THE CLOSING MESSAGES.—NO. 17.
By R. F. Cottrill
The third evidence we notice of the truth of the proclamation of the fall of Babylon in 1844, as applied to the churches self-styled evangelical, is their rapid descent in morality since that time; showing that God has left them to follow their own ways, and fill up the measure of their iniquity. The practice, so universal in the churches at the present time, of gambling for religious purposes, and of appealing to the depraved appetites, pleasures, and propensities of the ungodly, to raise money for God, was not generally known, but was in its incipient stage, in 1844. Previous to that time, the most of our staid church members would have been shocked at the thought of a religious ball, or a party for feasting, plays, and pleasures, such as the carnal mind loves so well, in order to gain the trash of “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,” for the purpose of building churches, or the support of the ministry. But how changed! It is now familiar as household words everywhere. I am not speaking of things with which my readers are unacquainted. It was a doctrine of the “mother” that the end sanctifies the means. Therefore it would be right to lie to advance the truth, and resort to mercenary means to raise money for the church. “As is the mother, so is her daughter.” Who cannot see a fast-increasing family likeness? The church of Christ is a missionary society. It is her business to raise means and send out ministers to preach a free gospel freely to those that are without. But how perverted is the divine plan with the churches of the present day! Instead of using their means to support men to answer the divine call: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” with this motto, “Freely ye have received, freely give,” a church will call a minister to come and take the pastoral charge of themselves, provided they can induce the outside world to help them, being too poor or covetous to pay the whole themselves. The question now is, How shall we induce worldlings who have no interest in religion to do their part! An appeal must be made that will reach their sin-perverted tastes and feelings—an appeal to their appetites and desire for sinful pleasures. This is a feasting age, like that of Noah. There is a relish for feasting and frolic, for the giddy dance and exciting games of chance. If you would reach their pockets, you must cater to their appetites and propensities. So get up a grand entertainment. Though States have made laws against lotteries and other forms of gambling, what harm can there be in using them in the holy cause of religion? Away with your antiquated scruples! Bring in the lotteries and raffles, the ring-cakes, and grabbags, the post-offices, and fish-ponds, and every invention which will induce all to cast in and stand their chance, and let music, mirth and dancing beguile the midnight hours, and pave with carnal pleasures the way to death. Again, look at the religious press of our day. Not only advertising the worse than worthless quack nostrums of the day, which can only pave the way to drunkenness, but puffing them as wonderful discoveries, and also noticing favorably the fictitious reading of the day that is poisoning the minds of the people, as the drugged stimulants of quacks is poisoning their bodies. Yes, behold a minister in high standing, giving his influence to the corrupting literature of the times, by writing a novel to be published in a paper devoted to that class of writing, then consenting to have it dramatized for the theater, and then advising parents, not to send their children to the theater, but to go with them. Of the theater, Pollock truly said, “From first to last it was an evil place;”
and Mr. Beecher admits it by implication, in advising that the young should not go alone, and hence would have parents give their presence and influence to the evil. The following items of news which have recently been going the rounds of the press will give some idea of the downward tendency of the churches at the present time. “At the Unitarian convention in Belfast, Rev. Mr. Savary, of Ellsworth, in his essay on the Sabbath question, argued that the Sabbath should in part be a day of recreation and amusement. He maintained that the church edifices should have attached to them a building fitted up with all the paraphernalia of a theater, ball room, billiard saloon, restaurant, and reading room, which should be made available on the Sabbath. He thought the church ought to thus throw around common amusements the sanctities of religion. Some of the members favored Mr. Savary’s views, while a few denounced them.” “A Boston paper says that the Baptists have a social club, and the Congregationalists are going into the same thing. In England, Archdeacon Dennison thinks it will be a good thing to have games of ball between the services on Sunday.” It is becoming more and more evident continually that the churches are in a fallen state, and are rapidly descending in point of morality. And the test from the word of God which the third and last message brings to bear upon the people, is developing the fact, by showing how lightly they esteem the doctrines of the Bible, and how ready they are to follow the example of the Roman Apostasy, which they call Antichrist, in setting aside its requirements, and making laws for themselves, to supersede them. “He is Antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son.” The following item will show how Protestants can “dispense” with Jesus Christ by a vote: “The Unitarian church in New Bedford, Mass., has voted to dispense with the bread and wine in the commemoration of the Lord’s supper.” But we dwell no longer upon this sad and inexhaustible theme, but proceed to the examination of the third and last message. R. F. COTTRILL.