Page images
PDF
EPUB

Here then we are most emphatically taught not only that the world is growing no better, but that the professing Church itself will lose its saltness, becoming nominal and lukewarm, fit only to be spued out of the Master's mouth.115 The entire teaching of the Word of God, we believe, agrees with this.

And we have but to take an unprejudiced survey of the Church even now, to see the truth of it. The loss of spiritual power in the different branches of the great nominal Church has not resulted from the casting out of truth, but from the imbibing and internal workings of false doctrine, which, like leaven, has fermented the mass. Little by little the ordinary bishop of Rome has developd into an infallible Pope. Image worship, the confessional, world conformity and post-millennialism have all worked out their enormous growth like the little leaven in the meal.

How do the great Papal and Greek churches, in their stateliness, formality, popularity and spiritual weakness of to-day, compare with the despised Nazarene and his followers,116 or with the persecuted, consecrated and godly congregations (ekkleesias) of the first two centuries?

And are not the present evangelical denominations, by worldly conformity and increeping doubts regarding the inspiration of the Word, etc., dangerously tending in the same direction? How very few of the members in them are to-day crying out for separation and holiness. Surely, no one can fail to see the corrupting influences of the leaven permeating them.

We realize that this is an awful fact. It is not even pleasant to state it. But, while Noah's preaching was not pleasant to them that heard it, still it was true and the

leavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Gal. 5:7. Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

8. This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

9. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

(115) Rev. 3:16. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.

(116) 1 John 4:17. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

flood did come. Likewise the prophesying of Jeremiah was exceedingly unpleasant, but it was true and was followed by the terrible fate of the city, and the Babylonian captivity. The preaching of Jesus was at times of fearful severity,117 but was it not true? So would we humbly yet faithfully proclaim the Word of God. We would "cry aloud and spare not,' ,"118 fully believing that, upon an apos

(117) Mat. 11:20. Then Becities he to upbraid the gan wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

21. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

22. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

23. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

Mat. 18:7. Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh !

8. Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

9. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from

thee it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye.

Mat. 23:13. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

27. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

31. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

32. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

(118) Isa. 58:1. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

120 and a

tate church,1
119 rebellious and murderous Israel,1
sinful world, the day of darkness is coming.121

The Faithful Remnant.

But even in the darkness, so gloomy for the ungodly, there is hope-bright, glorious hope for the faithful.122 For God always has had, and ever will have a faithful remnant.123 There were those, in blind unbelieving Israel, who waited for and accepted the Messiah. Luke 2, etc. So there will be those in the Church who will wait for (1

(119) 2 Tim. 4:2. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching

ears;

4. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Also 2 Tim. 3:5-9, Rev. 17. (120) Mat. 27:25. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

(121) Joel 1:15. Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

Amos 5:18. Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.

19. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

20. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

2 Pet. 2:17. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom

the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

Also Zeph. 1:14-18; Mal. 4:1; Jude 5-13.

(122) 1 Thes. 5:4. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief.

5. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

6. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober,

7. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

8. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

1 Pet. 1:13. Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

(123) 1 Kings 19:18. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Rom. 11:5. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Mat.

Thes. 1:10) and welcome the coming Bridegroom. 25:10. And there shall be a remnant in Israel, who, passing through the darkness and fire (Zech. 13:9), will yet accept their King. Zech. 12:10; Rom. 9:27; 11:25-26. And there shall even be a remnant (residue or remainder) among the Gentiles (ungodly world) who shall seek after the Lord.124

Glory to God! the darkness shall yet flee away before the Sun of Righteousness, arising with healing in His wings,1 125 when He comes to sit in the throne of His glory.126 The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established and all nations shall flow unto it (Isa. 2:1-6; Mic. 4:1-5, please read it) during that bright millennial day of peace and glory,1 127 which shall follow "this present evil age" (Gal. 1:4) and in which even the creature "shall be

(124) Acts 15:16. After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

17. That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

(125) Mal. 4:2. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

3. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

sus

which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Rom. 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Rev. 20:4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

(126) Mat. 19:28. And Je5. said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shali sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon tweive thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

(127) Acts 17:31. Because he hath appointed a day, in the

/ 6. Blessed and holy is he that
hath part in the first resurrec-
tion;
on such the second death
hath no power, but they shall
be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with him a thou-
sand years.

delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Rom. 8:21. "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Isa. 11:9.

"A better day is coming, a morning promised long, When girded Right, with holy Might, will overthrow the

wrong;

When God the Lord will listen to every plaintive sigh,
And stretch His hand o'er every land, with justice by and by.

The boast of haughty Error no more will fill the air,
But Age and Youth will love the truth and spread it every-
where;

No more from want and sorrow will come the hopeless cry; And strife will cease, and perfect peace will flourish by

and by.

Oh! for that holy dawning we watch, and wait, and pray, Till o'er the height the morning light shall drive the gloom

away;

And when the heavenly glory shall flood the earth and sky, We'll bless the Lord for all His Word, and praise Him by and by."

No. XIII. Cruel to the Unsaved.

It is objected that it would be cruel for Christ to come in Judgment upon the world, while there are so many millions unsaved.

We answer,-Is not such a declaration a presumptious criticism of God's motives? Was the flood an expression of cruelty, or rather was it not a manifestation of God's love and mercy, toward them who should live after, in that He swept away the great overflow of wickedness? Surely it was done in mercy. And now let us remember that this world DIES every thirty-three years. The average of human life is even a little less than this. The world is in the power of the devil,128 and he has the power of death.129 He has

(128) 1 John 5:19. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one.

(129) Heb. 2:14. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part

of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15. And deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

« PreviousContinue »