Christian Messenger. (Bonham, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 26, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 12, 1882 Page: 4 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Fannin County Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Bonham Public Library.
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CHRISTIAN MESSENGER.
THE MESSENGER.
T. R^BURNETT......Editor.
T.
Wi^NE
ESDAY, JULY 12, 1882.
CESAR’S GOVERNMENT.
NUMBER TWO. ~
Bbo. Burnett:
Your reply baa suggested quit©
a Dumber of things which I deny;
but as I am not debating, but
seeking information, 1 pass them.
1 urge you to give specific refer-
ence when you make a statement,
for, you say in the second column
that “We are commanded to co-
operate with Cesar in the good
work, and this could not be if civ-
il government is of the devil/’ If
you had not forgotten to tell
where that “command” is to be
found, it would have saved any
further correspondence on this
subject, and I would have now
been ready to stump portions of
Texas. M v y
I confess my surprise at the
rendering given to Matt. 4 and 20.
You are surely mistaken about
Matt. . 20 ; if ‘Dot, the sects
are right in regard to the “thief
on the cross,” and the apostles
were right in Acts 1, in asking
Jesus if he would now restore
the kindom to Israel.” I am ac-
quainted with many preaching
brethren in Mo. and Tenn., and
have heard these self-same passa-
ges handled by them, and every
time it was urged by the preacher
that the parties were talking of
civil government. While I was a
Baptist I held precisely as you
advocate in Matt. 20, and after
hearing so many brethren preach
and read so many articles on the
same subject, all contending that
they were speaking of civil gov-
ernment, that your rendering took
me by surprise. All brethren
urged that the “thief” was not
talking about a spiritual king-
dom, that he could not possibly
know anything about such a king-
dom—a kingdom the apostles
themselves did not comprehend,
as evinced by their inquiry, “Lord
wilt thou at this time restore un-
to us the kingdom of Israel ?”
But as I don't propose debating
now, I must proceea, asking you
to be careful, for “old papers are
sometimes dangerous.”
In my last, I stated that oath
taking, office holding, etc., were
allowable in apostolic times. I
now state positively that in the
nature of the case they could not
co-operate with Cesar at all, in
these matters. Whenever you
break a lock-key, the look is of no
further use; and by parity of rea-
soning, whenever you take the key
from co-operation in civil affairs,
co-operation is out of the ques-
tion. This I will proceed to do.
But first: In your scalding re-
marks against Mr. Price you say
that everybody “baptizes into the
name of the Father, Son and Ho-
ly Ghost”—upon the mention of
it barely once. I thought that a
capital argument, and do yet.
Brethren, everywhere, watch
and study the large letters in the
following quotations, and remem-
ber that I am only showing the
difficulties I have to overcome in
order to co-operate in civil affairs.
I submitted these quotations to a
learned civil judge and called for
a decision. H« frankly decided
that I was right. Question 2.
“But I say unto you, Swear not AT
ALL; neither by heaven,” etc.—
Matt. 5: 33-37. Again: “But above
all things, my brethren, swear not,
neither by heaven, neither by
earth, neither by ANY OTHER
OATH: but let your yea be yea;
and your nay, nay; lest ye fall in-
to condemnation.”—James 5: 12.
What does “not at all” and “nei-
ther by any other oath” mean?
Wonderful language! And more
wonderful still that Jesus requires
us to co-operate in civil affairs;
and these same civil governments
will not let us hold a single office,
sit on a single jury, nor oe a wit-
ness in any case until we take an
oath. It don’t meet the question
to say that these passages mean
perjury, blasphemy or profanity.
To illustrate: Four saints, A., B.,
(J. and 1). are in Bonham on court
day, and A. is introduced os an
important witness; B. as a mem-
ber of the jury; C. is to be sworn
into an office, and Bro. D. gets
enraged, because things displease
him, and “curses or swears” volu-
bly. I ask any living man to say
if the above language, “ NOT AT
ALL ” and by “ ANY OTHER
OATH,” don’t apply with equal
force to each of these men! Bear
in mind that profanity is invaria-
bly called, in Scripture, “blas-
phemy,” or words of the same
import! Let brethren take each
character in the above illustra-
tion, and try the inspired language
on them, separately, and then
candidly say if the language is
not as preclusive on the one as the
other. With this language, “not
at all” and, “nor by any other
oath,” before us, how can a saint
become a judge, or sheriff, or any
other civil officer, without violat-
ing these two commands, and as
plain ones as the “one” command
to “baptize into the name of the
Father, Son and H©ly Ghost?”
Bro. Burnett, I don't know how
you can start an argument on
these two passages. I won't ac-
cept the statement of any profane
historian who contradicts these
bly. It is being conducted on
the style of the Kansas swindle,
and anybody knows it is a cheat.
You say that ‘God soon after
this gave Christ’ “all power in
heaven and earth.” All power on
what subject ? In Matt. 1: 21,
“The angels say that thou shalt
call his name Jesus: for he shall
save his people from their sins.”
The power to save his people
from their sins, appears to be the
summun bomnn of the “all power”
that Jesus claimed after rising
from the dead. The fact is, the
“power to save from- sins” is the
only solution that meets all the
calls in the case. The fact is, this
“all power” has no allusion to
civil government in any sense.
You did not say how Satan could
tempt Christ with what did not
belong to him. Neither did you
say how Mrs. Zebedee had any
conception of any kind of a king-
dom than a civil government.
Right here is where information
is needed so bad. I have other
troubles as I proceed, and being
so well pleased with your mild
way of doing business, I am
earnest. Next time will have
to draw one case from the old can-
on to make it fit the new. With
Christian love I remain,
Yours, etc.,
J. W. Harris.
Lone Oak, Texas.1
passages. It won’t do to say that impressed that you are in
early history teaches that saints
in early times “did co-operate in
civil government,” any more than
that saints a thousand years hence,
reading the history of to-day, and
the many things said about that
engine of “heresy and division”
—the organ—can prove that it is
scriptural, just because some
brethren are advocates of this
“defection.” But I don’t want to
argue.this question. I knew what
the critics and commentators
teach on these passages of Jesus
ancfr James, but their arguments
are all gratuitous, while the lan-
guage itself remains. Notice,
the language is not dark nor ob-
scure, but perfectly plain. Please
try a skilled judge or lawyer on
these passages, and you will soon
find out what a lawyer has to say
when you call in question his le-
gal ability. Place this language
in the statutes of Texas and you
would hear no more of oath-tak-
ing by witnesses, jurors and offi-
cers 11 Try “perjury” and you will
meet the same answer to “swear
not at all” and, “by any other
oath.” Hence, anything that can
be called “swearing” is interdict-
ed by these passages of J esus and
James.
Again it clearly appears from the
reasoning of Paul that the Holy
Spirit never anticipated a saint
holding the office of judge at
least. Question 4. “Dare any of
you, havibg a matter against an-
other, go to law before the unjust,
and not the saints ? If then ye
hava judgment of things per-
taining to this life, set them to
judge who are least esteemed in
the church.”—1 Cor. 6:1-4.
Bro. Burnett, don’t you know
that the one “least esteemed in
the church” could not be elected
judge ? A man must be popu-
lar to be elected judge! To illus-
trate: Bre. A. is “least esteemed
in the church,” but is elected
judge—but Jesus and James tell
him not to “swear at all” and “by
any other oath”—but Cesar says
you can’t perform the functions
of this office without being sworn,
what must he do, and which must
he obey ? Another difficulty is,
the passage don’t read right if
you are correct. It should read,
“Dare any of you, having a mat-
ter against another, go to law be-
fore the unjust (unless a saint is
judge). ” Now this reading don’t
make common nonsense. He
must be “unjust” to get the office.
No, the Spirit gives one way of
fettling difficulties, and legal dif-
ferences, and Cesar gives quite a
different way. In verse 8, Paul
says, “They do wrong to go before
unbelievers,” and how much more
so if before a sain t who had to
do wrong before he could try the
cause ?
1 don’t know that I am interest-
ed in prohibition, unless the pipes
aid cigars are placed in the bill.
But i am consoled with the
thought that when ardent spirits
are “done for” that the pipe will
be next. All the news we get
from Fannin county by travelers,
don’t speuk very favorably of
local option. I guess from the
reports, there is as much liquor
sold in Bonham as at Lone Oak.
I have heard of many of the de-
vices used in Fannin, and can’t
say that it impressed me favora-
of the devil and a terror to Chris-
tians. There seems to be a dif-
ference. Paul says that we are to
be subject to civil rulers and their
laws, for the powers that be are
ordained of God. “Not so,”
Bro. Harris, “Cesar’s kingdom is
Satan’s kingdom, and I have been
translated out of it.” If Bro. H.
be correct, then God hath ordain-.
ed Satan’s kingdom, and Satan’s
officers are a terror to evil-doers
and the praise of Christians!
Surely this can not be.
Certainly the two apostles had
eference to a worldly kingdom,
when they asked to sit on the right
and left of the Savior, but they
thought Christ’s kingdom was to
be a worldly kingdom. It was
not the sin of voting or holding
office in Cesar's government that
Jesus condemned, in his answer,
hut the spirit ef ambition that
would have made the two breth-
ren popes in the church ef Christ-
He teld them that the princes of
the gentiles exercised dominion
over them, but it should not be so
among you; that is,there should be
no princes or chief rulers among
Christians. Can not Bro. Harris
see that this ean have no possible
reference to the right of a Chris-
tian to vote or hold office in civil
government?
Paul forbids Christians to go to
law before unbelievers, but that is
simply an interdiction against go-
ing to law to settle grievances that
can be better settled by members
of the church. He calls them un-
believers and unjust, simply be-
cause that was the character of
most of the court officers of his
day. As a proof that our brother
misapplies this text,when he makes
it forbid a Christian to vote or
hold office, our churches every-
where require their members to
abstain from civil suits with each
other before the courts of the
country, while quite all our church-
es believe it is right and proper
for their members to vote and
hold office in the civil govern-
ment.
Our brother can not see how
Satan could have tempted the Sa-
vior with what did net belong io
him. We can not see how Satan
cofild tempt the Savior at all—we
can not understand it—yet the
Book says he was tempted. It is
possible that his Satanic majesty
might have moved the spirit of
humanity in Christ with the
thought of universal empire of * a
worldly nature, instead ef working
out the will of the Father in the
redemption of man. Bro. H. is
REMARKS.
We are also impressed with
Bro. Harris’ “mildness” in dis-
cussing this question.. His argu-
ments are so mild that we can
hardly get hold of them. In fact,
we have observed that most per-
sons who write against civil gov-
ernment spend more time discuss-
ing other questions, than they do
discussing the question at issue.
We can not complain at this, for
we presume there is very little to
be said against Christians’ taking
part in civil affairs. The question
between Bro. Harris and the
Messenger is, whether Christians
have the right to vote at the bal
lot-box, and especially in a local
option election, since that was the
occasion of the issue between us.
We are not now discussing civil
oaths, and will not enter upon
that question until the other is
disposed of. The texts our broth-
er adduces are thought by some to
have reference to civil oaths, but
the majority of commentators
(even in the Christian brother-
hood) take a different view of the
matter. Even if the Scriptures
interdict oath-taking, there is
nothing in that to militate against
a Christian's taking part in gov-
ernmental matters, for the law
does net require a mau to swear.
Our brother wishes to know
where the command is thats we undoubtedly in error with regard
shall co-operate with Cesar in his Ho ths “all power” given to Jesus of
government. The cemmand is in
1 Pet. 2:13-14. “Submit yourselves
to every ordinance of man for the
Xord’s sake*, wh ether it be to the
king,as supreme, or unto governors
as unto them that are seut by him
for the punishment of evil-doers,
and for the praise of them that do
well.” Also Rom. 13:1-7: “Let
every soul be subject unto the
higher powers; for there is no
power but of God; the powers that
be are ordained of God; whoso-
ever therefore resisteth the power
resisteth the ordinance of God,
and they that resist shall receive
to themselves damnation; for
rulers are not a terror to good
works, but to the evil. Wilt thou
then not be afraid of the power?
do that which is good, and thou
•halt have praise of the same: for
he is the minister of God to thee
for good.” Paul says that civil
rulers are ordained of God, and
the Father. It means more than the
power to save from sin. It was
“all power in heaven and in earth.
Surely there was no need of power
to save from sin in heaven! Our
brother has let ope error drive him
into another. He eays the power
to save from ein was given to
Jesus—no more than this—while
Jesus says, “All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth.
Our brother says he can net
vote against whisky, unless we
will put tobacco on the ticket also,
and says the pipe is just as obnox-
ious to him as the whisky bottle.
We fear our brother is not as mad
against whisky as he ought to be.
He is altogether too friendly, or
too non-committal. There is no
comparison between tobacce and
whisky, as destroyers of the peace
and happiness of mankiad. The
pipe does not cause a man to lose
his mind, and murder his fellow-
are the ministers of God, and are ^ disturb the peace of so-
terr )r to evll-doers. Bro« Harns ■ . t# *. i * v • * ., ,
siety. If it did, it would be a
a
nin county, from “travelers,” and
they do not speak very favorably
of local option. Travelers who
stop in our county to “wet their
whistles,” and can not find any-
thing stronger than lemonade,
generally go off and slander us.
Bro. Harris should be willing to
receive the testimony of his Chris-
tian brethren, who reside in the
county, and know whereof they
speak, rather than transient per-
sons who are net friendly to pro-
hibition.^ We have observed that
liquor men and their allies, the
lager-beer^editors, are ever ready
to pfpngunce prohibition a failure,
while Christian temperance men
can see that it is a success. At
Bonham, and in the state of Kan-
sas, the lovers of law and order
are all for prohibition, and think
it a success, while the riff-raff of
the beer-halls are all against it
and pronounce it a failure. By
its fruits shall ye know it.
We promised to give seme his-
torical testimony, as to the prac-,
tice of the early Christians with
reference to civil government.
Clemens says, “It is lawful to take
part in public affairs, to engage in
the business of the world, pro-
vided that this be done honestly,
and te buy and sell, provided that
one has but one price.” Dr. Wm.
Smith says, in his Christian An-
tiquities, that from the apostolic
days Christians held office under
pagan rulers. One was a secretary, <
another a treasurer, another a li-
brarian, another the keeper of the
archives; and these frequently
converted many of the rulers to
Christianity while m office. The
father of Basil held the office of
teacher of rhetoric. The military
profession was thought by many
to be incompatible with the Chris-
tian profession, because a soldier
had to shed blood, but on no other
account. Justin Martyr, in his
address te the emperor Antoninus,
declares that they recognize all
the obligations of citizenship.
Tertullian dispels the idea that
they retire from all relationship
to civil geverment when convert-
ed to Christ' Says Blunt in his<
First Three Christian Centuries,
Christians are not unfrequently to
be found holding high public of-
fices and even important positions
at court Eusebius states that in
the household of Alexander Sev-
erus, whose mother Julia befriend-
ed Christianity, there were many
Christians. Theonas, bishop of
Alexandria, writing to Lucian,
who held high office in the court
of Constantine Chlorus, gives him
much advice, and tells him to serve
the emperor faithfully when he
was not compelled to violate ary
Christian principle. And these
testimonies might be enlarged.
No early Christian writer holds
that it is sinful to take part in civ-
il government, unless the kind of
service required is in itself sinful.
We defy Bro. Harris to bring any
authority on this point. The idea
that a Christian must retire from
all relation to his country does not
belong to the New Testament, nor
to the first age ef Christianity. It
came in with the^monkishness of
a later day, and is a departuretrom
apostolic practice and principle.
It is too eianky to receive recog-
nition in tiie utilitarian progress
and Christian enlightenment of
the nineteenth century.
-m m m ■ ■■
Two little girls with uew dress-
es, were on their way to Sunday-
schoo\ wheu^one said, “Oh, I have
forgotten my verse!” The other
said, “I have not. It is, “ Blessed
are the dress-makers.”
says that civil rulers are ordained
of the dsfel—are the devil’s king-
dom in fact—and are the ministers
Christian duty to vote it out of ex-
istence. But our brother has
been receiving “news” from Fan-
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Burnett, Thomas R. Christian Messenger. (Bonham, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 26, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 12, 1882, newspaper, July 12, 1882; Bonham, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth913836/m1/4/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bonham Public Library.