Ultra-conservatism has never established reforms and never will do so. Finical adherence to traditionalism and conventionalism has never been characteristic of the reformer, and, in the nature of things, cannot be. Reform is radical. Its mission is to break down the traditions and conventionalities which have crystalized into such shapes that, although wrong and delusive, they have the semblance of right and reality. History clearly proves this. By way of illustration we instance the delusion of African slavery in this country. Its history is of such recent date as to take from it the taint of antiquity that would place it on the shelf of the forgotten, and thereby detract from its value as an instructive lesson.

This monster delusion even took on the character of a religion, and its existence was stoutly and conscientiously defended on Scriptural ground. The radicalism and violent disregard of private feeling and personal rights, of time-honored usage and long-established custom and belief, on the part of those bringing about its abolition, are well-known matters of history.

What is true of one kind of reform, is in some sense true of every reform, although there is a higher law of reformation than that expressed in war and bloodshed. The law of divine Love, even though appearing to human sense as coming out of Sinai amidst thundering and lightning, is the only true reformatory power. Its ultimate effect is the destruction of sin, and the destruction of sin is the reformation of the human race. However severe may have seemed the Sinaitic law, in its uprooting and destructive effects, as expressed in the Mosaic code, the final outcome invariably proved that it was well-tempered with the milder precepts announced from Olivet in the Sermon on the Mount. Indeed the two are one, for there is but one divine Law.

Tempered as was the Divine law, as interpreted in the Sermon on the Mount, it was misunderstood by the age in which Jesus announced and demonstrated it; the law was rebelled against, and its enunciator and demonstrator was rejected, reviled, and persecuted. The law was too radical, its demands too great, for that sensuous and sleepy age. By reason of such rejection the great reformatory movement which ushered in the Christian era was only partially successful. Its effects were impaired by the sinfulness and sensuality of that age and the succeeding ages, until during the dark ages, so-called, the reformatory light brought into the world by Jesus and his followers had become wellnigh extinguished. The vital spark, nevertheless, remained, and at intervals broke forth into more or less brightly burning flames, revivifying lukewarmness and stupor, startling heavy indifference and dreamy conservatism with its seeming aggressiveness.

Such was the great reformation of Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, and even reforms of later date and less note.

Preceding these reformations, and that of the Christian era, was the great reformation inaugurated by Moses. The conditions attendant upon the Mosaic reformation, as set forth in the Scriptural narrative thereof, furnish a perpetual object lesson for every reform, and plainly prophesied of the difficulties and distrust which every subsequent reformer must encounter.

The frequent and repeated murmurings of those whom Moses, by Divine direction, was endeavoring to lead out of bondage into liberty; their impatience and stupidity; their failure to understand Moses and his mission; their constant falling away and rebelling; their utter inability at times to see that Moses was simply the instrument of God in His purpose to redeem them from their slavery; their blindness at times in seeing Moses as a selfish person who desired leadership for the mere sake of leadership; and their repeated attempts at forming cliques and schisms — all this is so graphically set forth as to make it easy to draw inferences and conclusions applicable to the experiences of all great reformers in all ages.

The attempts, too, of certain of those who started out as followers of Moses, to withdraw from his leadership and establish reform movements within his great movement, stand out in striking analogy, especially as related in the sixteenth chapter of Numbers. Our space will not admit of a full exposition of this chapter as it reveals itself to us. but a hasty glance at it may prove helpful and instructive, and a careful perusal of it, will, we know, be beneficial to all earnest searchers after Truth. Let it be distinctly borne in mind, however, that this Bible history has now as much vitality and significance as it ever had, and, as we have said, is but a great object lesson for the guidance of mankind in every age.

In process of time there arose against Moses a trio of malcontents who thought the time had come for them to establish a greater reform than Moses was capable of doing, and to assume to themselves a greater leadership than was possible to him. They fancied they were better able than he to guide the struggling children of Israel out of the wilderness of Zin (sometimes rendered Sin) into the Promised Land. This trio consisted of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. It is notable that the Hebrew word Korah means "boldness;" well named, surely, was he who led a conspiracy to overthrow Moses' authority.

The trio rose up, with certain of the children of Israel, and said to Moses and Aaron: "Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them : wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?"

Never did a leader strive harder to explain or make recalcitrant followers understand, than Moses. He assured them he was but the servant of God, and that God would show them who were His, and who were holy. He prayed unto Korah to hear him. He said, "Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation . . . to do the service of the tabernacle . . . and seek ye the priesthood also?" He then reminded Korah that he and his followers were gathered together against the Lord, not against him and Aaron. He also called Dathan and Abiram to come up, but murmuring against him and forgetting the hardships of their Egyptian bondage, even deluding themselves into the present belief that they never had anything but pleasure and joy in Egypt, they said, "Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us? Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards . . . we will not come up."

The trio remaining obdurate Moses thus addressed the congregation : "Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins." The narrative proceeds : "So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side : and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children. And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind."

Then follows in graphic Biblical allegory an account of the inevitable result of flagrant and wilful disobedience of God. It is as follows :—

"And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them : and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods."

The lesson was not without results, for we thus read : "And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them : for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also."

Taken into the impersonal this is a most striking description of the destruction of the claims and allurements of the material senses and all that appertains thereto. Ambition frustrated ! Would-be leadership defeated ! Error destroyed! Truth under divine guidance triumphant! God's glory vindicated!