OBJECTS OF WORSHIP by ELD. R. J. LAWRENCE

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 10, 1868

OBJECTS OF WORSHIP.

By ELD. R. J. LAWRENCE

BY ELD. R. J. LAWRENCE.

PROPOSITIONS: 1. All men are religiously inclined, or all men have an object upon which their chiefest affections are placed. 2. There always has been a false religion, and a true. 3. The true has been opposed by the false.

In proof of these propositions, I refer, first, to Gen. iv, 3-8: “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering; but unto Cain and to his offering, he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door; and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother. And it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.”

This shows how early men began to devise ways of their own in which to worship, aside from the commandments of the Lord, and how vexed and envious they feel toward the true worshipers when they see them accepted and blessed of the Lord, and themselves rejected. 1 Jno. iii, 12. “Not as Cain who was of that wicked one and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” So the Lord banished Cain, and put a wide distance between him and his father’s house so that his wicked influence might not affect the younger members of the family, and their posterity. But when Cain’s posterity began to multiply, and spread out over the earth and came in contact with the posterity of Seth, it is said, Gen. vi, 2-3, “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man; for that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” Verse 5. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Verse 8. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

Men had so corrupted themselves that there was but one family that was found righteous, so that it is said in verse 13, that the earth was filled with violence through them. God determines to destroy them, and informs Noah, commanding him to prepare an ark for the saving of himself and house. And while Noah builds, they mock. They wag their heads, they point the finger of scorn, they ridicule. But God spared them not, but saved Noah, a preacher of righteousness. 2 Pet. ii, 5.

Moses, the meekest man that had ever lived, was opposed, first, by Pharaoh and the Egyptians; afterward, by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and then by almost all of the children of Israel. But, says one, you are not going to prove your position by the Bible are you? To be sure I am. Well, sir, I have not much confidence in the Bible, nor in the God of the Bible. Very well, we will bring up your god by-and-by, and compare him with our God.

David was opposed by Saul because he saw that the Lord was with David, and had forsaken him. Elijah was opposed by king Ahab, because he reproved him of sin; and the queen Jezebel sought his life because he slew the prophets of Baal. Daniel’s life was sought because he would not worship Baal; and he was cast into the lions’ den; but God sustained him. John the Baptist came preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, to prepare the way of the Lord. But for reproving Herod for adultery, in having married his brother Philip’s wife, he lost his life.

So we see from the instances cited, that there has been a true and a false religion, and that the true has been opposed by the false.

But now Christ appears, not, as they had supposed, a temporal king to restore again to Israel that which had been taken from them by the Romans, but a person of humble parentage. He did not seek the society of the popular, the scribes and the Pharisees, nor of the lawyers and doctors; but he sought the society of the publicans and sinners. They marveled at this; but he says, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” He teaches by parables, and performs miracles among them, by raising the dead, by healing the sick, and restoring the lame, the maimed, and the blind. He also cast out devils from them that were possessed. His fame continued to spread. The common people received him as the Messiah. The scribes and the Pharisees acknowledge that notable miracles are done by him; but if we let him alone, say they, all men will believe on him, and the Romans will come and take away our place and nation. They send out some of their disciples to catch him in his talk, and arraign him before the council; but they return, saying, Never man spake as this man. Is not this the Christ? And they answer, Have any of the rulers believed on him? His fame continues to spread. “Then went the Pharisees and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us, therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute-money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image, and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar, the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God, the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they retired confounded. When these first-class religionists were silenced by the superior wisdom of Christ, the Sadducees put their heads together, saying, He has tested the wisdom of the Pharisees, he has silenced them; come, now we will try our skill. He teaches that there are angels, spiritual beings, also that the dead are to be raised to life again. We don’t believe a word of it; and we have a question that will put this doctrine to the test. Hence they come, saying, “Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now, there were with us seven brethren; and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased; and having no issue, left his wife unto his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God? There was their difficulty. They were ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God. For says Jesus, “In the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in Heaven.” Now these infidel Sadducees discarded

all the Scriptures but the five books of Moses; therefore the Saviour takes their endorsed authority to answer their question. “But as touching the resurrection of the dead,” he says, “have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” Matt. xxii, 24-32. They held death to be an eternal sleep, therefore discarded the resurrection; but Christ shows from their own authority that God is not the God of the dead, that are never to live again, as they suppose, but he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; therefore they will have a resurrection.

When they hear this, they also retire unable to meet his argument. “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered [again] together. Then one of them which was a lawyer asked him a question.” Of course if they had a lawyer with them, they would make him their speaker, as he was used to criticisms and cross questionings; and if a lawyer asks the Saviour a question, it will be a law question. This lawyer said, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment; and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Who hung them there? God. These are his great constitution, out of which grow all moral obligations. The law of ten commandments hangs there, the prophecies hang there. Let us consider the ten commandments. 1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. This forbids our placing our affections on any thing this side of God. The 2d forbids our making any image to worship. The 3d forbids our taking the name of God in our lips carelessly. The 4th requires that we should remember God’s rest-day, to keep it holy. The last six show the duty of man to his fellow man. By these we can see how desirable a community that would be, where all obeyed God, by keeping his commandments, and where all should do to others as they would that others should do to them.

Now we will bring up your god, and compare him with ours. “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Whose end is destruction. Whose god is their belly [or appetite], and whose glory is in their shame. Who mind earthly things.” Phil. iii, 18, 19.

All men have an object upon which their chief affections are placed. It may be a seat in the White House. If so, all the energies of body and mind are directed to that object. They worship that god. So we might name every position from that of the chief executive, to the lowest office in the government; all have their aspirants, who bend their energies of both body and mind to attain them. Others have before the mind the arts. If they can succeed in some invention, and by it get a world-wide renown, they have gained that object. Or, if they can become adepts in the workmanship of those already invented, they will glory in their accomplishments. Others pursue the sciences. If they can excel in these, they have attained their highest ambition. Others look to their merchandise, others to their farms, their fine houses, or carriages, or horses, or cattle. Their energies are bent to secure these things. Their affections are placed on them. These are their gods. Such persons look upon the humble Christian as he bows before the Lord in humble prayer, with disdain, as occupying a foolish position. But they will lay off their daily wardrobe, and clothe themselves in mean apparel, and dive into the dirt, and crawl upon the ground, to worship their gods.

But to descend in the scale of worshipers, and the gods of worship, go with me across the way. There stands upon the shelf the decanter, sparkling with liquid fire, and around it more than a score of worshipers, some well dressed, others in tatters and rags. One says, “I have drank liquor for twenty years, and I never saw that it hurt me. I have chewed tobacco for so many years, and I never saw that it hurt me.” I think that if it has not hurt him, perhaps it has his poor old, tattered coat, or his poor wife and children at home.

The god tobacco has become one of the most exalted gods of the age. It is worshiped by men of every caste, the high, the low, the rich, the poor, the free, the bond, the male and the female. This god, though thousands of human victims are offered annually upon his altars, has a daily-increasing crowd of devotees. Let us look this thing in the face. Let us suppose a case. Here is a minister that has an appointment to preach. He is strongly addicted to the use of tobacco. Take it from him twenty-four hours beforehand, and what sort of a sermon would he preach? The church appoints a prayer-meeting, and the members are tobacco users. Take it away from them twenty-four hours beforehand, and what sort of a prayer-meeting do you suppose they would have? The lawyer has a case in law to plead. Take away his tobacco, and what sort of a plea would he make? The judge is upon the bench. Take away his tobacco, and what condition would he be in to administer justice? The physician is called to the bedside of the sick. Take away his tobacco, and what condition would he be in to deal out medicine to his patients.

Now the consent on all hands is, that they could do nothing. They would be in no condition whatever to engage in the duties above mentioned. Then what is the propelling, soul-inspiring spirit upon which they depend? It is the spirit of tobacco. Then tobacco is their god. What then? Tobacco preaches; tobacco prays; tobacco pleads law; tobacco executes justice; tobacco deals out medicine; and we have a tobacco administration, civil and religious. Therefore, dear friends, it is no wonder that justice has run riot, and equity has fallen in the streets, when we see the God of Heaven, the Creator of all things, rejected, and his law, the ten commandments, which is a perfect rule of right, set aside, and the faith of Jesus, which is the only remedy for sin, set aside, and in their stead all these gods of earth, of science, of literature, of merchandise, of agriculture, of alcohol, of tobacco, &c., brought in. It is no wonder that the ignorant are condemned, and the guilty go free. Now let us contrast with these, a community of real Christians, who worship the only living and true God, by keeping his commandments, and the faith of his Son Jesus Christ, who love God with all their heart, and their neighbors as themselves. What union! what peace! what a desirable place to live in! All looking upon others as better than themselves, and upon the things of others as better than their own. There is no lying, no cheating, no stealing, no murder; but all is peace. On the other hand, in a community of the worshipers of the various other gods, selfishness prevails, each exalts his own god, all is confusion. They riot, they kill, they steal, they lie, they cheat, they get drunk, they wallow in the filth of their tobacco. What a contrast! Yet this last is the state of things as they exist at the present time.

The question may be asked, Is there no remedy? or is this state of things to continue? We answer, There is a remedy provided, but man will not accept of it; therefore they continue in their sins. 2 Tim. iii, 1-5, 13. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.” “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” 1 Tim. iv, 1, 2. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” 1 Thess. v, 1-3. “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you; for yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night; for when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.” Matt. xxiv, 37-39. “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be; for as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away. So shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

But, say you, if the condition of the world is to grow worse and worse, until Christ comes, and they are not to know any thing about it, until he comes, what better off are the people of God than the wicked. 1 Thess. v, 4-5. “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness.” Chap. iv, 16-18. “For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

OBJECTS OF WORSHIP.*

OBJECTS OF WORSHIP.