"It makes no difference what a man believes, if he is only sincere." This worn-out apology for shiftlessness in spiritual things is by many who use it supposed to be the dictate of charity. By placing sincerity in a false light this deceptive proverb appropriates enough of the garb of truth to deceive very many with its plausible claim. Put to a practical test in any of the ordinary affairs of life, it at once proves an ignominious failure. Its error is so palpable that in any other matter than that of religious duty or faith no sane man would for a moment commit himself to so fatal a theory. But under its delusion in things of faith men will peacefully close their eyes to their real condition, rejecting any rays of light that may come to them, refusing to be disturbed, because they feel secure where they are and flatter themselves that this carnal security is sincerity itself.
It is a fatal delusion. The mistake is in calling self-satisfaction sincerity, which it certainly is not. Hypocrisy is not sincerity, nor does it bear any relation to it. But thousands of hypocrites feel that they are perfectly secure, for they believe that they are right. But a hypocrite is not sincere nor honest, even though he may believe that he is right, for a man who believes he is right when he is wrong, and might know it if he would, is a hypocrite. Sincerity will lead a man to examine well the ground on which he stands.
The old apology under examination bears a falsehood on the very face of it, for if a man be sincere, what he believes will make a difference in him and with him. If what he believes does not make a difference with him, then he is surely not sincere. A better way to say it would be, "It makes but little or no difference what a man believes if he is not sincere." Sincerity seeks for the truth as for hid treasures. It is not satisfied unless it constantly feels under its feet the rock of substantial truth. To the sincere man it will ever be a matter of the greatest importance as to what he believes, for his faith is the ruling, guiding principle of his life.
Let us eliminate the negative element in the old proposition, and leave it thus, "It does make a difference what a man believes if he is only sincere," and we have a patent fact. In this form we are prepared to grant for sincerity all that it is intended to claim for it in the other form. A humble, sincere, earnest purpose to seek God, to know his will and to do it, is that element in human character of which God especially approves. We are told that the eyes of the Lord go to and fro in the whole earth to show himself strong in behalf of such. No matter where such an one be found, in the jungle or desert, upon the mountain or in the valley, in an ice hut or under a fig tree, God sees him and loves him. He may not know God by the name we do, but he sees him in his works and knows him by that sacred name of love and fatherhood which no word can express. There have been such souls, and there are doubtless many of them now. That company of the saved which no man could number are gathered out "of all nations and kindreds and peoples and tongues," by the omniscient God, who loves all his children impartially, and is as faithful to recognize a holy desire or a heavenly aspiration in the heart of a poor heathen as in one of us. He hears the raven's cry; how much more the cries of those who lift to heaven, from the depths of woe, of ignorance and darkness, the hand of supplication for help.
Sincerity is just about the only trait of humanity that God can use. He loves the genuine article; but he generally tests it before accepting. Faith and love are its exponents, and these do not depend upon certain specific methods or tenets for their expression. Doctrines and forms of devotion come to us through education, while faith and love spring from sincerity of heart. Sincerity covets education, and thus faith and love come at last to manifest themselves in the ways which wisdom has prescribed, and in those ordinances and services which inspiration has revealed.
THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD AS FORETOLD IN PROPHECY.
By H. J. Farman
BY ELDER H. J. FARMAN.
THAT the words of prophecy are of divine origin, and not human, may be clearly seen by comparing some of their utterances with historic records, which show their fulfillment even to the very letter; and yet the historical writers had no such thought as that of chronicling history which had been given hundreds of years in advance by prophets. A notable instance of this kind is given in the second chapter of Daniel, where the prophet gives the history of the world in a vivid and concise manner, for more than twenty-five hundred years in advance. About 604 years B.C. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, dreamed dreams “wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.” He, being a heathen king, at once called for the wise men of his kingdom to make known to him the dream and the interpretation thereof, but none were able to make the thing known to him; therefore, a decree went forth to slay all the wise men of Babylon, and Daniel and his fellows were sought for to be slain. See Dan. 2:2–13.406
Daniel then obtained time of the king, and called his three friends together, and they sought God for a knowledge of the secret. “Then was the secret revealed to Daniel in a night vision.” And he was brought before the king, and said, “There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.” And now Daniel begins to tell him what God had shown him: “Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.” Verses 31–34.
Before us is the dream, and Daniel now proceeds to tell the interpretation thereof: “Thou, O king, art a king of kings; for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.” Verses 36–38. By this is plainly stated that the head of gold represented the Babylonian Kingdom, which then ruled over the civilized world, and had been given to Nebuchadnezzar about two years before. The duration of this kingdom was about seventy years, or till 538 B.C., and was followed by another kingdom inferior to it, the Medo-Persian Kingdom, which was fitly represented by the breast and arms of silver. They cared not for the wealth or grandeur of Babylon, but sought to gain other provinces, and continued till 331 B.C. These facts are substantiated by Rawlinson, “Seven Great Monarchies,” and “Rollins’ Ancient History.”
Medo-Persia was succeeded by another third kingdom, of brass. This was the Grecian Kingdom, and that continued till B.C. 168, when the iron monarchy of Rome came onto the stage of action. Says Gibbon: “The empire of the Romans filled the world, and when the empire fell into the hands of a single person, the world became a safe and dreary prison for his enemies. . . . To resist was fatal, and it was impossible to fly. . . . And the images of gold, or silver, or brass, that might serve to represent the nations and their kings, were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome,” which ruled the world as a united empire till about A.D. 350. Then internal wars began and resulted in a division of the kingdom into ten kingdoms, which were fitly represented by the mixture of iron and clay in the image. This divided state has continued till the present. This division is represented in the seventh chapter of Daniel by the ten horns; and they are still known as the ten kingdoms of Western Rome.
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” This is the next great event in the prophetic drama, and is very near at hand, as is plainly seen from the events that are taking place just now. Reader, are you ready for this grand event, the coming of the Lord Jesus in the clouds of heaven with great power and glory, to gather his people to himself and take vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ?
His coming and the destruction of all earthly kingdoms preparatory to the setting up of the everlasting kingdom of God, is set forth in the following words: “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” And “it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” “The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.”
HE WILL COME AGAIN.
By Matthew Larson
BY ELDER MATTHEW LARSON.
"Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:1-3.
These were the words of Christ, addressed as a message of comfort and consolation to his sorrowing disciples, just shortly before his crucifixion. He had been telling them that soon he must be taken from them, and their hearts had been filled with sadness by the announcement; therefore Christ sought thus to encourage them. Not only was this promise intended to comfort the disciples, but it was designed to cheer and comfort the people of God to the end of time.
The fact of there being so much said upon this theme in the Holy Scriptures sufficiently attests the importance attached to it. It is a theme at once both interesting, practical, and important. Around this event cluster all the hopes and joyful expectations of the child of God. It is the event of all events, the event for which all other events have been made, and in which they all culminate. It is the "blessed hope" of the church. Says the apostle in speaking of the grace of God:—
"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus 2:12, 13.
To the saint it is appealed to as an incentive to patience (James 5:7, 8; Heb. 10:35-37), watchfulness, prayer, and sobriety (1 Peter 4:7), and to the sinner as an incentive to repentance and conversion (Acts 3:19-21).
"I will come again," is the express promise of the Saviour. But there seems to be some difference of opinion as to just how, or in what manner, he will come. We will, therefore, now enter upon a consideration of this phase of the question.
THE MANNER OF HIS COMING.
That Christ will come again must be admitted by all who accept the Bible. It cannot be denied. But there seems to be a sort of a vague or undefined idea in the minds of many as to just how he will come, or what will constitute that coming. It is sometimes urged that death is Christ's second coming. But to this we must object. Death is an enemy, but Christ's second coming is set forth in the Scriptures of truth as the "blessed hope" of the church, the grand and glorious consummation of all things, the ushering in of the glad and eternal day when the saints are to receive their final reward and enter their glorious eternal home, the end of sorrow, sin, and of pains. Rev. 21:1-7; 22:12. But the saints do not receive or enter upon their reward at death. Upon this point inspiration is both plain and positive. The reward is not obtained until at the resurrection—the resurrection of the just:—407
"But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:13, 14.
But when does the resurrection take place? Not at death; for in the resurrection they are to be called forth from the grave:—
"Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in their graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28, 29.
"The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then [at that time—at "the coming of the Lord"] we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them [the dead, who have just been resurrected] in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so [in that way or manner] shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:16, 17; 1 Cor. 15:52.
We are to be caught up "together." But who does not see that if the dead go right to heaven at death, then this could not be so. "Wherefore," adds the apostle, "comfort one another with these words." 1 Thess. 4:18.
That the resurrection takes place at the second coming of Christ is also evident from the following:—
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end." 1 Cor. 15:22-24.
DEATH IS AN ENEMY.
We are aware that the poet has sought to personify death as being a welcome friend; and we have been taught to sing thus:—
"Come, welcome death, I'll gladly go with thee."
But no one who has a just appreciation and proper conception of what death really is, could ever sing such a hymn. It would seem more befitting one whose mind had been driven to distraction, and who, despairing of life, would seek relief in suicide, rather than one whose mind had been enlightened and vivified by the glad contemplation of a Saviour's love. Death came by Satan. Heb. 2:14. It was the fruit of his works. It is the wages of sin. Rom 6:23. It is an enemy, not a friend. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." 1 Cor. 15:26. And since death, the wages of sin, is an enemy,—the work of Satan,—how can we for a moment conceive the propriety of hymning to it a welcome?
But we object still further to the idea of death being Christ's coming, from the fact that he is to come but "the second time" (Heb. 9:28); and there can be but one "second" coming; whereas, if death constitutes his coming again, there would of necessity be just as many comings as there are deaths in the world. Moreover, neither Christ nor his disciples so understood, nor taught in regard to death, that it would be his coming again. When Peter asked of the Saviour what John should do, he answered him, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" Then went the saying abroad among the disciples that that disciple "should not die." If they had understood his coming to be death, then the saying ought to have gone abroad that he should die. And we might read the text thus: "If I will that he tarry till he die, what is that to thee?" "Yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" John 21:21-23.
"But," says another, "I believe his coming to be a spiritual coming, and that it is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, at one's conversion." To this, however, we must likewise object. For, as has already been stated, there can be but one second coming, whereas, if it takes place whenever a person is converted, there would of necessity be just as many second comings as there are conversions, which would be an impossibility, an absurdity. Besides, the Scriptures say that "every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him" (Rev. 1:7), which could not be true of conversion. However, Christ has set this question of his Holy Spirit forever at rest. He says, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever." John 14:16. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit, then, is not Christ's second coming, but "another" Comforter. Christ's coming is to be
A PERSONAL, VISIBLE COMING.
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:9-11.
They saw him ascend, a real, personal, visible Saviour, until a cloud received him out of their sight, and then came the positive declaration by the angels that he shall return, the "same" Jesus, in "like manner" as they had seen him ascend. Hence, it will be a real personal coming. "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him." Rev. 1:7. His coming will be with clouds of angels, in all the glory and grandeur of heaven. Matt. 25:31.
"Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. . . . Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert [if the Mormons say his coming is to take place at Salt Lake, in the desert of Utah, or the Latter-day Saints that it will be at Independence, Mo.]; go not forth [although a great many have gone]; behold, he is in the secret chambers [the secret chambers of death; or in the manifestations of Spiritualism]; believe it not. [And why?] For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. . . . And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matt 24:23-31.
When he comes at his second advent, he does not come to the earth, but, suspended above us, we are to be caught up to meet him "in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:17. The glad day of deliverance draws on apace. The day of happy reunion to all who love the Lord, and who have here been long separated by the cold, chilling, withering blasts of death. There they shall no more be called upon to hear from the lips of mortals the distressing words, "I am sick" (Isa. 33:24), or the parting mournful farewell, "I will see you no more." But there they will meet to part no more. Their sufferings will all be over, their infirmities will be healed, their sorrows, heartaches, and desolations be removed, and their bitter tears be wiped away. Rev. 21:1-5. There, in that happy home, in that blessed day, shall be no more funeral trains to mar our peace or mar our joys. But "the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Isa. 35:10. There those loved ones that were ruthlessly torn from our presence by the grim fiend, the cruel hand of death, and laid away to rest beneath the cold, silent clods of the valley, will be restored in that day, and "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Rev. 22:20.
JESUS, our Master, we're waiting thy coming
And hoping to hail thee our King,
Waiting and watching, yes, watching and waiting,
For joyful the tidings ye bring.
Joyful the tidings our Saviour will bring us,
And all who are waiting him then;
The promise is sure, and he will receive us
Who wait for his coming again.
Chorus—He is coming again, he is coming in glory,
Oh! wait for his coming again.
His promise is sure to all such as endure;
The trials he sendeth before;
And life in his kingdom shall thus be secure
To those who the Saviour adore.
Let us adore him, our Saviour and Brother,
And keep his law faithfully; then
Love will unite us and keep us together
Who wait for his coming again.
Chorus—He is coming again, he is coming in glory,
Oh! wait for his coming again.
When Jesus returns, "in like manner," again,
Bright clouds shall reveal him to view.
He'll come as a king, and his mission to men
Will close e'er he cometh anew.
His mission will close, and the righteous will then
Be summoned on him to attend,
And heaven will ring with a new song again
As joyous the ransomed ascend.
Chorus—He is coming again, he is coming in glory,
Oh! wait for his coming again.
Nuevo, California.
THE ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
By Percy T. Magan
Is It Protestant?
[This article is No. 20 in the series entitled "A Review of Sunday Legislation in Century Nineteen," but it will be of equal interest to those who have not read preceding numbers. ED. S. of T.]
I HAVE reviewed at length the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, as handed down by Justice Brewer, in the case of Trinity Church Corporation vs. the United States. I have done this in order to dissipate the idea advanced in that decision, that "this is a Christian nation." Because, as I have shown, such a statement is not only wholly ungrounded, but pregnant with dangerous menaces to the free institutions of our republic. In all of this extended review, however, I have confined myself to only one of the learned judge's "historical citations" intended by him to establish his deduction that "this is a Christian nation." I refer to the citation of the commission to Columbus to discover America, granted by Ferdinand and Isabella, THE CATHOLICS. The digressions from the main subject of this paper, in this connection, have been somewhat numerous. All of these have been necessary in order to treat upon the subject ingenuously and fairly, for a general disquisition on such an immense theme could hardly help being either vague or false. Where so much is involved, in order to be truthful, one must be specific, and capable of viewing the subject from all sides in order to see it aright in its entirety.
The subject of this number of the serial is to discuss the court's citation intended to prove that "this is a Christian nation" by virtue of the first colonial grant made by Elizabeth, the famous Protestant queen of England, to Sir Walter Raleigh. Here is the citation as given by Judge Brewer:—
The first colonial grant made to Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584 was from Elizabeth, by the grace of God; of England, France, and Ireland, queen, Defender of the Faith, etc.; and the grant authorized him to enact statutes for the government of the proposed colony, Provided, That they be not against the true Christian faith now professed in the Church of England. . . . Language of a similar import may be found in the subsequent charters, . . . and the same is true of the various charters granted to other colonies. In language more or less emphatic, is the establishment of the Christian religion declared to be one of the purposes of the grant.408
This citation involves the Church of England, and the "Christian faith now [then 1584] professed in the Church of England." Hence, the questions are pertinent, Whence came the Church of England? Is the Church of England a Protestant organization? Has the Church of England proved itself a persecuting power? If the United States is a Christian nation by virtue of the Church of England, is not the United States doomed to a future of church domination, ecclesiastical tyranny, as truly as she is under the citation making this a Catholic Christian nation?
ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.
The Church of England came about on this wise: Henry VIII., of the House of Tudor, and of matrimonial fame, ascended the throne of England in April, 1509, and reigned till January, 1547. He was noted for his magnificence, was brave and accomplished, very ambitious and desirous of glory. In his later years his cruelty knew no bounds. It is stated on the most credible authority that "seventy-two thousand persons suffered death by the hands of the executioner during the reign of Henry the Eighth."
There is one thing, however, that clouded his happiness. The sovereigns of France and Spain had been honored with pious titles by the supreme pontiff. The youthful Francis I. of France was "most Christian," whilst Charles V. of Spain was "Catholic." But the lord of the British Isles had no such sacred appellation. He determined that this state of things should not long exist.
Luther had written a book on the "Babylonish Captivity" of the church. Henry saw an avenue to the coveted title in this event. He decided to enter the polemical arena against the monk of Saxony. "I will combat with the pen this Cerberus, sprung from the depths of hell," said he, "and if he refuses to retract, the fire shall consume the heretic and his heretics together."
Accordingly he wrote a treatise in defense of the church on the "Seven Sacraments." This he sent to Rome. It met the mind of Pope Leo X.; Henry was dubbed "DEFENDER OF THE FAITH," and the title is held to this day by the sovereigns of the realm of England.
Pope Leo died in 1522; he was followed by Adrian VI., who in turn was succeeded by Clement VII. in 1523, and here the interesting part of the narrative commences.
Henry was wedded to Catherine of Aragon. This lady was aunt to Charles V., king of Spain and emperor of Germany. Henry desired a divorce. He wished to become united to Anne Boleyn. Henry appealed to Clement. This placed the spiritual head of Christendom in an uncomfortable dilemma. He had no conscientious scruples against granting a divorce. In fact, we are inclined to think that the claims of conscience pressed all too lightly upon the soul of this Medici.
Clement dreaded the enraged nephew of the ill-used queen. And Clement had need to be afraid of Charles about this time, for the troops of the latter had entered Rome, despoiled the papal palaces and churches, and Clement was a prisoner at the mercy of the emperor. It was at this time, when the pope was a prisoner, under guard, that the people of Rome were wont to exclaim, "The pope cannot err." It was therefore on account of his dread of Charles that Clement refused to grant the divorce.
There was just one course open for Henry to pursue. He took it. He declared the kingdom of England free from papal jurisdiction; announced "that he was head of the [Catholic] Church" in his own dominions, and with the aid of Bishop Cranmer proceeded to untie the matrimonial knot, I might almost say to cut the Gordian knot, for it had become well nigh Gordian in the mind of Henry.
Thus opened the career of the Church of England, the first daughter of "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots." And truly this child was born in the lap of adultery. Well has Lord Macaulay written:—
Sprung from brutal passion, nurtured by selfish policy, the Reformation in England displayed little of what had in other countries distinguished it, unflinching and unsparing devotion, boldness of speech, and singleness of eye.
All of this is preëminently true of the Church of England. There was a real spiritual reformation going on in England at this time; but the Church of England, founded by Henry VIII., was not a part of it. On the contrary, the Church of England tormented and persecuted it.
On the continent of Europe, in Germany, in Switzerland, and in France, the struggle against the papal power was uncontrovertibly a religious contest. Luther, Zwingle, and the gentle Philip Melanchon were men of God. The Elector of Saxony was a virtuous prince, and we do not think we would be putting the case too strongly if we say that he was also an earnest Christian. But England has no such names to show.
Not that she [England] wanted men of sincere piety, of deep learning, of steady and adventurous courage. But these were thrown into the background. [They were persecuted by the Church of England.] Elsewhere men of this character were the principals. Here they acted a secondary part. Elsewhere worldliness was the tool of zeal. Here zeal was the tool of worldliness. A king whose character may be best described by saying that he was despotism itself personified, unprincipled ministers, a rapacious aristocracy, a servile Parliament, such were the instruments by which England was delivered from the yoke of Rome. The work which had been begun by Henry, the murderer of his wives, was continued by Somerset, the murderer of his brother, and completed by Elizabeth, the murderer of her guest. . . . Of those who have had any important share in bringing the Reformation about, Ridley was perhaps the only person who did not consider it as a mere political job. Even Ridley did not play a very prominent part. Among the statesmen and prelates who principally gave the tone to the religious change, there is one, and one only, whose conduct partiality itself can attribute to any other than interested motives. . . . We need not say that we speak of Cranmer.
This paragraph speaks for itself. And now we are brought face to face with the question, Was the Church of England, at the time of its rise, Christian and Protestant, or devil and papal?
(To be continued.)
APOSTASY IN APOSTOLIC TIMES.
By J. E. Kimball
BY ELDER J. E. KIMBALL.
THE pen of inspiration has traced for "our learning" the grievous revolting and rebellion of the Jewish Church from its very inception to the time when she crucified her Lord. Her departure from "the law and the testimony," and her acceptance of the statutes and judgments of the heathen, which "were not good," and by which "she should not live," constitutes the burden of the prophets.
Out of the Jewish Church sprang the Christian. The sacred altar fire which was never to go out, now flamed up anew in thousands of hearts. Wonderful the light and glory which was then revealed. The wisdom, purity, and power of Jehovah was with his people. The church was the "fullness of Him that filleth all in all." They served the same Christ as the church had of yore, and then was her offering pleasant unto the Lord as in the days of old. Mal. 3:4. But then that former church had apostatized; why not the latter? And the revoltings of the former were written for our instruction. So would God have us understand the failures of the gospel church, that, by escaping the errors of the past, we may fully accomplish the purposes of God.
Some have concluded that, because the Spirit was to abide with the church forever, and the gates of hell should not prevail against her, therefore the church could not be characterized by backsliding as of old. But every condition remains the same. A river may be swollen by the snow and rain, then in times of drought be reduced to comparative insignificance, to again become copious by the latter rains. So the church of Christ may vary in conditions; countless throngs may press the gates who are strangers to spiritual things. Works, the test of all discipleship, by which alone God judgeth (1 Peter 1:17), may show the many to be enemies of God, and Christ and Belial seem thus to be conjoined. At such times the precious are called forth and separated from the vile, by the trumpet tones of the true watchman, that God may again be glorified in his people.
Christ spoke of times to come when "the love of many should wax cold." And his Spirit forewarned of pastors and overseers who should prove to be "grievous wolves, not sparing the flock." Acts 20:29, 30. They should speak "perverse things," and thus turn away the church "unto fables," bringing them where they would "not endure sound doctrine." 2 Tim. 4:2-4. This change seems to apply to the entire mass of professors. Dreadful corruption was sometime to be witnessed. The Holy Spirit mentions this as a "falling away" from the faith, which scripture, as found in 2 Thess. 2:3, may be rendered, "except that apostasy come first."
Thus, before the second advent, this declension must be seen, and the evil omens of its coming were so apparent in the apostles' days that it could be clearly discerned. "Many walk," said Paul, "of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ;" and Jude spake of "certain men crept in unawares, . . . ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness." In works they were denying the faith. They were "abominable," "disobedient," "reprobate." Titus 1:16.
James denounced Christians for warring and fighting with each other in consequence of their lusts. He characterized them as "adulteresses," and called upon such to be afflicted, and mourn and weep, to let their laughter be turned to mourning, and their joy to heaviness. At Corinth they reigned as kings in Jubal times, while the apostles were despised as the offscouring of all things. God designed no such disparity as this in his church. Evidently many hearts were becoming united to the world, and separating from Christ. Envious, covetous, lustful, well did the apostle say, "All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's." Phil. 2:21. This was a sad departure from what the church had been a few years previous, when they sold houses and lands, and even gave life itself for the cause of Christ.
Schisms, divisions, heresies, began to be apparent everywhere. These are fruits of the flesh. Gal. 5:20. We have only to read carefully the epistles to the Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, to Timothy, and to Titus to satisfy ourselves with reference to the unstable condition of the church in later apostolic times. Mouths had to be stopped, lying lips silenced. Everywhere "false apostles, deceitful workers, transformed themselves into the apostles of Christ." Satan wrought as "an angel of light." In the book of Hebrews the apostle addressed the church which witnessed the grand visitations of Pentecost. From the very first he strongly intimated their departure from God, and in the fifth chapter he stops short in his exposition of the priesthood, to tell them they are "dull of hearing," and adds, "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God." They were in "need of milk," as babes, and could not endure strong meat.
We are, therefore, justified in saying that the Scriptures show plainly enough a leavening of worldliness which was already working in apostolic times, corrupting the church. "False apostles," deceitful workers, false doctrines, and many false-hearted professors, mammon enthroned where Christ should be, vain show for his humility, the sacred trust betrayed by many,—what else could Christ say to the church at the close of the first century: "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love?" Rev. 2:4. What but evil and apostasy could be prophesied for the future?
This "falling away" resulted, as we shall soon see, in making the church a vile sink of debauchery. As the Eternal One, looking forward, spake of all this, it will be well for us to note its fulfillment, that we be not found following the same track of backsliding, and be wrecked upon the rocks, where the many have fallen.