually takes upon itself the obligation to maintain that sovereignty within its jurisdiction; and as the keeping of Sunday is declared to be the acknowledgment of that sovereignty, the nation thereby sets itself to maintain the proper observance of Sunday, and so the proper recognition of the sovereignty of God.
Persecution to Follow
And the refusal to keep Sunday, being counted a denial of the sovereignty of God, will also be treason against the State, and if persisted in can only receive the punishment due to treason, and that is death.
It is even now claimed by the leading Sunday advocates, that the terrible calamities that so often occur, are the judgments of God sent upon the nation because of the desecration of Sunday; and that all manner of Sunday work must be stopped, or the nation will perish.
Therefore, according to their argument, as Sunday work imperils the nation, whoever persists in working on Sunday and in disregarding the day, thereby sets himself against the life of the nation. Then, in the view of the National Reformers, the only question will be, "Which is the most valuable, the life of the nation or the life of the few who persistently refuse to keep Sunday?"
To this question there can be but one answer, of course. It will readily be argued that it is better that the few shall die than that the whole nation perish. (John 11:50)
The awful train disaster that occurred last summer at Chatsworth is attributed by the National Reformers to the national disregard of Sunday. Therefore when the nation espouses the cause of Sunday sacredness, suppose there shall yet be those throughout the land who persistently and intentionally work on Sunday, then suppose a train runs off the track and a number of persons are killed; as the desecration of Sunday causes the accident by which these are killed, it necessarily follows that those who desecrated the Sunday are guilty of their death. And as these persons still refuse to keep Sunday, the only thing that remains will be to put them to death.
This is the plain, straightforward logic of the National Reform Sunday law propositions. And this is precisely what is pointed out in the scripture which speaks of the making of the image of the beast: "He had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." (Revelation 13:15)
The Warning of God
But in direct opposition to this work stands the warning of the Third Angel's Message, that whosoever worships the beast and his image, "shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God." (Revelation 14:10)
It is therefore certain that no person who loves the truth of the Third Angel's Message, will ever obey any law which forbids work on Sunday, even though death be involved in his working on that day. If the law says he shall not work, he, like Daniel when he was forbidden by the law to pray to God, will do exactly "as he did aforetime," (Daniel 6:10) and just as if there was no such law in existence. Of course, he will have to face fine and imprisonment, and the time will come when he will have to face death to do it. This is plainly set forth in the Third Angel's Message. But it is far better to face fine and imprisonment and even death itself, than to worship the beast and his image.
Let no one think that we are writing extravagantly in thus setting forth the logic of the Sunday-law propositions. We have their own arguments, which show the very thing which we have here pointed out.
Their Own Testimony
And to show that we are not talking at random, we shall not give some of their own testimony on the subject. Last August there was a National Reform W.C.T.U. Convention held at Lakeside, near Sandusky, Ohio. One of the questions, with its answer, was as follows:
[Question:] Will those who conscientiously observe the seventh day of the week, be required to keep Sunday also?
[Answer by Dr. McAllister, editor of the Christian Statesman:] I will say, not in the way of compelling them to wait upon services on that day. No man should be compelled to attend public worship. But let a man be what he may-Jew, seventh-day observer of some other denomination, or those who do not believe in the Christian Sabbath-let the law apply to everyone, that there shall be no public desecration of the first day of the week, the Christian Sabbath, the day of rest for the nation. They may hold another day of the week as sacred, and observe it; but that day which is the one day in seven for the nation at large, let not that be publicly desecrated by anyone, by officer in the Government, or by private citizen, high or low, rich or poor.
At one of the meetings, Mrs. Bateham, the head of the W.C.T.U.'s Department of Sunday Observance, made a speech on the subject. After the speech there was a short time given for questions. There were many questions asked, all of which involved the point of work on Sunday. We shall choose one question and its answer, which contain the substance of many. A member of the W.C.T.U. said, This subject was called to my attention just a few days ago, by a lady in our town who is an observer of the seventh day, and she said:
"Oh! I hope you women of the Christian Temperance Union will never press this question of Sunday observance into the law of the State. Don't you see that if they make it a legal Sabbath day, it will persecute us? for it is just as binding a command of God that we labor six days of the week, as it is to rest one."
Of course, I have not given much attention to it; but I was forcibly impressed with the manner in which she expressed herself. She said if we put anything into the Constitution of the United States, or the laws of the State, that compels all labor to cease on our Sunday, then they would be obliged to disobey God, or else the laws of the land, or their own consciences. Now I would like some light on this point.
[Answer by Mrs. Bateham:] I believe myself that the fourth commandment not only commands to rest on one day but to labor on the other six; but I believe there is abundance of labor which could be performed upon that day and would not draw public attention. There are many things that are right and proper for others who are not observers of the first day of the week, to do on that day. But when the good of the whole country requires that this day should be kept as a holy day, they must not be allowed to infringe upon the rights of the people.
Now look at the argument. She admits that the commandment of God not only enjoins rest on one day of the week, but also enjoins labor on the other six. Here are a people who obey the commandment by resting on that one day, and who also desire to obey the commandment by laboring on the other six. But the W.C.T.U. says, through Mrs. Bateham, They must not be allowed to labor on the other six days.
That is to say, They must not be allowed to obey the commandment of God--even that which Mrs. Bateham herself confesses to be the commandment of God. She says,
The fourth commandment not only commands rest on one day but to labor on the other six.
These people rest on that one day, and then in addition to that the W.C.T.U. proposes to compel them to rest on one of the other six, on which the commandment of God commands them to labor. Therefore the W.C.T.U. deliberately proposes to compel a whole people to break the commandment of God. And why? Oh! Because ... they must not be allowed to infringe upon the rights of the people.
What a specious plea indeed! Let the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union be told that the rights of the people never can involve the breaking of the commandment of God. Let the Woman's Christian Temperance Union be told that obedience to the commandment of God never can infringe upon the rights of the people.
How perfectly the Third Angel's Message applies right here! Just at this time, when this vast organization deliberately sets itself to compel a people to break the commandment of God, how appropriate it is that the Third Angel's Message should cry with a mighty voice, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (Revelation 14:12)
But suppose these people refuse to break the commandment of God, what then? Amid further questions and answers, there was said this: There is a law in the State of Arkansas enforcing Sunday observance upon the people, and the result has been that many good persons have not only been imprisoned, but have lost their property, and even their lives. [Reply:] It is better that a few should suffer than that the whole nation should lose its Sabbath.
Exactly! That is the very argument by which the Saviour was condemned to death by the popular religionists of His day; and: "If they called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak in light; and what you hear in the ear, that preach upon the house-tops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:25-28) "Yea, I say unto you, Fear Him." (Luke 12:5)--Signs of the Times, January 20, 1888.