REV. THOS. F. DAY, a missionary in Utah, writes as follows to the New York Evangelist—
“Their moral conceptions travel dirt roads. Self-seeking is the only motive possible to them, and this too is the “be all and end all” of their religion. To please and be pleased with themselves, to laud their own virtues, to expect the highest glory in the next world for the great things they do in this—these are prominent traits of Mormon character. they are appalling evidences of carnal security. The people are in a deep sleep, and it is not easy to wake them, for there is no opiate like self-righteousness, and Mormonism administers it in powerful doses. No wonder that the people do not like that doctrine of the divine word which shreds man’s righteousness, and exalts the righteousness of Christ. Said a Mormon recently, “I’ll be satisfied if I receive in the next world just what I have earned in this.”
COMFORT.
By Mary J. Bahler
"For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." Isa. 50:7.
PLEASE read it again, dear fellow-soldier. There is a world of help in that little text from God's holy word. In fact, there are so many of these assurances from the Lord that he will help us, that it would take a long time to give one-half of them.
But let us read this one again. It is positive and decided; there is no guess-work about it. "For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." Now, in the face of such a scripture as this, why is it that we will worry about the things which seem to us to go wrong?
If "the Lord our God will help" us, what need is there for us to worry? All the powers in earth and hell combined are nothing before him. Did not the waters of the Red Sea go back at his command? Was not a whole army led captive by one man when he made God his trust? Were not the mouths of the lions closed when one who trusted in Israel's God was thrown, a tempting morsel, to their hungry jaws? Although the furnace was heated to seven times its wonted heat, were not its flames shorn of their power when God's faithful three fell bound among them? Could the poisonous fangs of a deadly serpent harm Paul, God's chosen ambassador?
"Yes," you say, "all these things are good, but my troubles are different. My brethren misunderstand me; misconstrue my motives; and lack that warmth of union my heart longs for. These things paralyze my efforts." Ah, yes; but are not these very troubles part of the all things "which work together for good to them that love the Lord"? "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in the light, and hath no darkness"—stop, that is not the way it reads. It does not say, "walketh in light and hath no darkness," but it does say, "walketh in darkness and hath no light." What! one that fears God, one that obeys the voice of his servant, walk in darkness, and have no light? Yes, that is what it says. Now do not think that walking in darkness is an evidence that you are not God's child. Listen to the remainder of the text: "Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." Isa. 50:10.
Did you catch that thought? Are you walking in darkness, and have you no light? Then just now, at this time, "trust in the name of the Lord." That name is the strength of his people. It is the strong tower into which we may run, and be safe. Let him who is walking in darkness fasten right to God. Let him bind himself by strong stays to the Mighty One, even by the promise of his word; then what matter if it is dark?
"I'd rather walk in the dark with God,
Than walk alone in the light."
And why? Because the very moment I let go of everything else, stop trying to fix things which seem to me to be wrong, and just allow Jesus to take care of it all, that very moment the darkness is gone, and light floods all my path. It is only necessary to be willing to trust all to God, stop trying to defend self, and then the darkness is gone in a moment.
My brother, my sister, I tell you these things are no vain imaginings. "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." But now listen further: "Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks; walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow."
Shall this be our portion? Shall we walk in the light of a fire of our own kindling? or shall we walk in God's light? His light will surely, speedily dissipate the darkness, if we stay ourselves upon him by a living faith.
One thing more I must say: If we wish to bind ourselves to God, we must learn with Paul to forget the things that are behind. That don't mean thinking them over and over. Mark it, ye disconsolate ones; he says: "Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:13, 14.
Oh, let us set our faces like a flint, so as not to be turned aside from our purpose to so fasten to God that nothing shall be able to separate us from his precious love which we have found in Christ Jesus our Lord.
MARY J. BAHLER.
The Dignity of Self-Mastery
The noblest thing on earth is the man who rises to the dignity of self-mastery.
THE DAY OF THE LORD—ITS BEGINNING.
By M. C. W.
IN our last, we learned from explicit Bible testimony the character of the day of the Lord. In the present article we propose to consider the question, When does it begin?
What we have learned concerning its character will help us very much to determine its beginning. It is a day "cruel both with wrath and fierce anger" (Isa. 13); a day when "the loftiness of man shall be bowed down," and "the Lord alone shall be exalted" (Isa. 2); a day of "wrath," "trouble," "distress," "wasteness and desolation," "darkness and gloominess" (Zeph. 1:15); "the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:7. All this is spoken of the day of the Lord and its connection with this earth; for it is to the earth that the wrath, the gloominess, the darkness, comes. The judgment is the judgment of the world which is to be punished for its iniquity. When does this terrible period begin? We will not discuss the opinions which declare that it has already begun, or that it will begin at the second coming of Christ. Where in the divine plan does it begin as shown in the word of God? The true theory will prove the falsity of all others.
2. In that day of the Lord there will be no mercy offered to mankind. It is the great day of God’s wrath. Men will be blinded by distress because they have sinned, "their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung," and no ransom which they can make, no defense which they can prepare, will be able to save them. Zeph. 1:14-18. The only defense against that day—a refuge in the God of Heaven—is not theirs. Men will no longer flee to the Rock of Ages for defense; they realize that the time is past; and in despair the mightiest men cry to the rocks and mountains to hide them from "the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand." Rev. 6:15-17.
3. A warning message is given to the inhabitants of earth, when that day is near at hand, that they may turn from their sins, seek God, and live. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7. This has ever been God’s plan. He warned the antediluvian world, the Sodomites, the Jewish nation. He will warn the world through his prophets of that most terrible visitation of wrath—the day of God. Dan. 12:1.
One scripture which contains this warning is Joel 2:1, which reads: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land [earth] tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Injunctions to seek God are given. People are told to rend their hearts, and not their garments; the ministers of the Lord are told to pray and weep for their flocks. Certainly, no such language as this would be used if there was mercy and help to be found in that great day.
4. That message will be based on signs. In Joel 2:30, 31 the signs which will precede that day are mentioned; namely signs in the heavens, and especially the darkening of the sun and moon. The day of the Lord does not begin with these signs, for mercy is offered after these signs occur. The next verse says: "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered." These signs are an evidence of the mercy of the Lord. They are given to verify God’s holy word and as a warning to men to flee from the wrath to come.
This darkening of the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars mentioned in the same connection in other passages, are in the past. The former occurred May 19, 1780, and the latter November 13, 1833. The darkening of the former was not the result of an eclipse; its "true cause," as remarked in Webster’s unabridged dictionary, is unknown. The meteoric shower of November 13, 1833, was the most remarkable ever known, and met in every respect the specifications of the prophecy. They fell as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, coming from a common center, and flying as if shaken off by a tree (see Rev. 6:13); and it would seem to an observer that the very stars had left their orbit and withdrawn their shining. Joel 3:15.
5. The next event in order is the shaking of the powers of the heavens. Matt. 24:29. That which causes this shaking is the voice of Jehovah. Joel 3:16; Heb. 12:26. But this shaking does not precede the beginning of the day; it occurs in that day. See Isa. 2:17-19. Then as the darkening of the sun and moon and falling of the stars are in the past when the day of God’s wrath begins, and as the shaking of the heavens and earth occurs in that day, we are forced to the conclusion that its beginning lies between the falling of the stars and the shaking of the powers of heaven. But as the falling of the stars is in the past, the next event in order, as marked by these prophecies, is the great day of God’s wrath.
6. Judicial wrath or punishment implies investigation of the lives of those upon whom this wrath falls. It is for this reason that, in the warning message given the people of earth, the Lord reveals that his judgment is come. This message is found in Rev. 14:6-11. The first part includes all practical truth to which men are enjoined to turn; "for the hour of His [God’s] judgment is come." That this is not the executive judgment is evident from the following messages, which show that mercy is still offered after the first angel proclaims the judgment come.
This judgment is future in Paul’s day. Acts 17:31; 24:25. It "is come" when the threefold message of Rev. 14 is due the world, just before God’s wrath unmixed with mercy is poured out, before Christ comes. Verses 10, 14. This judgment is to ascertain who among the inhabitants of earth—dead or alive—are worthy of a resurrection to eternal life, or translation, at the coming of Christ. Those who are "accounted worthy" among the dead will then be raised (Luke 20:35), while those who are accounted worthy among the living will be changed in a moment at the sound of the last trump. 1 Cor. 15:51, 52. The fact that the dead are raised incorruptible is proof that their cases have been decided before. This judgment goes on in the courts of Heaven while the last message, based on the prophetic word of God, is being heralded to the world to prepare men for the decisions of that dread tribunal.
After judicial investigation, comes the sentence of the judge. And so it is in the heavenly court. The close of the investigative judgment marks the close of probation, just before Christ comes. It is thus noted: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly, [to execute judgment]; and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22:11, 12. This decree therefore closes probation. We will refer to it again.
7. The threefold message of Rev. 14, as before noticed, warns us against the unmixed wrath of God; that is, wrath unmixed with mercy. The cup now in the hand of the Lord is mixed with mercy, full of that mixture,—mercy is abundant; but the wrath of Rev. 14:11, will be the dregs of the cup in Ps. 75:8. Probation will then be closed; the decree will have gone forth. The wrath of Rev. 14:11 is manifested in the seven last plagues; "for in them is filled up the wrath of God." Rev. 15:1. This pouring out of the plagues must therefore usher in the great day of God’s wrath, a day in which there is no light and mercy, but all is darkness and distress. Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:15.
The following facts of Scripture confirm the above conclusion. We have seen that the day of the Lord begins after the falling of the stars, and before the shaking of the heavens and the earth; but this shaking occurs under the seventh plague. This plague is therefore in the day of the Lord. Under the sixth and seventh plagues is the great battle of Armageddon fought. Rev. 16:14-16. But this battle also comes in the day of the Lord. (Eze. 13:5); therefore the sixth plague is in the day of the Lord; and what is true of one of these plagues in this respect, is doubtless true of all.
8. One more evidence that the great day of God’s wrath begins at the close of probation. In Zeph. 1:14-18 is the terrible announcement of the nearness of the day of the Lord, and a description of its character. The following verses (chapter 2:1-3) is an appeal to the people of God to be ready for that time:—
"Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger."
Notice the expressions as regards the time indicated in the preposition "before." "Before the decree bring forth;" that is, the decree which marks the close of probation. Rev. 22:11, 12. If this be not so, then there is no force in the appeal; for they could seek God after the going forth of the decree. The decree shuts out all opportunity of seeking God.
"Before the day pass as the chaff;" that is, the "day of salvation." "Now is the accepted time;" "now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor. 6:2. Then will be the day of wrath. He who regarded neither would treat God’s time of mercy as chaff till it was too late. Boothroyd translates: "Before the decree be executed, and ye are as the chaff that passeth." Those who regard not the warning would be found among the unjust who would remain unjust, and in the day of wrath, be like the chaff—burned with unquenchable fire.
"Before the day of the Lord’s [fierce] anger come upon you." God’s fierce anger is unmixed wrath. When the day of probation and salvation closes, the day of executive judgment and perdition of ungodly men, the day of God’s wrath, the great day of the Lord, begins. We do not know how this could be plainer.
We have learned, then, thus far in our investigations, from the clear testimony of Scripture, (1) that the day of the Lord is a day of executive judgment, when God’s just wrath will be poured out upon a wicked world; (2) that that day begins439when the day of probation closes, when the plagues begin to be poured out, when the decree goes forth fixing irrevocably the destinies of all men, before Christ comes.
It will not be heralded by shout and trumpet; it will come as a thief in the night. 2 Peter 3:10. The careless wicked world will laugh and curse on till overtaken by the plagues of wrath. The righteous, with loins girded and lights burning, will be sealed for eternity.
Fellow-sinner, cold-hearted Christian, God has given these messages for you. You may hide from his wrath beneath the shelter of his wings. Ps. 91. Heed the "sure word of prophecy." "Turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?" NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME. M. C. W.
MORALITY AND RELIGION.
By Charles F. B.
To BE moral according to the standard of the world at large, is a very different thing from being moral according to the Bible standard. People say of an individual, "He is a good, moral man," when they only mean that he does not commit outbreaking sins. According to their standard, so long as one does nothing that would shut him out of refined society he is "moral;" but the Bible recognizes no such morality. To be truly moral is to be conformed "to the divine law."
Morality and religion (by which we mean true religion) are generally regarded as two separate and distinct things; but they are not; for without religion there can be no true morality. According to some lexicographers, morality describes the duties of man to man, while "religion is the recognition of God as an object of worship," etc., but the apostle James says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Thus he combines "social" and "religious" duties and says that together they constitute true religion. But it may be said that this shows that the social may be performed apart from and without reference to the other; but not so. Webster defines morality as "conformity . . . to the divine law respecting social duties;" but as "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom 8:7), there can be no real conformity to any part of the divine law without that change of heart, that renewing of the mind, known as conversion.
And this of course, involves a hearty acceptance of Christ, "who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." 1 Cor. 1:30. And not only is Christ’s righteousness (true morality) imputed to the believer, but through grace the renewed soul is enabled to live in harmony with the law, a thing which before he could not do. And so the apostle says, "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom. 8:3, 4.
But while it is shown that religion, and religion only, is true morality, and that true morality is religion, it must not be understood that that which is generally known as "morality" is religion; for it is not. That is just where the trouble lies: people recognize something which they call morality, and then they put it in the place of religion, and so feel well satisfied with themselves and with the world generally because religion is making so much progress! But in reality a very great deal of the so-called Christian teaching of the present day does little more for those who receive it than would the doctrine of Confucius; for it teaches license to sin instead of freedom from sin; and unlike the doctrine of the apostles (Gal. 2:17), makes Christ the minister of sin, by teaching that they who are in him are free from obligation to keep the law of God.
Such a view of Christianity degrades it into a mere system of favoritism, with no higher object than to confer benefits upon its votaries. Of course Christianity does offer rewards, but its first and great object is to bring a race of rebels into harmony with the just laws of Heaven; for while God is no respecter of persons, he is a respecter of character. Acts 10:34, 35. And as already shown (Rom. 8:3, 4), Christ died, not alone that men might be forgiven for past sins, but that they through the Spirit might yield obedience to the law of God.
Man unaided cannot attain to perfect morality, which is nothing more nor less than perfect obedience to the law of God as a whole; and thus the Saviour says, "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing." And neither will perfect obedience, both present and future, even if it were possible, atone for past transgressions; and so the plan of redemption not only offers pardon, but it provides the necessary help to enable him who will to form a righteous character. In this connection one thing should be borne in mind, and that is that whether we look at the pardon, or at the grace whereby we may overcome temptation, the praise alike belongs to Him who died for us; for we are equally indebted to him for both. It is through his blood that we have forgiveness, and it is through him, and him alone, that we can do any good thing.
A failure to grasp this truth causes very many to make a fatal mistake, some in one direction and some in another; that is, some cry, "only believe," and refuse to do the things which are commanded; while others, losing sight of faith, imagine that in some way or other their works will contribute somewhat to their salvation, quite forgetting the words of the apostle: "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast." The law of God demands absolute perfection; and no man ever has or ever can attain unto it except as it is imputed to him through faith in Christ. Eternal life is a gift; no man earns it by good works. And yet the Scriptures teach that while faith lays hold upon pardon for past sins, it should likewise grasp the strong arm of Him who says, "My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness," and of whom Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." God has joined together faith and works, and he who separates them does it at the peril of his soul; and speaking especially of the last days, and of the last people, the seer of Patmos said: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."
Nothing short of this is religion, nothing short of it is true morality; for morality is "conformity to the divine law," and as we have seen, without the faith of Jesus there can be no such conformity. To eliminate faith from the plan of salvation is to destroy the very life of the system, while to reject works as the perfecter of faith (James 2:22) is to introduce the poison of antinomianism into the very spring whence salvation flows, and so to set at naught the words of Him of whom it was said, "Never man spake like this man." C. F. B.
JOHNSTOWN FLOOD AND NATIONAL REFORMERS.
By C. P. B.
IN accordance with their usual custom, the National Reformers are endeavoring to make capital out of the Johnstown flood, and use it to frighten people into a support of the Sunday sabbath. In a recent communication to the Christian Cynosure, Rev. J. M. Foster said of this calamity:—
“God has a controversy with our nation, because of our rebellion against him. He is giving us a solemn warning that the day of mercy is near its close. The day of judgment is near at hand. ‘The nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.’ The iron rod of the divine judgment fell upon our national body. Johnstown suffers. ‘Think ye that those eighteen men upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them were sinners above all that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you nay; but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.’ Think you that the thousands who were carried down by the Johnstown flood were sinners above all the citizens of the United States? I tell you nay. But except this nation repent of its rebellion against the King of kings and bow to his scepter, we shall all in like manner perish.”
Of course, Mr. Foster thinks the failure to keep Sunday is the great sin of this nation. He thinks that the ten commandments are to be recognized as the fundamental law of the land, and to his mind, the fourth commandment, by some hocus pocus enjoins the observance of Sunday. We know that this country is wicked, especially the cities, but we are sure that the judgments of Heaven are not being poured out upon it for any failure to do anything which God never required anybody to do. If the National Reformers could put their finger upon a single text requiring the observance of Sunday, they would be fast enough to do it; but as it is, they simply assume that it should be kept, and that God is angry with this nation because it is not recognized in the laws of the land.
If this were indeed the reason of the Johnstown disaster, it seems strange that any part of Pennsylvania should have been visited. That State now has as strict a Sunday law as any State in the Union, and it would seem more reasonable that if God were going to punish any commonwealth for failure to keep Sunday, he would punish those who are paying the least regard to that day. We do not believe that this was a divine visitation in any such sense as is implied by Mr. Foster. We are not among those who believe that the world is governed entirely by blind, fixed laws, but neither do we believe in making God responsible for those calamities which are due to human neglect. God is under no obligation to work a miracle to preserve his creatures from the results of their own negligence, and he did not do it in the case of440Johnstown; but there is no more sense in supposing that the flood was a judgment sent because the people did not keep Sunday, than there is in thinking that it occurred because only a part of them worshiped the Virgin Mary.
Mr. Foster is entirely too anxious to invoke the wrath of God against those who differ with him in matters of religion, but this disposition only shows what he would do if he only had the power; he would invoke the power and wrath of man as well.
C. P. B.
IS IT NOT TYRANNY?
THE faithful Seventh-day Adventist devotes to God in the keeping of the Sabbath one-seventh part of his time, and he does this willingly. He pays for the support of the ministry (not grudgingly or of necessity, but of a willing mind) one-tenth of his income. He gives for foreign missionary work, for home missions, and for Sabbath-school, an amount equal to from one-third to one-half of what he pays as tithe. Consequently two-sevenths of his time is devoted to the Lord. His conscience and love of God demand more rather than less. He does it all willingly, and wishes he could do more. The rest of his time goes to the necessary support of his family. He is strictly honest in his deal, upright in life, chaste in conversation.
Yet such an individual as this, National Reform proposes to deprive of another seventh of his time, simply because the majority believe in Sunday. They are not hindered in keeping whatever day they please, but the minority must submit to an institution in which it has no faith. The majority cannot persuade; therefore they would compel. Is it not tyranny and persecution? Is it not robbery? And yet it is ever so with religion based on falsehood. The apostolic church did not persecute; neither will any other built on the same foundations, after the same true plan. Paul said, “We persuade men.” National Reformers say, “We would compel them.”
ORIGIN OF A CHURCH DOGMA.
THERE are many people who think that the doctrine that the righteous when they die enter immediately into the presence of God, is as old as the Bible itself, because they imagine that the Bible teaches it. Others, who know of a surety that the doctrine has no countenance in the Bible, suppose that it is as old as the beginning of the spread of the mystery of iniquity. But such forget that the working of the mystery of iniquity was simply the insidious creeping of pagan principles into the Christian church, and that paganism had no fixed system of rewards and punishments. No doubt the great majority of people will be surprised to learn that the dogma is of comparatively recent introduction into the professed Christian church, and that it was for many years bitterly fought, and was anathematized by Popes. Yet such was the case. The history of its incorporation into the professed Christian belief, and the reasons which led to it, are thus graphically given in the "History of the Inquisition in the Middle Ages," by Henry Charles Lea, Book 3, chap. 8:—
The annals of an intellectual center like the University of Paris are crowded with sentences pronounced against novel points of faith and their unlucky authors. Occasionally, however, some new dogma would arise, would be vehemently debated, would refuse to be suppressed, and would finally triumph after a more or less prolonged struggle, and would then take its place among the eternal verities which it was heresy to call in question. This curious process of dogmatic evolution in an infallible church is too instructive not to be illustrated with one or two examples.441
It might seem a question beyond the grasp of finite intelligence to determine whether the souls of the blessed are wafted to Heaven and at once enjoy the ineffable bliss of beholding the Divine Essence, or whether they have to await the resurrection and the day of Judgment. This was not a mere theoretical question, however, but had a very practical aspect, for in the existing anthropomorphism of belief, it might well be thought that the efficacy of the intercession of saints depended on their admission to the presence of God; and the guardians of every shrine boasting of a relic relied for their revenues on the popular confidence that its saint was able to make personal appeals for the fulfillment of his worshipers' prayers. The desired conclusion was only reached by gradual steps. The subject was one which had not escaped the attention of the early Fathers, and St. Augustin assumes that the full fruition of the vision of God can only be enjoyed by the soul after it has been clothed in the resurrected body. Among the errors condemned in 1243 by Guillaume d'Auvergne and the University of Paris were two, one of which held that the Divine Essence is not and will not be seen by either angels or glorified souls; the other, that while angels dwell in the empyrean heaven, human souls, even including the Virgin, will never advance beyond the aqueous heaven. The decision of the bishop and university was cautious as regards the divine vision, which was only asserted in the future, and not in the present tense, both as regards angels and human souls, but there was no hesitation in declaring that all occupied the same heaven. Thomas Aquinas argues the question with an elaborateness which shows both its importance and its inherent difficulty, but he ventures no further than to prove that the blessed will, after the resurrection, enjoy the sight of God, face to face. It must be borne in mind that the prevalent expectation in each successive generation that the coming of antichrist and the second advent were not far off, rendered of less importance the exact time at which the beatific vision would be bestowed, while the development of mystic theology tended to bring into ever more intimate relations the intercourse between the soul and its Creator. Bonaventura does not hesitate to treat as an accepted fact that the souls of the just will see God, and he asserts that some of them are already in Heaven, while others wait confidently in their graves for the appointed time. The final step seems to have been taken soon after this by the celebrated Dominican theologian, Master Dietrich of Friburg, who wrote a tract to prove that the blessed are immediately admitted to the beatific vision, a fact revealed to him by one of his penitents who, by order of God to solve his doubts, appeared to him ten days after death and assured him that she was in sight of the Trinity.
Yet the doctrine was not formally accepted by the church, and the mystical tendencies of the time rendered dangerous a too rapid progress in this direction. The illuminism of the Brethren of the Free Spirit was a contagious evil, and the Council of Vienna in 1312 refrained from an expression of opinion on the subject, except to condemn the error of the Beghards, that a man does not need the light of glory to elevate him to the sight of God—thus only by implication admitting that with the light of glory the soul is fitted to enjoy the beatific vision. When and how the dogma spread that the souls of the just are admitted at once to the presence of God does not appear, but it seems to have become generally accepted without any definite expression of approbation by the Holy See. In October, 1326, John XXII. treats as a heresy to be extirpated among the Greeks, the belief that the saints will not enter paradise until the day of Judgment; but not long afterwards he changed his mind, and his pride in his theological skill and learning would not let him rest until he had forced Christendom to change with him. He expressed his doubts as to the truth of the new dogma, and indicated an intention of openly condemning it. His temper rendered opposition perilous, and none of the cardinals and doctors of the Papal court dared to discuss it with him until, in 1331, an English Dominican, Thomas Walleys, in a sermon preached before him, boldly maintained the popular opinion and invoked the divine malediction on all who asserted the contrary. John's wrath burst forth. Walleys was seized and tried by the Inquisition, cast into jail, and almost starved to death, when Philippe de Valois intervened and procured his liberation. Having thus silenced his opponents, John proceeded to declare his opinions publicly. In the Advent of 1331 he preached several sermons in which he asserted that the saints in Heaven will not have distinct vision of the Divine Essence before the resurrection of the body and the day of Judgment, until which time they will only see the humanity of Christ.
"I know," he said, "that some persons murmur because we hold this opinion, but I cannot do otherwise."
It shows the peculiar condition of the human mind engendered by the persecution of heresy, that this was a political event of the gravest importance.