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X.
Christian Liberty
Chapter 108
:
Who Persecute and Why
1. BECAUSE Jesus had not
kept the Sabbath according to their ideas, what
did the Jews do?
"Therefore did the Jews persecute
Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He
had done these things on the Sabbath day." John
5:16.
2. What kind of fast is
most acceptable to God?
"Is not this the fast that I have
chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to
undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed
go free, and that ye break every yoke?" Isa.
58:6.
NOTE.-This is what Jesus did. He, the Author
and Lord of the Sabbath, in addition to
attending and taking part in religious
services (Luke 4:16), went about doing good,
healing the sick, relieving the oppressed,
and restoring the impotent, lame, and blind,
on the Sabbath day. But this, while in
perfect accord with the law of God, the
great law of love, was contrary to the
traditions and perverted ideas of the Jews
respecting the Sabbath. Hence they
persecuted Him, and sought to slay Him.
3. Why did Cain kill
Abel?
"For this is the message that ye have
heard from the beginning, that we should love
one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked
one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he
him? Because his own works were evil, and his
brother's righteous." 1 John 3:11,12.
NOTE.-The following comment upon this
passage by M. de Chesnais, a Catholic priest
of New Zealand, is well put: "If you would
read the Word of God, you would find that
from the beginning all good people were
persecuted because they were good. Abel wag
slain by his brother because he was good,
and Cain could not endure the sight of
him."- Kaikoura (New Zealand) Star, April
10, 1884.
4. Commenting upon the
treatment of Isaac, the son of Sarah, by
Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, what
principle does the apostle Paul lay down?
"But as then, he that was born
after the flesh persecuted him that was born
after the Spirit, even so it is now." Gal.
4:29.
5. What other instances
of persecution mentioned in the Bible,
demonstrate the correctness of this principle?
a. Esau, who sold his
birthright, persecuted Jacob, who
vowed his loyalty to God. Gen. 25:29-34; 27:41;
32:6.
b. The wayward and envious sons of Jacob
persecuted Joseph, who feared God. Genesis 37;
Acts 7:9.
c. The idolatrous Egyptians persecuted
the Hebrews, who worshiped the true God. Exodus
1 and 5.
d. The Hebrew who did his neighbor wrong
thrust Moses, as mediator, aside. Ex. 2:13,14;
Acts 7:26,27.
e. Saul, who disobeyed God, persecuted
David, who feared God. 1 Samuel 15, 19, 24.
f. Israel, in their apostasy, persecuted
Elijah and Jeremiah, who were prophets of God. 1
Kings 19:9,10; Jer. 36:20-23; 38:1-6.
g. Nebuchadnezzar, while an idolater,
persecuted the three Hebrew captives for
refusing to worship idols. Daniel 3.
h. The envious and idolatrous princes
under Darius, persecuted Daniel for daring to
pray to the God of heaven. Daniel 6.
i. The murderers of Christ persecuted the
apostles for preaching Christ. Acts 4 and 5.
j. Paul, before his conversion,
persecuted the church of God. Acts 8:1; 9:1,2;
22:4,5,20; 26:9-11; Gal. 1:13; 1 Tim. 1:12,13.
NOTE.-The history of all the religious
persecutions since Bible times is but a
repetition of this same story,- the wicked
persecute the righteous. And thus It will
continue to be until the conflict between
good and evil is ended.
6. Who does Paul say
shall suffer persecution?
"Yea, and all that will live godly
in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2
Tim. 3:12.
7. What is essential to
extensive religious persecution?
Ecclesiastical control of the civil power, or a
union of church and state.
8. Since persecution is
invariably wrong, and the persecutor is
generally in the wrong on religious subjects,
what must be true of persecuting governments?
They likewise must be in the wrong.
NOTES.-"There are many who do not seem to be
sensible that all violence in religion is
irreligious, and that, whoever is wrong, the
persecutor cannot be right."- Thomas
Clarke.
"Have not almost all the governments in the
world always been in the wrong on religious
subjects?"- Macaulay.
"Do not the Scriptures clearly show that
they who persecute are generally in the
wrong, and they who suffer persecution in
the right,- that the majority has always
been on the side of falsehood, and the
minority only on the side of truth?"-
Luther.
"Religion was intended to bring peace on
earth and good will towards men, and
whatever tends to hatred and persecution,
however correct in the letter, must be
utterly wrong in the spirit."- Henry
Varnum.
God never forces the will or the conscience;
but, in order to bring men under sin, Satan
resorts to force. To accomplish his purpose,
he works through religious and secular
rulers, influencing them to enact and
enforce human laws in defiance of the law of
God.
9. Under what terrible
deception did Christ say men would persecute His
followers?
"These things have I spoken unto you,
that ye should not be offended. They shall put
you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh,
that whosoever killeth you will think that he
doeth God service." John 16:1,2.
10. Who is the original
murderer?
"Ye are of your father the devil,
and the lusts of your father ye will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode
not in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his
own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
John 8:44.
11. When James and John
wished to call down fire from heaven to consume
the Samaritans who did not receive Christ, what
did Christ say to them?
"He turned, and rebuked them, and
said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye
are of. For the Son of man is not come to
destroy men's lives, but to save them." Luke
9: 55;56.
NOTES.-Some or the reasons given in
justification of persecution may be noted in
the following quotations:-
"The state cannot afford to permit religious
liberty. We hear a great deal about
religious tolerance, but we are only
tolerant in so far as we are not interested.
A person may be tolerant toward a religion
if he is not religious. . . Intolerance
means fervor and zeal. The best the state
can do is to establish a limited religious
liberty; but beyond a certain degree of
tolerance the state cannot afford to admit
the doctrine."- Monsignor Russell
(Catholic), quoted in Washington Post, May
5, 1910.
"The church has persecuted. Only a tyro in
church history will deny that. . . . We have
always defended the persecution of the
Huguenots, and the Spanish Inquisition. When
she thinks it good to use physical force,
she will use it. . . . But will the Catholic
Church give bond that she will not persecute
at all? Will she guarantee absolute freedom
and equality of all churches and all faiths?
The Catholic Church gives no bonds for her
good behavior."- Editorial in Western
Watchman (Catholic), of St. Louis, Mo., Dec.
24,1908.
"The Inquisition was a very merciful
tribunal; I repeat it, almost a
compassionate tribunal. . . . A man was only
allowed to be racked once, which no one can
deny was a most wonderful leniency in those
times."- Catholic Mirror, official organ
of Cardinal Gibbons, Aug. 29, 1896.
"We confess that the Roman Catholic Church
is intolerant; that is to say, that it uses
all the means in its power for the
extirpation of error and sin; but this
intolerance is the logical and necessary
consequence of her infallibility. She alone
has the right to be intolerant, because she
alone has the truth. The church tolerates
heretics where she is obliged to do so, but
she hates them mortally, and employs all her
force to secure their annihilation."-
Shepherd of the Valley (St. Louis, Mo.),
1876.
This erroneous position has been well
refuted by Lord Macaulay in the following
words: "The doctrine which, from the very
first origin of religious dissensions, has
been held by all bigots of all sects, when
condensed into few words and stripped of
rhetorical disguise, is simply this: I am in
the right, and you are in the wrong. When
you are the stronger, you ought to tolerate
me; for it is your duty to tolerate truth.
But when I am the stronger, I shall
persecute you; for it is my duty to
persecute error."- Essay on "Sir James
Mackintosh."
Benjamin Franklin well said: "When religion
is good it will take care of itself; when it
is not able to take care of itself, and God
does not see fit to take care of it, so that
it has to appeal to the civil power for
support, it is evidence to my mind that its
cause is a bad one."- Letter to Dr.
Price.
John Wesley gave the following Christian
advice: "Condemn no man for not thinking as
you think. Let every one enjoy the full and
free liberty of thinking for himself. Let
every man use his own judgment, since every
man must give an account of himself to God.
Abhor every approach, in any kind or degree,
to the spirit of persecution. If you cannot
reason nor persuade a man into the truth,
never attempt to force a man into it. If
love will not compel him to come, leave him
to God, the Judge of all."
12. What does Christ
say of those who are persecuted for
righteousness' sake?
"Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when
men shall revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding
glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before
you." Matt. 5:10-12. See Rev. 2:10; 6:9-11.
"In
the furnace God may prove thee,
Thence to bring thee forth more bright;
But He can never cease to love thee;
Thou art precious in His sight:
God is with thee,-
God, thine everlasting light."
13. What divine
precepts received and obeyed would do way with
all oppression and persecution?
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself." Matt. 22:39.
"All things whatsoever ye would that men should
do to you, do ye even so to them." Matt. 7:12.
14. What does love not
do?
"Love worketh no ill to his
neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling
of the law." Rom. 13:10.
THE BIGOT'S CREED
Believe as I believe- no more, no less;
That I am right, and no one else, confess;
Feel as I feel, think only as I think;
Eat what I eat, and drink but what I drink;
Look as I look, do always as I do;
And, only then, I'll fellowship with you.
That
I am right, and always right, I know,
Because my own convictions tell me so;
And to be right is simply this: to be
Entirely and in all respects like me.
To deviate a jot, or to begin
To question, doubt, or hesitate, is sin.
Let
sink the drowning man, if he'll not swim
Upon the plank that I throw out to him;
Let starve the famishing, if he'll not eat
My kind and quantity of bread and meat;
Let freeze the naked, too, if he'll not be
Supplied with garments such as made for me.
'Twere
better that the sick should die than live,
Unless they take the medicine I give;
'Twere better sinners perish than refuse
To be conformed to my peculiar views.
'Twere better that the world stood still than
move
In any way that I do not approve.
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