THE DEVIL’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

We are becoming, according to the canons of this world, a righteous nation; the standard of civic and commercial righteousness is elevated as never before. Sleuth-hounds are scenting every indication of misrule and running to earth evil-doers, high and low. Our cities are keeping tab rigidly on sewerage, cesspools, and outhouses; a persistent war is being waged on flies, mosquitoes, and germs of all kinds. Private citizens are everywhere organizing to coÖperate with officials for public welfare. Corporation and municipal rings must answer at the bar of an outraged public conscience.

Righteousness is in the air; it resounds from the pulpit, platform and press. Chautauqua specialists who have discovered some deflection in the political and social woof and warp declare, amid salutes of fluttering handkerchiefs, the righteousness of twentieth century standards. Preaching on the cardinal doctrines of the Bible has been displaced by rhetorical messages on altruism: light, ethics, mercy, cleanness, goodness. “The fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man,” with a flavour of intellectualism, is the gospel that is now being emphasized with much gusto, and never fails to solicit the indorsement of all denominations. “Be good and do good” is the multum in parvo of present day righteousness.

Who but a chronic faultfinder could object to this upward move, so obvious now in all directions? The world is getting kinder, more sympathetic, more charitable; creed lines are dissolving like snow under an April sun; sectarian prejudice is dying under the withering frown of new ideals. Does this not indicate a gradual leavening of the “whole lump”? The spirit of Christ, they tell us, is being adopted everywhere. He is mounting the throne of universal empire, and the time surely is not far distant when the social, political, commercial and domestic life will be regenerated by His influence. Yes—it would appear so to be; much that is done bears a Christian label; it comes in the name of Christ; but, says a writer, “it is the Christ of Bethlehem and not the Christ of the Cross.” It is the human Christ and not the sacrificial—the exponent of a blood Atonement.

The righteousness that has the full swing of modern religionists makes much of Christ’s “example,” His beautiful character and self-abandonment—“He went about doing good.” Much attention is given to studying His leadership, His pedagogy, His art of public address, His humanity. His example and not His sacrifice saves the world; step by step the human Christ has displaced the Christ of Calvary; His atonement was misguided zeal. This propaganda, on the surface, is reasonable and popular; but close scrutiny will reveal a poison as dangerous as it is subtle. It leaves out the Blood; it is a glorification of Man. “Count the number of the beast, for it is the number of man.”

This issue is an old one; it became an entering wedge in the religious life when the first services were held after the Fall. Cain and Abel made altars; Cain piled his high with beautiful, luscious fruits of the field. No festal board ever looked more tempting, loaded with sweet smelling fruit, having variegated colours, than the altar which Cain presented to God. They were the results of his own sweat and toil; he offered them as the “first fruits.” But God rejected the offering; somehow the very beauty and attractiveness of it all insulted Him.

Abel’s altar was smeared with blood; on top lay a limp, bleeding lamb. Nothing attractive about this picture; our esthetic nature recoils at the gore and cruelty of such an offering. Yet God graciously accepted this bloody, unsightly offering; and no doubt rained fire upon it—anyhow, Abel was justified. Why did God reject the one and accept the other? Cain and Abel alike had been taught from their infancy that “without the shedding of blood there shall be no remission of sin.” By transgression man stood as an alien before God; he had forfeited divine favour. Notwithstanding, Cain boldly brought before God a bloodless sacrifice, and presumes to force Him to accept it. Through all the millenniums before Christ every approach to God must contain in the sacrifices and offerings an element which reminded God of the coming Atonement. He declared: “For the life of the flesh is the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your soul. For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Lev. xvii. 11).

Coming directly to the point: all this new notion of things, touching Man’s religion, fast becoming prevalent is the “way of Cain,” with a twentieth century touch and terminology. What is the essence of this new righteousness? what does it do? Observe, it sets aside God’s estimate of man, and ignores the plan of redemption He established at the beginning in types and shadows, then consummated in the atoning death of His Son on the Cross. The righteousness of to-day has much in it to commend; but it utterly disregards the only feature upon which God places emphasis. The Blood and the Cross, as of old, is an offense; they have found a more excellent way, but it is the “way of Cain.” It is offering self-righteousness rather than seeking the righteousness of God. The bloody offering of Abel suggested suffering, punishment, death, judgment—but it honoured God. Modern righteousness scoffs at the Abel offerings by hanging a wreath of flowers on the Cross, bearing a perfumed tag, “With sympathy.” It is Cain setting up business in town once more. A sacrificial propitiation for sin is unnecessary when we have “inherent goodness.” The modern righteousness contends that each man has self-redemptive qualities; all he needs is a chance. Salvation is not internal, but external.

The Cainites are filling the earth; they are preaching the popular sermons, writing the magazine articles, the poetry, the fiction; they occupy the chief synagogue seats of seminaries; they are conspicuous at all chatauquas and baccalaureate occasions.

It is a well-known psychological fact that evil cannot exist apart from Personality—whether it be bad laws, bad books, bad town, or a bad house. Whence comes all this audacious, undermining insult to the whole sweep of God’s plan for saving the world? Whence comes all this preaching about righteousness which places the crown on man, and robs the Cross of its glory? The righteousness being sounded in double diapason and angelus keys is the righteousness of the Devil. Bear in mind it is Righteousness, and a high type of it, he demands; he wants the offering of Cain to cover up all the needs of the soul—cheat the blood of its merit—insult God, and lead the race through a bowery of flowers, fruits, and music on to its ruin. Anything to cheat the depositum of the Gospel—that which gives a title to heaven—the precious Blood. The righteousness that leaves out the Blood is the “way of Cain”—“the righteousness of the Devil.”