Your ShelfYour Projects

Schism

5%

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 24, 1865

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 25, No. 9.

Read the full edition

Schism.

By R. F. Cottrell

BY ELD. R. F. COTTRELL.
THE Roman church, which claims the title of Catholic, has much to say in condemnation of schism and schismatics. With that church, schism, or a breach of unity, is a sin of great magnitude, and schismatics, heretics, factionists, those who separate themselves, are reckoned among the chief of sinners. All Protestants are condemned by her adherents as schismatics, as those who have separated themselves from the only true, apostolical church; and this is the reason why Catholics look upon Protestants with such utter abhorrence—they think them guilty of a great sin.
On the other hand, many have come to esteem it a very slight thing, a matter of indifference, to separate themselves from a body which professes to be the church of Jesus Christ, and uniting with another, making the same profession. All will admit that to leave a false church and unite with the true, instead of being a sin, would be praise-worthy. And since it is so difficult to find the true church, where all is division and discord, it is natural to come to the conclusion that there is but little difference, as to the claims of different sects to true Christianity, and consequently any one of them may be left at pleasure, and without incurring guilt in the slightest degree.
I am not a Roman Catholic; but the reason I am not, is because I do not believe that church to be the true apostolic church. Convince me that she is, and I dare not be a Protestant. But I find a great apostasy foretold in the prophecies of both the Old and the New Testament, and the Roman popedom came into being in the right time, place and manner, and developed the right characteristics, to fulfill the prophecy; and no other power—kingdom or popedom—ever has or ever can fulfill all the specified characteristics of the little horn of Dan. vii, the Man of sin of 2 Thess. ii, and the beast of Rev. xiii, 1-10. Now if Romanism has its foundation in apostasy or falling away from primitive Christianity, as the Scriptures abundantly testify, it was no sin, but a virtue, to secede from her communion. And as the early reformers were not free from the errors of the apostasy, and as the depraved human heart naturally leans to apostasy and not to purity, so that no sect of religionists can be reformed as a whole, it was no sin for those who continued the work of reformation, and were still progressing toward the light and purity of primitive Christianity, to leave the several Protestant churches who had become stereotyped in error, and thus increase the number of sects, if not the evil of division.
But in the first age of the Christian church, the apostles' days, when the church was united and pure, schism, heresy or secession was a grievous sin, as we may see by a reference to the Scriptures. Says an apostle, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Rom. xvi, 17-18. Those who cause divisions are to be marked and avoided. They serve not the Lord, but themselves; and for this purpose, with fair speeches, they deceive all they can. The church were troubled with such persons in the days of the apostles, and it is well to heed the caution now, since it is possible that there may be such persons still in the world.
Paul had heard that there were divisions in the church at Corinth; and he condemns them for it as being carnal. He exhorts them thus: "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment." 1 Cor. i, 10. Should a church appear, in these days of division and anarchy, living up to this exhortation of the apostle—thinking, speaking, and acting alike, it would be the greatest wonder of the age.
They would be, as the prophet says, "for signs and for wonders in Israel;" and many doubtless would say, "They are just like the ignorant Roman Catholics—they do just as their priests tell them." But would the Corinthians have become Roman Catholics by heeding the advice of the apostle? Would they have become blind slaves of an earthly priesthood? No, verily! Such unity would have been the brightest illustration of the Christian virtues—the highest recommendation, and the most convincing proof of the heavenly origin of our holy religion. "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." Jno. xvii, 21. If perfect unity in the church would tend to convince the world of the truth, what is the tendency of division? Does a divided church testify for the truth, or against it? If for it, our Saviour used bad logic in the above text, but if against it, division is a great evil; and we may truly say, as we look at the present state of the church, "An enemy hath done this."
But for further proof that schism was considered a grievous sin by the apostles, we quote Paul's words to the elders of the church at Ephesus. "For I know this, that after my departing, shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men enter, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." Acts, xx, 29, 30. Again, he says to Titus, "A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject; knowing that he that is such, is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." Chap. iii, 10, 11.
The word rendered heretic, in this last quotation, means, according to Greenfield, "one who creates factions," and by some translators has been rendered, "a factionist." It is one who speaks "perverse things to draw away disciples" after him. If these agents of the Devil had never professed Christianity, the church would have remained one; but nothing short of the absolute power of God could keep them from professing religion; and He has permitted it, in order to prove his people. Says the apostle, "I hear that there be divisions [schisms] among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heretics [sects] among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." 1 Cor. xi, 18, 19.
To divide the church of Christ was a sin, in the days of the apostles. When did it cease to be a sin? The answer must be, Never; that which was once a sin, is always a sin. There can be no excuse for separating from a church unless it be that it is not the church of Christ. If the Roman church was the church of Christ, the Protestants sinned in separating from her. If the Episcopalian church was the church of Christ, Methodists and all other dissenters from her, sinned in leaving her; and if the Methodist, the Presbyterian, the Baptist, or any other church that has become divided, is the church of Christ, then the numerous sects, which are off-shoots from these, were conceived in sin and born in iniquity. But if, on the other hand, these seceders have been real reformers, if their adherence to truth and righteousness, was the cause of their separation, then the churches they left needed reformation and were not, as bodies, the pure churches of Christ; and being deserted by many of the best, living members, were in a worse and more lifeless condition than before, if not wholly rejected of God for their corruptions, and unwillingness to reform.
Nothing can justify secession from a church but the fact of her apostasy; or in other words, that she is not what she professes to be—a Christian church. But, says the Catholic, have the gates of hell prevailed against the church? We answer, No, but the same prophetic word that assures us that the gates of hell should not prevail against the church, also assures us that there would be a great apostasy, or falling away, and that this would result in the development of the man of sin—a power usurping the place and power of God, and claiming, as the supreme head of the church, the right to give laws to the church. That word also assures us, that when the apostasy should prevail and bear rule, the true church, though not destroyed, should dwell in seclusion and obscurity—should remain in the wilderness. For centuries, apostasy has been prominent, while the true church has been in the back-ground and almost hidden from view. But the time was to come, when she should come forth from the wilderness, like the rising of the morning: first, "fair as the moon," then, "clear as the sun," and finally, "terrible as an army with banners."
The "reign of terror" closed with the dawn of the Reformation; and the church commenced her egress from the wilderness. But her progress has been retarded at every step by that same spirit of worldly conformity which had resulted in the first great apostasy. The veriest worldlings, those who had no part nor lot in the matter of true religion, would still make the profession; and not only so, but they must guide in matters of religion, and make articles of faith for the church. Kings and queens threw off the papal yoke to set up popery at home, and make themselves popes over their own dominions. And thus the church has been crippled and creed-bound; still held from advancement in reformation, by worldly influences, and in illicit intercourse with the "kings of the earth."
But will the Reformation prove a failure? Will not the church advance from the fairness of the moon, to the clearness of the sun? Will she not again appear, as in primitive days, "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet?" Will she not yet "come into unity of faith?" She will; and this work will be effected by the proclamation of the closing messages of probation, prophesied of in Rev. xiv, 6-12. This work is now being moved forward by the power of the Spirit of God, and in perfect harmony with the word of prophecy. This being the case, let factionists take warning. Fighting against God is no small sin. To be engaged in this work when probation shall close, will be a fatal mistake.
To secede from apostate churches and human creeds has been, and is, no sin; but to attempt to draw away disciples from the work of the Lord, is as great a sin now as ever it was. Still men with hearts unsubdued by grace, will ostensibly embrace the truth. But soon their factious propensities crop out, and the disposition is manifest either to rule or ruin; and being baf-fled in their ambition, and disappointed of their hopes, they become the bitterest opposers of the work of God. And there are others of apparently mild and peaceable disposition, seemingly a very good sort of people, who nevertheless, are so void of judgment and of a just sense of their responsibility, that they appear to think it a very light matter to embrace the truth, or to forsake it. At one time they labor to promote the cause, at another, to disparage it. For awhile they seem to be traveling on, heart and hand, with believers in the work of God, but an adverse wind arises, perhaps a party starts off in opposition and suddenly they appear in their company; not because they have any grievous complaint against the principles of the cause, nor against their brethren, but as if they had no sense of responsibility, and thought it a thing of indifference whether they labored for, or against the truth. Perhaps I cannot illustrate my meaning better than by giving a quotation from one of this class, published in 1856, in the Messenger and Advocate, a short-lived paper gotten up by a faction from the cause of truth. Our good friend expressed himself as follows: "I am glad to hear that there are in the West, some of the 'remnant' who are striving to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. I also love Bro. White of the Review, and all in every place, who delight in the law of God, and who are looking for his blessed Son from Heaven. I am glad also to see the Messenger and Advocate, started as I hope, on a more liberal principle than the Review." Now the Messenger is no more, and they that started and sustained it are no more; many of them are now the bitterest enemies of that "law of God" which our friend seemed so to delight in. But does he feel that he has made shipwreck? Does he feel that God will hold him accountable for thus blindly and heedlessly giving his influence with the enemies of the cause of truth? I fear not. I fear that should another similar craft appear, bound to the bottom, he would think it no harm to jump on board for another short ride; and perhaps would have "another angel's message" to hold up in opposition to the work of God.
Oh that men felt their responsibility! felt that God will bring them into judgment, for the influence they exert! The cause in which we are engaged is the cause of God, or it is not. If not, why dabble with it? Why not display a bold front against it? If it is, why not heartily embrace it, and give your whole influence in its favor? The Lord would have you one thing or the other—"either cold or hot." It will not do to trifle with the word and work of God. Those who have sinned in this way, will have to retrace their steps, take up the stumbling-blocks, and counteract, as far as possible, the wrong influence they have exerted, if they would be found of Christ in peace at his coming.
In fulfillment of the third message of Rev. xiv, the church, called in prophecy the remnant of the seed of the woman, is being developed. It is folly and infidelity to deny it, for the word of God promised it, and we behold the fulfillment. The three advent messages have been announced in the order of the prophecy which is the promise of God, and the people are appearing, which are described as keeping "the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." The dragon spirit is being aroused against them, not only because they keep the commandments of God, but because they "have the testimony of Jesus Christ," which is "the spirit of prophecy." When the evidences of this, are fairly presented to the mind, it is as I said, infidelity to deny it. "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God;" and a person may just as well say so as to deny God's providence in fulfilling his word, that is, to assert, when God's word of promise is fulfilled, that he has not done it. But if the Lord is doing this work, he is doing a special work, as much as when he delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage; and it must be evident to all, that those who oppose this work must fall, and that the professed friends of truth who are found in rebellion must perish; even as Dathan and Abiram and all those secessionists whose carcasses fell in the wilderness. I am not speaking from passion, but from sober reason, as every truly enlightened conscience must testify.
Schism, or secession from the church, in the primitive days of Christianity, was a sin; because God's word and Spirit were her guide—she kept the commandments of God and had the testimony of Jesus Christ. Since the apostasy, and the entrance of the church into the wilderness, tradition has usurped the place of the word, and human creeds, the place of the Spirit; and it has been a virtue, to secede from these usurpers. But now the church has so far advanced from her wilderness seclusion, that the word and the Spirit—the commandments and the testimony—have been restored to their legitimate place in the church, and tradition and creeds are being rejected as worthless—as human and not divine. We lose nothing by rejecting these. The Lord gives us, in the place of tradition, his immutable word, and in the place of creeds, his unerring Spirit. To secede from the church that is being guided by these, is rebellion against God. Terrible is the mission of the third angel's message. It is separating the wheat from the tares. Let the humble and believing receive the truth, let scoffers and infidels stand aloof. But let the factious and hypocritical take their hands off, and not meddle with the work of God. Judgment against an evil work is not always speedily executed; but a few cases are left on record as examples and warnings. There may be no more Dathans and Abirams swallowed up of earthquakes, before the mighty earthquake when God shall utter his voice; and no Ananiases and Sapphiras struck dead for lying against the Holy Spirit, till the great day of His wrath shall come. But the day of a just retribution will come.
"What a vindictive spirit?" do I hear. I feel no desire to execute that vengeance which belongs to God alone, nor to "Deal damnation round the land, On each I judge his foe."
I speak the words of truth and soberness, and warn the reader of the wrath to come, in order that he may escape. I am not writing for the benefit of incorrigible factionists—those that are so far gone in rebellion against God and his work, that they are past cure. I write to warn you, my dear friend, who are in danger of being led into temptation and rebellion. You who see God's present work, and are yet so undecided in the truth. You who do not feel your responsibility—who feel at liberty to identify yourself with God's work, or with the opposition, as caprice may dictate. You who through the influence of these times, when the right of self-government in the State, and the right of conscience in the church, have degenerated into secession and anarchy—when the noble principle of protest against corruption and usurpation has been superseded by a reckless and fanatical come-outism which knows no divine restraint, are in danger of throwing off responsibility, treating the word of God with contempt or indifference, and despising and blaspheming the work of the Holy Spirit. Consider well what you are doing, before you venture to range yourself in the ranks of the enemies of the truth of God and his present work. If God is preparing his people for translation, his work is one—he is not the author of confusion. He has chosen his instrumentality and will stand by it to the last. The world united cannot stop the car of truth, reverse the engine, or throw it off the track. Individuals or squads may sever themselves from the work of God, but the work moves on; no device against it can prosper.
If you have any faith in the word of prophecy, if you are satisfied that we are in the last days, you must know that it is time for the advent messages to be proclaimed; and, witnessing their proclamation, you may know that the hand of God is moving the work. Then unite heartily in the work, and do not stop to modify it and correct its errors, because it does not harmonize with all your preconceived opinions. But if you have no faith in God's word and providence, consistency would require that you should show a clean front against it. It is best to choose one side or the other; and not feign to believe God's word, and spend all your time and energy in mending his work.
God lives and reigns. He is sure to fulfill all his word; and he is excellent in working. Let none presume to correct his errors and to mend his work. The Jews tried this at the first advent, and fell. While the prophecies were being interpreted by their fulfillment, they would not admit it—they did not believe. May God save the reader and the writer from following their example of unbelief.