PROGRESS OF TRUTH AND ERROR.
SIMULTANEOUSLY with the rise of the Third Angel’s Message—the last merciful warning to a world in danger, commenced the wonders of Psychology, Mesmerism, and Spiritualism, the last great deception of the Enemy of all truth. Side by side these works have progressed. That error would spread more rapidly, cover more territory, and embrace a greater number of adherents within its pales, it would be natural to expect; for the soil of a fallen world is more congenial to the growth of error than of truth, and the natural heart of man loves darkness rather than light. But it might also be expected that the friends of truth would manifest at least an equal zeal in the proclamation of the pure Word, and that they would derive as much power from the Father of lights, as the advocates of error receive from the father of lies. Spiritualism is progressing, and winning its way into the hearts of multitudes by miracles and signs and wonders. Week after week brings to our ears reports of the blind receiving sight, the deaf hearing, the lame walking, and the infirm restored to health; and the question naturally suggests itself, Amid all these manifestations of the power of the Enemy, where are the manifestations of the power of God? Amid all this counterfeit, where is the genuine? Where are we? and what are we doing amid all this array of opposition? Are we not living beneath our privilege, falling behind the times, and suffering ourselves to be out-flanked by the Enemy? Let us carefully consider these things, and strive earnestly for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which shall bring us to the unity of the Faith, and clothe the Church of God with power, and make her terrible as an army with banners. The genuineness of the miracles produced by spirit agency, we do not question; but people seem to have forgotten that any other power but the power of God can produce a miracle; and hence they blindly accredit every manifestation of supernatural agency to his power alone. On 2 Thess. ii, 9, which speaks of “the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” Dr. Cumming appropriately remarks, “If you look at your Greek Testaments you will find it is ‘terast pseudous,’ miracles that prove a lie, not miracles that are false.” With the miracles, as such, we can find no fault; they are not deceptions; there is no lack of supernatural agency; but the power comes from a wrong source; and it is exerted to prove a lie! The advocates of error have the advantage of us in this respect: Satan will work for his servants under almost any circumstances; it matters little to him how black their hearts may be, or how impure their motives; wherever he can advance his aims, he is ready to act. But for God to work for his people, there must be a holy life, a moral purity, an entire consecration, and humility on their part. This must necessarily be so: otherwise we should be confirmed in sin. In view of this, our duty at once becomes apparent. Let us whose hearts bid fair soon to become the only repositories of truth in this world, seek after that state, and rest not till we obtain it, through which God can consistently manifest his power.