Reformations and Learned Men by Dudley Marvin Canright

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 31, 1863

Reformations and Learned Men.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

MEN frequently object to present truth because learned men, popular ministers, and doctors of divinity oppose it. They ask, "How is it that you Adventists know more than all the great and learned men in the world? If what you preach is the truth, why haven't they found it out? Why has God hid the truth from wise and prudent men, till the advent of you Millerites?"

It would appear that such persons have never read their Bibles nor the history of the church. For the benefit of such, let us look at some of the reformations which have been wrought in the church. If I mistake not, we shall find that such preachers and "holy divines" have always opposed any reformation which did not agree with their preconceived opinions of religion; and that "God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise."

At the advent of Jesus Christ, the Jewish church had lost the spirit of its religion. The Jews strictly observed the ceremonies and minor points of the law, even to the tithing of "mint, anise, and cummin." They fasted twice in a week, and "except they washed their hands oft, ate not, holding the tradition of the elders." They loved to make long prayers to be seen and heard of men. But the weightier matters of the law, mercy and judgment, they had neglected. They had killed the prophets of God, and were given to the love of the world. They rejected the Spirit of God, till, as Jesus says, they had become like "whited sepulchres, which, indeed, appear beautiful outwardly, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."

They made God's house a den of thieves, corrupted his word, and shut their eyes to the signs that were fulfilled before them; signs too which were read of in the synagogues every Sabbath. This applied not to the common people only, but principally to the priests and teachers in Israel.

Thus God was dishonored. Zion languished, and the faithful ones cried to the Lord for deliverance. But who will come forward to reform the church? The people naturally looked to the priests and divines to do this. For who was holier than the high priest? Who was better acquainted with the oracles of God than the sanhedrim? Or who knew better what to do than the priests? But while they are vainly looking to the scribes and Pharisees for a reformation, God is preparing to effect this by far different means.

At length John the Baptist comes, preaching repentance. The common people hail him as a prophet of God. But how do those shepherds receive him? Why, they say he is not of God, and that he has a devil. Thus they rejected the forerunner of Christ, though he came in fulfillment of the very scripture which they pretended to expound.

But lo! Jesus appears. He comes, not in the person of a high priest or some mighty prince, but, a humble man, working miracles to prove that he is of God. Surely the scribes and expounders of the law will acknowledge him. But no, they also reject the Lord, call him Beelzebub, a glutton and wine-bibber, and a friend of publicans and sinners. This is because he condemns their own ungodly deeds. Hence he finds his followers, not among the great and learned men, but with the humble fishermen, the poor, helpless, and despised.

But those "shepherds of the flock," fearful that others might believe on Jesus, accuse him of blasphemy, draw him before the rulers, condemn and crucify him. Thus "the kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered against the Lord, and against his Christ." Witness their persecutions of his apostles after him. How they beat and imprison Peter and John, kill Stephen, and persecute Paul. But in spite of them the reformation is wrought, and the church established.

Thus we see that those men who ought to have known and received the truth were the very ones to oppose it; and those who looked to them for an example, were led to crucify the Holy One of Israel. This, it would seem, ought to teach men to beware how they put confidence in popular or learned men. Though they may have great education, and ought to know the truth, yet the fact is, they are generally opposed to it. "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."

The church thus established by Christ and his apostles, kept the unity of the faith a number of years. But, as numbers increased, wicked men, as is always the case, crept into the church, and soon the mystery of iniquity, as foretold by Paul, 2 Thess. ii, began to do its work.

The church at Rome, founded by Paul, was at first noted for its piety. It sent out ministers to the surrounding cities, and the churches thus founded looked to Rome as to a mother. The authority of a bishop in those days, was proportioned to the city in which he lived.

Rome was the queen of the world; and if so, why should not her bishop be king of bishops? It was so. The other churches acknowledged the supremacy of the Roman bishop. In the 5th century, Theodosius II, proclaimed the bishop of Rome "ruler of the whole church."

Gradually, living faith died away, and external forms and ceremonies usurped its place. Now the church, instead of being united by faith, was kept together by canons, mitres, bishops, and popes. A few lonely souls walked in faith. But the majority were contending for worldly honors and preferments. Bishops, with sword in hand, fought for the right, not to feed, but to feed on, the flock. The pope claimed the sole right of explaining the Scriptures; and hence the word of God was soon corrupted, laid aside, and literally lost to the people. Instead of the Bible, priests and theologians studied the "fathers," many of whom had never heard of the gospel of Jesus. Thus heathenish doctrines were introduced into the church, which the church never taught. The most abandoned and licentious characters filled the pontifical throne. In this way the visible church continued for many centuries, through the "long and dark day," going further and further from God. Now and then a humble child of God appeared, but he was generally sacrificed upon the altar of superstition.

Such were the Vaudois in Piedmont, Wickliffe in England, and Huss in Bohemia. "Huss was the John the Baptist of the Reformation." The blood of his martyrdom watered the seeds of the Reformation, which afterward yielded such an abundant harvest.

The people had lost sight of God, religion, and morals. "There was no longer any thought of that faith by which we are made partakers of the Saviour's righteousness. Christ was regarded as a stern judge, prepared to condemn all who should not have recourse to the intercessions of saints, or to the pope's indulgences.

"The bishops no longer appeared in the pulpits, but they consecrated priests, monks, churches, images, and burial places, and all this brought a large revenue. Bones, arms, and feet were preserved in boxes of silver and gold; and they gave them to the faithful to kiss during mass."

The priests were degraded by the lowest buffoonery and heathenish profanations. "The very temples were converted into a stage, and the priests into mountebanks." Thus matters stood in the fifteenth century.

The need of a reformation was felt by all classes. The church itself acknowledged this. Bishops, cardinals, and popes convoked councils for the purpose of reforming their religion. But they used man's wisdom and carnal tools to do a spiritual work. They were all corrupt to the very center; and a "bitter fountain cannot bring forth sweet water." One of those same councils murdered John Huss whom God had raised up to do his work.

D. M. CANRIGHT.

(To be continued.)