“TO WHOM SHALL WE GO”—“THY WORD IS TRUTH.”
By W. N. G.
As there are true and false Christianity in the world, so there are true and false Protestantism. In either case the false predominates, both in number of adherents and in influence upon surroundings. Consequently true Christianity is misjudged in the world through the intrusion of the false, and true Protestantism is wofully depreciated, because much that passes for Protestantism is such only in name. The fact thus briefly stated is conspicuously illustrated in a recent discussion between Rev. J. O’Keefe, a prominent priest of the Roman Catholic diocese of Baltimore, and several Protestant ministers of that city. The discussion grew out of a sermon by Mr. O’Keefe, in which he tartly arraigned Protestants as Sabbath-breakers. His argument was from the standpoint of the Bible, and his conclusion was irresistible that Protestants do not follow the Scriptures, which they claim to accept as their teacher, when they observe the first day of the week as the Sabbath. But the learned prelate, while uttering a far-reaching truth, labors under a delusion which is also far-reaching in its influence and consequences, namely, that this departure from the Word of God in Sabbath observance is Protestantism. In fact, this implication is contradicted by his own practise as a Roman Catholic. Of course he is not to blame, from a Roman Catholic standpoint, for calling everything Protestant which assumes that name, any more than the avowed unbeliever is to blame for holding up as Christianity every inconsistent act of those who profess to be Christians. In either case, by ignoring the only available evidence, they place themselves beyond the means of knowing any better. True Protestantism stands on the Word of God. The great Protestant Reformation was a revolt from the tyranny of church authority, with its awful consequences during the Dark Ages, to the liberty of Bible authority. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Tim. 3:16. “The prophecy came not in old time [margin, ‘at any time’] by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:21. It was the Spirit of Christ that was in them when they testified. 1 Peter 1:10–12. These scriptures show us that all Scripture is an infallible guide, as it all originated with God. Col. 3:16 enjoins us to “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,” and 2 Cor. 3:17 tells us that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Then we repeat that true Protestantism is a revolt, or protest, against the assumption of church authority in doctrine, and an appeal to the Bible as the only rule of faith and doctrine. True Protestantism demands a “Thus saith the Lord” for all doctrine. Then, when Mr. O’Keefe shows conclusively that the observance of the first day of the week as the Sabbath is a departure from the Bible—the Protestant’s teacher—we point him to the further inevitable conclusion that those who do so are not true Protestants at all. They are groping in the shadow of the delusion of church authority; for all the authority there is for the observance of the first day of the week as a religious institution is vested in that church from whose doctrine and practises and assumed authority Protestantism revolted; that church which Mr. O’Keefe and his coreligionists accept as their infallible teacher. Professed Protestants who depart from the Word of God in observing the first day of the week instead of the seventh, make the same mistake that Mr. O’Keefe does,—they go to the Scriptures and make them say what they do not say, when it comes to a defense of their own doctrines. He says:— I go with confidence to the scriptural record and find my teacher, the church instituted by Jesus Christ, with all the guarantees necessary for my protection from error. But the “scriptural record” sets up Christ, and not the church, as teacher. The church is to be taught; how then can it be its own teacher? True, the church is to teach the world, but it is to teach just what Christ teaches it—no more, no less. Moses said to the children of Israel: “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” Deut. 18:15. And the Lord added: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” Verse 19. Again, on the mount of transfiguration (Luke 9), when Peter essayed a suggestion as to what they should do, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, hear him.” Later, when Jesus was about to leave his work on earth in the hands of his disciples, he gave this parting instruction: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” He did not instruct them to teach what the church should command, but all things that he had commanded them. He did not tell them to set up another teacher, and in their own fallible way proclaim it infallible. The Holy Spirit was to guide them into all truth; “for he shall not speak of himself; but,” says Christ, “whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come.” John 16:13. But where is the Holy Spirit to get that which it will show? From the church?—No; for it is the church that he is to teach in Christ’s name. Chap. 14:26. Hear the Lord further: “He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine.” Chap. 16:14, 15. But into what was the Holy Spirit to guide them?—Into all truth. What is truth?—Jesus said to the Father, “Thy Word is truth.” John 17:17. And Paul, an inspired apostle, enjoins the ministry, “by the coming of the Lord,” to “preach the Word.” But, as is inevitable when men turn from the Scriptures to any other teacher, Mr. O’Keefe waxes inconsistent and self-stultifying. While he confined himself to showing what the Scriptures actually teach in regard to the Sabbath question, he was consistent all through; but the moment he undertakes to follow another teacher, he becomes illogical. For instance, he says:— What guarantee is needed to make good the Word of Him who is the Creator and Redeemer of the world; who commands me to “hear the church” under the penalty of being ranked with the heathen and publican; who pledges himself to abide with her to the end of the world; who promised the Holy Ghost—the Spirit of truth—to come and teach her all truth and to “abide with her forever”? Then he goes right on to show that some guarantee is needed to make good the Word of the Creator. Speaking of the apostles, he says:— Their writings, however, the church has sacredly cherished and preserved as it were the living voices of the apostles themselves; and, more than this, she has placed the seal of her authority on them, declaring that they are of divine inspiration—impossible to be proven without her. Thus he makes the guarantee of the church necessary to “make good the word of Him who is the Creator and Redeemer of the world.” The Word given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the teacher of the church, must be indorsed by the church, the one to be taught, before it is reliable. In other words, the teacher appointed of God must be limited by the pupil as to what it shall teach. The church, according to Mr. O’Keefe’s logic (and he is indorsed by the cardinal’s organ), is authorized by the Lord, contrary to the Scriptures, to set itself up as its own teacher. Hear him a little further. After stating, as above quoted, that the Creator promised the Holy Ghost to teach the church all truth forever, he says:— The church, the only teacher instituted by Jesus Christ, and which he commands me to hear, requires me to worship God on Sunday, which precept I obey as the command of God himself. Now there is no doubt that God requires worship on every day; but Mr. O’Keefe here refers to the observance of Sunday instead of the seventh day; for he is answering the question put by a Baptist minister, “Why in the world does he not keep Saturday?” This question was logically called out by Mr. O’Keefe’s masterly showing that, according to the Scriptures, which Protestants profess to follow as their teacher, the seventh day is the true Sabbath of the Lord. According to his argument, the Lord has set up two teachers directly antagonistic to each other. He admits that the Scriptures are the Word of God; thus he at least tacitly admits that the Scriptures are the truth; he admits that the Holy Spirit is promised to guide us into all truth; and he admits that the Scriptures give us authority for no other weekly Sabbath than the seventh day. But he, right in the face of this showing, says of the church that Christ “left no other teacher than her.” And it is this teacher which he claims to be commanded of Christ to hear in the matter of Sunday observance. Thus this church-led preacher sets up Christ as antagonistic to the Word of God. And the professed Protestant ministers who are combating his scriptural arguments are following his example when he departs from the Scriptures. “A house divided against itself can not stand.”