The Saviour's Titles by Ellet Joseph Waggoner

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 13, 1866

The Saviour's Titles.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

AN INCIDENT OF THE TIMES.

SAID Jesus, "Ye call me Master and Lord; and ye say well; for so I am." And, "One is your Master, even Christ." Paul said, "there is but one God, the Father," "and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things." Also, that the Holy Ghost instructs to call him Lord. 1 Cor. xii, 3. The title of "Lord," is frequently given to "Jesus Christ" in the Scriptures. Of his coming it is said, "The Lord himself shall descend." As an evidence of its frequent use, we find the title of "Lord" directly given to him no less than sixteen times in the short epistle last quoted from; 1 Thess., and fourteen times in the still shorter one, 2 Thess. "By him were all things created." "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." "Who being the brightness of his [the Father's] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power," "hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than angels. It is the Christian's glory that help has been laid upon "one that is mighty to save."

But Peter says, "false teachers shall arise, who shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." We do not assert that this scripture refers specially to any event of our age, yet we have seen one of the most striking fulfillments of it, that was ever presented to the world.

A National Convention of the Unitarians was held not long since in New York. It was an imposing body of great men. Among the speakers, were Gov. Andrew, the first president of the Unitarian convention. Peter Cooper, William Cullen Bryant, Rev. Dr. Bellows, and other noted ones; a multitude of "Rev. D. D.'s" were in attendance. The preamble to the constitution gave rise to the following remarks:

"Rev. Mr. Watson said he could not agree with the first article, which used the words 'Lord Jesus Christ.' He could not call Jesus, Lord; for he believed he was not Lord, in the meaning attached to that word. [A gentleman on the platform here reminded Mr. Watson that 'Lord' was applied to Christ in the New Testament, and a voice, sotto voce, repeated the fact.] That was the language, continued the speaker, of Paul, not of the New Testament; but he could not receive it. . . . If they should use Lord, in the sense of a title among men, he would not oppose them; but they should explain emphatically and distinctly the meaning of the word."

"Rev. Mr. Burley, of Florence, Mass., a tall gentleman of about sixty, with long, brownish, gray ringlets, hair parted in the middle, and a lengthy beard, next rose to speak. He said he should not like to see any form of doctrine adopted among them which should prescribe any one. . . . In one of these articles, Christ was called Lord; but he believed they were wrong. He (the speaker) would be in favor of calling him not even Master Jesus Christ, but Mr. Jesus Christ, in order to explain his character distinctly."—Copied from the Chicago Tribune.

No language can add to the hideousness of the impiety of these "false teachers." While they would allow no other title to Christ than that of "Mr.," they are not ashamed to appropriate to themselves the title of "Reverend," which only occurs in one instance, in the English version of the Scriptures, and is then applied to God. See Ps. cxi, 9.

J. H. WAGGONER.