SUBMITTING yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Eph. v, 21.
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 1 Pet. v, 5.
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account: that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Heb. xiii, 17.
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Phil. ii, 1-3.
There are individuals that separate themselves from the church and from the work of the Third Angel, and boast themselves that they "never yielded a point of truth for the sake of party." As much as to say, I differ from you in my views of truth, and I will not submit the first particle of my opinions to the voice of the body, but, if you have my company, you must all submit to me.
Are such obeying the scriptures above quoted? Are they submitting to their brethren in the fear of God? Are they striving to be of one accord and one mind with the church, and esteeming others better than themselves? Their answer is, I shall not give up the truth for the sake of union. Who knows that you have the truth? There are some thousands of the children of God, called to the keeping of the Commandments by the Third Message, who think you are in error. Do you not take a very proud and lofty position, in setting up your judgment in opposition to them all? Is this being clothed with humility? In what have you been in submission to your brethren?
In every thing that I thought was right.
Every thing that you thought! That is no submission at all. It is having your own way, and putting your own judgment in opposition to all your brethren.
Would you have me break the Commandments of God, if my brethren say so?
My brethren do not require me to break the Commandments of God; they are doing and teaching them all. There are a number of points in which my views of truth differ from those of many of my brethren. They bear with me, and I with them. But I would not lead off a faction on any of these points for my life.
Some are so much in fear of popery that they would have no rule and no submission in the church. And they carry out their views by standing alone; and thus standing alone they feel free. Liberty with them is no government at all, but perfect anarchy. They have about the same views of Christian liberty that a certain Irishman had of civil liberty in this country. He knocked down the first man he met after landing on our shores, and being told that the law should be enforced against him, he exclaimed, Have you a law here? I thought America was a free country?
There are laws in the church of Christ; and some of them are at the head of this article. These laws recognize rulers and, consequently, government in the church. This shows the necessity of organization by the ordination of elders, bishops, overseers or rulers, to watch over the church, as they that must give account. And when a church is thus properly organized there must be a spirit of submission throughout the whole church, especially to the elders. It is thus, by submitting to government here, that we prove our loyalty to the King of kings, and prepare ourselves for his everlasting government.
There is no popery in this. It is only a submission to the laws of Christ. Popery forbids our following Christ, and requires obedience to the commandments of men, in opposition to those of God. Though some men want liberty to break God's Commandments, that man enjoys the greatest liberty that keeps them. The man that keeps our civil laws walks at liberty, while those who break them get into jail. David says, I will walk at liberty, for I seek thy precepts. Ps. cxix, 45. So we can enjoy the highest Christian liberty and be in submission to the brethren, for this is a law of Christ.
But who are my brethren?
If you believe the Third Angel's Message, they are your brethren who believe it. If not, it is well enough that you stand alone; for you need to be converted before any thing I have said will apply to your case. The laws of the Christian church do not extend beyond the church. Those that are without, God judgeth.
Dear brethren—all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity—let us, by submission to each other, prove our loyalty to our coming King. Let us learn to live together in unity here, that we may be prepared to live together eternally in the everlasting kingdom, which is at hand. R. F. C.