November 5, 1895 Armadale Campmeeting Talk, The Bible Echo, March 2, 9 & 16, 1896
"Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way." (Matt. 22:15-22)
The Pharisees and Herodians were completely answered in these words. A sharp distinction was drawn between the things of God and the things of Caesar; that is, the things which pertain to God,--religion, and the things which pertain to Caesar,--civil government. There was not one of those Pharisees or Herodians that had any ground to stand upon after He had made that answer. There was not one of them that thought it was any use to say, "That general principle is good, but you see there are some things in which God and Caesar are in partnership. What about that?" They did not dare to say a word. When He said, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's," they marvelled and went their way, because in those few words
He had laid down those eternal principles of right, and had so completely answered them that there was nothing more to be said.
It was announced that we would consider this evening something of the evils of religious legislation; God or Caesar, Which? or the evils which result from religious legislation, in mixing up God and Caesar.
A Plain Distinction
As a foundation, I want first to draw a distinction between the things of God and the things of Caesar. "Caesar" stands for civil government. The things of Caesar are those which have to do with civil government. The things of God are those which have to do with God, our relation to God, our duty to God, everything that pertains to God as a personal matter between us and God. I want to lay down for our consideration the contrast between the things of God and the things of Caesar; the contrast between the realms in which they rule, their subjects, and their manner of ruling. To make it plain we will draw a simple diagram:--
God. Caesar. _______ _______ Mind. Body. Thought. Action. Sin. Crime. Moral. Civil. Forgiveness. Penalty. Love. Force. Eternal. Temporal.
The Two Realms
First as to the realms in which they rule. God in Jesus Christ rules the mind; Caesar the body. Let us stop on this a moment. When Jesus Christ came to set up His kingdom, He came to set up a different sort of a kingdom than had existed. Human power and the kingdom of this world--Caesar--had ruled the body, they had ruled the outward conduct, but here comes Jesus Christ to set up a kingdom within a kingdom, to have a kingdom, to have subjects, and to have that right in this world, where Caesar's kingdom is.
But while men had been--shall I say satisfied--not always that, and yet it was all Caesar could do to rule the body,--Jesus Christ comes to set up His kingdom in the mind; that is, to rule the thoughts, while Caesar has his kingdom over the body, and rules actions. This is not to say that Jesus Christ does not rule actions, but He gets behind actions, and controls actions through thought. They had had laws in the world, they had God's law in the world, but Jesus Christ came to show what that law meant, to live it Himself, and to teach it as it meant to God. And so He explained it as we read Matt. 5, where Christ Himself, the very one who spoke the law from Sinai, now, with His divinity veiled in humanity, comes on the mount, and speaks that law over again, and gives it a spiritual meaning.
"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment; but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." This is further expressed in 1 John 3:15: "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer." "Ye have heard how it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." He further explains that covetousness is idolatry, and this is set forth in Eph. 5:2-5: "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
This is Christ's interpretation of how the law of God applies. This does not apply simply to the outward act. Caesar rules the outward conduct. I may stand before a man, I may hate him with a perfect hatred, and I may tell him so to his face, but Caesar says nothing to me. Caesar has nothing to do with it. But suppose my hatred grows into action, and I proceed to do the man violence. Caesar says, "You must keep your hate within yourself, or I shall come in and interfere." But I am just as much in God's sight a murderer when I hate my brother as though I had taken his life. It is better for civil society that there are laws to restrain the outward manifestation of that hate, but in God's sight I am a murderer when I hate.
But suppose Caesar should attempt to enforce this law as God explains it, will you tell me how many would be left outside the prison walls to guard those within? Suppose he should come into this tent, and, taking the law as God explains it, should say, "I am here for every man who has ever been a murderer." How many, do you think, would be left to listen to the sermon? God in Christ rules the hearts, and Christ came to do that which it is impossible for man to do,--to rule the very thoughts of the heart. And He explains that no service is acceptable to Him unless it is heart-service.
The Pharisees had plenty of religion of their kind. They liked to display it, and they kept bringing it forth. They had come to Christ to display it. They came to Him asking why His disciples ate with unwashen hands. I will not read the record, but Christ answered them, saying, "Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man." "Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Declare unto us this parable." "And Jesus said, Do ye not yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out into the draught. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; these are the things which defile a man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man." (Matt. 15:10, 11, 15-20)
Thought Precedes Action
Every overt act is preceded by thought. No man ever does a thing he has not thought of. Now many are thinking, I suppose, "I question that, because I have done things I did not intend to do. And I did them because I did not think." I tell you the very reason you did them without thinking was because you had done them so many times before that by thinking it had become habit. I say that every act is preceded by the thought, and that thought is the very character of your being. It is in the inmost thought, the inner self, where character dwells. Man may be restrained by outward forms from expressing himself; he may be but a whited sepulchre. And if the sepulchre is whitewashed outside, Caesar has nothing to say; he cannot enter into the temple of the heart and control thought. Jesus Christ sets up His kingdom in the mind; His subjects are the thoughts of the heart, and no one is pure in God's sight unless his very thought is pure; no one is free from transgression unless his very thoughts are in harmony with God. Says the Scripture, "Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 2 Cor. 10:5. That is religion and Jesus Christ can do that for us. But when Caesar has attempted to invade the realm of the mind, when he has stepped out of his place and tried to control what only Jesus Christ can control,--the inmost thoughts of the heart,--then we have had written in blood some of the darkest pages of human history.
Sin and Crime
God in Jesus Christ deals with sin; Caesar deals with crime. The Scripture says, "The thought of foolishness is sin;" but it is not crime. Therefore as Jesus Christ dwells in the mind, ruling the thoughts, anything contrary to His thought is sin, and He deals with sin. Sin is defined in the Scripture to be the "transgression of the law," and Jesus Christ in His kingdom deals with sin. Caesar has nothing to do with sin; it is crime that he deals with. Sin is the transgression of God's law in the thought of the heart. Sin is a lapse from holiness, and holiness dwells in the inmost heart. Anything different to that is sin; but Caesar cannot inquire about that. He waits till the thought becomes an overt act contrary to his law; because while God has a law to rule the heart, Caesar has a law to rule the action. When one transgresses Caesar's law he may or may not have sinned against God, but it is crime. There should be a very careful distinction drawn between sin and crime. Crime is transgression of human law; sin is transgression of God's law as interpreted by Jesus Christ. Sin may or may not be crime. A man may be a murderer of the blackest type before God, and not be guilty of a crime. I may be an idolater, breaking God's law every day, and not have committed a single crime. I may be dark and deep-stained with sin, and not commit any crime.
Morality and Civility
God's government is moral; Caesar's government is civil. Christ deals with morality. But we must understand what morality is. There is an accommodated sense of the word, in which we say, "He is not a Christian, but he is a moral man." When we come to the strict sense of the word, it means "One that is in harmony with God's law." The word "civil" has to do with the relations between man and man; the word "moral" has to do with the relations between man and God. The truly moral man will be civil, you may be sure of that, and the only purpose of civil government is to make those men civil who would not be otherwise, who are not governed by the higher law of morality, the law of God in the heart.
The object, and the only object, of Caesar's government is,--not to give men rights, God does that,--but to protect men in their God-given rights. No company of men can confer rights upon any other company of men, but they can protect them in the proper use of those rights which they already have. Those rights belong to them, they are given them of God. Men will not be moral; then Caesar comes in with his power, and compels, and properly too, those men who will not be moral, to be civil. Outward conduct is civility; inward conduct is morality. God lives in the heart, making men moral by conferring upon them His own moral character. But Caesar cannot do this; he cannot get into the mind and see when men are committing sin. All he can do is to look at the body, see whether men are committing crime or not, and make them civil if they will not be moral.
Forgiveness v. Penalty
Further, God in Christ exercises forgiveness in His government; Caesar knows no forgiveness, he knows nothing but the penalty. A man commits a sin against God, he has been a sinner all his life, but he sees Christ lifted up, and hears the promise, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," and he accepts that promise; and right there his sins are forgiven; his load of crime is entirely removed; and he stands before God as though he had never committed a sin in his life. But if a man commits a crime, he may be ever so sorry, and he may confess to Caesar, but Caesar says, "Settle that with your Maker; I know nothing but the penalty."
If we should introduce into civil government the principles God uses in His kingdom, we should have perfect confusion. Look at these principles: "Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times, but, Until seventy times seven." "Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him." (Matt. 18:21, 22; Luke 17:3, 4)
Suppose we should apply this principle to civil government. Here is a man arrested for horse stealing. He is brought up before the judge, and says, " I am very sorry, and the Bible says you must forgive." The judge says, " You are forgiven." He goes out and steals another horse, is brought back, and again forgiven. He does that seven times over. How do you think the judge would feel? I think that by the time he had reached the seventh experience he would think that there was some mistake about the law. These principles, which are the very glory of God's moral government, the very glory of His character, we cannot apply to Caesar's government. God does forgive, even to seventy times seven, and He does it for us, thank God, but these principles do not belong here; they are for a different realm, and God, by the gift of His Son, has so provided that He can exercise forgiveness and still maintain the character of His law. By the sacrifice of Jesus Christ God has upheld the character of His government, keeps His law where it belongs, and yet holds out forgiveness to all that believe on His Son. Because of His wonderful provision for the stability of His government, God's law is not brought into disrepute when the man who has broken it again and again turns about and says, "I repent."
By forgiving, civil government would break down the whole system of government; but God keeps His law where it belongs, and yet forgives everyone who repents.
Love v. Force
In order to carry on His government on the earth God uses love, and love only, as His power; Caesar knows nothing of the power of love, and uses only force. In Jer. 31:3 God says, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love;" and in Rom. 2:4 we read, "Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness; … not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," and He depends wholly and only upon the power of that love in Jesus Christ to win men to submit themselves to Him.
Most men when they die lose their kingdoms, and lose control over their subjects. Jesus Christ, the King of Israel, gained both His kingdom and His followers by dying. And so it is upon the love of God in Jesus Christ that God depends, and though He has been charged with having an arbitrary government, yet He waits and waits, and displays His love again and again to draw men to Him. But He compels none. God gives to every man freedom of will to choose or refuse Him. If he says, "I will not have this man to reign over me," God does not reign over him. That is God's method of government. But Caesar knows no such government. He simply controls the body. When the thought goes into outward act, Caesar takes the body and puts it under control, that the man may not be able to express that thought further; but that man, even though shut up in a dungeon, may go right on sinning against God at every breath. Caesar cannot help that. He can prevent a man's thought from expressing itself in any way to injure his fellowman; but God looks through stones and bars into the heart, and in His sight that man is still a sinner, though he is kept from manifesting it by the power of the sword.
Temporal v. Eternal
Further, God deals wholly with things that are eternal; Caesar with things that are temporal. God Himself is eternal. "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." It was through the eternal Spirit that Christ offered Himself for us. It is eternal life that He holds out as a reward. Caesar knows nothing of such things as that. He is not supposed to know whether a man is on the road to heaven or hell. He is not supposed to make inquiry where he proposes to spend his time in the future. All he is to ask is, "What are you doing to-day?" Caesar's punishment has nothing to do with eternity. He simply deals with temporal gifts, temporal punishments, temporal rewards; nothing more.
Then we have the contrast. God in Christ deals with the mind; Caesar with the body. God with the thoughts; Caesar with the actions. God with sin; Caesar with crime. God with morals; Caesar with civil things. God exercises forgiveness, Caesar imposes the penalty. God uses love, Caesar, force. God deals with eternal things; Caesar with temporal things. These are sharply defined distinctions.
The Powers That Be
But is it not true that the powers that be are ordained of God?-- Certainly. "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers [notice carefully how it reads; for every word has a meaning. If it is only higher power, there is something beyond that.]; for there is no power but of God, and the powers that be are ordained of God." It is in God's order that there should be civil governments on the earth. And we are to yield obedience to those governments. Then, you say, what is the trouble?--There is no trouble if we put the other right with it. "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." The very idea of civil government is of God, and He has ordained civil rulers over this realm; but not to rule over His realm. He has drawn the line of distinction between the two, and has ordained the powers that be to rule over things civil, and leave Him to rule over things moral. When Caesar confines his actions to his own sphere, every Christian is enjoined by God to be obedient; that is a part of his Christianity. There should be no one more loyal to civil government, when it is in the sphere to which God ordained it, than the Christian. He should be the model citizen; but when Caesar tries to put himself in the place of God, he makes bad work. He cannot take the place of God. God says, "Stay where I put you, and I command every one of My followers to obey you; but do not come over into My realm; for you cannot carry on My government. Stay in your sphere, and you will have every one of My subjects to be your subjects; but if you get into My realm, You will spoil your subjects and Mine too." God has made this very plain. Let us go to the Scripture for instruction.
The Three Hebrews and the Fiery Furnace
Nebuchadnezzar the king built a great image all of gold, and set it up on the plain of Dura. He made a proclamation, calling the princes, captains, governors, and subjects of his realm to the dedication of the image. At the sound of the music everyone was to bow down and worship this image, which was really to worship Nebuchadnezzar, because he had had a vision of an image whose head was of gold, representing himself, and from this he made an image all of gold, and set it up to represent himself. In the company were three men, Jewish captives, who had been placed in office by Nebuchadnezzar. When the sound of music was heard, and the whole company prostrated themselves, those three men stood up, and certain ones went and told the king. He was furious with rage, and commanded them to bring the three men before him, and he said unto them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do ye not serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?" "I tell you that whosoever does not fall down and worship this image will be cast into the burning fiery furnace." "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said unto the King Nebuchadnezzar, We are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."
At this answer Nebuchadnezzar was all the more enraged, and commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times hotter than it was wont to be, and that the three men should be cast in. Why, he said, I am Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon; God Himself has ordained me. What right have these men to disobey my commands? And we have the prophecy concerning Nebuchadnezzar in Jer. 27:5-7: " I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto Me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him." "And he commanded the most mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and king's counsellors, being gathered together saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them."
The Lesson
What was the lesson in this for the king? God was saying to Nebuchadnezzar, "You are out of your place. You are My servant; I gave you authority, but not to exercise in My realm. Any command you give contrary to My commands, I will bring it to confusion." And the lesson is for us in this day. When Caesar gets out of his place, and steps across the line that divides things civil from things moral, God says, "Get back into your place."
Medo-Persia Succeeded Babylon
Just according to the prophecy, Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and his son's son ruled the kingdom. We will read the record in Daniel. "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand." And he commanded to bring in the gold and silver vessels which his grandfather had taken of the temple of the Lord. But while the feast was going on, there came a bloodless hand and wrote on the wall. Belshazzar trembled, and sent for his wise men to read the writing, but no man among them could read it. Then they told him of a man who had interpreted a vision for his grandfather. He commanded him to be sent for, and Daniel was brought before the king. "And this is the writing that was written, Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it. Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Peres; Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom." God had raised up this new kingdom; for we have the prophecy of the fall of Babylon in Isa. 21:2: "A grevious vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media." It was in God's providence that Babylon fell.
And now we have another lesson.
Daniel in the Lions' Den
After Darius had taken the kingdom, we find that Daniel was preferred above the other princes of the kingdom, and that he was made first president of the realm. That of course roused envy, and the men went to work to get his place. They went to king Darius, and said, "King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
"Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." He had been accustomed to pray three times a day, and when king Darius forbade him to pray to God, he paid no attention whatever. He did not close his window and sit in his chair, so that they would not know whether he was praying or not. He got down on his knees and prayed as he had aforetime.
Now these men had had just what they wanted. They had heard Daniel pray. No doubt they had heard him pray before that, but they were interested in this prayer. Then these men came unto the king and said, "That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. Then the king when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the suit to deliver him. Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king established may be changed. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God, whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee. And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God whom thou servest continually able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. My God hath sent His angel and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before Him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt." What! had he not broken the law?--Yes; but the king was out of his place in making it, and therefore it was no offence to go contrary to it. And God showed this to be so.
What is the lesson?--God is saying, Caesar, "Keep out of My realm; keep on your own side of the fence. The minute you come over here I give My subjects perfect right to disobey you. I will stand by them in it." And He did.
Thus the contest between civil encroachments on the domains of God and fidelity to God went on till Jesus Christ came. Then the Roman Empire filled the world. Macaulay says of it: "It was the sublimest incarnation of power, and a monument, the mightiest of greatness built by human hands, which has upon this planet been suffered to appear." When Jesus Christ came, all the attention paid to Him was to put His name down and tax Him the same as they had the cattle. But He had a mission to this world, and that was to bring freedom to the mind, to bring freedom to the thought, to deliver the captives that were bound by the power of sin. He was to present the character of God and to preach the kingdom of God. We can read that in the very first of the gospel by Mark. "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:14, 15)
The Roman Empire had gods many and lords many, but the one god that stood over all was the Roman state itself. They regarded Caesar, the head of the government, as divine, and they worshipped him as the very incarnation of the government. They reasoned thus: "Rome has conquered the world. The gods of Rome have done this, and chief among them is the Roman state." This religion of theirs was not a theory; it was wondrous practical, and I think I will take the time to read a brief extract from Gibbon on this point:--
"The religion of the nations was not merely a speculative doctrine professed in the schools or preached in the temples. The innumerable deities and rites of polytheism were closely interwoven with every circumstance of business or pleasure, of public or of private life; and it seemed impossible to escape the observance of them, without, at the same time, renouncing the commerce of mankind and all the offices and amusements of society. ... The public spectacles were an essential part of the cheerful devotion of the pagans, and the gods were supposed to accept, as the most grateful offering, the games that the prince and the people celebrated in honour of their peculiar customs. The Christian, who with pious horror, avoided the abomination of the circus or the theatre, found himself encompassed with infernal snares in every convivial entertainment, as often as his friends, invoking the hospitable deities, poured out libations to each other's happiness. When the bride, struggling with well-affected reluctance, was forced in hymeneal pomp over the threshold of her new habitation, or when the sad procession of the dead slowly moved toward the funeral pile, the Christian, on these interesting occasions, was compelled to desert the persons who were dearest to him, rather than contract the guilt inherent to those pious ceremonies. Every art and every trade that was in the least concerned in the framing or adorning of idols, was polluted by the stain of idolatry. ...
"The dangerous temptations which on every side lurked in ambush to surprise the unguarded believer, assailed him with redoubled violence on the day of solemn festivals. So artfully were they framed and disposed throughout the year, that superstition always wore the appearance of pleasure, and often of virtue. … On the days of general festivity, it was the custom of the ancients to adorn their doors with lamps and with branches of laurel, and to crown their heads with garland of flowers. This innocent and elegant practice might have been tolerated as a mere civil institution. But it most unluckily happened that the doors were under the protection of the household gods, that the laurel was sacred to the lover of Daphne, and that garland of flowers, though frequently worn as a symbol of either joy or mourning, had been dedicated in their first origin to the service of superstition. The trembling Christians who were persuaded in this instance to comply with the fashions of their country and the commands of the magistrates, laboured under the most gloomy apprehensions from the reproaches of their own conscience, the censures of the church, and the denunciations of Divine vengeance."[1]
And it was so that the Christian could hardly turn round, could not go to the funeral or marriage of a friend, because of the idolatrous practices interwoven with these ceremonies. His Christianity completely separated him from his friends, from the government, for the Romans would have no interference with their religion. According to Neander they had a law declaring that, "whoever introduces new religions, the tendency and character of which are unknown, whereby the minds of men may be disturbed, shall, if belonging to the higher rank, be banished; if to the lower, punished with death."
Christ and the Roman Law
Jesus Christ was one of the lower rank, and He went up and down in Judea, teaching a new religion. The Pharisees knew this, and although they hated and despised the Roman government, although they plotted to overthrow it, although they hoped that Jesus Christ, when He came, would lead a revolution against it, yet when they saw that that was not His plan, they purposed to get the Roman government to overthrow Him. And when it came to His trial, they tried to get a condemnation from Pilate on the charge of blasphemy: for, they said, "He made Himself the Son of God." "When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid: and went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art Thou? But Jesus gave him no answer." Pilate tried to release Him, "but the Jews cried out saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend; whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar." And Pilate knew that if he did not accede to their request that there would a word go to Tiberius the cruel, "Pilate your governor has allowed an insurrection to go on here, and has refused to have anything to say against it." And so he did what they wanted him to do. What was the charge?--Unfriendly to Caesar. That was the charge on which Jesus Christ was put to death. It was contrary to the law for Him to teach a new religion, but He did it. And for this they put Him to death.
The Apostles and the Powers That Be
He was raised from the dead, and called His disciples together, and said to them, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Go throughout the whole Roman Empire and preach the gospel to every creature; yet He knew that that was directly contrary to the law of Rome. The disciples went and preached as they were instructed, and then the civil authorities came down upon them. The disciples were put in prison, but "the angel of the Lord by night opened the doors and brought them forth and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest came and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came and found them not in the prison, they returned and told, saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors; but when we had opened, we found no man within. Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. Then came one, and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence; for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council, and the high priest asked them, saying, Did we not straightly command you that ye should not teach in this name? And behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered, and said, We ought to obey God rather than man." Yet it was contrary to law.
Paul, who had himself been a persecutor, after he had been converted took Barnabas, and went out preaching, contrary to law. They passed through Asia Minor preaching the word, and on coming to Phillippi, healed a woman possessed of an evil spirit. "But when her master saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the market place unto the rulers. And brought them to the Magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city." They did not trouble the city at all. They simply took away from the man his hope of gain. They shut them in prison, but the prison doors were thrown open,--God's way of teaching them a lesson.
Again, we have the experience of the apostles in the 17th chapter of Acts. "Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews, which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason, and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also." And these men, that had themselves put the whole town in an uproar, took these noble men, and brought them to the magistrates, and said, "These men have turned the whole world upside down."
At every step the apostles were hounded with that law, and yet Christ said, "Go, ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." They fought it out, and bled and died, and kept the fight up for centuries, till the Roman Empire was compelled to yield. That is what brought
Liberty into the World.
God was saying to Caesar, "Keep on your side of the fence. Let My subjects teach in My realm." This had to be learned over and over again. It had to be learned in the Reformation; but the liberty that was preserved in the Dark Ages, and the liberty that we have to-day, we owe to the establishment of that principle that Caesar has to do with the things of Caesar, and God with the things of God. God will take care of His followers in doing this, and He commands everyone of them to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's when he stays in his own realm.
Results of Church and State Union
Let me say further, that unless these things are kept separate as God has put them, it will destroy both the church and the state. When the Jews crucified Christ, they said, "His blood be upon us and our children forever," and it was. Of all the horrible pages of history the most horrible is the siege of Jerusalem, when mothers ate their own children; but these things came upon them because they mixed the things of God and the things of Caesar, and took hold of the arm of Caesar to control the things of God. They suffered the penalty. Their nation as a nation was at that time brought low, and has never recovered. And the lesson is the same to-day. Let me say that any religion that needs the support of Caesar is not worth supporting. I care not what religion it is. Jesus Christ did not call for Caesar to help Him. He depended upon the power and the love of God to win for Him. And they have won. The Roman Empire has gone down in destruction, but the kingdom of Jesus Christ lives; for it is not of this world. It is founded on eternal principles. It lives and will live. But any church that fancies it necessary to call upon Caesar for help is not worthy to live. It had better die. Any church that asks Caesar for help, any church that accepts the proffered help, is not a Christian Church; it is Caesarian. Any form of Christianity that fancies it necessary to get the support of the civil power is ready to die.
These Lessons for Us To-Day
These lessons, written on the pages of sacred history, wherein God has put underlying principles, are for us to-day. What means it that in every land there is a growing desire to put together the things that God has separated? I have reports from every land of the desire to unite the church and the state. There is a demand made for it, and I regret to say that the demand comes from the side of the church. What does it mean? It is a sign of the times. I want to tell you my friends, that this seeking for the aid of Caesar on the part of the church, is the published confession before God and man that the church has lost the power of God. When a church has the power of God it despises the power of Caesar; it wants none of it. Think of exchanging the power of God and the religion of Jesus Christ for the power of man and hypocrisy; because all that Caesar can do is to control the actions. God has made the mind free, and even Jesus Christ, who came to save the world, said, "If any man believe not, I judge him not." He came not to condemn, but to save.
When the church takes the power of the civil government to aid in anything that pertains to the things of God, it is a published confession, before God, before all heaven, and before man,--a confession that Christianity should blush to make, that it has lost the power God has given it. Christ said, "All power in heaven and earth is given unto Me." Who would exchange that power for the paltry power of Caesar? This is for us. Have nothing to do with it. Let alone that cursed union between church and state, which has wrought the misery of the ages, and has written in blood thousands of pages of history, and slain millions of martyrs. Have you not seen enough of it to understand the ruin it will cause? Will you not say, God rather than Caesar; religion rather than hypocrisy?
Civil government cannot touch religion at any point, it matters not where it is, without involving a mixture which will bring trouble to both the church and the state. "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." God will bless, sustain, and keep everyone that does this. No matter at what sacrifice-- houses, friends, property,--obey God rather than man. Everyone who desires to make his religion practical is earnestly urged to keep these principles in mind.
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