p. 27 | SELECTIONS

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 3, 1857

SELECTIONS.

Willful Religion.

This is what we often find; and it seems to be brought to view in Col. ii, 23. Ethelothreskeia, thus rendered will-worship, signifies more properly willful-religion. Ethelo, whether in composition or as a verb, according to Buttman and Liddell, expresses will or willfulness as well as choice. Threskeia is uniformly rendered in the New Testament by religion. Willful-religion, therefore, is a more exact transfer of the thought in that compound word than will-worship.

But where do we see will-worship?

Religion is a word so broad as to express not only the true religion, but also false religion of every kind. Willful-religion then more properly applies to all sorts of false religion in which the "religious" is willful and stubborn, and to which he is not impelled by Scripture and reason, but chiefly by his own will. Assuming that the religion taught in the Christian Scriptures is right, then it follows that all other religions are false; and also that all appendages added to the religion of the Bible by human beings are false. And all these other religions and appendages in just so far as they are persevered in by determinate willfulness, are willful religions, and fall within the meaning of the above passage.

One willfully believes in just such a God as he forms in his imagination and as pleases his own depraved heart. Another willfully adheres to a religion consisting in a loose set of morals, no more strict than to accord with his own loose conduct. Another willfully sustains a religion that saves all, let their characters be ever so bad. Another willfully sustains the pantomime of puseyistic folly as his religion. Another willfully cleaves to free-masonry in more or less of its various formalities as his religion. Another willfully cleaves to all the items, right or wrong, of his sect, for the sake of sustaining the sect. Another as slave to the principle, that he must abide in the sect where he was bred, and it is shameful to assume that children can ever know more than parents. He therefore willfully adheres to the religion in which he was bred, for the sake of his reputation with associates, who annoy him with that principle. If sprinkling and infant sprinkling are not sustained in the Bible, there is reason to fear that many adhere to this, through the powerful influence of will, or the love of sect.

One minister said, "If it were not the custom of his denomination, he never would sprinkle another babe." What less, in such case, is the adherer to such religious ceremonies, but willful-religion. Many mothers cleave to it because it suits their feelings, and they love to do it. A large portion of popish ceremonies and observances are enforced by the determined will of the priests. The tame will of the people is forced into a regular observance, by the arbitrary will of those in authority. A great portion of theirs, therefore is willful religion. Mormonism originated in the basest of passions—man successful by deceiving the masses, and then retaining and controlling the masses by tyranny and force, is also willful-religion, at least on the part of the deceivers and rulers. Some denominations of Christians have created offices of profit and power over the people. Some become willfully zealous in such sect, in order to attain the offices and profits. There then is willful religion.

Most of the denominations that sprung up since the year 1500, have governments, usages, ceremonies, and constitutions appended by human beings to the Christian system, and persevered in and sustained also by the "will of man." But it is unnecessary to exhaust the subject. A few hints to the wise is sufficient.

How different in contrast is the holy, child-like, affectionate spirit of one who take the holy will of God for his rule, and merges his own will in all things into the revealed will of God—always inquiring from the heart, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?"—New York Chronicle.

Lord what is less sustained by the Bible than the keeping of the first day of the week for the Sabbath of the Lord; and what better illustration therefore of will-worship, in this sense, could we have. Is it not emphatically through willfulness or the "love of sect," or popularity that many persist in it, since nothing can be found in the Bible to sustain it.—Ed. REVIEW.