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Review and Herald, Vol. 32, No. 3.

Conversion

Review and Herald

Jul 6, 1868

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 6, 1868

Conversion.

By D. T. Bourdeau

BY ELD. D. T. BOURDEAU.
TEXT.—“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.” Matt. xviii, 1–4.
I HAVE read the first four verses of the eighteenth chapter of the gospel according to St. Matthew, but would call your attention particularly to the 3d verse, which brings to view the subject of conversion, upon which I intend to dwell this morning.
It may be thought strange by some that I should select this subject on this occasion, as most of those present will claim that they have been converted. But if you will bear in mind that conversion is a progressive work, I think you will justify the choice that I have made.
Now, this is proved, not only by our own experience, but also by that of the disciples, to whom the Saviour addresses the words of our text. Although they had undergone a sufficient change (for conversion signifies change) to be deemed worthy to have the important work of following Christ, preaching the gospel, and performing miracles, entrusted to them, yet these words of the Saviour were applicable to them: “Verily I say
unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.”
Conversion is a turning away from sin, a change from sin to holiness; and as it is effected through the truth, and the truth is brought to bear upon us gradually, as fast as we can bear it and conform to it in our practice—line upon line, and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little—it must be apparent to all that it cannot be an instantaneous work.
If conversion consisted only in feeling deeply, and were to be determined only by flights of feeling, then might we be justified in believing it to be the work of a moment; but as it takes hold of the life, and effects a reform in the entire being, changing the current of the thoughts and affections, reforming the words and actions, so that we hate vain thoughts and actions, and love virtuous thoughts and practices, and act accordingly; as we are to determine our conversion by the whole course of our lives, which is made up of the performance of our various duties, which cannot all be fulfilled in one moment, or in one day, we think we can be justified in no other position than that conversion is a gradual and progressive work, or “being changed from glory to glory in the image of Christ.”
This being the case, conversion becomes an easy matter to understand, and a simple work to engage in. We need not wait until we are wrought up to a high pitch of feeling, or until some mysterious influence gets hold of us, and effects a change in us without our co-operation. As we see our sins, we are to turn away from them by righteousness; we are to cease to do evil, and learn to do well.
The change of heart that we experience in conversion is simply a change of mind. We see our sins, and our mind changes with regard to our past course; we pass a different judgment in regard to it, from what we have formerly. We pronounce it evil instead of good, and instead of loving it, we hate it. We resolve to do better, and immediately set ourselves to work by carrying our resolutions into practice, by taking hold of that part of the work that is nearest to us, by doing the simple duties of to-day; and when to-morrow comes, we also do the duties of the morrow; and so on through life, in all our relations, and under all circumstances, as the truth is brought to bear upon us. I would give more for the experience of one who thus moves understandingly and from principle, than I would for that of one who depends wholly on feeling, and who, when the excitement is over, has nothing to lean upon. Those who base their conversion on the principles of truth, have a straight-forward course marked out for them to walk in, and they need not deviate to the right nor to the left. They know what to depend upon—the word of the Lord which endureth forever. But those who base their conversion on mere excitement, are like a ship without chart or compass, and without an anchor, and when perils come they know not where they shall drift. Hence it is that so many conversions (?) at the present time are short-lived. The work is not deep and thorough. The foundation is not laid on the rock. The doing part of religion is neglected, and true reform in the life is overlooked.
Those present who have never turned away from their sins, and have had no experience in the things of God, certainly need converting, and should be benefited by this subject. Those who are in a back-slidden state, as truly need converting as they would if they had never made profession of religion; for their past conversion has been more or less effaced by their turning back to their sins. Those also who have recently started out in the service of the Lord, and have but a brief experience, will need to undergo several changes more before they are fitted for the kingdom of Heaven. They may have a good deal of one kind of knowledge, but they lack experimental knowledge, which is obtained by practice. Their time to practice has been short; they have not been tried, and have not made experiments in the various relations in life.
I feel particularly for the young who have just given their hearts to the Lord. They have moved right as far as they have gone; but their future experience will teach them the changes they will have to make. My young friends, I hope you will not stop here, but will follow on to know the Lord, and do his will, and be of good courage in bringing your entire beings into subjection to the will of God, and in overcoming every sin. This is true conversion. It has commenced in you, and be not satisfied until its work is completed.
I was converted at the age of nine to the truths that were then shining on my pathway. I repented of my sins, and got the evidence that my sins were forgiven me. I was a happy creature. Heaven, Jesus, and angels, seemed near to me. Oh! how I loved Jesus for his great love manifested unto me! He was my chief delight. I often communed with him in secret. At times it seemed as though I could almost see him and good angels. I looked upon things around me in a different light from what I had done before. I saw the goodness of God in almost everything around me, and enjoyed much of the Spirit of the Lord. But the Lord was fitting me for the trials that were before me, that I might have something to fall back upon in times of severe conflicts, and not become wholly contaminated by the influence of lukewarm and fallen professors around me.
Some twelve years ago the Sabbath truth was brought to me, and found me a proud young man, needing conversion. I had not given up serving the Lord; but I found my heart opposed to the law of God. I yielded, repented, and experienced a second conversion, which was accompanied with much of the blessing of the Lord, that served as an additional evidence that I was right; for, as I compared my experience with that which I had at my first conversion, I saw a similarity, so that if one was right, the other must of necessity be genuine. And shall we, my dear brethren and sisters, who have been long in the good way, stop here, and say that the work of conversion with us is finished? that there are no more changes for us to make in our characters? God forbid. The nearer we get to the Lord, who is the great source of light and truth, and the more we become transformed into the image of Jesus, the more our sins are magnified, and the more we see the necessity of changing our characters, and becoming more fully conformed to the will of God.
It sometimes takes us longer to learn lessons in the school of Christ than we are at first aware. We may at times think we have fully learned a lesson fromChrist, while we have but just commenced to get an insight into it. Some might infer, from the pains that the Saviour takes in our text to teach the disciples a lesson on conversion and humility, that they would not need to be taught again on this subject. But we learn that Jesus had to repeat this very lesson three times, in order that the disciples might obtain that practical knowledge of it that they should.
In the twentieth chapter of Matthew we learn that a few days after, as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem with his disciples, the mother of Zebedee’s children came to him, desiring a certain thing of him, viz.: that he should grant that her two sons might sit, the one on his right hand and the other on his left, in his kingdom. And from the 24th verse and onward we read: “And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.” Why this indignation? Because the ten were envious, proud, and selfish, and could not bear the idea of seeing the two disciples exalted higher than themselves. If they had entertained a modest opinion of themselves, and had loved the two brethren as they loved themselves, they would not have thus felt uneasy, but would have rejoiced in the thought of the promotion of their brethren, as they would have rejoiced if they had been promoted themselves.
Then Jesus called the disciples unto him, and said: “Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever would be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.” In the world, those who are the greatest are served the most; but it should not be so in the church of Christ. Different principles govern us. Those who are great are noted for being the most apt to serve others. “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Verses 25–28.
But they had not learned the lesson yet; for a short time after this occurrence, as they were eating the last passover, Luke informs us that Jesus said one of them should betray him. See Luke xxii, 21, and onward. Whereupon “they began to inquire among themselves which of them it was that should do this thing. And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted greatest.” And the Saviour goes on to repeat the same lesson in substance.
Poor disciples! We are not told what their strife was based upon. But, doubtless, they were comparing their gifts and works, not to see how they could best serve the cause, but to build themselves up. If they had humbly examined themselves, looked to their weaknesses, trembled in view of their liabilities to do the predicted act, and watched and prayed lest they should enter into temptation, they would not have manifested the weakness that they did on that occasion. But self-confident, and shut up to themselves, they, especially Peter, showed by their shameful cowardice, the feebleness of poor, mortal man, and their need of being converted. It was in view of this deficiency that the Lord said to Peter, When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Verse 22.
“Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.” It was by being converted that the disciples would enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Again, if they humbled themselves as a little child, they would be great in the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore in humbling themselves as a little child, they would become converted. Humility is not only a means of conversion, but one of the strongest evidences of genuine conversion. We cannot be converted without humbling ourselves. The great work to be done in conversion is to bring down and overcome self. And one good way to do this is to learn from a child; not a naughty, stubborn child, who has had no bringing up, and has come up proud and self-willed, but such a child as Jesus doubtless selected as an illustration; a child who had not been spoiled by sin and bad habits, but who, perhaps, belonged to pious parents, had been dedicated to the Lord from its birth, and had been brought up under good influences. At all events, it was noted for submission. For when Jesus called it and took it in his arms, and set it in the midst of the disciples, as another evangelist informs us, as we have no account of its rebelling, and brushing off the hands of Jesus, as many children now-a-days would be very apt to do.
Such a little child is noted for its simplicity and faith, and for its realizing its weakness and dependence upon its parents, and for fleeing to its parents in times of trouble and danger. There is no stiffness, nothing put on and made up, no extra polish in such a child. It is all simple and natural. God grant that this trait in us may increase and become more and more prominent, in contrast with the awkward stiffness and extra polish of this proud and corrupt age. Again, may we possess the faith that a child has, which leads it to confide in its parents. It is enough for a child to know that father or mother says so, to believe; and so it should be with us. And if we could cultivate this simple, childlike faith, oh, what anxiety and trouble would be saved us! We might always be children in happiness and contentment. But especially is it from the humility of a child that we are to learn a lesson. To always realize our littleness and God’s greatness and our dependence upon him, oh, this is the important lesson! If we learn this, we shall never have exalted views of ourselves, of our graces and abilities. It is when we lose sight of God, and are shut up to ourselves, that we think we are something. If we could but have a continued sense of God’s greatness and holiness, and of our littleness and unworthiness, we could not for a moment cherish a proud thought in our hearts. If we could always realize that all we have that is good and commendable comes from God, either through creation or by grace, then would we keep from boasting, and would cling very near the Lord in trouble and in times of danger.
Humility is a rich grace, and consists in a moderate opinion of ourselves which leads to give to others the honor and glory that they deserve. It does not, however, oblige us to wrong ourselves or the truth; to always give others the preference to ourselves in all things; or to be constantly speaking in dispraise of ourselves. This is frequently done as a bait to catch the praise of others. Neither does it oblige us to be slack and untidy in our dress and manners, and in what we say and do. It consists in a deep sense of our unworthiness, and in attributing all we have and are to the grace of God.
Humility is seen in the modesty of our appearance. But it goes farther and deeper than this; for there are many who put on a very humble and sanctimonious look to cover pride and sin of the deepest dye. It is also expressed by the modesty of our words, actions and pursuits. If we are truly humble, we shall not be boastful nor selfish; neither shall we exercise ourselves in matters that are too high for us.
But you may, perhaps, desire rules or tests by which you may know whether you are proud or not. I will not attempt, neither would I have time if I wished, to give you all the tests that may apply to every case present. But I will present a few by which we can arrive at the true state of our hearts in the matter.
And first, how does that young man, or that young woman, feel, when he or she draws near the glass to admire his or her person, as the case may be? How do we all feel on such an occasion? especially if there is a hair or something insignificant about us that is not just so? How long do we linger by the glass? How do we feel, I ask, if not exactly in fashion, etc.? Do we feel a great uneasiness, as though something in us was suffering terribly? Then is self alive, and we possess too high an opinion of ourselves.
Again, what is your experience when praised? Do you feel elated, as though a something in you was satisfied and feasting? If so, you may put it down that you are proud. But if, when you are praised and blessings heaped upon you, you are greatly humbled, and feel to hide yourselves in view of your nothingness and unworthiness, then have you a good degree of humility. Again, Do you feel distressed when slighted and deprived of the praise of others? Are you envious at the prosperity of others? or do you rejoice when others are favored with temporal or spiritual blessings? Are you willing to receive correction? or do you manifest stubbornness and self-justification when your wrongs are pointed out and reproved? According as you answer these and other questions, will you be able to settle it in your hearts whether you are proud or humble.
We see that pride is not exhibited merely in dress, as some have supposed. It is generally seen in what we think the most of. It may be a fine horse and carriage, cattle and sheep, a splendid farm and buildings, house, furniture, the work of our hands, and the production of our minds, either in words or writing, pride of opinion, friends, and a thousand other things. And every time we manifest pride in these things, we make idols of them, and idolize ourselves. It is with reference to self that we love these things; and the Creator is slighted and offended. Can we wonder, therefore, why God hates the proud? why the day is coming that the proud will be stubble and will be burned up, and rooted out of the earth?
Pride is the parent of impatience, anger, division, ingratitude, and covetousness. For who is the impatient man but one in whom self is prominent and cannot be touched and crossed? And how much division and confusion would be saved in families, nations, and among brethren, if pride were overcome. Who is the ungrateful man, but one who thinks he deserves every favor he receives? And who are covetous, but those who think themselves worthy of all the means they can get, regardless of justice—of the claims that God and society have upon them? These, also, have an inordinate self-esteem.
The best evidence of humility and true conversion is a willingness to obey God, to bow to his authority. This we are not naturally disposed to do, and God is often under the necessity of afflicting men, in order to humble and convert them. This is the course he had to pursue with ancient Israel. Moses, in his farewell and dying discourse to them, wishes them, among other things, to remember how the Lord had led them in the wilderness for forty years, chastening them, causing them to hunger, feeding them with manna, etc., to humble them, to see whether they would keep his commandments or no. Deut. viii.
Conversion is effected through repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance includes a knowledge and conviction of sin,—that we are the ones that have sinned, that we are guilty and deserve the just wrath of God. But repentance goes farther than this. For millions in the past have been convicted, who have never experienced repentance; and there will be terrible conviction connected with the awful scenes of the day of God that is just before us; but it will be too late to repent.
Repentance also includes sorrow for, and turning away from, sin. Paul thus describes godly sorrow that worketh repentance: “For, behold this self-same thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you;”—carefulness to do right in all things. “Yea, what clearing of yourselves;”—thoroughness in repenting and reforming. “Yea, what indignation;”—not hatred toward man and God, but a holy hatred for sin, abhorring ourselves in view of our sins. Some fail here. They see their sins, but still cling to their idols. How can such expect to be helped of God? God is a jealous God, and will not give his glory to another. Those who will not relinquish their idols, and whose best affections are diverted from God, are left to themselves. And is it strange that they should complain, and have a hard time in battling with sin? Such do not commence aright—are not converted. “Yea, what fear;” a fear to offend God, which is the beginning of wisdom. “Yea, what vehement desire;” a burning to do right, a hungering and thirsting after righteousness. “Yea, what zeal, what revenge!” an earnestness according to knowledge, which is commensurate with the importance of the work, and a revenge that overcomes evil with good, and redeems the time. “In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” 2 Cor. vii, 11. This is the repentance that godly sorrow works, and in it we are to confess with the mouth. Many have smothered conviction, and the good workthat was being wrought in them, by failing to do this important duty.
But we would here present faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, which is an important part of the gospel, and without which a knowledge of our sins would be of no use. Gospel signifies good news; and the good news of the gospel does not merely consist in showing us our sins, that we may be shut up to their awful but just consequences. This would be no good news. The good news of the gospel is, that Jesus died to save us from our sins, and all the evils they have brought upon us. The gospel is a remedial system. It points out a remedy in the sacrifice and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the sacrifice of Jesus is all-sufficient. Divine justice demanded the life of the sinner, or the life of a substitute, which must be as valuable as the lives of all our race, and the world besides. The life of an angel was not sufficient, for man was made but a little lower than the angels, and we read that in the redeemed state “they will be as the angels.” It would therefore have required millions on millions of angels to pay the debt that we owed to divine justice. But not so with Jesus Christ, before whom angels bow, and who, being in the image of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. It was through him that all things were created; and as he who created is greater than the things created, how evident it is that Christ by his death could redeem man and the earth besides.
Yes, sinner, you have an all-sufficient sacrifice to trust in. We would not have you always shut up to your sins. We would point you to the remedy. We would point you to the healing fountain open for uncleanness. It was opened freely. Pure, unbounded love caused it to be opened. Come now, wash in it and be cleansed from every stain that sin has made. Let not your sins weigh you down. If Christ had designed to have you bear them always, he would not have borne them for you upon the tree. Look to his sweat, his wounds, his groans and death, and then believe that he loves you. Present his name to the Father, whose law you have broken, and toward whom you are called upon to direct your repentance. That name will prevail. Believe that your sins are forgiven you. Accept God’s free pardon by faith in Jesus’ name, and assert your liberty. “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Rom. viii, 15. Come, poor sinner, without delay, and let the love of Christ constrain you. How can you escape if you neglect so great salvation?
(Concluded next week.)

HYMN

Make strong my feeble faith, O Lord! That wholly trusting in thy word, I may not fear the threatened ill, But without faltering do thy will.
Increase my love; let each command Upon my heart engraven stand; So that obedience may be Not a hard task, but joy to me.
Wisdom in worldly things bestow, Lest blindly erring as I go, The tempter lead my steps astray, And strew with thorns my heavenward way.
All needed grace and strength supply, To hear, obey, to live, to die; But for acceptance at Thy throne, To trust in Thine own blood alone.

FREEMASONRY.—I

By C. G. Finney

It is high time that the church of Christ was awake to the character and tendency of Freemasonry.
Forty years ago, we supposed that it was dead, and had no idea that it could ever revive. But, strange to tell, while we were busy in getting rid of slavery, Freemasonry has revived, and extended its bounds most alarmingly.
With your consent, I propose to write a series of articles, giving my views of the character and tendency of the institution.
I know something about it, for I have been a Freemason myself. Soon after I was twenty-one years of age, and while in Connecticut at school, an old uncle of mine persuaded me to join the Freemasons, representing that, as I was from home, and much among strangers, it would be of service to me, because, if a Freemason, I should find friends everywhere. The lodge in that place was but a master's lodge. I therefore took three degrees, or as far as what they call “the sublime degree of master mason.” When I returned to the State of New York, to enter upon the study of law, I found at Adams, where I resided, a masonic lodge, and united with them. I soon became secretary of the lodge, and met regularly with the lodge. When I took especially the master's degree, I was struck with one part of the obligation or oath, as not being sound either in a political or moral point of view.
However, I had been brought up with very few religious privileges, and had but slight knowledge on moral subjects; and I was not, therefore, greatly shocked at the time with the immorality of anything through which I passed. The lodge where I took my degrees was composed, I believe, mostly of professed Christians. But when I came to join the lodge at Adams, I found that the master of the lodge was a deist. I do not recollect that any Christian men belonged to that lodge at the time I joined it. There were some very profane men who belonged to it, and some men of very intemperate habits.
As I paid the strictest attention to what they called their lectures and teachings, I became what they call “a bright Mason;” that is, as far as I went, I committed to memory their oral teachings—for they had no other.
The oaths or obligations were familiar to me, as was everything else that belonged to those three degrees that I had taken.
I had belonged to the lodge in Adams nearly four years when I was converted to Christ. During the struggle of conviction of sin through which I passed, I do not recollect that the question of Freemasonry ever occurred to my mind. The season that I called properly my conviction of sin was short. My exercises were pungent, and I very soon obtained hope in Christ.
Soon after my conversion, the evening came for attendance upon the lodge. I went. They, of course, were aware that I had become a Christian, and the master of the lodge called on me to open the lodge with prayer. I did so, and poured out my heart to the Lord for a blessing upon the lodge. I observed that it created considerable excitement. The evening passed away, and at the close of the lodge I was requested to pray again. I did so, and retired, but much depressed in spirit. I found that I was completely converted from Freemasonry to Christ, and that I could have no fellowship with any of the proceedings of the lodge. Its oaths appeared to me to be monstrously profane and barbarous.
At that time I did not know how much I had been imposed upon by many of the pretensions of Masonry. But I found that I could not consistently remain with them. My new life instinctively and irresistibly recoiled from any fellowship with what I then regarded as “the unfruitful works of darkness.”
Without consulting any person, at the next lodge I went for the purpose of demanding my discharge. When I asked for a dismissal, they granted it; but with manifest reluctance, suggesting that they thought I had better not withdraw from them. However, my mind was made up. Withdraw from them I must; with their consent if I might, without their consent if I must. They, however, gave me a discharge under the seal of the lodge. Of this I said nothing; but in some way it came to be known that I had withdrawn from them. This created some little feeling amongst them. They, therefore, planned a Masonic celebration or festival. I do not recollect exactly what it was. But they sent a committee to me, requesting me to deliver an oration on the occasion. I quietly declined to do so; informing the committee that I could not conscientiously in anywise do what would manifest my approval of the institution, or sympathy with it. However, at that time, and for years afterward, I remained silent and said nothing against the institution; for I had not then so well considered the matter as to regard my Masonic oaths as utterly null and void. But from that time I never allowed myself to be recognized as a Freemason anywhere. This was a few years before the revelations of Freemasonry by William Morgan were published. When that book was published, I was asked if it was a true revelation of Freemasonry. I replied that it was, as far as I knew anything about it; and that, as nearly as I can recollect, it was a verbatim revelation of the three first degrees as I had myself taken them. I replied in this way because I saw, of course, that as the thing was published, and no longer a secret, I could not be under any obligation to keep it a secret unless I could be under an obligation to lie, and to lie, perpetually, by denying that that which had been published was truly Freemasonry.
I knew that I could be under no obligations to be guilty of a perpetual falsehood, and that I really made no revelation of any secret when I frankly acknowledged that that which had been published was a true account of the institution, and a true expose of their oaths, principles, and proceedings.
Afterward, I considered it more thoroughly, and was most perfectly convinced that I had no right to adhere to the institution, or to appear to do so; and that I was bound, whenever the occasion arose, to speak my mind freely in regard to it, and to renounce the horrid oaths that I had taken.
On reflection and examination, I found that I had been grossly deceived and imposed upon. I had been led to suppose that there were some very important secrets to be communicated to me. But in this respect I found myself entirely disappointed.
Indeed, I came to the deliberate conclusion, and could not avoid doing so, that my oaths had been procured by fraud and misrepresentation, and that the institution was in no respect what I had been previously informed that it was.
And, as I have had the means of examining it more thoroughly, it has become more and more irresistibly plain to my convictions that the institution is highly dangerous to the state, and in every way injurious to the church of Christ.
This I expect to show in detail, should I be spared to finish the articles which I contemplate writing. But in my next it will be in place to inquire, How are the public to know what Freemasonry really is?
After this inquiry is settled, we shall be prepared to enter upon an examination of its claims, its principles, and its tendency.—Prof. C. G. Finney, in N. Y. Independent.

“THIS I DID FOR THEE—WHAT DOST THOU FOR ME?”

I gave my life for thee, My precious blood I shed, That thou mightest ransomed be, And quickened from the dead. I gave my life for thee; What hast thou given for me?
I spent long years for thee In weariness and woe, That one eternity Of joy thou mightest know; I spent long years for thee; Hast thou spent one for me?
My Father's house of light, My rainbow-circled throne, I left for earthly night, For wanderings sad and lone; I left it all for thee; Hast thou left aught for me?
I suffered much for thee, More than thy tongue can tell, Of bitterest agony, To rescue thee from hell; I suffered much for thee; What dost thou bear for me?
And I have brought to thee, Down from my home above, Salvation full and free, My pardon and my love; Great gifts I brought to thee; What hast thou brought to me?
Oh! let thy life be given, Thy years for me be spent, World-fetters all be riven, And joy with suffering blent; Give thou thyself to me, And I will welcome thee!

Individualism of Church and Sect

“INDIVIDUALISM OF CHURCH AND SECT.”—Beecher “would not like to have his plum trees bear peaches, nor his peaches bear apples,” but he has a tree for each kind of fruit.” He applies the illustration as follows: “There may be unity with difference. Separateness may be formed into one generic whole, while each one has its peculiar function to perform. The total fruitfulness of Christianity springs out of this individualism of church and sect.” This illustration is lame for the reason that there are but two kinds of fruit contemplated by the gospel: one “the fruit of the Spirit,” the other, “the works of the flesh.” This compliment to the sects, that each one is to develop some trait of Christian character, is a deceitful palaver.—Church Advocate*.
Continue reading: Battle Creek Bible Class.—June 27, 1868