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The Use and Need of the Life of Carry A. Nation.
CHAPTER XV.
SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY FOR MY CHRISTIAN WORK.
There have been from the first time I started out persons who understood that God moved me. These were students of the Old Scriptures. Jesus told the people before the New Testament was written to "search the Scriptures--these are they that testify of me. ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto every good work." To be thorough one must know the old as well as the new. In all the sermons of Paul, Peter and the rest, they quote from old Scripture. So did Jesus. Read Peter's first sermon on the day of Pentecost. There is a tendency to study the New Testament more than the Old. It is not possible to understand the New, unless we first study the Old. One of my favorite books is Deuteronomy, the dying words of Moses. He here repeats the great mercy, consideration and power of God's dealings with his people. Tells the kind of characters God will bless. How God loves the pure and good. How He hates the wicked. We here see that God creates good and evil, and holds us responsible for the choosing. While God rules in all things we have the power to bring on ourselves blessings or cursings. This book declares the man or woman invincible that abandons himself or herself to do God's will.
"True merit lies in braving the unequal.
True glory comes from daring to begin.
God loves the man or woman, who reckless of the sequel,
Fights long and well, whether they lose or win."
In the seventh chapter of Deuteronomy, God commanded the children of Israel to "destroy the images," "break down" the altars and "burn the graven images" of the Gods of the heathen. This was smashing. Also said to them: "If you do not drive them out they shall be thorns in your sides." God gave them power and ability to do this, then he required them to do it. God supplies man's cannots, not his "will nots." In Numbers twenty-fifth chapter, Phineas was given God's covenant of peace and the priesthood, because be slew the woman and man that were committing sin: "Because he was jealous for his God and made an atonement for the children of Israel." This was smashing. God himself smashed up Sodom and Gomorrah. In the seventeenth chapter of Deuteronomy, God says: "The idolator and blasphemer shall be stoned with stones till he die. So shalt thou put away evil from you." This is smashing. I could write a book recounting the incidents recorded in God's Word.
"What is in thine hand, Abel?"
"Nothing but one wee lamb, O God, taken from the flock. I purpose offering it to thee, a willing sacrifice."
And so he did. And the sweet smell of that burning has been filling the air ever since, and constantly going up to God as a perpetual sacrifice of praise.
"What is it thou hast in thine hand, Moses?"
"Nothing but a staff, O God, with which I tend my flocks."
"Take it and use it for me."
And he did; and with it wrought more wondrous things than Egypt and her proud king had seen before.
"Mary, what is that thou hast in thine hand?"
"Nothing but a pot of sweet-smelling ointment, O God, wherewith I would anoint thine only One called Jesus."
And so she did; and not only did the perfume fill all the house in which they were, but the Bible-reading world has been fragrant with the memory of this blessed act of love, which has ever since been spoken of "for a memorial of her."
"Poor woman, what is it that thou hast in thine hand?"
"Only two mites, Lord. It is very little; but then it is all I have, and I would put it into thy treasury."
And so she did; and the story of her generous giving has ever since wrought like a charm, prompting others to give to the Lord.
"What is it that thou hast in thine hand, Dorcas?"
"Only a needle, Lord."
"Take it and use it for me."
And so she did; and not only were the suffering poor of Joppa warmly clad, but inspired by her loving life. "Dorcas Societies" even now continue their benign mission to the poor throughout the earth.
"What is it in thine hand, Shamgar?"
"Only an ox goad, a stick with which to drive oxen. I slew six hundred enemies of God and man delivering from slavery God's people."
"What is it in thine hand Samson?"
"The jaw bone of an ass which was a power in the hand used by God, to slay a thousand wicked cruel infidels."
"David why do you lay aside the armor of Saul and meet the giant, with only a sling?"
"My God will give me the power to slay the foe to mercy and truth."
"Carry Nation, what have you in your hand?"
Sometimes a rock; sometimes a hatchet; God told me to use these to smash that which has smashed and will smash hearts and souls. The sound of this loving deed will stir conscience and hearts and while I can not finish the smashing, the voter of this nation will use their ballots that will, and this impulse will Carry A. Nation.
God sent an angel from heaven to tell Gideon to smash up the altar and image of Baal. By divine command Achan and family were smashed. God would not give Joshua victory until this was done. Saul was commanded by God (through his prophet Samuel,) to utterly destroy the Amalekite's nation, and all their substance. He was disobedient and saved the king. Samuel hacked or smashed up Agag, although Saul was the regularly appointed one. This is a case directly in point. The officers in Kansas were oath-bound to do what Carry A. Nation did.
Our Savior's mission on earth was to "break (smash) every yoke and set the captive free." Upon two occasions he made a scourge, of small cords and laid it on the backs of wicked men who were doing unlawful things. He came into this world "to destroy the works of the devil", to "bruise" or crush the "head of the serpent". We are told to "Abhor that which is evil", to "resist (or fight) the devil and he will flee"'. We are not to be "overcome with evil but to overcome evil with. good". How? Resist the devil. God blessed the church at Ephesus, because they "hated the evil workers, tried them and found them liars". The hatred of sin is one mark of a Christian. Just in proportion to your love for God will be your hatred of evil. I will here give you a Bible reading on the subject. These are some instances of smashing. The ten plagues of Egypt and the overthrow of Pharaoh, were smashing. The death of of the first born also.
Gen. 19:24 30:15-19 6:25 9:5,6 Josh. 7:25, 26 7:20 4:7-11 7:10,11 15:15 Lev. 19:17 10:24-26 9:53 Num. 33:55,56 23:7 1 Sam. 15:33 Deut. 7:2-5 7:10-13 2 Chron. 34:4,5 21:1-9 19:20 Neh. 13:8-25 21:18-21 Judg. 2:3 Isa. 28:21 13:12-18 3:10 54:16 17:5-7 3:31 Matt. 21:12 19:13-20 4:21 John 2:13-23 25:17-19 5:7 Acts 13:8-11.
If I could I would turn the key on every church in the land, so as to teach some preachers to go out, and not stay in, and compel poor sinners to stay out. I yield no territory to the devil. Let us take every saloon, every house of prostitution of men and women for God. "There shall not a hoof be left behind." "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the VIOLENT take it by force," which means that where the evil is aggressive, we must be more so, and take, compelling surrender by the determination never to yield.
I feel that I have been peculiarly favored to go into these places, to "cry aloud and spare not and show my people their sins." I find this class so hungry for something better. These poor actresses, who dress in tights and sing indecent songs, are a weary, tired, heart-sick lot of slaves. I mingle with them as a sister. When I can say a warning word I say it. I call them affectionate names and mean it. God will judge both of us. He knows who loved much; he can forgive much. Christ said to a lot of men who took the amen pews: "The publicans and harlots will go into heaven before you." Why? They "repented when they heard". "How are they to bear without a preacher?" I never see a man or woman so low but as a sculptor said of the marble: "There is an angel there." Oh, God, help me to bring it out!
Jesus received sinners and ate with them. He left a command that Christians should invite these to feasts in their homes. Oh! what a revival of religion there would be if the homes of Christians were opened to the lost and sinful, who are dying for some demonstration of love. If the Son of God, the lovely, the pure, the blessed ate with sinners, ought it not to be a privilege to follow Him. We are commanded to "warn, rebuke, and reprove with all long suffering and doctrine." People will work in a revival to get sinners saved, and will pass them day after day on the street and not a word of Scripture, do they use to remind them of God's judgements. Jesus said: "The world hateth me because I testify that the works thereof are evil." I have had men to swear at me, call me names and threaten to knock me down. At first this caused me to feel mortified but that passed off. These very men have afterward told me I was right and they were wrong. The devil "threw some on the ground and they foamed at the mouth" before he was cast out. I have often taken cigars and cigarettes out of men's and boy's mouths. I wished to show them the wrong and that I was a friend. Would you let one you love take a knife to open a vein or cut himself? Oh! the sweetness and force of that promise: "Your LABOR is never in vain in the Lord." This covers all cases, if you, for the love of God, do anything. I often say to myself, after rebuking for sin: "You made a mistake in the way you did this or that, and are you sure it was done for the love of God and your neighbor?" "Yes." Then "your labor is never in vain in the Lord". It is not WHAT we do that prospers, but what God blesses.. "He that planteth is nothing and he that watereth is nothing, but it is God that giveth the increase." And it matters not how awkward the work, if it be done from love of God, it will prosper. Like other things, the more you do, the better you can do.
All the Christian work I ever did seemed to meet with severe opposition from church members. This is a great stumbling-block to some. The church crucified our blessed Christ, that is, it was the hypocrites; for the church is the light and salt, the body of Christ. "If I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ." There is no other organization but the church of Christ that persecutes its own followers. The hierarchy in the church told Christ "He had a devil," but they could not meet the argument when He said: "A kingdom divided against itself will not stand." If I, by the spirit of Beelzebub, cast out devils, by what kind of a spirit do your children cast them out." The devil never destroys his own work. If the saloon is of the devil, the power that destroys it is the opposite. If a mother should see a gun pointed at her son would she break the law to snatch the gun and smash it? The gun was not hers. It may have been worth a thousand dollars. The saloon is worse than the gun which could only destroy the body.
It is a great blessing to know your mission in life. I know why Christians are waiting with folded hands, not being able to see their mission. They are not willing to pay the great price for their commission. The rich young man could have been a follower of Jesus, the greatest honor in earth or heaven, and could have had eternal treasure in heaven for the transient gain of earth. He would not pay the price. You must give all, to get all. The effect of smashing has always been to cause the people to arouse themselves. The Levite that severed his dead concubine and sent parts of her body to the different tribes of Israel was to cause the people to "consider, take advice and speak." Then they acted and four hundred thousand men presented themselves to redress this wrong.
The smashing in Kansas was to arouse the people. If some ordinary means had been used, people would have heard and forgotten, but the "strange act" demanded an explanation and the people wanted that, and they never will stop talking about this until the question is settled. Let us consider the character of Moses. It is said this man disobeyed God but once, and he was the "meekest of all men". We are first attracted to him peculiarly because he "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, rather suffering afflictions with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." Rather be counted with the poor despised, afflicted slaves under the taskmaster's lash than be a king or an absolute monarch. This brought out his characteristic prohibition of sin,--the renouncing of every worldly ambition, He here made the choice, at the time when the temptations were greatest, for all that the world could offer was his. He gave all and paid the price it requires to get all. On the banks of the Nile he sees one man oppressing another. That spirit of prohibition of this great wrong caused him to strike (smash) the oppressor.
Here is a lovable trait of this great man. Moses, could not look on and see the helpless suffer at the hands of another, even though it brought death to himself. Forgetful of his own safety, defying the absolute power and authority of this despot, so far as it lay in his power, against all these odds he redressed the wrong of a fellow creature. God saw in Moses a man whom He could use. From the golden throne he sought a retreat, and for forty years was an humble shepherd, learning the lesson of caring for the flocks of Jethro, before be should be called to take the oversight of the flock of God. "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that which is much." God called this man out of the wilderness to go to the greatest court on earth as His ambassador. Not one compromise would he make, still true to his prohibition principles. God never used or blessed any man or woman that was not a prohibitionist. Eli was one of those conservatives and said only, "Nay verily my sons." And he got his neck broke and both of his sons killed in one day, because he "restrained (or prohibited) not his sons in the iniquity which he knew." Moses, although the meekest of all men, he said to Pharaoh, "There shall not a hoof be left behind." True to the uncompromising spirit of a great leader. When in the Mount, seeing the idolatry, smashed the two tables of stone. Why? He would not deliver the holy laws to a people who were insulting God. This smashing was a demonstration of Moses jealousy for his God. After this I can see him striding down to the place of this "ball" or "hugging". The round dance of the present day is but a repetition of those lascivious plays, and with his ax or hatchet he hacked up that malicious property, shaped into a golden calf. This did not belong to Moses. It was very valuable but he smashed it and ground it to powder and then to further humiliate these rebels, he made them drink the dust mixed with water, then to absolutely destroy and stamp with a vengeance this insult to God, he divided the people and those who were "on the Lord's side" fought with these rebels and slew (smashed) three thousand men. In one of the canonical books of the Catholic Bible we have the story of the holy woman Judeth who cut off the head of Hollifernese to save God's people. Esther the gentle loving queen had the wicked sons of Haman hanged. Our supremest idea of justice is a reward for the good and a punishment for the wicked. We amputate the arm to save the body. David says: "I will not know a wicked person; he that telleth lies shall not dwell in my sight."
The devil has his agents in the churches, and among those who are doing his work the best, are a class of professors who testify that you must not speak ill of any one, not even the devil. They are the "non- resistives". The devil is delighted to be respected, and not fought. He gets his work in just as he wants to and he can imitate true conversion, if he can place in the church those who hinder a warfare against sin. Paul said: "I tell you even weeping they are enemies of the cross of Christ." They are the devils in light. "But there must needs be heresies among you that they who are approved may be manifest." Persons often propose to do something. I may not see the advisability, but because there is action in it, I never object. Oh! for somebody to "do with their might what their hands find to do." "Well DONE" is the best commendation. Faith is like the wind, we cannot see it, but by the quantity of motion and commotion. There are workers "jerkers" and "shirkers"; but through much tribulation and temptation must we enter into the kingdom of heaven. The counterfeit proves the genuine dollar; counterfeits are not counterfeited. So hypocrites prove the genuine Christians. If there were not a genuine there would not be a hypocrite. Our mother and grandmothers who went into saloons praying and spilling the poisoned slop of these houses of crime and tears were blessed in their DEEDS. Oh! that the W. C. T. U. would do as they did, what a reform would take place. I love the organization of mothers. I love their holy impulses but I am heart-sick at their conventionality, their red tape. This organization could put out of existence every drinking hell in the United States if they would demand it and use the power they have even without the ballot. I intend to help the women of the Kansas W. C. T. U., but not one that has any respect for either Republican or Democratic parties shall ever be called on to aid me in my work, women who are not wise enough to know that the rum voting parties are traitors, can be nothing but a hindrance to the interests of mothers. One said to me, "You will cause many women to leave the organization.' I said: "Good riddance to bad rubbish, the quicker they get out the better." As Nehemiah, that grand prohibitionist , said: "What have you to do to build the walls of our God."