. . or . .
THEOLOGICAL HINTS
. . BY . .
J. M. CONNER, S. T. D.,
Theological Examiner of Payne Theological Seminary, Wil-
berforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio; Author
of " Iron Wheel," " Classical
Lore," etc.
" Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have
eternal life, and they are they which testify of me."—
John: v, 39.
" Scrutamini Scripturas, quia vos videmini vobis in ipsis
vitam aeternam habere et illae sunt quae testantur de me."—
Joannes: v, ■>•
Litti.e Rock,
Hkown Printjnc,
lMiti.
Akk, :
Company.
Copyright applied for.
All rights reserved.
AS A FEEBLE TOKEN
of my
APPRECIATION AND ESTEEM
fob
THOSE WHO STAND UP FOR GOD AND HIS CHURCH
THIS VOLUME IS
RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
to
A. M. E., A. M. E. Z. AND C. M. E. CHURCHES
Rt. Rev. H. M. Turner, D. D., LL. D., D. C. L.;
Rt. Rev. B. W. Arnett, D. D.;
Rt. Rev. B. T. Tanner, A. M., D. D., LL. D.;
Rt. Rev. B. F. Lee, D. D., Ph. D.;
Rt. Rev. A. W. Wayman, D. D.;
Rt. Rev. M. B. Salters, D. D.;
Rt. Rev. W. J. Gains, D. D.;
Rt. Rev. J. A. Handy, D. D.;
Rt. Rev. A. Grant, D. D.
Rt. Rev. J. P. Thompson, D. D., M. D.;
Rt. Rev. J. W. Hood, D. D.;
Rt. Rev. T. H. Lomax, D. D.;
Rt. Rev. C. C. Petty, D. D.;
Rt. Rev. C. R. Harris, D. D.;
Rt. Rev. I. C. Clinton, D. D,;
Rt. Rev. J. A. Beebe;
Rt. Rev. L. H. Holsey;
Rt. Rev. R. S. Williams;
Rt. Rev. E. Cottrell;
Rt. Rev. I. Lane.
4 Dedication.
Prof. S. T. Mitchell, A. M., D. D., LL. D., President of
Wilberforce University;
Rev. J. G. Mitchell, D. D., Dean of Payne Theological
Seminary;
Prof. W. S. Scarborough, A. M., Ph. D., LL. D.;
Rev. M. E. Dunham, A. M., D. D., Ph. D., LL. D.;
Prof. W. R. Harper, Ph. D., D. D., President University
of Chicago;
Prof. F. W. Harkness, Ph. D., A. M., of National Uni¬
versity;
Rev. H. T. Johnson, D. D., Ph. D., and
Ministers and Members of the Christian Church.
PREFACE.
In the preparation of this little volume the author's aim
is not display, but to record in a condensed form mere
" Outlines of Christian Theology." Therefore, I have
consulted several leading authors, who have been regarded
as leaders in the Theological world, and sound in faith.
Simplicity has been my aim.
The works of Watson, Hodge, Raymond, Wakefield,
Embry, Ralston, Bishop Turner's Methodist Polity, the
Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, Vulgate, New Testament,
Greek, and the English Bible, have been carefully exam¬
ined and drawn upon. The very latest critical texts have
been kept before me as references. We have been very
free in quoting acknowledged authors. Many of the
articles presented here in this book were written with no
intention of placing them before the public, but after con¬
sideration, and being urged by those who had looked upon
them, they have been reluctantly presented. The work
was written several years ago, though just published.
Rev. M. E. Durham, Ph. D., D. D., LL. D., my teacher
in Theology, rendered me much valuable information in
the preparation of many of these subjects. Credit is due
President W. R. Harper, Ph. D., D. D., of the University
of Chicago, who was my second instructor in Hebrew;
also Dr. C. E. Crandall, of University of Chicago.
The work goes forth with the author's best wishes, and
if one soul, by the consideration of these pages, becomes
inspired to examine larger works on Christian Theology,
the author will feel greatly benefited.
The work is not sent forth as a complete guide upon all
of the principles of Christian Theology, but as a help.
6
Preface.
The author will be very thankful to any one who may, by
examination of these pages, find errors and report to hinu
This little volume is not sent out as perfect.
There are works of larger size, with subjects too lofty
to be grasped and understood by the ordinary student in.
so short a time as is generally set apart for one to master
such weighty subjects. A mere simple outline has been
the object needed by those whose time is limited, in-
grasping the main principles of Christian Theology.
By this method the student is at once introduced to the
subjects with which he must deal; and at the same time
he gains almost at a glance just what he must know, and
at once he plunges into the subjects as though he were
acquainted with them before.
It is very burdensome to one who has only a short time
to aim at the mastery of some of the larger works of The¬
ology.
In the attempt to grasp so much they lose much.
Theology is a very important science, and like no other
science, it cannot be exhausted. Years and years may be
spent with great profit in the examination of the subjects
discovered from time to time in the Theological world.
The Bible and Nature are our guides in the examination
or study of these subjects; so he who seeks otherwise
seeks in vain. It is the duty and privilege of every one
to examine the Bible and Nature for information as to the
things and principles contained in them, so as to prepare •
and become thoronghly qualified for the work set before
him. Every age should contribute its own examiners.
This being our privilege, we should not fail in making care¬
ful examinations of the subjects before us.
The Christian Church, known as the African Methodist
Episcopal, has, and will do what she can in sending forth
expounders for God and his Christ, and the uplifting of
humanity. While Methodism is simple, yet she is polem¬
ical, " Contending for the faith once delivered to the
saints."
Preface.
7
There are only a few works known that have been
written by the ministers of the A. M. E. Church as a guide
to our faith and practice, and in this volume we present
mere hints.
' Dr. J. C. Embry has presented the most complete work
on the subject of Christian Theology, known as " Digest
of Christian Theology." This work has met with universal
approval, both at home and abroad.
The author of "Outlines op Christian Theology"
has had good opportunities to examine the principles of
our faith as understood by the Church, and to examine
the Scriptures for information as to matters of fact.
It has been his aim to record nothing, as will be seen,
save that borne out by the Scriptures.
No attempt has been made at building a large, com¬
prehensive work on Christian Theology, but a mere outline
for the benefit of the many young ministers and members
of the Church who desire a knowledge of the principles of
the Christian's faith.
The subjects, for many reasons, have been discussed in
a condensed manner, beginning with the word God and
its origin, our knowledge of God, existence of God in the
constitution of the human mind; revelation of God in
the Scriptures, Divine authority of the Scriptures, inspira¬
tion, and by miracles, etc.
God, who made the world and all things therein, is
worthy of study. That he created the world as it was,
and as it now appears, and the many things incomprehen¬
sible to us, is beyond doubt, as in these few introductory
remarks we shall show. Thus, after we have examined the
display of His handiwork, it will appear proper to study
Him. What has God done, may be asked, that makes him
worthy of consideration? The reply is, He is the Creator of
iiJl things, as will be seen further on in these remarks.
J. M. Conner.
CONTENTS.
PAGE,
Introduction 17
CHAPTER I.
Knowledge of God 26
Existence of God 27
Existence of God in the Constitution of the Human
Mind 31
Revelation of God in the Scriptures.. 33
CHAPTER II.
Creation 36
CHAPTER III.
Divine Authority of Scriptures 42
Degrees of Inspiration 43
By Miracles 44
Miracles in all Ages 44
By Prophecies 47
Relation of the New and the Old Testament Scriptures. 49
CHAPTER IV.
Genuineness of the Scriptures 50
The New Testament is Genuine 51
CHAPTER V.
Theology—Attributes of God 62
Unity 62
Spirituality 63
Eternity.. 64
Omniscience 65
Wisdom 66
Omnipotence ... .... 67
10
Contents.
Omnipresence 69
Immutability 70
Holiness 71
Truth 72
Goodness 74
Mercy 78
Benevolence of God 80
Justice 81
CHAPTER VI.
Christology 84
Arian Theory 85
Orthodox Idea of Christ 85
Union of Natures 86
Miracles 91
Judgment 91
Omnipresence 95
Wisdom 95
Holiness 95
Justice ' 95
Goodness 96
CHAPTER VII.
Pneumatology 97
Personality of the Holy Spirit 101
Divinity of the Spirit 105
CHAPTER VIII.
Trinity Ill
Three Persons in the Godhead 112
Illustration of the Divine Trinity 114
Some Opinions of Arian 114
CHAPTER IX.
Divine Providence s 117
Nature of Divine Providence 120
Object of Divine Providence 121
Special Providence 122
Contents. 11
CHAPTER X.
The Kingdom of Christ 125
The Kingdom of Christ Differs from the Kingdom of
God 126
CHAPTER XI.
Religion of Christ 128
Will AH be Saved? 129
Salvation Attainable 130
All Men are Free to Accept the Conditions 130
CHAPTER XII.
Predestination 132
Foreordinatlon 134
Arminian View • 135
CHAPTER XIII.
Free Will 139
Harmony of Free Will with Fore ordination 143
Man Independent of God 144
CHAPTER XIY.
Fall of Man 145
Opinions, Etc- 147
Imputation 148
Adam the Representative of the Race 149
CHAPTER XV.
Result of the Fall of Man .... 150
By Man Came Sin 151
Depravity of Man 153
Man's Moral Condition 154
CHAPTER XVI.
Soterology 157
By Whom was the Atonement Made ? 157
Extent of the Atonement 159
ReHurrection.
CHAPTER XVII.
161
12 Contents.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Eternal Life 164
CHAPTER XIX.
Immortality *67
The Impotent *68
CHAPTER XX.
Judgment *70
Death Fixes Man's Destiny 171
Complete Triumph of the Righteous 172
CHAPTER XXI.
Heaven 173
Where? 174
CHAPTER XXII.
Sabbath—Institution 176
Change of, Etc ISO
CHAPTER XXIII.
Hell 187
Where Is Hell ? 187
Intermediate State 188
CHAPTER XXIV.
Reward and Punishment 190
The Gospel Method of Saving Sinners. . . 191
CHAPTER XXV.
Prayer 194
True Prayer 195
Power in Prayer.... 196
Effect of Prayer. ... 197
Attitude • • 199
Prayer Explained 199
CHAPTER XXVI.
Sacraments 201
Different Views of 201
Protestants' Belief 202
Contents. 13
CHAPTER XXVII.
The Lord's Supper 204
Corresponds With the Jewish Passover 205
Those Who Have the Right to Partake of the Lord's
Supper 206
Transubstantiation. 207
Consubstantiation . . 207
Ubiquity...., 208
Saving Ordinance 208
Particular Benefits Derived, Etc ... 209
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Baptism 210
Signification... . . 210
Proper Mode.... 211
Infant Baptism 212
Saving Ordinance 215
Baptism Precedes Admission to the Lord's Supper. . . 215
How Jesus was Baptized 216
CHAPTER XXIX.
Conversion 217
The Moral Condition of the Converted, Etc 218
CHAPTER XXX.
Justification 222
Arminians' View of, Etc 223
Calvinist View of, Etc 223
Power that Justifies 224
Witness of the Spirit 226
Adoption 226
Regeneration 228
CHAPTER XXXI.
Sanetifieation 230
Relation of Justification to Sanetifieation 231
Complete Holiness Possible in This Life 231
Saved by Work 233
14 Contents.
CHAPTER XXXII.
Apostacy - 234
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Christian Ethics 236
Claims the New Testament Makes on Revelation 240
CHAPTER XXXIY.
Covenants 241
Of Works • 242
Abrahamic 243
New Covenant 242
CHAPTER XXXV.
Ceremonial Law 245
Moral Law 246
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Good Works 248
Supererogation ... 249
Mortal and Venial Sins 250
Transferring of Works 251
Grades in Sin _ 251
Christian Morality Different from Common Morality .. 252
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Forms of Church Government 254
Roman Catholic 254
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Presbyterian 258
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Episcopal 262
CHAPTER XL.
Congregational 267
CHAPTER XLI.
Methodist 271
Address to Applicants 274
Contents.
15
CHAPTER XLII.
Church 276
Heads of the Church 277
Authority of 279
Belief of the Church of Rome as to Authority and
Power of the Church 280
Erastian View of Church Government 280
Chief Ministers in Matters of Authority 281
CHAPTER XLIII.
Greek Church 282
CHAPTER XLIV.
Creeds 286
Creeds in Matters of Conduct 287
Apostles' Creed 290
Creed More Than Mere Human Opinion 290
Limit of Creed 292
INTKODUCTION.
Never in the history of the Christian Church did the sacred
truths of Divine revelation have to wrestle with so many
insidious and ensnaring enemies, as have been projected
and embellished within the last one or two decades. Ra¬
tionalistic interpretations of Biblical doctrines have been
supplemented with false premises, corrupt, but garnished
philosophies, and illogical conclusions have been reached
and palmed off on the reading world by the glare of mere
rhetoric, when, in fact, these opposing theories are nothing
but the fascinations of imaginary hypothecations, which,
instead of being denounced by the scholars of the Church,
are too often lifted to the plane of respectability—by as¬
suming to give them scholarly battle, when, in most
instances, they should have simply hurled against them the
battering-rams of denunciation. Reason is the highest
faculty which God has imparted to man, and is the most
powerful agent in reducing the doctrines of Christianity to
their component parts; and analogical reasoning is an in¬
dispensable factor in aimplyfying those doctrines. But no
logical postulate, in all human experiences, has been suffi¬
cient to guide man as to his life and conduct. God has,
therefore, placed in our hands a supernatural and sufficient
revelation of His will to enable us to understand and prac-
ticalize the virtues and graces which should ornament us
here, and prepare us for a felicitous eternity, because this
revelation is addressed to our understanding, and thereby
to our hearts and consciences. And, while it is judged and
authenticated by our intellectual faculties, reason serves as
an interpreter, and shows its harmony with divine law by
^ U 2 I I"
18
Introduction.
the blessings obedience to that law impart. But God,
per se, is above all reason, and Christianity, including re¬
generation, sanctification, and all that comprehends growth
in grace, is also above reason; and that class of scholars
who assume that God is not beyond reason, is too often led
into the mazes of doubt, and terminate their investigations
in the clutches of agnosticism, which, in our day, is the
most seductive foe with which the Church has to wrestle.
An agnostic, after all, is simply a know-nothing in religion.
Indeed, he is a know-nothing about all that involves
heaven, hell, a judgment, retribution and the Triune God
himself. And, still further, he holds that existence in any
form, beyond and behind phenomena, is unknown and un¬
knowable—a condition which, when reached, is not only
lamentable, but absolutely awful.
The vast number of .books which are now being written
and published, and the multitude of book agents who are
canvassing for their sale, with their flattering recommen¬
dations, are disseminating among the uncultured masses
every imaginable theory in the prowess of unsanctified in¬
genuity. Thus, we are living in a dangerous period—while
it is a period of great enlightenment and progress. A large
majority of the reading world accept of any theory, how¬
ever foreign to the truth, as a veritable declaration, because
some neatly bound and, possibly, gold-gilt book so states.
Beyond that, they seem to have no thought; and, instead
of being able to formulate some counter-argument, to re¬
but the many wild sophistries set afloat, they succumb to
the many illusive contents, and become the disseminators
of the same subtle sophistries. Especially is this the case
with any people who have not been accustomed to classic
books, and are passing through a transitional state. No era
in the history of the world has been so pregnant with read¬
ing matter as the present. Every railroad train is laden
with dime novels, nickel papers, and obscene literature,
while the daily, weekly and monthly periodicals abound
with science, so-called; and, when sifted by a rigid investi-
Introduction.
19
gation, is found to be not only vulgar and corrupting to
good morals, in too many instances, but in many cases a
tissue of suppositions, which are not entitled to the respect
of decent fancy. The standard magazines are made up of
a stolid indifference to truth and veracity, which often
makes them the vehicles of false and dangerous thought.
To meet this condition of things, and counteract its ruinous
influence upon the young and inexperienced, and that class
of readers whose intellects have not been trained to ana¬
lyze the different subjects often treated, and throw off the
rubbish, Christian men of ability, and more particularly
ministers of the gospel, who possess native talent and
have had the advantage of learning, should employ every
opportunity in writing upon all moral and religious ques¬
tions, and thus show that the Church is able to take up
every gauntlet thrown down by the theorists and sophists
of our time, and to meet the seductive and soul-blighting
influences which the enemies of God are manufacturing, to
subvert His reign in the hearts of men.
Rev. J. M. Conner, A. M., S. T. D., who has not yet
reached the prime of life, and whose learning and present
industry argue great achievements for the future, has ren¬
dered the Church, and his day and generation, an incalcu¬
lable service, and has placed those contemporaneous with
him, and the next generation at least, under lasting grati¬
tude for this work—"Outlines of Christian Theology"—and
more especially, as the times not only demand it, but the
race of which he is an honorable representative is in need
of it. We believe he is the third divine in our Church, out
of our thousands of ministers, who has dared to lift his pen
theologically in the defense of our common Christianity,
and so systematize the great code of moral truth that our
ministers in all parts of the world, and others of every hue
and shade, may be better prepared to preach the gospel
with that point and edge, and orthordox solidity, which
will make it efficient and potential for good in this life and
the life to come. A living ministry is the great want of the
20
Introduction.
Church. A ministry that will move the people, convince
the skeptic, and demolish the theories of the pantheist and
the atheist, as well as show the folly of agnosticism, which,
is now the chief citadel of the unbeliever. Christian The¬
ology comprises that science which treats of the existence
and attributes of God; the reciprocal relations between
man and his Creator; the dispensations of His providence;
His pleasure with regard to our actions, and His purposes
with respect to our destination. We use the words Christian
Theology in contra-distinction to the theologies of Homer,
Plato, Orpheus and others, who were denominated theo¬
logians, which the Christian fathers consecrated by the
term to comprehend bibical truths. While the word was
first used to denote the systems of heterogeneous fables of
the poets and philosophers who wrote of the gods of
ancient Greece, and still more ancient Egypt, on account
of their sublime speculations, it was afterwards employed
by primitive writers of the Christian church to include
those sublimer and abstract truths which are not specula¬
tive, but embrace the great scheme of redemption and all
of its concomitants; for, after all, in the language of the
great historian of reformation: "Jesus Christ is the pur¬
pose of God in history," and we might say with equal pro¬
priety, that Jesus Christ is the purpose of God, as made
manifest in the teachings, elucidations and manifestations
of the Divine purpose in all Christian theology. Remove
Christ and the prophecies, types and shadows, symbolic
sacrifices, the Star of Bethlehem, followed by the magii,
the baptism of John, including the miracles, and terminat¬
ing in the death, resurrection and ascension, and all that
pertains thereto becomes a sounding brass and tinkling
cymbal, and theology itself becomes a delusive figment.
But, with Christ as the heart and vitalizing arteries of the
grand system of morals, comprehended in theological lore,
mankind of every race variety, with all of their learning
and metaphysical prowess, may come and learn, study, di¬
gest and practicalize, until humanity itself takes on the
Introduction.
21
qualities, characteristics and the grandeur of a God, so far
as it is possible in the flesh and the expansive, evolving
and progressive conditions of the spirit world, which will
enable him to consort with angels, cherubs and seraphs
through all eternity.
While our time has been too much absorbed with the
many duties and responsibilities connected with our official
position in the church to carefully examine the portion of
manuscript submitted to us for inspection, we feel safe in
presuming that Dr. Conner has not wavered from the
fundamental doctrines held by orthodox Christians in every
age of the church. While language arrangement and sen¬
tence construction may vary, to impart more simplicity
and enable the novitiate reader to better comprehend the
great doctrines of Divine revelation, there can be but one
basic truth, while there may be variety in detail. It is nat¬
ural to suppose that Dr. Conner will prominently stand
out in the treatment of the various subjects he has dis¬
cussed, yet being satisfied that he has followed in the wake
of the illustrious Wesley and other champions of Method-
sm, and above them, the revealed word of God, we com¬
mend this book to the present and coming ministry of the
Church.
H. M. Turner.
Atlanta, Ga., October 24, 1895.
OUTLINES OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY.
CHAPTER I.
existence of god—origin of the word god.
In the examination of this subject, the first
thought that comes to us is the word God, when
used by those of whose original languages it
formed a part. What did it mean? The an¬
swer to this question is very plain. The word
God is Anglo-Saxon. While it meant good,
it meant also the Supreme Being of infinite
power and goodness.
The words used by the Hebrews to denote the
Supreme Being are Elohim, a plural
noun, njT Jehovah. This name was regarded
by the late Hebrews too sacred to be pro¬
nounced; therefore, they substituted for it in
reading Adoni, Lord, Judge, Shad-
dia, the Almighty, omnipotent; El, the strong.
In the Greek it is Tlieos. Dr. Adam Clark has
traced the word, Elohim, to the Arabic root
Alaho, which means to worship, or adore. The
only proper object of sacred worship and adora¬
tion is God.
26
The Existence of God.
OUR, KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.
That, department of science called philosophy
gives ns a knowledge of the Divine Being. It
teaches that there must be a cause before an
effect; a designer before a design; hence, the
designer and first cause of all things is God.
This is one of the means by which we know that
there is a God. God is good, and no one who is
acquainted with Nature's laws can deny it. His
goodness can be seen in all His handiwork. The
strongest and plainest jDroof we have of God is
taught in.the Scriptures. In them we read, and
are led to the Lamb of God, who taketh away
the sins of the world. To what extent man
may know his Maker is not certainly known, but
our recognition of Him in a state of perfection,
or holiness and love, is sufficient for us.
Examine events that have occurred in the
presence of men; they will prove that we know
God, and that he is a Supreme Being. When
Moses and the children were all at the Eed
Sea, they met with a wide expanse of water, and
the way they were to cross was not at first known
to them, but through the divine power of the
All-wise, which is beyond man's understanding,
the waters, by the touch of Moses' rod, fell back
on each side, and the children of Israel were
thus enabled to cross over on dry ground. This,
The Existence of God.
27
undoubtedly, was a great miracle; the power of
Him that caused all things to exist, wrought, in
the presence of the people, a great miracle which
was contrary to the laws of nature, and no one
could regard it as less than a supernatural trans¬
action, for it was beyond man's comprehension.
There are many more miracles such as those of
Moses and Aaron, which assist us to a lively
faith in our God as a Supreme and a Wonder¬
working God. The working of miracles proves
God's desire to become known to us—His creat¬
ures here on earth.
Miracles rank among the many proofs that
God has made himself known to man, both by
revelation and reason. There is no positive
proof from any source that we can rely on for
a knowledge of God so much as we can on reve¬
lation. Most theologians claim that revelation
is the only authentic information we have about
God. "All we know about God," says one, "is
due to revelation." It is by it man is made to
know his Maker; without it men would betake
themselves to the worship of idols, gods of stone,
wood, etc.
The all-important truth that man has a knowl¬
edge of God has been taught by revelation—and
by nature. In the Scriptures we are taught that
we have a Savior; one who, when man had
broken the divine law of the Almighty, de-
28
The Existence of God.
scended from the peaceful home of rest to seal
our redemption by his death oil the cross. When
Moses went upon the mount, Hod there revealed
to him a truth that will survive when rolling ages
cease to move and years return no more.
"We may divide revelation into oral and writ¬
ten," says Dr. Benney. By oral is meant tradi¬
tional, or such as was transmitted by word of
mouth from one age to another. Such were the
revelations to the patriarchs, and the longevity
peculiar to the age served to preserve them from
being corrupted. These original truths were
thus handed down to Moses by the Lord, and
written in five books called the Pentateuch.
The leading facts in these books are the crea¬
tion of the world, of man, of primeval happi¬
ness; his fall, and the promise of a Saviour;
the deluge and preservation of a few; the call
of Abraham. These are all supported by the
combined testimony of universal history and
modern science. As we have stated already, the
Scriptures are the surest foundation that we can
stand upon and proclaim the being of God.
Nature furnishes us with proof of God's exist¬
ence, but the Scriptural testimony is better still.
Man has as yet many things to learn about
nature, while those who have studied the Script¬
ures find that these cover a broad field, and
present a fair means for knowing God: "More-
The Existence of God.
29
over, the Lord said unto me," etc. Isa: viii, 1.
*>
''Moreover, the word of the Lord," etc. Jer.:
ii, 1. "Moreover, He said unto me," etc. Eze-
kiel: iii, 1. Again, these references show that
God revealed himself to man. We point to the
fact that there are many such references to be
found in the Scriptures, showing how men have
had a chance to know Clod through revelation
rather than by any other means. That the
Scripture and the Spirit agree upon knowledge
of (lod, every Christian will admit. We are
taught in them that the "Holy Ghost, by the
mouth of David, spake." Acts: i, 16. "Well
spake the Holy Ghost." Acts: xviii, 25. "Holy
men of old spake as they were moved by the
Holy Ghost." II Peter: i, 21; I Tim.: iv, 1.
Again, man can feel that there is a God; when
he works obediently, as he is taught in the
Scripture, he finds that a blessing follows; if
disobedient, a curse follows. This is not only
true of man physically, but it is true spiritually.
Who is he that has kept the law of God without
being 'in some way blessed thereby? Can a
changed person deny knowing God, in pardon¬
ing his sins ? Have we not felt that we have
been moved by the spirit of God to do certain
work? No one can deny it but the fool! Angels
have visited men and taught them to fear the
Lord. Mere human reason is not sufficient to
30
The Existence of Gocl.
guide man to a clear knowledge of God. Among
those who profess to be guided by it some
worship the true God, some His works, some
no God at all.
Though in all ages men have had the same
book of nature and the same source from which
to derive moral rules, the knowledge we have of
God is an evidence of the fact that the Spirit
reveals to us the truth. 4 4God is a Spirit, and
they that worship him must worship Him in the
Spirit'and in truth." Does this not show that
there is a true means by which we may know
God! And so it follows that we may know God
through the Spirit. The raising of the dead
and opening the eyes of the blind, and com¬
manding the unclean spirits to come out of man,
is proof enough that through revelation man
may know his God, even to perfection. We
are taught that "Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God." A belief in the Lord
Jesus has brought men to light.
The Savior said that those who saw him saw
the Father. This is another proof on record
that God has revealed himself to man, that will
never cease in this world or the glorious time to
come. Acts: ii, 4: "And they were filled with
the Holy Ghost and began to speak as the Spirit
gave them utterance." Does not this show that
the Spirit of God moves upon every obedient
The Existence of God. 31
heart? That the Scriptures are more authorita¬
tive than Nature is plain, as has been shown in
previous pages. And without the Scriptures
we should be quite unable to make any investi¬
gation of the pure and Holy Being. Those who
undertook to proceed otherwise failed most in-
gloriously, and finally came to teach that false¬
hood was honorable and idolatry legitimate!
Some of these "philosophers" deliberately
worshiped gods of stone; they adored the forest
trees in Greece, and prostrated themselves before
the golden calf in Oriental lands. Some of these
great ones worshiped their own works, and
others, without faith or hope, worshiped nothing
and died in despair. But enough has been said
to convince any rational thinker that revelation
is necessary to prove the existence of God.
EXISTENCE OF GOD IN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
HUMAN MIND.
We are led to believe that no one will doubt
the existence of God. From the earliest record
of time we learn that man acknowledged a God
superior to himself. "Adam knew his Maker,
and the knowledge he had of Him he imparted
to those that followed in later years." Dr.
Wakefield says it was as impossible for Adam not
to have known his Creator as it was to doubt
liis own existence. Equally, demonstration was
32 The Existence of God.
made to Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
and Moses, through a period of more than two
thousand years.
It is admitted that nations generally acknowl¬
edged that there was a Supreme Ruler of the
Universe. Dr. Ralston says: "No age is too
distant, no country too remote, no people too
barbarous, to give testimony of this truth.1'
All nations believe in a Grod, or a plurality of
god?. It is evident that some being must be
independent of all other beings. "A being that
never depends on any other as a producing cause
cannot depend on any other as a sustaining, or
conserving cause. It follows that such a being
exists necessarily.''' "An uncaused being can¬
not be dependent upon its own choice,'1 says
Wakefield, "or upon the choice of any other
being for its existence; therefore, its existence
is not owing to choice at all, but to necessity of
its own nature. To such a being it is impossible
ever not to have been, or ever to cease from
being." And says Ralston: "That eternal,
self-existent, independent, necessary, and self-
active being, whose existence we have already
proved, must be possessed not only of power
sufficient to govern all things, but intelligence,
wisdom and every other perfection necessary for
the creation, preservation, and government of
the universe."
The Existence of God.
33
"To suppose something eternal as the origin¬
ating cause of existence of all other things, yet
to admit that the eternal being supposed is not
self-possessed of every attribute, quality, or per¬
fection requisite for the contrivance and pro¬
duction of all originated existence, would be as far
from giving a satisfactory account of the origin
of things, as if we were to deny that anything
did exist from eternity. To admit the eternal
existence of a cause and yet to deny that it is
an adequate cause for the production of the
effect in question, is no better than to deny the
existence of any cause whatever. Hence, we
must admit that there exists an eternal, self-
evident, independent, self-active, intelligent
being, who by His own power arose in His maj¬
esty and created all things."
REVELATION OF GOD IN THE SCRIPTURES.
From the previous argument we think all can
see that, beyond the shadow of a doubt, there is
a First Cause, and that First Cause can be no
other than Grod. All who read the Scriptures,
and believe the doctrine as taught, acknowledge
the Grod of the Bible to be the only just and per¬
fect being. A few references only will be made,
in order that those who think may understand.
The existence of God is a fact that cannot be
doubted. We read on the very first page
Sitf .1 C T
34
The Existence of God.
of the Holy Bible these words (Gen.: i. l.):
"In the beginning Grod created the heavens and
the earth," etc. If there be no Grod, how could
he create the heavens and the earth? The
Scripture does not mention the date of this
event, but it does state that Grod did the work.
Rom.: i, 20, says: "For the invisible things of
Him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are
made; even His eternal power and Grodhead."
Acts: xiv, 15: "Why do ye these things?
We also are men of like passion with you, and
preach unto you that ye should turn from these
vanities unto the living Grod, who made heaven
and earth and sea and all things therein." Heb.:
iii, 4: "For every house is built by some man;
but he that built all things is Grod." Psalm
xix, 1: "The heavens declare the glory of Grod;
and the firmament showeth His handiwork."
Isa.; xi, 12: "Who hath measured the waters
in the hollow of His hand and meted out heaven
with a span and comprehended the dust of the
earth in a measure and weighed the mountains
in scales and the hills in a balance?" Zech.: xii, 1.
There are many places in the Scriptures that
prove the existence of Grod. They show not
only that there is a Grod, but that He has re¬
vealed Himself to man. How can the heavens
declare the glory of Grod and not at the same
The Existence of God. 35
time show His existence? If nature, in all of its
works, proves the existence of Grod, so do the
Scriptures. The Scriptures, again, reveal the
existence of the great First Cause by miracles,
signs and wonders. All will admit that a mira¬
cle is some act superior to the ordinary workings
of nature, and that they did actually occur.
There is proof enough of the existence of Grod in
these alone.
See miracles—John: ii, 1-11: Water changed
into wine; the man possessed with a devil
healed: Mark: i, 22-28. The widow's son raised
from the dead: Luke: vii, 11-17. And numer¬
ous other references might be made. Old Tes¬
tament miracles—the Nile was turned into blood:
Ex.: vii, 20-25.
These miracles all go to show that the great
First Cause exists, and that the First Cause has
revealed himself to man in His work of miracles,
such as man could not work.
CHAPTER II.
creation.
That Grod created the world is a fact set forth in
Gen.: i, 1. In Hebrew, the word create, is
"bara," which means to create something from
nothing, and when the word bara (create) is
used in reference to t^.e beginning of the world, it
means that from nothing Grod made the world.
However absurd it may appear to the skeptic,
if we acknowledge that Grod is omnipotent, we
must accept it as a fact that he could have cre¬
ated the world from nothing.
The Scripture says: '' Through faith we under¬
stand that the worlds were framed by the word
of Grod, so things which are seen were not made
of things which do appear." Heb.: xi, 3.
If the writer was inspired, as is accepted by
all, then his informer (Grod), knowing his works,
informed man, and made known to him just
how the things we see came into existence—and
not from material which now exists, nor anything
Creation.
37
like it. Matter is not eternal. Therefore, what
we see was made of nothing.
"The phrase 'to create from nothing' does
not appear in the canonical scriptures, though
the idea is scriptural. Ex nihilo Deus et coelum,
et terram.
The Vulgate seems to have given rise to the
idea. See II Mac.: vii, 28.
The Grecian philosophers could not see how
from nothing the world could have been made.
Therefore, they thought that ex nihilo nihil fit.
They believed that matter was eternal, and that
(rod shaped the world from pre-existing ma¬
terials.
If matter is eternal, then it must be self-exist¬
ent, and independent; and, therefore, intelligent
—which is not true. Matter is not independent.
That fact is plainly demonstrated daily around
us. It is helpless, and moves just as it is moved
upon by intelligent force. Therefore, it must
have had a pre-existing cause to produce the
present effects, and that cause was God.
If the world had existed from all eternity, why
is it that history fails to throw any light farther
back than the Bible date of the creation of the
world? Set aside Moses, and our history is
{silent. Profane history has nothing to relate
but fables until Herodotus, who lived B. C. 500.
It is believed that God created all things of
38
Creation.
nothing. This fact is accepted throughout the
world by the most learned of the world.
Archbishop Usher says that the world was
created four thousand and four years before the
Christian era. This fact was gained by exam¬
ining Hebrew chronology.
It is true, that by the study of the Septuagint
a different date is fixed upon, but the original is
the most preferable. Therefore, we accept the
statement of the chronologist, who takes his in¬
formation from the original Hebrew, as the
Hebrew is more trustworthy.
We might accept the statement of the geolo¬
gists, but they do not agree among themselves
as to when the creation took place. So, if they,
who claim to be scientists, cannot agree among
themselves, and are in confusion as to the facts
of the exact date, it does not seem reasonable
that we should set aside the Bible date, one
which furnishes a true statement, to accept what
they themselves are not agreed upon.
If G-od made the world, how easy was it for
him to make all the layers at once.
Man is too puny, his conception too warped,
and his existence too short, to attempt to refute
the statement of revelation.
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundation
of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understand¬
ing," said God to Job. Job: xxxviii, 4.
Creation.
39
Some do not believe Moses. But, why? Not
because they themselves know better. They
think that He who made the world was mistaken
in his revelation to Moses of the date of creation.
As to the days of creation, there are some who
claim they were not six sun-measured days of
twenty-four hours, but indefinite, long periods,
and that the world must be older than the
Mosaic account.
But, why such a conclusion? The one who
made it was able to give it its present shape in
one day, as much so as in a hundred thousand
years. So, just as the Bible account of creation
stands, we must accept it.
God also created the heavens. (See Glen.: i, 6.)
'1 Let there be a firmament in the midst of the
waters."
God created angels. That there are angels,
and that the Scriptures so teach, is a fact, not¬
withstanding some deny the existence of angels.
Angels are classed as holy and unholy. Those
who are holy are those who kept their first es¬
tate ; those unholy are those who fell.
When they were created, i. e., the exact date,
we do not know. The words, 1,1 When the morn¬
ing stars sang together and the sons of God
shouted for joy," may refer to their creation;
for it appears that they were there and just
brought into existence on such an occasion, and
40
Creation.
joined the glorious procession in celebrating the
completion of the universe.
They are spiritual beings—u who maketh his
angels, spirits and ministers a flame of fire."
Heb.: i, 7. Christ said on one occasion: "Spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."
Luke: xxiv, 39. They will always exist. u Nei¬
ther can they die any more, for they are equal
"unto the angels." Luke: xx, 36. By this we
infer that if they die no more because they are
equal with angels, then angels shall never cease.
They were intelligent beings. This we infer
from the Scriptures. "As an angel of God, so
is my Lord the King, to discern good and bad."
" My Lord is wise, according to the wisdom of
an angel of Grod-, to know all things that are in
the earth." II Sam.: xiv, 17-20.
They are strong and active. " Bless the Lord,
ye His angels, that excel in strength." Psalms:
ciii, 20.
Paul calls them '' mighty angels.'' II Thess.:
1-7.
The destroying angels, they are called, in ref¬
erence to the night in Egypt, when the first born
were destroyed.
They destroyed a hundred and eighty-five
thousand of Sennacherib's army in one night.
They are holy beings.
In Matt.: xxv, 31; also benevolent.
Creation.
41
Their number is great. Psalms: Ixviii, 17,
gives us to understand that they are many in
number. St. John says: "I heard the voices
of many angels." Rev.: v, 11.
As well as holy angels there are unholy angels.
"God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast
them down to hell." II Pet.: ii, 4.
" The angels which kept not their first estate,
but left their own habitation, He hath reserved
in everlasting chains." Judges.
While they have fallen, yet they are spiritual
beings, and active. They are immortal, yet
they are active in their work of degradation.
After having examined, the work of the Cre¬
ator in general and in particular, it will not ap¬
pear out of place to examine the various ideas
held about Him, with the doctrine of the leading
religious denominations, touching the last things.
CHAPTER III.
divine authority of sceiptures.
" Though it has been said by Semler, DeWitt,
Paulus and others, that there is no such thing
as inspiration, we shall show that inpiration
has always existed, even down to the time of the
Apostles. As one has truly said, 'inspira¬
tion in its true sense denotes the Divine
influence by which the mental faculties of the
sacred writers, though acting in a natural way,
were raised and magnified to an extraordinary de¬
gree, so that their composition was more truly
sublime, noble and pathetic, than what they could
have produced merely by the force of their
natural genius.' Suggestion is said to be the
highest degree of inspiration, and includes all
those direct revelations which were made to the
sacred writers of such things as they could not
have discovered by ordinary means.
It is said inspiration is so full and complete
that the sacred writers were not the real authors
of the books of the New Testament. They, as
it were, seemed to have disappeared, and Grod
supplied their places.
D'umie Authority of Scriptures. 43
God seems to have inspired men; that is, He
appeared to His people in all ages, even down to
the Apostles, and talked to them as to Moses on
the mountain, when the Ten Commandments
were given. God often wrote with His.own finger,
and thus handed down to men the law which in¬
spired them. Men were moved, as we have said,
by a supernatural power, and thus made to
know what Grod would have them do. Who
can read the books of Isaiah, John and others,
and not be inspired with a higher power and
with a knowledge of His existence.
DEGREES OF INSPIRATION.
Beyond a doubt there are degrees in inspira¬
tion; that is, plenary inspiration. It appears
that among prophets and Apostles, some were
inspired in a higher degree than others, such as
Isaiah, John and Paul. While some were in¬
spired to write, it seems that they were not gifted
in writing and speaking as much as those above
referred to. Believers in inspiration have classi¬
fied it into superintendence, alleviation and sug¬
gestion. Theologians say one (Scripture is given
by superintendence, and another by alleviation,
and another by suggestion. It was a fact that
men wrote as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost to write what is written. This is disclosed
in the Scriptures.
44 Divine Authority of Scriptures.
BY MIRACLES.
The question that now presents itself to us is
not a complex one. It is, we think, one of the
simplest that is recorded in the Bible. Christ
was certainly the world's wonder, and worked
many miracles here on earth. The conversion of
water into wine at Cana of Grallilee—John: ii,
1-11. Widow's son raised from the dead—Luke:
vii, 11-17. Lazarus raised from the dead at
Bethany—John, xi. There is a large number of
miracles that were wrought by Christ that are
not mentioned; these will prove that Jesus
wrought miracles, and that it was contrary to
nature for such to take place. Of course it was
through divine power that all He did was done,
for He was a Divine Being, the Son of the Liv¬
ing Grod. The miracles that Jesus wrought, as
we have said, prove Jesus to be divine, from the
fact that none but supernatural power could do
such work. Hence, a more than common power
had to be displayed. That this power was
superior is plainly seen in Matthew: xxviii,
18; John iii, 31 andx, 18; Romans: ix, 5; Mat¬
thew: xiii, 20; John: iii, 13. The latter shows
that Grod exists everywhere, while the former
shows His power to do anything.
MIRACLES IN ALL AGES.
It is acknowledged that Grod is omnipotent 5
Divine Authority of Scriptures. 45
and has power to do anything. If it is acknowl¬
edged that He has the power to do all things, we
must admit that whenever He chooses He can,
and does, work miracles. Miracles have been
wrought in all ages: first in the deluge—Genesis:
vii. The burning bush—Exodus: iii, 2. Pas¬
sage over the Red Sea—Exodus: xiv, 21-31.
Jonah in the whale's belly three days and de¬
livered—Jonah: ii 1-20. All can see that mira¬
cles have occurred in all ages. Many things
done to-day would have been considered the
greatest of miracles if they had been done centu¬
ries ago. All that is needed to work a miracle
is to bring to bear on the ordinary course of
nature a power that knows how to combine
forces in a new way, so as to bring forth to us
new and unknown results. For instance: You
try to mix oil and water together, and you find
the natural law to be that they will not mix, for
they have no affinity for each other; but if you
drop alkali into the oil and water you will find
the three substances readily uniting together
and producing a substance unlike either. Now,
in these three there has been nothing done con¬
trary to nature or natural laws; and so any
number of modifications and changes can be
brought about by adding a new force or sub¬
stance to existing forces or substances.
Apply this to miracles. Jesus turned water
46 Divine Authority of Scriptures.
into wine. Well, wine is mainly water with cer¬
tain other ingredients in it which have been
gathered out of the soil and sunshine by the
grape. Suppose, now, that Jesus, by His Divine
power, gathered up and thrust into the water
these other ingredients of wine, the consequence
would be that the whole would become wine by
the very law of nature, and not contrary to it.
Jesus raised Lazarus. Suppose that Jesus, by
His Divine power, commanded the departed
spirit to enter again into the body it had left,
Lazarus would have lived again by the uniting
of his spirit and body, and lived according to
the very law of nature, and not contrary to it.
And so of all miracles. They are not contrary
to the laws of nature, but in accordance with
the very provisions of nature by which, when
you bring a superior force to bear upon another
force, you change the result. Modifications and
changes can be made in results by combining
forces, but no law of nature can be interrupted
or stopped. Nature's laws are Grod's laws. He
made them; they are perfect; they are un¬
changeable; they are eternal. God Himself
never overrides, interrupts or annuls one of His
laws. What seems to us to be overriding, inter¬
rupting, or annulling, is really but the introduc¬
tion of another force, to us unseen, which changes
the result, and that change we call a miracle.
Divine Authority of Scriptures. 47
There is a law for miracles as sure as there is for
chemical changes, and this law of miracles is in
perfect accord and harmony with nature's laws.
The forces which work miracles arfe beyond our
comprehension. We are not up to the level of
their standard. If we understood those laws,
and could wield the forces they employ, we could
work miracles at will, and in working them do
no violence to nature's laws.
BY PKOPHECIES.
Prophecies and their fulfilment throw much
light on the subject now under consideration.
These predictions were made and came to pass
just as it was said they should—concerning
Christ's coming, and their fulfilment, death, etc.
Christ's Coming—''And I will put enmity be¬
tween thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head and
thou shalt bruise his heel." Gren.: iii, 15.
Fulfilment—"And they came with haste, and
found Mary and Joseph, and the babe, lying in
a manger." Luke: xi, 15.
Prophecy—"The Lord, thy Gtod, will raise up
unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of
thy brethren, like unto me. Unto him ye shall
hearken.'' Deut.: xviii, 15.
Fulfilment—"We have found him of whom
48 Divine Authority of Scriptures.
Moses in the law and prophets did write—Jesus
of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." John: i, 45.
Prophecy—To be born of a virgin: "There¬
fore, the Lord himself shall give yon a sign.
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel." Isa.: vii, 14.
Fulfilment—To a virgin espoused to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary: "And, behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth
a son, and shalt call his name Jesus." Luke: i,
27, 34.
Place of Birth—"But thou Bethlehem Ephrath,
though thou be little among the thousands of
Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me
he that is to be a ruler in Israel," etc. Micah.:
v, 2.
Fulfilment—"And Joseph also went up from
Grallilee, out of the City of David, which is called
Bethlehem," etc. "And she brought forth her
first born son," etc. Luke: xi, 4, 7.
Prophecy of His Death—"He is despised and
rejected of men—a man of sorrows, and ac¬
quainted with grief," etc, Isa.: liii, 3,
Fulfilment-—"He that dippeth his hand with
me in the dish, the same shall betray me."
Matt., xxvi, 23.
He ivas to send the Holy Ghost—" Be glad then,
ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord,
Divine Authority of Scriptures. 49
your Grod; for He hath given yon the former
rain moderately, and He will canse to come down
for you the rain, the former rain and the latter
rain, in the first month." Joel: ii, 23.
Fulfilment—"And when the day of Pentecost
was fully come, they were all with one accord in
one place; and suddenly there came a sound
from heaven of the rushing of mighty wind, and
it filled all the house where they were sitting,"
etc. Acts: ii, 1.
RELATIONS OP THE NEW AND THE OLD TESTAMENT
SCRIPTURES.
From these citations we can only judge of the
close relations of the New and Old Testaments.
These are entirely undeniable. Both are from
God, and both advocate His will. Both are di¬
vine, and both are authoritative. The New Tes¬
tament is more authoritative than the Old, for
here we have the last words of God to man, and
His last acts; also, the fulfilment of the old
prophecies, which latter cannot be denied by any
sane being. In the New Testament we see
Christ's Humanity, and know He was a man
with flesh and blood; but in the Old we have
Christ in the spirit. We feel authorized to re¬
peat these words for the edification of those who
obey His commands: I am with you until the
world shall end.1'
CHAPTER IV.
genuineness of the scriptures.
In attempting to prove the genuineness of the
Scriptures, we shall make a very brief statement.
The Old Testament demands our consideration,
as it comes first of the two sacred volumes. It
is not necessary to go into a careful or particular
examination of every book. Josephus, a Jew¬
ish historian, gives a catalogue of the books of
the Jews. He lived in the days of the Apostles,
and, being also a Jewish scholar, it cannot be
supposed that he was mistaken. He mentions
the five books of Moses; thirteen of the proph¬
ets, etc. This number agrees with those re¬
ceived at the present time.
Dr. Wakefield, says: u This three-fold divis¬
ion of the Jewish Scriptures into the Law, the
Prophets and the Psalms, as mentioned by Jo¬
sephus, was recognized before his times by Jesus
Christ.1' This is proof conclusive that the books
of the Old Testament are genuine. The books
of the Old Testament were translated into
Greek, for the use of the Jews of Alexandria,
about 287 years before the Christian Era. Ref-
Genuineness of the Scriptures. 51
erences are made to the books of the Old Testa¬
ment by the New Testament witers quite fre¬
quently. There are now two copies of 'the
Law of Moses, and one of the Jews and
the Samaritans. They are the same, or the
harmony between them convinces us of the fact
that they are from the same record, originally.
Speaking of how to arrive at a. definite basis of
the genuineness of the Old Testament, Ealston
says: "Would I not first inquire whether these
works had been ever attributed to any other
authors; and, if so, to whom, and by whom,
and under what circumstances? Or, by what
evidences sustained! If there can be no real
proof to the contrary, or if you cannot prove
that other authors produced the works, then I
must hold that the names which are assigned
to them, all else being equal, are the original
authors.''
Many of us have never seen Homer, Xeno-
phon, Caesar or other authors, and yet we admit
they are the real authors of the books bearing
their names. The books, as received by us and
by all theologians, are accepted as the books
of the Old Testament authors.
THE NEW TESTAMENT IS GENUINE.
It cannot be doubted that the books of the
New Testament are genuine, and we shall give
52 Genuineness of the Scriptures.
good evidence to prove that they are true. The
surest way to arrive at a correct conclusion that
any past record is true, is first to inquire of
those who lived in that age (by reference to the
history of that age); for instance, suppose we
wanted to prove that a certain great officer ruled
in the United States in a certain age, the best
way to prove it would be to read the history of
the country, and make inquiries of those who
are descended from the men of his time, and
compare the records of the country referring to
this same person. Thus, we could arrive at an
unerring conclusion of the truth of the matter.
The above being the lines on which we shall
prove our argument, we now proceed.
"We find quotations made by early Christian
authors in the first century, such as Clement,
Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Ireneus,
Theophilus of Antioch, and many others. Here
we have the testimony of a series of Christian
writers who were contemporary with the apos¬
tles, or who indirectly followed them, proceeding
in close and regular succession to the present
time. The proof is most unquestionable, and
cannot be disregarded. Bishop Burnet, in his
history of his own time, inserts various extracts
from Lord Clarendon's history; such is certain
proof that Lord Clarendon's history was extant
when Bishop Burnet wrote; that it had been
Genuineness of the Scriptures. 53
read and received by him as a work of Lord
Clarendon, and that he regarded it as an au¬
thentic account of the transactions to which it
refers." This will be proof of these facts thou¬
sands of years hence.
"In the early catalogues of the Christian
Scriptures, different persons drew up catalogues
of the books of the New Testament. From
these catalogues we learn that the books which
are now acknowledged existed then, and were
regarded as genuine. Origin, in the year 210,
omitted the epistles of James and Jude, but in¬
dorsed them in his later writings. The catalogue
of Cyril of Jerusalem, drawn up in 340; that of
the Council of Laodicea, in 364, and that of
Gregory Nazuanzen, in 375, omit the Revela¬
tion, but contain all the other books. Philos-
trus, Bishop of Brescia, in 380, leaves out
Eevelation and the Epistle to the Hebrews; but
Jerome in 332, Ruffinus in 390, and Augustine
in 382, have all the books of the New Testa¬
ment, as they are acknowledged." Hence, we
conclude that nothing more is needed to prove
that the books are genuine—that they were writ¬
ten by those whose names they bear—and that
they were published at different times, as shown
above.
14The Jews never contradicted the history of
the gospels; hence, by their silence, we have all
54 Genuineness of the Scriptures.
reason to believe they are true. Several learned
men, such as Celsus, Porphyry, and Hirocles,
wrote against Christianity in the second and
third centuries; in those writings they admit
that they were acquainted with the writers of
the New Testament. They show, moreover,
that they believed the •Scriptures were written by
Christ's own disciples; had it been otherwise,
it is probable that they would have made some
contradiction. Frequently did they quote pas¬
sages from the Apostles' writings while they
were aiming to defeat Christianity. It has been
well said that among the evidences in support of
the genuineness and truth of the Scriptures none
are of more value than the testimonies of the
learned philosophers who wrote against Christi¬
anity in its first age and generation.
'' They express no doubt concerning the au¬
thenticity of the Scriptures, nor do they ever in¬
timate that Christians are mistaken in regard to
the authors—whom they describe. They con¬
firm the prevailing sentiment of the Church re¬
specting those books of the New Testament
which are called canonical, for the writings show
that those very books, and not any others, are
the books which Christians then acknowledged
as the rule of their faith, as they now are of ours.''
"We learn from history the books are gen¬
uine. We have just as much right to believe
(reituii/n/esH of the Scriptures. 55
what has been seen in history concerning the
true acts of the Apostles and disciples, as we
have to believe there was a Washington, Caesar,
Polylins, or others whom many of us have never-
seen.
•'We find that the very same doctrine that was
taught and believed in the first century is believed
and taught by Christians now, and the informa¬
tion gained in regard to them from the New
Testament is true. As the Christians began to
multiply, and the churches were planted in the
Roman Empire and various parts of the world,
the Scriptures followed. The four gospels were
in all the churches of the Roman Empire as a
part of their public worship, just as the writing
of Moses was read in the Jewish Synagogues.
"So, as the churches increased, translations
were made into different languages, and thus it
was impossible for the record to be contrary to
itselt. Neither could the Scriptures be changed
by the enemies of the Christians in the lifetime
of the authors, nor could any material alteration
take place after their death, while the original
manuscripts were safe in the churches; when
the Christians, who were instructed by the Apos¬
tles or their successors, traveled in the various
parts of the world, they kept with -them copies
of the Apostles1 writing from which other copies
were made. Now, we have one unbroken chain
56 Genuineness of the Scriptures.
of testimonies of the uncorrupted preservation
of the New Testament which can be traced back
from the fourth century of the Christian Era to
the very time of the Apostles and even down to
this day. That division between the Eastern
and the Western churches—existing even now—
is said to have broken out in the fourth century.
Had it been possible to alter the Scriptures, one
or the other of these churches would have de¬
tected the alteration. Both the Eastern and
Western copies agree; hence no alteration took
place."
When the Church was stirred up from bottom
to top on points of doctrine, the New Testament
was appealed to from time to time by every sect,
as being conclusive in all matters of controversy.
Under such conditions, no sect could make any
change in the Scriptures. And when, in modern
times, any alterations have been attempted or
perpetrated,they have been detected and exposed.
It would not be consistent with reason to suppose
that one church or people would allow a change
in the sacred Scriptures and not make such
known.
Again, in the argument of the manuscripts
we shall prove the Scriptures uncorrupted. At
one time there were upward of three hundred and
fifty copies collected by Griesbaek for his cele¬
brated critical edition. They were not all entire,
Genuineness of the Scriptures. 57
but most of them contained the four gospels,
while some had the Acts of the Apostles, the
Epistles, etc. They were all written at different
times, and all agree in all essential points, as can
be seen in the addition by Mr. Mill, Bengel,
Westeen and Griesback. When history is care¬
fully studied by any one for proof of the truth¬
fulness of the Scriptures, the student will not
doubt their genuineness or authenticity. -
The Scriptures, being written by virtuous,
honest, upright men, could not be otherwise than
true. Their writers sought nothing but knowl¬
edge of the things above, and suffered at the
hands of their enemies—did nothing in return to
harm them or make their lives unhappy. When
chance would allow, they went from one place to
another, preaching the gospel. While that age
was one of excitement, severe punishment and
suffering, they were as bold as lions in the de¬
claration of the blessed Scriptures. In prison,
they were merry—they were patient in tribula¬
tions, joyful under reproach, and cheered them¬
selves in the dark hours of midnight by singing
praises to God. They met death with joy. They
were steadfast, and held on to the Eock of Ages.
And they were good men and had the ability to
write. The evangelist Matthew occupied a lu¬
crative situation when called by Jesus, and was
evidently an opulent man. All the fishermen of
58 Genuineness of the Scriptures.
Grallilee were, at least, in good circumstances.
They had never had any worldly inducements
held out to them.
St. Paul, with his education and talent and en¬
couraging prospects in life, abandoned every
temporal expectation and adopted a course that,
to this world, seemed wretched and hopeless to
the last degree. St. Paul once made a statement
of how they were regarded for their work, as fol¬
lows: "Even unto this present hour we both
hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffed
and hauled; no certain dwelling-place. We are
made as the filth of the world, and are the off¬
scourings of all things unto this day. I Cor.:
iv, 11,13.
It cannot be supposed that these men were
deceivers in their writings. They frequently
mentioned the names and referred to the most
prominent persons of their countries. They were
perfectly honest in their statements. It is certain
that men with the ability of the Apostles would
not suffer as they did for nothing. They were
earnest about what they were doing. To show
that they were men of power with God, and were
in possession of divine knowledge, and supernat¬
ural power, we refer to a few of the miracles per¬
formed, and in view of the multitude; and men
with no extra knowledge of the Deity could work
such, as is acknowledged by friends and foes:
Genuineness of the Scriptures. 59
Christ predicted his death: John: xi, 19-21;
Matt.: xx? 18-19. Died: Mark: xv, 37, 44-45;
John: xix, 33. Christ was buried: John: xix,
41-42. Christ Our Lord was missing from the
tomb: Matt.: xxviii, 6; xiii, 27, 62-66. There
are only three ways in which Christ could be
removed. That the tomb was sealed is certain;
so He must do as He predicted—rise again; or,
by His enemies or by His friends be taken away
Matt.: xxvii, 63. If by His enemies, they could
have contradicted the statement of his resurrec¬
tion by producing the body. This they did not
do. If by His friends, that would not prove
Him, as was predicted, a Savior who would rise;
neither would it do them any good, but would
be proof against them. It was reported that
His friends stole the body away. But when the
statements were examined they were proved
false, for the place was guarded, and the disci¬
ples had not courage to steal Him from the
watchmen; when the time came for examina¬
tion, Peter denied Him ; not one attended Him
in the judgment hall, nor when He was cruci¬
fied ; the only persons that stood near were His
mother and the two other women, with John:
John: xix, 25-26. So there is no ground to
suppose that they stole him away. Nor can we
believe that the sixty guards in the open air all
fell asleep at once.
60 Genuineness of the Scriptures.
If asleep, they could not tell who stole Him
away; all they could say was that the tomb was
vacated. It was certain death for a Roman
soldier to sleep on guard, as we are told; so,
had they been asleep they would not have vol¬
untarily confessed it; and if their report had
been believed, the ruler would have punished
them. This he did not do: Matt.: xxviii,
12-15. Christ stated: "In three days I will
rise again." Christ appeared several times after
burial; He rose: John: x, 17-18. After his
death he appeared to Paul and John on Patmos
(I. Cor.: xv, ,5-9; Acts: xix, 5; Eev.: i, 9-18),
at different times of the day, and once to about
five hundred persons.
From these facts we conclude that the men
who wrote the Scriptures were honest, and had
the knowledge to write. That they had such
knowledge will be seen when we examine the
following: " The Holy Grhost, by the mouth of
Daniel, spake." Acts: i, 16; Acts: xxviii, 25;
II. Peter: i, 21. See the miracles which were
publicly wrought, and it was acknowledged by
the world that they were real. I. Peter: i, 16-18.
Again, " While Peter spake, the Holy Grhost
fell on them."
The statements of the apostles were backed
up by facts. All along, Clement, Bishop of
Rome, a contemporary with the apostles, tells
Genuineness of the Scriptures. 61
us that they preached the gospel, being filled
with the Holy Grhost. Other eminent scholars
make the' same statement as that of those whose
names we have given, in regard to the apostles
being filled with the Holy Grhost. Jnst as it
was predicted by the prophets, it was fulfilled
by Christ and His apostles and the disciples.
CHAPTER Y.
theology—attributes of god.
We have shown in the work of nature the char¬
acter of the all-wise, almighty, omnipresent,
living and Supreme Being. We shall now turn
to view His exalted character, as revealed in
Scripture. In theology we learn that there are
twelve or more attributes, consisting of: Unity,
spirituality, eternity, omniscience, wisdom, om¬
nipotence, omnipresence, immutability, holiness,
truth, goodness and mercy.
Some theologians give even more attributes
than we have mentioned; but from these alone
we can prove that the First Great Cause is power¬
ful and all-wise, or fills immensity, or is every¬
where eternal, and that He is of the highest and
noblest character.
unity.
Unity stands first among His natural attri¬
butes ; it shows that there is but one God. Phil¬
osophy says that two gods, or numbers of gods,
with the same ruling power could not exist in
the same space at the same time, because if they
The Attributes of God.
63
were different their rules would be different in
giving orders. Hence, almost in a moment of
time this world, with others, would be smashed.
They would run in conflict one with another.
If they were all alike in all things they would
be one; hence, we have one sun, one principle
of gravitation, etc. The universe itself is a
system, each part depending on other parts or
being connected with other parts by some law
of nature, or by the presence of substances. Mr.
Paley says the heat of the sun differs not from
that of the fire. The blood of one animal, as
proven by experience, will answer for that of
another. Can there be but one God? The One
who made one horse made all. He who rules
the heavens rules the earth; as there must be
cause before effect, the great cause is God. But
here let us see what the Scripture says about
unity, or that there is but one God. God is
One: Deut.: iv, 35-6, 42; Sam.: vii, 22;
II Kings: xix, 15; John: xvii, 3; I Cor.: viii,
4-6; James: ii, 19; I Tim.: i, 17.
God is a Spirit.
SPIRITUALITY.
That God is a Spirit, no one will doubt after
a thorough investigation of Scriptural facts; if
the Scriptures did not prove that God is a Spirit,
we should judge that He must be, from the fact
64 The Attributes of God.
that, as Paley states: " Spirituality expresses
an idea made up of negative and positive parts;
the negative part consists in the exclusion of
some of the known properties of matter, espe¬
cially of solidity, inertia, divisibility and gravita¬
tion. The positive part comprises perceptive
thought, will power and action, or the origina¬
tion of motion; the quality, perhaps^ in which
resides the essential superiority of the spirit over
matter—which cannot move unless it be moved,
and cannot but move when impelled."
Feeling that no one will doubt Dr. Paley's
statement, as it seems as plain as can be, we
shall proceed to the Scriptures, and prove that
Grod is a Spirit, which shows that the positive
part of Dr. Paley's statement is right: II Cor.:
iii, 17: "Now the Lord is a Spirit," and
"where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is power."
Our Savior says, Grod is a Spirit. There being
a positive part in the spirit, it seems that the
spirit is that part that must precede matter, from
the fact that it is the highest and has control of
matter. Without it matter would be nothing-,
the spirit is the first cause of the present' and
past. Hence, the Scripture and nature agree as
to the spirituality of God.
ETEBNITY.
By eternity of Grod is meant that Grod had no
The Attributes of God.
65
beginning, and that He will have no end. All
things were made by Him, and without Him
there was nothing made. The eternity of God
is proved by His creation. If it be admitted
that God created all things, it must be admitted
that He existed before all things began to exist,
in order to create them. It is necessary for Him
to exist from all eternity.
There was no cause, or force to operate upon
Him, to bring Him into existence. He must
have necessarily existed from all eternity. The
Scriptures agree as to the eternity of God; Deut. :
xxxiii, 27, says: "The eternal God is thy ref¬
uge;" Psa.: c, 5, "His mercy is everlasting;"
Rev.: i, 4, "Which was and which is to come;"
Rev.: i, 8, "I am alpha and omega, the begin¬
ning and the ending.''
OMNISCIENCE.
That the Creator must know all things, their
constitution and properties, is plainly seen to be
essential to the first great cause; a being who
governs a system of flying worlds, could not
control them in different places, without a
knowledge of them. Things would occur in
space that he would never have any knowl¬
edge of, were he not all-wise—having made them
and known their construction. The wisdom of
(Jod as testified in the work of creation surpasses
Sin ^
66
The Attributes of God.
all ideas we have of wisdom drawn from the
highest intellectual operation of the highest class
of intelligent being.
The Scriptures, as well as nature, prove the
knowledge of Grod. Job: xxxiv, 21-22; xxxvii:
16; II Cor.: xvii, 19; I John: iii, 2. Here, as in
previous chapters, agreeing with nature, and
showing Glod's wisdom or knowledge is bound¬
less. If this was not a fact He could not know,
at the same time in different places, how to rule,
uphold and control the sun, moons, oceans, fish,
man, lightning, ants, etc., and the past, future
or present acts or events that have taken place.
No one could possibly doubt the wisdoto of Glod
being far beyond all His handiwork, from the
fact He that makes or creates must know more
than the created.
WISDOM.
Wisdom is an attribute of God, and differs
from knowledge. Knowledge is simply the ap¬
prehension of things as they are, while wisdom
arranges ideas into proper order. One may have
wisdom and not knowledge in the strict appre¬
hension of the term, but one cannot have
knowledge without having wisdom. Wisdom is
the foundation; knowledge means to know of
things. Wisdom arranges knowledge. The
strict observer of the Scriptures is compelled to
The Attributes of God.
67
see that almost everywhere in Holy Writ this
attribute exists. See Job: xii, 13, " With Him
is wisdom and strength;" Job: xxxvi, 5, "He
is mighty in strength and wisdom;" "The only
wise God," Tim.: i, 17. Again, that God pos¬
sesses the attribute of wisdom is exhibited in
His works. The beautiful creation and adapta¬
tion of things convinces one of this fact.
OMNIPOTENCE.
This attribute means the power of God and
more; it means all power. The works of God
demonstrate this fact. Who can, to- a reason¬
able extent, examine the works of nature (a
system of flying worlds, suns, moons and stars),
and suppose that they could have of themselves
existed^ The doctrine of self-creation, or a
thing making itself, is absurd to start with;
cause and effect, explained elsewhere, contradict
such assertion. " Behold, He taketh away; who
can hinder himV' Job: ix, 12. Who can hin¬
der Him who framed and from nothing made
all things? Who will say unto Him, what
doest Thou? He is called the "Almighty."
Rev.: 8. " He alone spreadeth out the heavens
and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. He
maketli Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades, and the
chambers of the south. He doeth great things
68
The Attributes of God.
past finding out; yea, wonders without num¬
ber." Job: ix, 8.
" He stretches out the north over the empty
places, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
He bindeth up the waters in the thick clouds,
and the cloud is not rent under them. He hath
compassed the waters with bounds, until the
day and night come to an end." Job: xxvi, 7-
10. Glod controls all things with perfect ease.
He says to the ocean, hitherto shalt thou come,
but no farther; and here shall thy proud waves
be stayed."
'' Who hath measured the waters in the hol¬
low of His' hand, and meted out the heaven with
a span." Isaiah: xl, 12. " He measured the
earth; the everlasting mountains were scat¬
tered." Hab.: iii, 6. All nations before Him
are as nothing. He spared not the angels that
sinned. He maketh His angels spirits. The
Scriptures, with what has been said, prove the
omnipotence of Grod.
The strict conclusion is that power which
could create such a world as this, must be be¬
yond all comparison. This great First Cause is
exalted in the highest, from the fact that He is
the maker of all things. Being the maker of all
things, it follows that He is the keeper, up¬
holder, with His power. That He is infinite is
plain, from the fact that in all places, He is at
The Attributes of God.
69
all times. He changes the seasons and time at
His will. Again, His existence from all eternity
is necessary to pat things in existence. Just
how long this Cause was alone without the pres¬
ence of matter, we are unable to say. This, as
well as others, comes under the head of His
natural attributes. In conclusion, all we can
say is, His power is boundless and everlasting.
OMNIPRESENCE.
This attribute exhibits everywhere the pres¬
ence of (lod; or in other words, there is no place
in the universe, in space above, or beneath,
where (lod does not exist—where the fullest
demonstration of His power has not been made.
The absolute necessity of the existence of being
imiy be seen in the examination of the following
statement: He is eternal, all-wise, almighty, all-
good, etc. Now, how can we deny the omnipo¬
tence? Since (-rod's presence is everywhere He
needs to know all things everywhere; to uphold
all things and control all things.
There is an absolute necessity for the existence
of (lod everywhere, to preserve the harmony of
creation. The Scriptures further assert the
omnipresence of (lod. 1'Behold, the heaven and
the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee," 1
Kings: viii, 27. "The heaven of heavens are not
sufficient to contain the Lord, who goes beyond
70
The Attributes of God.
them. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, or
whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I
ascend up to heaven, thou art there; if I make
my bed in hell, behold thou art there; if I take
the wings of the morn and dwell in the utter¬
most parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand
lead me." Psa.: xxxix, 1-10.
Grod is not far from every one of us; in Grod
we live and move and have our being. These
passages prove that Grod is everywhere. The
existence of the same law and power everywhere
suggests the presence of Grod everywhere. Re¬
cognizing the existence of the Deity, we ask, in
what kingdom in nature, in what corner of space
is there anything that can be examined by us
without falling upon contrivance and design?
The laws of nature are universal. "Were Grod
not everywhere, how could He hold matter in
space, in every direction, all the time, and in
different places? "He who upholds all things
by His power, may be said to be everywhere."
IMMUTABILITY.
The immutability of Grod means unchangeable-
ness of God; that Grod always was and always
will be. The Scriptures reveal this fact. "I am
the Lord; I change not," Mat.: iii, 6. "Father
of Lights, in whom there is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning," James: i, 17. "But
The Attributes oj Gocl.
71
thou art the same, and thy years shall have no
end." Ps. cii, 27. "But thou art the same, and
thy years shall not fail," Heb.: i, 12. The im¬
mutability or unchangeableness of Grod is taught
in the Scriptures. Grod is the same to-day and
ever will be.
In order to keep and guide this and other
worlds, it is necessary for Grod to be unchange¬
able. It shows the perfectness of His character.
There is no increase in His perfection; as a just
being, He always was, and always will be. The
uniformity of the laws that control all shows
this fact. The same laws that control this world
to-day existed yesterday and thousands of years
gone by. And there is seen no new law. All
stands. The law of moral government exhibits
this fact. The same laws that were given to
our fathers are given to us; what they were
commanded to do, we are commanded to do.
The violation of these laws calls forth a
strong rebuke from Grod upon us, as it did upon
Adam, David and others. Dr. Wakefield says:
uWe must not interpret the immutability of Grod
so as to admit of no change in His operation."
HOLINESS.
Perfect moral purity means the holiness of
(rod. It is that principle that despises evil and
loves righteousness; it means the absence of
The Attributes of God.
immoral principles. The Scriptures teach that
God is holy: Lev.: xix, 2: " Be ye holy, for
I am holy.'' Isaiah: Vi, 3: "And one cried unto
the other and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
of Hosts.'' Here the Lord is called i 1 holy, holy,
holy." Man, in the beginning, was made like
his God, morally; he was perfect in spirit and
in mind, for God breathed into him the breath
of life. This life was nothing less than a part
of God, the holy being. Rev.: iv, 8: "Saying
holy, holy, holy—legontes, agios, agios, agios.
The holiness of God may be argued from His
strict justice; it is manifested in the exercise of
Godrs works; His abhorrence of sin and love
for obedience suggest this fact. As soon as man
violated the Divine law he was thrust from Him
(in the garden), and when angels violated the
law of God they fell, or they were expelled:
'1 For God spared not the angels of heaven when
they lost their first estate.11 After man, through
his own ignorance, lost the Divine image, God
restored man by His suffering; for us He gave
Himself, that we might live and have everlasting
life. Thus, when holiness was lost, the Lord
restored it in this world again. And so, we con¬
clude that the Lord is holy indeed.
TRUTH.
This attribute of God exhibits the perfect rec¬
titude of God. It expels all doubt as to His
The Attributes of God.
73
veracity, perfectness, etc. "We virtually say,"
says Wakefield, "that all His communications
to us are in exact accordance with the real nature
of things." The Scriptures set forth the fact of
the truth of (Tod. "All his works are done in
truth." Psa.: xxxiii, 4. "My covenant will I
not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out
of my lips." Psa.: lxxxix, 34.
The truth of God is here exhibited; what do
these expressions mean? What can they mean
but the fact of the truth of God! Num.: xxiii,
19 says: "God is not a man, that he should lie."
There is no cause for it; He cannot do it; His
perfection excludes it. Can we think that such
a being, possessing such lofty character as is
illustrated in previous pages, would lie to Him¬
self ? What possible cause can there be for such
action? If there is any truth attached to the
Scriptures, then God is truth, for the Scriptures
plainly exhibit that fact. The declarations of'
God are in strict conformity with His work.
That the wicked shall be cut off, punished and
shall not stand, are truths that need no argu¬
ment. We have an example of God's truth in
the prophecy as to the fall of Jerusalem and
other cities and nations of antiquity. "Unto us
a Son is born;" reference here is made to Christ.
Seven hundred years passed after this predic¬
tion, and then it came to pass. Expressions
74
The Attributes of God.
relating to the Church, and many things, have
come true; and the promises of blessings to men
have been fulfilled, also the threats.
We find in man a disposition to love the truth.
This disposition could only exist by and from a
pre-existing cause. Things can only move as they
are moved by that which is spiritual and ma¬
terial. Material operates as it is acted upon, by
an invisible force. So with a disposition to love
the truth, this disposition comes as it is acted
upon from Grod. There is danger, great danger,
in non-truth. Thousands suffer to-day from the
effect of lies. Were they encouraged, they
would shipwreck man, the world, and even affect
Glod, and do away with His perfectness, love,
peace, goodness and all that is grand.
GOODNESS.
In this Divine attribute we shall see, and
strive to show, the harmony that exists between
nature and Scripture, as to the existence of Grod
and His goodness. In nature we have already
shown that there is a Grod, from the fact that
there must be a designer before there can be a
design, an effect following a cause. The first
cause of this world with others could be no
being but the all-wise, infinite, goodness—Grod.
Therefore, in proving that Glod is good, it is
necessary that He existed, as stated by the
The Attributes of God.
75
Scripture. This brings nature and the Script¬
ure in harmony. See Acts: xvii, 24; Rom.: i,
20; Gen.: i, 1. These references, with cause
and effect as shown elsewhere, cannot but help
to show the existence of God. As to His good¬
ness, only a few references shall be made to na¬
ture and the Scriptures, leaving the subject
to others for consideration. That God is good,
is plainly taught in the following: God being
the First Cause, it follows that in making all
things, everything was good. All that we see
around us exists in harmony. The clouds give
us water; the earth, food; the birds, music—
enough to make us conclude that the character
of the Creator is good. When we see the frisky
lambs leaping; singing birds; shouting men;
when the many good things of life begin to
pour upon us, from time to time, all these show
benevolence, peace and harmony.
It makes us exclaim, in the language of the
Scripture, " Give thanks unto the Lord, for He
is good; for His mercy endureth forever." As
to the character of God in the Scriptures, and
the certainty that He is good, we have only to
refer to Exod.: xxxiv, 5, 6, 7; Psalms: xxxiii,
5; Psalms: cxviii, 1; Rev.: xv, 4; Psalms:
xxxiv, 8; I Chron.: xvii, 26; xvi, 34. 0 give
thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His
mercy endureth forever. The many references
76
The Attributes of God.
in Scripture and in nature will convince any
rational mind that the Lord Clod is good. Evi¬
dence that Grod is good must be acknowledged,
for He is the First Cause and Maker of all
things. As there are things that are good, we
are led to infer that they could not possess this
quality outside of the assistence of the First
Cause, which is good. All that is good comes
from G-od, and is of Grod. Millions of good
things were made for exhibition long before the
morning stars sang together, and the sons of
Grod shouted for joy. In the formation of this
world of ours, cannot we discover the goodness
in Deity, when He made the sun, with its spark¬
ling rays, to light upon the mountains, valleys
and plains! And does not the light of the sun
help to bring forth vegetables, which we part
live upon, directly or indirectly? The reply
from every healthy, well-balanced mind, is that
this shows that even before man began to exist,
the Deity made a display of His goodness.
The towering hills, the running brooks, and
the music that is thrown forth upon the winds
of heaven by the feathered tribes of birds in
warbling those sweet and loving tunes which fill
men with delight, make us decide that in the
beginning the First Cause was good, and is now,
and will be forever; for a good many things
were brought into existence when the Deity first
The Attributes of God.
77
began to work. It is an act of God's goodness
to send the seasons and the rains to water the
fields and the stock. In these acts we are com¬
pelled to acknowledge the goodness of God;
He feeds the cattle on a thousand hills, and the
sheep of the valley that give us wool. And this
is the good ness of God to men.
The fish of the seas are fed with different
kinds of food that is prepared by the hand of
God; if they were made without legs, wings,
eyes and mouths, so that they would have to
suffer for food and die, then we would claim
that God, at the beginning, ought to have made
some provision for the support of them, His
handiwork; and inasmuch as He made th&m
and arranged no food for them to eat, God
would be'unjust; but to the contrary we must
decide. Upon the goodness of God, Wakefield
remarks that "when He confers happiness with¬
out merit, it is called grace; when in commiser¬
ation of the distressed, it is called pity; when it
supplies the indigent, it is bounty; and when it
pardons the guilty it is mercy.'' If these sayings
are true, then thousands, yea, millions are com¬
pelled to acknowledge the goodness of God. AVe
have done nothing for God, and yet we are
en joying His blessings. Is it not God's water
that we drink? God's pure air we inhale? God's
sun gives the light which we call day. God's
78 The Attributes of God.
moon shines out at night. When it is hot, and
we are about to faint by the wayside, God makes
it tolerable, and gives humanity strength and
sense to leave the place where we cannot exist
and flee to another. All of this is the goodness
of God; but here when we turn to behold that
God is good, we find ourselves in natures's field
with no boundary lines; in a world of goodness.
Hence we conclude that in all nature's works,
the Lord is seen to be good.
How often do we violate the moral laws of the
Deity? and how often, as offenders, are we par¬
doned? Suppose, every time a being violated
the laws of God, in nature and otherwise, he
were cut off, how many would be living to-day?
Is this not the goodness of God that stays the
hand of death, and props the houses of clay, and
makes judgment yet an unknown thing to us?
MERCY.
We shall here review the evidences in nature
that God is merciful to all creatures. This
is plain, in view of the fact that we too
frequently violate the laws. "When God's
goodness pardons the guilty," says Wake¬
field, "it is mercy"; therefore, if this is true,
the Lord is merciful, and there are evidences in
nature to prove it. A large number of us are
guilty of breaking the laws of nature; conse-
The Attributes of God.
79
quently, we would all be cut off at once were it
not for the mercifulness of Grod. A railway
train is designed to run a certain number of
miles per hour. If the speed be unduly accele¬
rated, this is contrary to the design, according
to which the machinery was constructed. Now,
seeing that the whole crew, or a part of them,
are guilty of making it go faster than it was de¬
signed to go by the constructor, it follows that
it must, with no exception to the rule, run at
once- to destruction. Why does not this occur
every time1? Because the Lord is merciful. That
He pardons is equally true, for all works against
the object are at times removed to return no
more; thus, when a man wounds a limb, he is
guilty of violating nature's laws; and when the
limb is restored, it is the mercy of the Lord that
has made it whole. It appears that no restor¬
ation could take place, unless a penalty had been
suffered and a pardon granted. Grod forgives.
If He did not forgive, the work would continue
against the person who violated the laws of na¬
ture. If the Lord did not forgive, He would
not be merciful towards His subjects, because
forgiveness follows mercy. That the Lord is
merciful, is plain: Psalms: cxxxvi, 1, 26: k' 0
give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for
His mercy endureth forever.'1 Psalms: cxviii,
1, 4.
80
The Attributes of God.
BENEVOLENCE OF GOD.
The evidence of the benevolence of Grod will
be shown in the following: It cannot be denied
that God is benevolent, by those who admit His
goodness. It is because of benevolence in Grod that
He provides for all His creatures. Take what
He has made, and in their habits and customs of
living, a great difference exists. What some
live on, is destroying to others. For instance,
take ourselves, and we cannot live upon the
same food that beasts can; yet our difference in
food to live upon is provided for by Grod. Suppose
that we were made without feet, eyes, etc., and
expected to see and work for our living, and had
to eat what all other beings eat, would this not
show that our Maker is unjust, and has no part
of benevolence in Him? Indeed, it would.
What is essential to our happy and comfortable
existence, the First Cause has provided.
He provides, and we eat, drink, wear and re¬
joice in the many good things of life. When
the air is heavy with a poisonous composition,
He makes the winds to carry it away. Every¬
thing that exists makes plain the benevolence of
Grod. The frisking of the lamb shows that he
is glad of his existence. The bee is happy when
food is placed in its reach, as he hides in the
flowers of the sweet spring morning. There is
The Attributes of God. 81
no end to G-od's benevolence. The supply is in¬
exhaustible. It reaches every needy case-, ex¬
tends to the highest astronomical heights, and
to the lowest geological depths. There is a
steady stream of His goodness continually pour¬
ing out in our presence. Such is the benevo¬
lence of (rod.
JUSTICE.
That (lod is just all must acknowledge, for
He is the first cause, and being the first cause,
justice could not exist in his handiwork unless
it proceeded from the first cause. It can be
seen in men; some naturally are inclined to act
justly by their fellow-men. Hence, we infer
that (lod is just; first, because He is good, and
His handiwork could not have that quality un¬
less it proceeded from the first cause, as it is the
Spirit in men that prompts the act of justice.
(Tod having made all things, should control
them; to do this He must have a rule, even in
the work of nature in its various kingdoms, to
govern them intelligently, by enforcing these
laws; He waters the plants and cattle and feath¬
ered kind, and furnishes the necessary supplies
to all His creatures. Men, the most intelligent,
have discovered a law for the government of
nature; and obedience to nature's laws makes
lis happy, while kkthe way of the transgressor is
*! —l' T
82 The Attributes of God.
made hard." Thus, justice must come from the
Creator, for nothing could exist without Him,
and now if there is any justice found among
Grod's creatures, it came from Him. If Grod is
just, it follows that He must reward the obedient
and allow the wicked to be punished. If He
did not reward the obedient, it appears that the
Lord would not be just; and on the other hand,
if He did not punish the law-breaker, He would
not be just. What nation or race of people
could live lovingly without laws? And how
much worse would it be to have laws and not
enforce them! It would be better to have no
law than to have one and not execute it. This
cannot be done without God; He must govern
His handiwork and control by the enforcement
of the law—by rewards and punishments.
That Grod is just no one can justly deny. It
is proven in the display of His work in the moral
world. Justice, like truth, is only one form in
which the holiness of Grod is manifested. The
Divine justice may be viewed as either legislative
or judicial. 1 i Legislative justice,7' says Ralston,
'' prescribes what is right and prohibits what is
wrong." Judicial justice relates to the applica¬
tion of law to human conduct. It may be re¬
munerative, conferring a proper reward upon
the obedient; or vindicative, inflicting due pun¬
ishment on the disobedient. It must be remem-
The Attributes of God. 83
bered that the reward which God confers on the
righteous is not of debt, but of grace. We are
to be rewarded, not for our work, but according
to our work.
CHAPTEK VI.
cheistology.
No subject stands out to-day before the world
that is more worthy of consideration than the
one now before us.
The divinity of Christ, from the first dawn of
the Christian Era, has occupied considerable
space in the theological world; so much so that
those of years gone by have handed their
different'views down to the present. Indeed,
there were held at a very early date, contrary
views as to the divinity of Christ. Some
claimed that He was divine by being Grod, in the
true sense of the word; others claimed that He
was mere man. This was the opinion of Soci-
nius. His views may be plainly set forth in the
following remarks:
" The Socinian idea of the person of Christ,
is that Christ is the First and most exalted of
creatures—having been produced in a peculiar
manner, and endowed with great perfection;
that through Christ the Lord made the whole
world; that Christ alone proceeded immediately
Christology.
85
from Grod, while other things were produced im¬
mediately by Him, and that all things were put
under Christ's administration."
THE ARIAN THEORY.
"As we have just stated, the Arian theory or
idea is nearly the same as the Socinian idea.
The semi-Arians differed from the Arians, but
still differ from the orthodox in refusing to ad¬
mit that the Son was of the same substance
with the Father; but they acknowledged Him
to be of like substance with the Father. It was
only in appearance, however, that they came
nearer to the truth than the Arians themselves,
for they contended that this likeness to the
Father in essence was not by nature, but by a
peculiar privilege in their system; therefore,
Christ was but a creature."
ORTHODOX IDEA OF CHRIST.
The orthodox idea concerning the person of
Christ is that Christ was both Grod and man;
two whole and perfect natures united and formed
one Divine person. That He was Grod, is de¬
clared in the sacred Scriptures: uIn the begin¬
ning was the Word and the Word was Grod, and
the same was in the beginning, etc., and the
Word was made flesh and dwelt among men,"
etc. Here it can be seen that He was Grod, from
86 Chris tology.
the fact that He was in the beginning; hence, if
the same was in the beginning, He must be God.
He says, "I and my father are one." It is a
fact that He is God, if He and the Father are
one.
He that knoweth me or hath seen me hath
seen the Father. The Old Testament as well as
the New, is pregnant with references touching
the proof that Christ is God. That he was man,
is a fact that no sane man can possibly get
around; to do this justly, we would have to do
away with the doctrine of the Bible touching his
Divinity. He was man, from the fact that he
hungered, walked, talked, slept and suffered;
that he was the same that the prophets referred
to in their prophecies is plain, when we under¬
stand Isaiah to say, "He is the wonderful coun-
cellor," etc. John said: "Behold the Lamb of
God."
UNION OF NATUBES.
That two natures were united in one, is shown
in the council of Chalcedon, in the fifth century;
"in one person two natures have united;" this
agrees with the Athenian creed, and the Church
of England, for her second article reads as fol¬
lows: "The Son, which is the Word of the
Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father,
the very and eternal God, of one substance with
the Father, took man's nature in the womb of
Christology.
87
the blessed Virgin, of her substance, so that two
whole and perfect natures, Grodhood and Man¬
hood, were joined together in one person never
to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God,
and very Man," whatever may be thought to
the contrary, has not been, and we believe, can¬
not be proved. Admitting the above to be true,
we can see how He purchased us with his own
blood, but if it is denied, we cannot see how He
could have purchased us with His own blood.
Again the union is indicated in the following
Scripture: "Who, being the brightness of His
glory, and the express image of His person, and
upholding all things by the word of His power,
when He had by himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high." Heb.: i, 3.
"To this passage," says Wakefield, "the hypo-
statical union is the only key." "That these
two natures were united in one, is plain, when
we understand that they did not remain here
together, but continued together, arose and
ascended. The apostles often referred to the
Master as one Lord, while referring to these two
perfect natures. If the Divine nature in Him
hiid been imperfect, it would have lost its essen¬
tial properties, for it is essential to Deity to be
perfect."
The attributes, titles, works and honors as-
88
Christology.
cribed to Christ set forth the fact that he is
Grod.
The word Jehovah, when and wherever used,
means an exalted character. This word is often
used in reference to Christ: '' The voice of him
that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the
way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a
highway for our Grod." Isaiah:xl, 3. The word
"Lord77 in Hebrew is " Jehovah." All this
means or refers to Christ.
We read Matthew, iii, 3: "For this is He that
was spoken of by the prophet Es.aias, saying,
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Pre¬
pare ye the way of the Lord, make his path
straight."
Christ is said to have been tempted by some
who were in the wilderness: "Neither let us
tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted and
were destroyed of serpents." I Cor.: x, 9.
The highest titles ever used by the Jews are
used by the writers of the New Testament in
reference to Christ.
This proves him Grod.
He is referred to as the Lord of Grlory:
"Which none of the princes of this world
knew, for had they known it they would not
have crucified the Lord of Grlory." I Cor.: ii, 8.
Christ is here called the Lord of Grlory; there¬
fore he is Grod.
Christology.
89
Creation is ascribed to Christ. In John: i,
1-4: u In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God. All
things were made by Him; and without Him
was not anything made that was made. In him
was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness ; and the dark¬
ness comprehended it not."
Coll.: i, 15-17 we read thus: "Who is the
image of the invisible (rod, the first-born of
every creature? For by him were all things
cheated, that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or pow¬
ers: all things were created by Him, and for
Him."
Creation is here ascribed to Christ, which
shows that Christ made all things; therefore,
Christ is God, as He must exist before all things,
so as to create or make all things.
Aside from having created all things, as the
previous passages show, Christ keeps all things,
or in other words, He'preserves all things.
Coll.: i, 17 says: kkBy Him all things con¬
sist." We need not say that this is the work
of God, and yet it is the work of Christ; this
being a fact, Christ must be God, and therefore
Divine.
90
Clwistology.
Paul, in his letter to the Hebrews (i, 13),
says:
" Who being the brightness of His glory, and
the express image of His person, and upholding
all things by the word of His power, when He
had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the
right hand of the Majesty on high; being made
so much better than the angels, as He hath by
inheritance obtained a more excellent name than
they. For unto which of the angels said He at
any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I
begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a
Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And
again, when He bringeth in the first begotten
into the world, He saith, And let all the angels
of Grod worship Him. And of the angels He
saith, Who maketh His angels spirits and His
ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son He
saith, Thy throne, 0 Grod, is forever and ever;
a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy
kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and
hated iniquity: therefore Grod, even thy Grod,
hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above
thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the begin¬
ning, hast laid the foundation of the earth; and
the heavens are the works of thine hands. They
shall perish, but thou remainest: and they all
shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a
vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall
Christology.
91
be changed; but thou art the same, and thy
years shall not fail."
Christ does not uphold and preserve all things
only, but he also pardons or forgives.
This principle in the nature of Christ comes
before us with much earnestness, and he who
reads the Scriptures and fails to appreciate this
fact, fails in his attempt to understand the true
meaning of the Scriptures.
Examine these lines: "But that ye may
know that the Son of Man hath power on earth
to forgive sins: then saith He to the sick of the
palsy, Arise, take up thy bed and go unto thine
house." Matt.: ix, 6.
The question may be asked: Did he rise up
and walk? "And he arose and departed to his
house." Matt.: ix, 7.
MIEACLES.
It is true that miracles have been performed
by others, but not without the power of Grod.
Christ wrought miracles by His own power.
He raised the dead; opened the eyes of the
blind. He spoke and the winds obeyed Him,
and the waves of the sea became calmed.
JUDGMENT.
It is said that Christ shall judge the world,
and as no one should attempt such but God,
92
Christology.
then Jesus must be God. See Romans: xiv, 10-
11: "For we shall all stand before the judg¬
ment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live,
saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and
every tongue shall confess to God." Phil.: ii,
9-11: "Wherefore God also hath highly ex¬
alted Him, and given Him a name which is
above every name; that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth; and
that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
II Tim.: iv, 1: "I charge thee therefore before
God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge
the quick and the dead at His appearing and His
kingdom." John: v7 22: "For the Father
judgeth no man, but hath committed all judg¬
ment unto the Son." Matt.: xxv, 31, etc.:
" When the son of man shall come in his glory
and all the angels with him."
There is another very important feature bear¬
ing upon this subject, and that is divine worship.
It has been said, and generally understood as
a fact, that God is the only object of divine
worship. This being a fact,.if Christ is to be
worshiped as no one else is to be, then Christ
must be God.
The fact of Christ being the only object of
divine worship, may be seen in these passages.
Christology.
93
Read Luke: xxiv, 51-52: i 'And it came to pass
while he blessed them, He was parted from
them, and carried up into heaven. And they
worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem
with great joy." Acts: i, 24: "And they
prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest
the hearts of all men; shew whether of these
two thou hast chosen." Acts: vii, 59-60:
And they stoned Stephen, "calling upon God,"
and saying, uLord Jesus, receive my spirit. And
he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice,
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when
he had said this, he fell asleep." II Cor.: xii,
8-9: u For this thing I besought the Lord thrice,
that it might depart from me. And He said
unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for My
strength is made perfect in weakness. Most
gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in
mine infirmities, that the power of Christ may
rest upon me." II Thess.: ii, 16-17: "Now,
our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and G-od, even
our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given
us everlasting consolation and good hope through
grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in
every good word and work.'' I Cor.: i, 2: u Unto
the Church of (Tod, which is at Corinth, to
them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called
to be saints, with all that in every place call upon
the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs
94
Christology.
and ours." Heb.: i, 6: "And again, when He
bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, He
saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him."
Bev.: vj 11-13: "And I beheld, and I heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne,
and the beasts, and the elders; and the number
of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud
voice, Worthy is the Lamb that ivas slain to re¬
ceive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every
creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and
all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing,
and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb,
forever and ever."
Again, the same attributes ascribed to Grod
are ascribed to Jesus Christ. Eternity is one of
the attributes ascribed to Grod, and the same is
ascribed to Christ.
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which
was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
Bev.: i, 8. This shows that Christ had no
beginning, therefore he can have no end, and
must be the eternal God, since no one can be
eternal but Grod.
All power has been given into his hands; says
Christology.
95
Christ, "All power is given unto me," etc. All
things are known unto him from the beginning.
OMNIPRESENCE.
This attribute is ascribed to Grod, also ascribed
to Christ. "And lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the world." Matt.: xxviii, 20.
The original reads, "unto the end of alway,
eternally.'7
Indeed, the fact is plain that Christ is present
everywhere, if he remains with his followers
always. Eternity has no end, therefore Christ
can have no end and must be Grod.
WISDOM.
Wisdom is an attribute that is ascribed to
Grod; and the same attribute is ascribed to
Christ, "In whom are hid all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge." Coll.: ii, 3.
• HOLINESS.
This is one of the characteristic points of
Christ. He is holy, as will be seen: "I know
thee who thou art, the Holy One of G-od."
Mark: i, 24.
JUSTICE.
Justice is an attribute of Grod, also of Christ.
"And the Grod of our fathers hath chosen thee,
that thou shouldst know His will, and see that
Just One." Acts: xxii, 14.
96
Christology.
truth'.
Another attribute of Christ is Truth. "And
Jesus said unto them I am the way, and the
truth, and the life." St. John: xiv, 6.
goodness.
Groodness is ascribed to Christ, see Acts: x,
38. How Grod anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Grhost and with power, who went
about doing good, and healing all that were op¬
pressed of the devilj for Glod was with him.
And we are witnesses of all things which he did,
both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem;
whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him
Glod raised up the third day, and shewed him
openly."
CHAPTER VII.
pneumatology.
As the sun stands out in the heavens amid fly¬
ing worlds, so does the Holy Spirit stand out to
those who examine the works of God.
Worthy, indeed, is He of our consideration,
when we remember that He is not only sent
from Grod, but is of the Father, and the same in
substance.
If men see cause to write, view and review
the effects of the First Cause of all things as
they appear—surely, if they are attractive, and
around them cluster food for deep consideration
—then it is clearly seen that a careful examina¬
tion of the First Cause is not and cannot be out
of place.
It is just as much necessary to study Him,
if we would form correct ideas of His creative
power, as it is to study the writings of Moses
to get an exact conception of the true historical
value of the history of the Jews.
He who omits Moses, in the writing up of
SiK 7- c T
98
Pneumatology.
Jewish, history, omits the leading spirit of their
deliverance.
The writer may write -many books, and he
may stir the world from center to circumference,
yet all is defective, imperfect on all sides and in
every direction, and will remain so, until the
faithfulness of the Great Leader is placed on
record, and handed downward to generations
yet unborn.
In the study of Divine revelation, we must
commence with Moses and his five books—for,
indeed, he stands in the very gateway of our
entrance. A complete knowledge of our own
existence, and the existence of the worlds around
us, would be far from complete were we to over¬
look Moses. So with the Creator of the universe.
To understand many things needful, and of
lasting importance about creation, we must first
consider the Creator. Here, in the very begin¬
ning, meets us at the door of our investigation
the fact of the Spirit figuring in the creation of
the world. The statement, "He garnished the
heavens," is proof positive that He was there on
such a glorious occasion—when the world was
made.
Should we for a moment doubt this fact, there
is another exhibition that looms up before us,
that impresses us with the truth of it: "And
the Spirit of Grod moved upon the face of the
Tveumatologif.
99
deep—rather, expanse," thunders out Moses in
his first book, in which he records the story of
the creation of the world.
In the Hebrew, the word Spirit is "HYV,"
in the Greek, "septuagint" xvsufia, and in the
Vulgate "spiritus," each referring to or meaning
the same person.
The thought of the existence of such a being
is not of modern origin; neither was it manu¬
factured by the Greeks or Romans, nor by the
Christians. Before Origin wrote, long before
Paul preached his able sermon and Peter de¬
clared Jesus to be the Son of the Living God,
the Jews hurled the golden truth abroad. Be¬
fore Sinai trembled, or the lightning flashed
from the pregnant clouds, this fact stood out in
the world among the nations of the earth. The
wave of every wind, the streak of every flash of
lightning, and the smoking of every volcano
exhibits this truth. Indeed, the subject is a
worthy one, and one to whom the world, or all
humankind is indebted.
But to consider Him, we should do so with
prayer. An investigation of this glorious per¬
sonage has caused much debate, in and out of
the true Christian circle. In more than one age
of the world has He been the comment of the
world, pro and con. As to his substance, Arius
believed the spirit to be a creature, and that he
100
Pnenmatologtf.
was created by Christ. He eventually turned
away from this doctrine, and taught that he
was the external energy of God, thereby denying
his personality. Socinius adopted the same
notion.
The orthodox believe that He proceeds from
the Father and the Son. The doctrine of this
fact is plainly demonstrated in the sacred Script¬
ures: "When the Comforter is come, whom I
will send unto you from the Father, even the
spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the
Father, He shall testify of me." John: xv, 26.
In the Scriptures the fact is set forth that the
spirit does not only exist, but that he proceeds-
from the Father: of the Jews, Theos
of the Greeks, and Deus of the Romans.
We read in the gospel, Matthew: x, 20:
"For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of
your Father, which speaketh in you." In this,
passage he is styled the Spirit of the Father.
In the original we have the following: 1tvvjimx.
zoo 7zaz[)0z.
Paul, in his letter to the Romans (vii, 9),
says: "Now if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of His." The same rela¬
tion is seen to exist here, as before, in the gos¬
pels, which sends forth a stern rebuke to those
who would oppose such a glorious faith.
His procession from the Father and from the
Pneiunatology.
101
Son is plain in the sacred Scriptures. It mat¬
ters not into what direction we turn, and what
may be the circumstances under which we labor,
the fact remains the same. As the thunder and
lightning leap from the trembling clouds, caus¬
ing men to quake and grasp the truth of their
own existence, so does this truth stand out in
the sacred pages to the view of every earnest
admirer.
PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Having in the preceding brief remarks es¬
tablished the fact of his procession from.the
Father, we shall now speak of the personality of
the Holy Spirit. On this line much has been
said. As to his personality, some have doubted
this fact, preached and written against it, yet
the truth remains the same.
The first question that meets us, is whether he
is a person or whether he is a mere external
energy of God. The latter of the two preced¬
ing statements has been met and throttled out
of existence, therefore the only proper subject
now, for consideration is his personality. His
personality may be seen, as it is taught by Christ,
in this quotation, "He shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever."
The words 1 'another comforter who shall
abide with you forever," are plain. This does
102 Pneumatology.
not only show that the Spirit is a person, but
that he shall remain forever, and that he is sent
of the Father.
The third person here is taught, or rather
spoken of. See the letters in the Greek just be¬
hind" the word Jid&H the ending of the third
person is found "he." Therefore the doctrine
of the third person, i. e., of the personality of
the Holy Spirit, is argued simply by a careful
study of the word. The pronoun "he" sets
forth this fact.
In John: xvi, 7-8, we read, "If I go not away
the comforter will not come unto you, but if I
depart I will send "him unto you, and when he
is come he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness and of judgment." The personal
pronoun "he," in Greek, proves again his per¬
sonality. The words, "he shall speak," and
"what he shall hear," bears out the statement
that he is a person and the third person men¬
tioned in the Holy Scriptures.
The word paraclete means an advocator, an
intercessor of intelligence.
It is further proved by his actions; his actions
have some bearing upon this subject; they also
prove the existence of an intelligent person.
The words, "to teach," "to hear," "to re¬
prove," "to guide," "to speak," "to show,"
"to glorify," "to receive," "to take," show the
Pneiimcitology.
103
Holy Spirit to be a person of intelligence. "He
shall teach you." How can mere energy or
operation teach? Those who would be teachers
must first possess intelligence; mere energy can¬
not teach; therefore as the Holy Spirit is styled
a teacher, then he is a person.
The word he shall teach, implies that he is the
possessor of intelligence.
He is not styled as a teacher only, but He is
called a witness. In Acts: v, 32, we read:
"And we are His witnesses of these things, and
so is also the Holy Spirit," etc. The idea of men¬
tioning mere energy as a witness, by an intelli¬
gent person, is absurd. And who will say for a
moment that the writer of the Acts was not
intelligent ? Deny it if you can.
An imperative command is given by the Holy
Ghost in the Acts: xiii, 2: "The Holy Grhost
said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the
work whereunto I have called them." The
words, "The Holy Grhost said," show him up
as a person, and an intelligent person, for in¬
deed, it cannot be said that mere energy can
speak intelligently; therefore, He must be a
person of authority, since He issues forth a
command.
Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians: ii,
13, makes this one fact stand out in these words:
104 Pneumatology.
u But what the Holy Grhost teaches." In an¬
other place, he states that the Spirit intercedes
for us: u Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
imfirmities, for we know not what we should,
pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself mak-
eth intercession for us, with groanings which
cannot be uttered."
How can we conclude otherwise, than that the
Spirit is a person, when He intercedes for us"?
Turn in whatever direction you may, read the
impress of Grod's finger on the mountains, in
the clouds, or amid the stars, and with equal
clearness, does the fact stand out, and the truth
is seen, that the Spirit is a person.
Standing amid the placid waters of the Jor¬
dan, surrounded by a mighty throng from Jeru¬
salem and all Judea, just when Christ was bap¬
tized by the Messenger of (lod, a voice from the
skies (the great white throne, jasper wallsr
harps and garlands), cried, " This is my be¬
loved Son," etc. What was it? It was the
Spirit for whom the heavens opened, accompa¬
nied by angels, bent on a gospel mission, who
spoke: " This is my beloved Son in whom I am
well pleased." For thus says the Scriptures:
" The Spirit, like a dove, was seen descend¬
ing," etc. Matt.: iii, 16-17.
Another visible appearance of the Holy Spirit,
is seen on the Day of Pentecost. "He" is
Pneumatology.
105
spoken of as " Cloven tongues, like as of fire."
He is mentioned along with the Father, and the
Son. In Matt.: xxxiii, 19, we read: "Go ye
therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Ghost." They were not commanded
to make disciples only, but to baptize them in
the name of the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Ghost.
Here might it not be asked if, in the name of
the Holy Spirit the nations are to be baptized,
then why conclude that He is not a person, and,
further, an important member of the Trinity,
since He is mentioned along with the Father and
the Son!
DIVINITY OF THE SPIRIT.
In view of the fact that we have considered
the Holy Spirit as a person, we shall now show
that He is also God. If we examine the titles
referring to Him as God, we shall then see that
He is also God, and therefore divine.
In Acts, v, 3-4, Peter said, "Ananias, why
has satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy
Ghost!" and further on, in the same verse,
"Thou hast not lied unto men, but to God."
Does he mean to call the Holy Spirit and God
one and the same? Indeed so—for if he does
not mean that, then it is strange to grasp his
106
Pneuniatology.
meaning; or, in other words, there is no mean¬
ing at all to the passage.
By the attributes ascribed to Him, they prove
Him to be Grod. In Paul's letter to the He¬
brews, xi, 14, He is called the Eternal Spirit—
"who through the Eternal Spirit." The same
attributes are ascribed to Grod. This being true,
no one is eternal but Grod. Hence, the Spirit
must be Grod.
We read, again (Rom.: viii, 14), these words:
1 'As many as are led by the Spirit of Grod, they
are the sons of Grod." "Your body is the tem¬
ple of the Holy Grhost which is in you." I Cor.:
vi, 19.
Now, if the foregoing statement is true, does
it not prove the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit?
And that if He is everywhere—"in you," and
"searches" all things, as are seen elsewhere.
—He is Glod, from the very fact of His being
everywhere and searching all things!
"Whither shall I go from Thy spirit, or
whither shall I flee from Thy presence?" (Ps.:
cxxxix, 7) is another proof of the omnipresence
of the Spirit.
They prove further that He is omniscient—
"searcheth all things."
"Now, the Lord is that spirit." The above
reference proves the divinity of the Holy Grhost.
Nicodemus was taught not to be born only,
Pneumatologij.
107
but of the Spirit. "Verily, I say unto thee, ex¬
cept a man be born of water and the Spirit he
cannot see the Kingdom of Grod." (John: iii,5).
We refer to this passage to show that He is not
only mentioned, but is important along as Grod.
His Divinity is established further: "He is
the spirit of truth," "of grace." Job.: xxxiii,
4, says: "The Spirit of God has made me and
the breath of the Almighty has given me life."
"By His spirit He has garnished the heavens,
liiw hand hath formed the crooked serpent."
Job: xxvi, 13. In the thirty-third chapter,
fourth verse, reads thus:
"tfpiritus del facet me et spiracuhtm omnipotentis
ririji car it me" —v ulg ate .
The work of creation is too great to attribute
it to any but Grod, therefore the work is that of
Grod, and the Holy Spirit is Grod.
Psalm li, 12, shows that the writer was
conversant with the Spirit as a great being of
power. Here he says: "Uphold me with thy
free spirit." It shows him as a perserver. "By
the word of the Lord were the heavens made
and all the host of them by the spirit of his
mouth," reads the Psalmist.
The power of resurrecting is ascribed to the
Spirit. John: vi, 63; "It is the Spirit that
quickeneth." Can it be said that any but Grod,
who made man, can raise the dead? Indeed
108
Pneumatoloffy.
not! If then no one can raise the dead lmt
God, then we are justifiable in our conclusion
that the Holy Spirit must be Clod.
There is another fact prominent that impresses
this fact upon us with as much force as that of
the light of the sun impresses it upon us that
the sun shines. It is recorded in the twelfth
chapter of St. Matthew and thirty-first verse,
thus: "Wherefore I say unto you all manner
of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost
shall not be forgiven unto men." Here the
Holy Spirit is- seen to occupy no other place
than that of God, for all sin, i. e., sin against
any other persons may be forgiven, but sin
against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven.
"A character so revered and majestic can be
no other than the supreme God."—Ralston.
I Peter: iii? 18: "Being put to death in the
flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." "He that
raiseth up Christ from the dead shall quicken
your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in
you," Rom: viii, 11. "The grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the com¬
munion of the Holy Ghost be with you all,
Amen." II Cor. xiii, 14.
The Holy Ghost is worshiped here and His
godly favor invoked, the same as that of the
Father and the Son. He does not say, "The
Pneumatologi).
109
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of
God" only, but "and the communion of the
Holy Ghost." Why mention the Holy Ghost if
he is a mere energy, or an operation, or an at¬
tribute of God?
Such a conclusion (i. e.: to say that he is not
Divine) is absurd and wrong in the main. The
fact is too plain, and the impression too deep to
be wiped out by mere gratification of a rival
spirit, or to satisfy a sickly mind.
His personality and divinity flooded the mind
of the world of old, and has printed and fash¬
ioned in the minds of men, of all nations, that
idea which will stand when rolling years cease
to move—the Divinity of the Spirit.
Who can read Paul, John, Matthew—or search
the sacred Scriptures—plow them to the lowest
depth, examine their contents, and return with
empty thoughts on this line? The thought
freighted with truth and beauty, lined with
grandeur and love, proves the Spirit as a God,
and Divine. For in the placid hall of nature,
in the deep chambers of the night, along the
curtains of mist, this truth shines, and with its
weight and breadth it swings on in the existence
of creative skill, until there is nothing more to
gainsay, nor make one afraid.
It was He who garnished the heavens, painted
the rainbow, decorated the skies, beautified the
110
Pneumatology.
moon, moved upon the face of the deep and
brought forth a hundred million luminating
lights, flung them promiscuously out into space,
gave to them their eternal decree, wrote it
throughout the ramification of nature—that the
Spirit is Divine, and that he is Grod—Grod in
substance and in authority, but a separate being
in operation.
CHAPTER VIII.
trinity.
We mean by the Trinity that there are three
persons in one Godhead, and that the three per¬
sons make up what we call the Trinity. The
word is from the Latin Trinitas, compounded of
tres (three) and unus (one). The trinity is
plainly shown in the beginning, when things
were first created. God said: "Let us make
man in our own image." Now, beyond a doubt,
the Trinity is true if that be a fact. The word
is plural, or unity of the Trinity. Appeals to
the Bible, nature and history, each shows that
there is a Trinity, or three in one.
The Bible states that there is one God. "Hear,
O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." Deut.:
vi, 4. Of course, the word is plural in the Hebrew
(Lord). "If I be Adonim, masters, where is
my fear?" Mai.: i, 6. "Remember thy Cre¬
ator in the days of thy youth." Eccl.:
xii, 1. "And God said, Let us make man in
our own image, after our likeness." Gen.: i, 26.
We quote the words of Drs. Owen and Dod¬
dridge and Bishops Pierson and Bull: "Though
112
Trinity.
God the Father is the foundation of the Deity,
the whole Divine nature is communicated from
the Father to the Son, and from both to the
Spirit; yet so that the Father and the Son are
not separate nor separable from the Divinity,
but do still exist in it and are most intimately
united with it." The term person signifies, in
ordinary language, an intelligent being; two or
more persons, therefore, in the strict philosophi¬
cal sense, would be two or more distinct beings.
If the term person were so applied to the Trinity
in the Godhead, a plurality of Gods would fol¬
low; while, if taken in what has been called a
political sense, personality would be no more
than relation arising out of office.
" Personality in God is, therefore, not to be
understood in either of the above senses, if we
pay respect to the testimony of Scriptures; God
is one being, but He is more than one being in
three relations, for personal acts such as we
ascribe to distinct persons, and which most un¬
equally characterize personality, are ascribed to
each person of the Trinity."
THREE PERSONS IN THE GODHEAD.
That there are three persons in the Godhead
is a doctrine that cannot be disputed by intel¬
ligent observers. For the truth of this assertion
we appeal to the holy Scriptures, which we are
Trinity.
113
satisfied mean nothing but the truth and the
whole truth. The very word Elohim in the
Hebrew is plural, and means more than one.
Gen.: i, 1 reads: "In the beginning Elohim
(the Gods) created heaven and earth.'' Another
striking proof of the Triune God. "And God
said, Let us make man after our likeness."
Gen.: i, 26. "And the Lord God said, Behold
the man is become as one of us." Gen.: 3, 22,
etc. Hence, we conclude that there are three
persons in the Godhead, and the three are one:
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The
attributes which are ascribed to God are ascribed
also to the Son and the Holy Ghost. Jesus
Christ, in His great commission to His disciples,
told them to baptize in the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Ghost; all three are here referred
to. It would be useless for an attempt to be
made to change the meaning of the words.
There are three that bear record in heaven.
Again: " The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God, and the communion of the
Holy Ghost be with you all." II Cor.: xiii, 14.
These passages prove nothing at all, unless
the three persons, the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost, are the same. There are many
other passages that will prove the same when
referred to, but as we think enough has al¬
ready been said, we will conclude by saying
Sig N—C T
114
Trinity.
the three pessons in the Grodhead are the
Father, Son and Holy Grhost. The Scriptures
bear us out in saying there are three persons in
the Grodhead, from the fact the plural is
formed. And the Lord Glod said, "Behold the
man is become as one of us," Glen.: iii, 22. The
pronoun' 'us'' is plural and means more than one;
hence there must be three persons in the Grod¬
head, especially when one Grod is mentioned, for
the Scriptures read, "There is but one Grod;"
now then if this is a fact, the plural means three
persons in the Grodhead. Many other Scripture
references could be made.
ILLUSTRATION OF THE DIVINE AUTHORITY.
As far as we see and understand, we think
there are many illustrations in all nature's works
that prove the Trinity or three in one Grod. As
one has said, take the sun, there is the light, the
heat and the round orb. When we speak of the
light, we mean the sun. Also heat and orb. Is
this not three in one! When we look at our¬
selves we see the trinity; we have a soul, flesh
and mind; while we do not claim these as satis¬
factory proofs, we do claim that they weigh
something, in the enlightened mind, in favor of
the Trinity.
SOME OPINIONS OF AEIAN.
Arianism opposes the Trinity, and claims that
Trinity.
115
the Son and Spirit are exalted creatures of Grod.
Sabellionism is opposed to Trinitarism and
Arianism. It teaches the divinity of the Son
and Holy Spirit, but denies the personality of
both. According to that doctrine, there is but
one God or person in the G-odhead, and the
Spirit and Son are virtues, emanations or func¬
tions only; since these theories have successfully
gained a position in the background, a refuta¬
tion is unnecessary.
CHAPTER IX.
divine providence.
The care which Glod exercises over his creat¬
ures properly deserves consideration in this
article, but as our space is limited, only a brief
statement will be made of Divine providence.
Revelation and reason establish the fact of
Divine providence.
God is a perfect being; good, all-wise omnipo¬
tent, just and righteous.
If this is accepted as a fact, and cannot be
contradicted, it is reasonable to think that such
a being would care for what he has made, from
the fact he is good, omnipotent, wise, just, and
merciful.
An examination of nature, throughout her
entire ramification, brings this truth before us.
"But, as God is just, and righteous in all his
doings, He must exercise moral government over
his rational creatures and reward, or punish
them according to their actions, and in the
course of His providence, so overrule them as to
promote the ultimate ends of his administra¬
tion."
Di vine Providence.
117
As Grod exists without a, cause, and as lie is
the cause of all things, it is' plain that all must
depend upon him for their support.
What else could be expected, and what else
could be done 'I Upon whom can all depend!
All are dependent, upon God, their pre-existing
cause. Matter is helpless and only moves as it
is moved upon by outer or inner-forces, hence
there could be no operation at all, by the things
of the world, had it not been for Grod.
Man could not survive, were there no cause
for such existence.
All are dependent,from the highest mountain
to the lowest hill,, from the strongest to the
weakest man.
For, "In him we live and move, and have our
being," Acts: xvii, 28.
If we live in Him, and move in Him, and have
our being in Him, there can be no doubt about
His divine providence when we once examine
His nature.
He is both over and under us; "our all, and
in all."
All things are upheld by Him.
Notwithstanding that there are worlds, suns,
moons, stars, etc., dashing like lightning through
space, yet they are kept by Him who rules over
all in their respective places; so that there is
neither conflict nor wrong one by the other; no
118
Divine Providence.
part is ever omitted, nor does a single part go
astray from his sight. The years come and go
in rapid succession, pregnant with winters,
spring, etc.; freighted with fruits, songs of
birds, wholesome atmosphere; all indicating the
superintendence of some supreme hand—the
Almighty, the Everlasting Father. These laws
for the maintainance of the universe, made and
fostered by God, are the same today that they
were years ago.
Romans: ii, 14-15, throws much light upon
this fact. Paul says: "When the Grentiles,
which had not the law, do^by nature the things
contained in the law; these having not the
law unto themselves, which shows the work of
the law written in their hearts, their conscience
also bearing witness,7' etc.
G-od has revealed to men in all ages His will
and that He cares for them, notwithstanding
they may not know Him by the same name as
that by which the Christians know Him.
The law has been written in their hearts and
thus man cannot get away from it; so, should
he go wrong he must be held accountable, for
Grod has revealed to him His loving kindness,
His law; even upon the table of his heart has
He planted it.
"The day is thine; the night also is thine;
thou hast prepared the light and the sun; thou
Divine Providence.
119
hast set all the borders of the earth; thou hast
made summers and winters." Psalms: Ixxiv,
16-17.
'1 He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and
the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on
the unjust." Matt.: v, 45.
Inanimate, as well as animate creatures are
cared for by G-od: "Who has measured the
waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out
the heavens with the span; and comprehended
the dust of the earth in a measure; and weighed
the mountains in scales, and the hills in a bal¬
ance?" Isaiah: xl, 12.
(lod extends His superintendence throughout
the universe. That (Tod concerns himself about
the affairs of the world is evident; were He un¬
concerned as to the welfare of men there could
'be no reward, nor punishment; hence, the just
would have no one to look to for justice and the
wicked no one to expect punishment from; there¬
fore, all would become a mass of confusion, and
the wicked wpuld look upon Him as an idle
spectator. He causeth the grass to grow for
the cattle, and herbs for the service of man;
that he may bring forth food out of the earth
and wine that maketh glad the hearts of men,
and oil to make his face to shine, and bread
which strengtheneth man's heart.
41 The trees of the Lord are full of sap, the
120
Di vine Providence.
cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted."
Psalms: civ, 14-16.
" Consider the lilies of the field, how they
grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and
yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed as one of these. There¬
fore, if Grod so clothe the grass of the field,"
etc. Matt.: vi, 28-30.
" The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and thou
givest them their meat in due season. Thou
openest thine hand and satisfiest the desire of
every living thing." Psalms: cxlv, 15-16.
u Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow
not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns;
yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them.'' Matt.:
vi, 26.
"Who provideth for the raven his food?
When his young cry unto Grod, they wonder for
the lack of meat." Job: xxxviii, 41.
"He giveth to the beast his food, and to the
young ravens which cry." Psalms: cxlvii, 9.
Everything depends upon Grod for food. He
cares for them all. This fact is explained or
made plain in these Scripture passages. Nothing
can be plainer.
NATURE OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE.
The providence of Grod extends to all places.
The eyes of the Lord are in every place. In Him
we live. Our steps are directed by Grod.
1)1 vine Providence.
121
Empires and kingdoms are alike subject to
Him. Unlike man and other of his handiwork,
He fills all space. The mighty deep, yea the
lowest geological depth knows his power.
God's government over man is of moral char¬
acter. "He defines their duty by moral laws;
He enforces these laws by moral motives, such
as the authority of the Lawgiver, the equity of
laws themselves, the advantages of obedience,
and the evil consequences of sin."
OBJECT OF DIVINE PKOVIDENCE.
We may divide the object of Divine Provi¬
dence into general, special and particular.
The former extends to everything, i. e., all
creatures. It is true that some take the stand
that general providence means that God cares
for the most important, and that the small or
less important He cares not for; but this argu¬
ment must fall to the ground when it is remem¬
bered, "Though the Lord be high, yet he has
res])ect unto the lowly." Ps.: cxxxviii, 6. "0
Lord, thou preserveth man and beast.'1
How could He care for the whole without
caring for the parts? Do the parts not make up
the whole?
The smallest are cared for by God. What
man regards as insignificant God does not re¬
gard as insignificant. All are alike depending
122
Divine Providence.
upon Him and all alike receive His superin-
tendency.
SPECIAL PROVIDENCE.
Special providence refers to man, the highest
of Grod's workmanship.
Grod has endowed him with reason, raised him
above the animals, and made him a little lower
than the angels.
Therefore, man, the most intelligent of God's
creatures, receives Grod's special care. This fact
is borne out by the statement of Job: "Thine
hands have made me, and fashioned me together
round about. Thou hast clothed me with skin
and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and
sinews; Thou hast granted me life and favor,
and thy visitations hast preserved my spirit."
Job: x, 8, 11-12.
In regards to the end of human life, "The
causes of death are various, as accidents, old age,
and disease, etc., but all of these causes aer
under the control of Divine providence."
Man should not complain when Grod calls, for
all are His, and upon Him all depends. He
taketh away, and who can hinder Him?
We cannot think that man loses his life with¬
out Grod knowing it, nor is it the work of
"chance."
If God cares for the smallest of His creatures,
Divine Providence.
123'
indeed He cares for man, who stands out over
and above all His handiwork in His sight.
So, when man dies it is by will of God.
"Seeing his days are determined, the number
of his months are with Thee. Thou hast ap¬
pointed his bounds that he cannot pass." Job:
xiv, 5.
"Thou returnest man to destruction; and
sayest, Return, ye children of men." Psalms:
xc, 3.
Man's days are not only determined, but God
has appointed his bounds that he cannot pass:
"Thus far shalt thou go, and no further."
Whether every man's end is so fixed that there
can be no spreading out of the days of man or
not, one thing is certain: God knows when man
must die.
'' The days of our years are three-score years
and ten, and if by reason of strength they be
four-score years, yet is their strength labor and
sorrow; for it is soon cut off and we fly away."
Psalms: xc, 10.
The days of the righteous may be lengthened
out by Him. This we infer from this passage:
"Honor thy father and thy mother that thy
days may be long upon the land which the Lord
thy God giveth thee." Exod: xx, 12.
From this we infer that the days of the right¬
eous, or those who obey God, shall be long
m
Divine Providenee.
upon the land which Grod has given. That man
can shorten his days is a fact. "Bloody and
deceitful men shall not live out half of their
days." In this we are taught the fate of the
bloody and deceitful men; their end comes
soon.
Grod is not the author of sin, as some would
say, because He knows all things, and puts a
boundary to man's existence. Man is free to
do as he will. Therefore, he can prolong his
life by obedience, or he can shorten it by his
acts of disobedience.
This fact can be demonstrated by referring to
Hezekiah, who prayed, and thus had fifteen
years added to his life,
It must be admitted that, on the other hand,
that Grod overrules sin, as in the case of Joseph.
His brethren thought evil of him, but Grod over¬
ruled and turned it into good.
Particular providence of Grod concerns the
good of His people.
While Grod cares for all men, yet He exercises
special care over the good. This fact is demon¬
strated by our examination of the Scriptures.
While the righteous suffer as do the wicked, yet
God knows what they need—grants their request ,
though man is unable to comprehend this fact.
The righteous knows that '1 all things work to¬
gether for good."
CHAPTER X.
the kingdom of cheist.
The Kingdom of Christ is an everlasting one; it
is without end, and is not of this world only, for
Christ said, My Kingdom is not of this world.
Being the second person in the trinity, His King¬
dom is in the hearts of men; Christ desired
nothing in this world more than that the people
would become perfect in love and obedience to
the Father; He was the long expected King who
was to come and bring all nations unto Him.
Unlike the kings of this world, whose royal
power extended only to certain distances, the
entire world was His. Standing above all, and in
all, and under all, He says, Come to me and live,
all ye ends of the earth."
Strictly speaking, the Kingdom of Christ is the
kingdom of grace, for it is by His grace that we
are made partakers of Divine love; where grace
abounds, there is the Kingdom of God. If the
Kingdom of Grace is not the Kingdom of Christ,
and if he rules not in the place where grace is,
we are short of the desired information; for it is
126
The Kingdom of Christ.
a fact that "Grace and truth come by Jesus
Christ, while it is in the hearts of men on earth,
it is also in He.aven; My Kingdom is not of this
world, strictly speaking, not located here only,
for all time to come, but of everlasting rest; there
is a rest beyond, 11 unmeasured by the flight of
years, and all that rest is love."
THE KINGDOM OF GOD DIFFERS FEOM THE KING¬
DOM OF CHRIST.
On beginning, we discover great difficulties in
dealing with this subject, and few theologians
mention the matter at all. If there is any dif¬
ference between the two kingdoms above, we are
unable to see them; unless we refer to the King¬
dom of God as being universal, and the King¬
dom of Christ as the kingdom of grace, set up
in the hearts of men. In this way it can be seen
to extend only where the family of men extend,
and no further; for certainly grace is not applied
where it is not needed. If this be a fact, we see
there is a vast difference, though a hard one to
explain.
The Kingdom of God is an endless one; has
existed in all ages, and fills all space, where only
Deity is known. The central figure in this king¬
dom is our Maker, who, at a glance sees and
controls all things. The winds His chariot
wheels, the thunder His voice, all are subject to
The Kingdom of Christ. 127
Him, even the towering mountains whose heads
are lifted to such a height that the clouds some¬
times rest upon them. Glo where you may in
the broad fields of nature; look and view all
things, dispatch with lightning to the distant
worlds, ask for the boundary lines of the King¬
dom of G-od; if angels would reply, the answer
would return, Glod's Kingdom is everywhere.
Ride on the wings of the furious winds, from
continent to continent, ask, as you go, for the
boundary line of 111 Am,'7 and creation will say,
Drive on to the fiery horse of Heaven, the sun,
who, as he turns on his axis, shows that Grod has
no boundary line. He will say His Kingdom is
everywhere.
No one would say that Christ is equal with
Grod in every respect. If so, He could not be
the second person in the trinity, a matter which
is generally acknowledged among all prominent
logicians, as far as office is concerned. The
Kingdom of Christ refers to the work of the
heart, the grace of Grod in the heart, as we have
stated in another place.
CHAPTER XI.
the religion of christ.
The religion of Jesus Christ is intended to be
universal; that is plainly demonstrated when
we look at Christ's teachings, " Gro ye into all
the world and preach the G-ospel;" "Preach the
G-ospel to every creature." The prophet says
his dominion shall be from sea to sea. His
Kingdom shall be an everlasting one. These
and many other passages prove that the religion
of Jesus Christ is intended to be a universal re¬
ligion. "The G-ospel must be preached in all
generations."
We have long since concluded that it is the re¬
ligion for all time to come; other religions
shall be abandoned for the want of good morals,
and the pure doctrine of a Risen Redeemer
preached to the people. The religion of Jesus
Christ must stand forever. It is a certainty that
those religions which teach many gods cannot
stand with Grod's eternal word, for He is from
everlasting to everlasting.
All men of every race, tribe and people can be
saved by it. All men of every tribe and people
The Religion of Christ.
129
can cling to, and be saved by, the Christian re¬
ligion; the invitation is to all—" Gro ye into all
the world and preach the Grospel to every creat¬
ure ; he that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved." "Repent and believe.7' "Except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish." It de¬
pends, in a large measure, upon the person—the
Scripture plainly states that every man can re¬
lent. The apj)eal is to all, and it is with them
whether they repent or not. Being free moral
agents, they can come to the feast or stay away.
AVhile man can do nothing of himself in the
way of justifying himself, still he can repent and
believe, and (rod will give the grace that will re¬
store him in the favor of God.
Salvation's plan is so simple that even the
fool need not err. " The Spirit says Come; the
bride says Come; let him that heareth say
(lome, and whosoever will let him take the water
of life freely." "Come all ye that are heavy
laden and I will give you rest." Surely it is
plain that all can be saved by the Christian re¬
ligion .
WILL ALL BE SAVED?
This is a somewhat complex question. We
cannot say whether all will be saved or not.
None but those who believe and repent can pos¬
sibly be saved. ktHe that believeth shall be
saved.11
iMtf !l—C T
130
The Religion of Christ.
SALVATION ATTAINABLE.
Through the death and suffering of Jesus
Christ is salvation attainable. The first thing is
repentance; everywhere men are taught to re¬
pent. Except ye repent ye shall likewise perish.
u Repent and believe and be baptized and thou
shalt be saved." Repentance means hearty
sorrow and a desire to turn away from sin; this
is what every person can do. Belief on the
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is what an indi¬
vidual must have—the Scriptures say so, and it
must be true. u He that believeth and is bap¬
tized shall be saved." Argument in favor of
ability of man believing in God can be drawn
from the above quoted sentence.
ALL MEN ARE FREE TO ACCEPT THE CONDITIONS.
All men are perfectly free to accept these con¬
ditions: if they fail to do so, it is their own
fault, being, as they are, free moral agents. Grod
made them free beings, just to do what they
will to do, so that they can accept if they choose.
"This day have I set before thee darkness and
light, or death and life. Choose ye whom ye
will serve." "Come to me and I will give you
rest."
Why should the Maker ask men to accept, if
they are not free? Why not make them accept?
No, because they are free; and as they are free
The Religion of Christ. 131
they can choose day or night. If there is any
force in the freedom of the mil, then all are free,
so as to accept or believe. Of course, some men
"will" to be lost, because they will not accept
eternal life, but it is not because Grod has de¬
creed so.
There are some who will fail, simply because
they refuse to accept salvation, though able and
free to accept if they choose. Glod has made it
so that all men can repent and believe on the
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is no direct
and truthful reason why they should not believe,
only they will not believe.
Christ is Salvation; by and through Him the
way has been made plain, so that all men can
be saved. He tasted death for all mankind;
He died that we might live. By his death, or
dying in our stead, we are permitted to live.
This being a fact, we may safely say that salva¬
tion is the saving principle, procured by the
the death of Christ, so that man by it is saved.
It is a divine favor from (rod.
CHAPTER XII.
pkedestination.
That Grod made some men to be saved and oth¬
ers to be lost, and had foreknowledge of the
same, is the doctrine of the Calvinist—this is
predestination.
That Calvin taught this doctrine is plainly
seen, when we examine the Westminster Con¬
fession of Faith. While Mr. Calvin taught the
doctrine as above stated, nevertheless it is con¬
trary to facts and common sense. Who can
possibly believe that a just Grod is that kind of
being, example of that nature, to make a man
unto death and damn him for dying? Such an
opinion is most too humble. We cannot see
into it, and here we must side with Armenius.
That there is such a thing as predestination—
we do not attempt to deny the Scriptural grounds
for it, but we understand it to mean that all men
are foreordained to be saved, providing they be¬
lieve and repent.
Leaving this to stand alone for awhile, we now
Predestination.
133
come to consider the general meaning of the
word "predestination." The Jews were elected
to be the Church of God, Moses a leader, and
Christ a redeemer *, but this may be called na¬
tional election. Well, that is just what we mean.
Now, to say that because some men are elected
to do certain things why should we infer that God
means that all others shall be lost! Not a bit of
it, for "He died for the world," and commands
His disciples to go and preach the gospel to
every creature. He leaves the individual to fix
his own destiny. "He that believeth shall be
saved." "Whosoever will, may come." St.
Peter says: "God is no respecter of persons,
but in every nation, he that feareth Him and
worketh righteousness is accepted with Him."
The word '' predestination'' is from pro (before)
and (design, finish, bound or terminate);
pro-orizo, this Calvinists understand to mean
foreordination. From the former we have in
English "horizon," from oroz (a boundary
limit). Calvinists understand these phrases to
mean election from all eternity, and that if some
were elected, why, of course, others are damned
—that is, ordained to damnation.
If the above is true, predestination means that
God has decreed that all men should live and
enjoy eternal blessings. If it means anything,
it means choice, and as persons must be free
134
Predestination.
to choose or make a choice, it is plain they can
choose what they will. If they choose death the
blame should not be laid to our Maker.
FOEEOBDINATION.
All events are not foreordained, if we under¬
stand the Bible upon this subject, though there
are some things decreed from the beginning:
"Ye (families) children of Jacob, His chosen
ones." "Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen thee from the beginning." All of this
we believe; still we can't think that all events
are foreordained. Some may say that if we
deny foreordination, we deny the foreknowledge
of God. These are two different things. A man
may foreknow anything and then not be able to
change it. We acknowledge that G-od fore¬
knows all things, but it don't mean foreordina¬
tion ; this we cannot see from the fact foreordi¬
nation and foreknowledge are not the same.
To say that all events are foreordained, is to
say that G-od made some men to everlasting
misery and others to eternal joy; the joy we
don't deny. "For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son to die, that who¬
soever believeth on Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life."
When we understand the true import of the
word, we should commit an outrage on the good
Predestination.
135
character of God to say that He foreordained all
things and made some to perish.
ARM IN IAN VIEW.
The Arminian view is, that Christ made a full,
perfect and sufficient sacrifice for all mankind.
That He atoned for the world is plain when we
understand that "Christ tasted death for all,"
"He died in our room or stead;" "the just suf¬
fered for the unjust." These and many phrases
show that Christ made an atonement for the
world, for He says to His disciples: " Go ye into
all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature." Admitting that He.knows all things
from the fact that He is God, why should He
send the gospel to those that He knows He has
hardened their hearts and foreordained to dam¬
nation? As this would prove an absurdity in
the Divine plan of salvation, we must acknowl¬
edge that He arranged for the safety of all men
and left it with man to reject or accept.
Arminians believe in natioual elections—that
King Cyrus was elected to build the walls of the
temple, and that Moses was chosen to lead the
Jews, and Christ to redeem the world, on condi¬
tion of the belief of mankind. From the script¬
ural standpoint, God is no respecter of persons.
The Scriptures, we think, renders as plain an
explanation as is necessary when it is thoroughly
136
Predestination.
understood; this is as plain as day set forth
in Arminianism. Arminianism is undoubtedly
the most reasonable. To say that God foreor¬
dained all events is an outrage on the justice of
Grod, from the fact that God's own words contra¬
dict Calvinism, when it states that "some were
ordained to wrath and others to death," "for
the spirit and the bride say come," etc., "and
whosoever will let him take the water of life
freely." This shows that Grod would that all
men come, "whosoever will." This shows that
man can do as he will, 1' I call Heaven and
earth to record this day against you that I have
set before you life and death, blessing and cursing,
therefore choose life, that both thou and thy
seed may live." Can it be inferred that G-od
willed that men should perish, or even some
should die, when He states choose life? If there
is any force in argument, it shows that Grod wills
that all should live, and that man is a free agent,
from the fact that he is asked to choose life. As
none but free men can make choice, then he can
act as he will, then he has a free will; why, they
have the shaping of their own destiny. This, of
course, would knock Calvinism on the head, for
it teaches that all events are foreordained, wThen,
if the Bible is true, they are not.
Arminianism has the stronger Bible support.
Most everywhere in the Scripture the ability of
Predestination.
137
"Free Will" is exhibited, and men are taught
to repent and believe, and their salvation de¬
pends largely on repentance, from the fact that
we must repent and believe the Gospel of Christ;
unless, says the Scripture, "Ye repent ye shall
all likewise perish." If all things are foreor¬
dained, then those who are damned are damned
because they could not help themselves, which
would indicate that they were made and com¬
pelled to do as they do, and be lost. This would do
away with the free will of man, which Glod has
made in his own words so very plain: "Let
the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteous
man his thoughts, and let him return unto the
Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to
our G-od, for He will abundantly pardon," Ezk.:
xxxviii, 2. The wicked here is to return unto
the Lord. That the Lord desires that all men
would return is plain in the above. For He says,
"Let the wicked," not one, but all are invited.
Christ says, "Come unto me all ye that labor
and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."
Thinking that enough has been said to prove that
Arminianism has the more scriptural grounds,
we conclude.
Calvinists believe in the doctrine of Calvin,
that some men are ordained to eternal woe,
and others to life.
It teaches whatever comes, it matters not what
138
Predestination.
it is, is foreordained by God—that if a man do
wrong, Grod has already foreordained such, and
the man cannot possibly do away with it.
Hence, some men are elected to eternal life,
and others doomed to eternal death. That is
what foreordination means, as explained by Cal¬
vinism.
CHAPTER XIII.
free will.
On entering upon this subject we consider it a
very important one, as are all others we have here¬
tofore considered. Free will, i. e., the free ac¬
tion of men, though given, still is left to vary in
any way, and not compelled to go in any one
prescribed way.
That there is such a thing as free will, and
that free will is in substance what we have just
stated, will be seen when we view the Script¬
ures. The very language or phraseology of the
following passages will show that there is such a
thing as free will, or action of individuals.
"If the wicked will return." "Return, 0
house of Jacob!" "I have set before."
" Choose, repent and believe."
Now, if the Scripture proves anything, it
proves in the above the free agency of men, i. e.,
the free moral agency; from the fact the moral
as well as the eternal principles are both equally
essential to humanity.
If man was (as some say) not free as to
"will," why should the Maker ask him to return,
140
Free Will
when He knows that He has made him, and preor¬
dained it that he should go in all the way of
death. Necessity shows that man must be free
when the Maker asks him to return; surely the
Maker would not be so mean as to make man
unto death and then ask him to return, when
He foreknows that He had arranged that he
could not return.
Man's free agency is proven when we turn to
the great commission of Christ: " Go ye into
all the world and preach," etc. What need is
there in teaching and preaching to all nations,
if they are doomed to death. Grod, we are sure,
is not that kind of a being. The idea would
show that He is unjust, to punish or inflict with
great pain, and sorrow upon man, that which
man cannot help. All that we have, or can
get, come from Grod; that is in the way of good,
for the Scripture says, "All good and perfect
gifts come from Grod." But this does not refer
to the will of man, which is independent, foi as
to the will, the Scriptures show that man is of
free will, when Grod sets before us death and
life, and says, 11 Choose ye this day whom ye
shall serve "; u whosoever will, may come."
The plain inference is, that man is independ¬
ent in will as his will, or acting as his will.
Leaving the subject of free will, our attention
shall be turned next to the free action of man.
Free Will.
141
Can man act freelyf To this question we are
persuaded to say that man can act freely. Man
is a free agent; of course if he is a free agent,
he can act freely in mind only. To say that
man can act freely other than in mind, we think
would charge the Maker with a wicked heart, or
disposition.
Our first proof on behalf of free will will be
based upon the free action of man, so far as
mind is concerned; that the mechanism of man
is' of that nature, is seen in his everyday walk.
In this we find we have a desire and act just as
we please, or will. It seems that the whole that
controls the interior man is largely, or wholly
controlled by the will of man. If we desire to
steal, so be it; to kill, so be it; one has said:
u I am free, and I know it." "I know that I
am free, and that ends it." I find that I can act
to suit myself. I find in these acts that I am per
fectly free. I can do just as I wish to do, this
or that; still I can leave both off and choose
another way.
The power of choice shows the free action of
man's mind. Can we infer that the Maker,
being just in all His acts, would say to man,
kt Choose life," when He knows that man could
not choose such? Would this not show that oui
Maker is an ignorant being? That after mak¬
ing man, and fixing him so that he could not do
142
Free Will
this or that, say to him, u Choose life?" The
very fact of " choice," or telling a man to
choose, shows that he is a free agent. Again,
why did the Maker say to Adam: There is a
certain tree in the midst of the garden, of good
and evil, 11 He that eateth of a certain fruit there
shall surely die?" In breaking of the law, or
eating of the fruit, the very act that has caused
so many to weep, shows that he was not com¬
pelled to act as the Maker ordered him. He
acted as he chose, and brought a curse on the
whole world.
Free action is shown everywhere in the free,
unrestrained disposition of man. If man desires
to think of farming, it is all right; for awhile
he thinks and again he changes, and thinks or
studies another occupation. Suppose we ac¬
knowledge that man cannot act free, how are
we going to account for all the crimes that are
committed by men? Shall we say that Grod
foreordained it that way, and make men act as
they do? This would let man out and make
Grod responsible for everything; hence, to pun¬
ish man would be an outrange upon human de¬
cency. This would make our just Grod respon¬
sible for all the crimes; for with Him must be
the fault, and He would be no Glod, a providence
being unfit for His own government, much less
the government of an intelligent people.
Free Will.
143
LIMITS TO HUMAN FREEDOM.
Humanity, as we understand it, is free to act
in everything, except making himself fit for the
Kingdom of Grod. His depraved nature is such
that he cannot return and satisfy Divine justice;
he must depend wholly upon the Divine plan of
salvation. But, remember this was not so orig¬
inally, for in this state he was perfectly free; but
since he violated God's law, and had become an
outcast, why he only can act now in a way to
procure eternal life, or death.
There was a time when he could have obeyed
the command of Grod, but " Since the law came
sins revived and he.died." Now he must believe
and live up to the plan of salvation; by the
grace of (rod he can be saved. Admitting the
above to be true, let us give a moment's exam¬
ination to
HARMONY OF FREE WILL WITH FOREORDINATION.
Remember that Grod made man free, and pre¬
ordained that if man would break the law that
justice would prosecute or punish the offender.
This justice did, and we may here add, is still
doing in another respect; hence, to save man,
i. e., the whole race from perishing for all time
to come, Christ died and satisfied Divine justice
to the extent of man's repentance and belief;
i. e., to say, if man obey now to the possible ex-
144
Free Will.
tent, he can be saved. He can repent and he
can believe on the plan of salvation, for, uSal¬
vation has come near all men," and the thunder¬
ing sounds reach the highest hill and lowest val¬
ley, u Who soever will, may come."
Next comes the independence of man.
MAN INDEPENDENT OF GOD.
As far as we can discover, man is in one sense
independent of Grod. The sense in which we
refer is this: Man now is a free moral agent,
and his free moral agency necessarily makes him
independent. If he is not independent in some
respects, why our argument in favor of free
agency is of no effect, and all falls to the ground.
A man must be free and independent, or else he
cannot be a free agent. For instance, suppose
a man's thoughts must have a controller and
cannot act unless it is acted upon, would that in
the least show up that he is independent?
Thus we prove his independence of Grod in the
free will or free action of man. Could any one
suppose that a man could have a free will without
having free action of the will, when the action
proceeds from the free will! The free will shows
the independence of man. If we take man in
another sense, we find him entirely dependent.
CHAPTER XIV.
the fall of man.
By the fall of Adam is meant the loss of that
moral, or holy, G-od-like image that man was
originally created in, and sentenced to death
spiritually, temporally and eternally.
Man, our first parent, was made in the like¬
ness of his Creator; for it was said: "Let Us
make man in Our image"—that is, holy and
happy, without sin, a moral being, with a life of
happiness. He was placed in the garden, and at
a certain time Deity said that of a certain fruit,
or tree, "thou shalt not eat; the day thou eatest
thereof thou shalt die"—that is, lose the moral
body and be doomed to everlasting punishment.
This was so, for when Adam did eat the forbid¬
den fruit, he violated the moral law of Deity, and
thus died, spiritually, eternally and physically.
Thus you see that the fall meant death—the
effect of Adam's sins upon his posterity.
Having stated plainly in the preceding remarks
that the fall meant death in every sense of the
word, we shall now turn our attention to the
effects of the fall. To do this, as we think in¬
telligently, will require more space than we can
Sitf 10 -C T
146
The Fall of Man.
spare in this article. However, we shall, at
least, go far enough to satisfy the reader.
Remember, the Scriptures state the effects
plainly, in these words: (Rom.: y, 12) "By one
man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin.'7 It follows if there had been no sin, there
could be no death, since death came by sin—
since by man came sin, and by sin came death.
The death here spoken of means bodily, spiritual
and eternal. That it means death, as above
stated, is a scriptural fact. If it did not mean
death, in every sense of the word, then the
Scriptures are not true, and do not mean what
they say. Spiritual death: (Eph.: ii, 1) "And
you hath he quickened, who were dead in tres¬
passes and sin."
Any careful observer can see that the death
here meant moral death, from the fact it reads:
"dead in trespasses and sin." This death is not
the bodily death, but spiritual death; or, in other
words, everlasting death to the soul—for when
Grod withdraws himself, man is lost in darkness.
Of course, Adam was the legal represensative of
his race, and by his fallen state or condition, sin
entered the world, and remained among and
upon his children. So, the same effect the fall
had upon Adam descends upon his children;
thus, the children (in the fall) are doomed to a
like punishment.
The Fall of Man.
147
OPINION OF PALAGINUS, OF ARMINIUS, OF CALVIN.
Palaginus'opinion is: Though, by transgres¬
sion, man exposed himself to the displeasure of
his Maker, yet, he, nor his children, sustained
any moral injury from disobedience, and the
only evil suffered was the expulsion from the
garden, and subject to hard labor; and, as far as
death is concerned, he would have died anyway,
from the fact he was mortal.
The Arminian opinion is this, and we believe
Arminius is correct: Adam was the legal head
in every particular; he was the real representa¬
tive of his people, and, when he fell, the destiny
of the people was fixed, and all after him in¬
curred the fate; or, the same as to say, when he
lost the moral image, and found displeasure and
disgrace, the whole nation must suffer the con¬
sequences.
Thus, it is seen that man is very far gone from
original righteousness, and is of his own nature
inclined to evil, and that continually, and that
he has no power with grace to do anything that
is really good or acceptable to Grod.
Arminian views are held by all religious sects
throughout the country.
Calvin also admitted the total depravity of man,
the same as the above, by Arminius.
148
The Fall of Man.
IMPUTATION.
Imputation in this matter means the people
must suffer from the fall of our first parents.
The Scriptures throw great light upon this sub¬
ject, without which we could not find our way
out of the darkness that now lurks around.
It states: "In Adam all die." Adam, be¬
ing head, brought disgrace upon all his follow¬
ers by his shameful act. It is like this: "If a
man has a large estate and commits treason, his
children with him are made to suffer the loss, or
for the offense. Not the personal act of the
father is charged upon the children, but his
guilt and suffering is so strong that naturally
they suffer the consequences of the crime."
Achanis' crime was imputed to his children,
and they were stoned to death on account of
Achanis' sin. The Jews understood, it seems,
the whole thing when they said: "His blood
be on us and our children," that is, let us and
our children be punished. The meaning of im¬
putation, we believe, is thoroughly established.
It is said, "By one man sin came into the
world;" as "In Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive." Christ is here called
the second Adam. The whole is plain, the pos¬
terity suffers as a consequence.
The Fall oj Man.
149
ADAM THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RACE.
He was the legal head of the race, in every
sense of the word, that is, spiritually, morally
and bodily. In him all was made, and from
him all came, so the x>enalty placed on him is
also placed on ns. Of course man is, by trans¬
gression of the first, totally depraved, from the
fact, David states, "That we are conceived in
sin," etc. "The whole head is sick, and the
whole heart faint." Isa.: i, 5. Paul says:
"There is no good thing in me." Thus, it is
plain that total depravity of man is sure by the
fall of Adam. And there is no cure, only
through Christ. "As in Adam all die," "Even
so in Christ shall all be made to live." The
first Adam brought death, the second brought
life.
CHAPTER XV.
RESULT OF THE FALL OF MAN.
As to result and extent of result, much has
been said, direct and indirect, by theologiansr
spectators and contestants. The subject in no
mean manner, rises up before us, shuts out all
others and clamors for recognition. Clustering
around it hangs man's deepest interest. He
knows that following every cause there is an
effect. As to the cause of the fall we have noth¬
ing to do. As to the primitive state of man we
have naught to do, but the result of the fall of
man. The "result17 is that which every one
loods forward to, whether good or bad, bright or
dark, beautiful and sublime or degrading and
uncouth. He who knows the result, knows a
great part.
Thus we have as the result of the emancipa-
tien of the slaves, a prosperous and intelligent
people; result of education, polished and con¬
sistent leaders in the church and state; study of
the Bible—Christians and systems of theology;
the stars and the heavens—astronomers; culti¬
vation of the earth—corn and products to satisfy
Ilfvitlt oj tlie Fall of Man.
151
the human family. These are but fragments
of the result of some careful investigation, and
preceding causes. Therefore, we come now to
consider
THE RESULT OF THE FALL OF MAN.
By "the result" is meant death, bodily, spirit¬
ually and eternal. This comes as a penalty for
his disobedience, and is a fact as firm as the
rock of ages. It is true that the Palagius and
Socinians believe that man would have died
whether he violated Clod's law or not. Paul re¬
futes this statement when he says '' By one man
sin entered into the world, and death by sin."
If death came by sin, if sin is the cause of death,
the foundation of death, and the feeder of death,
surely had there been no sin there could be no
death. There must be causes for effects; there¬
fore sin is the cause and death is the effect.
As to the meaning of death here mentioned,
there has been a great difference of opinion.
Some claim that the death referred to means
spiritual death only. Such premises are not
strong enough. While spiritual death is meant,
death physically is meant also.
k'BY MAN CAME SIN, BY SIN CAME DEATH."
That moral death is also meant, is seen when
we refer to the following passages. You hath
152
Result of the Fall of Man.
he quickened, who were dead in sin'and tres¬
passes." There is no doubt in my mind that
moral death here is meant.
While we live in an unregenerate state we live
in death, and the quickening, is called a resur¬
rection to life.
Where Grod is not in love, and all that bright¬
ness that constitute Him, there is night—(death).
"If a man keep my saying he shall never die, or
never see death." John: viii, 51. "The wages of
sin is death.'' All sinners must be punished;
the penalty is death—the soul is separated from
Grod.
The law of Grod was broken, and man must
suffer the penalty; and not only man originally,
but his children and his children's children.
THE RELATION OF ADAM TO HIS POSTERITY.
He was the legal and physiological represent¬
ative head, and when he fell his children fell
with him.
That he was the legal head, may be readily seen
in the fifth chapter of Eomans. He is called
"the (model) or figure of him that was to
come"—type. Thus: "By one came death, by
the other, came life." The passage that reads,
"By Adam all die," is very clear. He was the
head and by him came death, not upon some,
but upon all.
Result of the Fall of Man.
153
As to the imputation of Adam's sin to his
posterity, there is a great difference of opinion.
To enter into them, and discuss them at length
is not the purpose at this point. In the fall.of
Adam, he being the legal head, causes his seed
to suffer the consequences of his fall in a legal
sense.
We quote Mr. Wakefild who draws in his ar¬
gument a very beautiful illustration of the
whole: Listen! "The other view of this sub¬
ject, and that which we believe to be in accord¬
ance with the Scriptures, is that the imputation
of Adam's sins to his posterity is confined to its
legal results. If a man has committed treason,
and has thereby lost his estate, his crime is
imputed to his children, that they with him are
made to suffer the penalty of the offense. A
personal act of the father is not charged upon
the children. They suffer the legal conse¬
quence."
DEPRAVITY OF MAN.
The Scriptures teach the total depravity of
man, not that every man is depraved to the
same extent.
Isa.: i, 5 says: "The whole herd is sick and
the whole heart is faint.''
If this be true, there is no soundness in him,
from the fact the whole man is here referred to.
154 JResult of the Fall of Man.
When the heart is wrong the whole man is
wrong. There is no good in him..
St. Paul says: " In me (that is, in my flesh)
dwelleth no good thing." Rom.: vii, 18. In
Ephesians: ii, 1, he speaks of being dead in sin
and trespasses. Therefore, man is unable to do
anything worthy of himself.
On the point of depravity, the Armenians
hold, as well as the Calvinists, that man is very
far gone.
man's moral condition.
Having considered the previous points, the
moral condition of man (properly) claims
attention. Here we meet Palagians' and So-
cinians' opinions again. They deny the nat¬
ural depravity of man, and hold that Adam's
children, or seed, are as pure as was Adam from
the beginning of his existence, and that they are
not affected by the fall.
By some it is believed that all men have suf¬
fered in a very high degree. There is very little
credence, if any, to be given them, from the
fact that they are far from the Scriptures in
point of truth—i. c., they fail to present the
scriptural facts as they are given in the case.
Our seventh article of religion presents the
following: "Original sin standeth not in the
following of Adam, as the Palagians do vainly
llrsult of the Fall of Man.
155
talk, but in the corruption of the nature of every
man; that, naturally, it is engendered of the
offspring' of Adam, whereby man is very far
gone from original righteousness, and his own
nature inclined to evil, and that continually."
A more forcible statement of man's natural
depravity can hardly be given. .
" Taking the (Jalvinist and Arminian view of
the nature of original sin, instead of a positive
evil infused into man's nature, by a judicial act
of God, which has been transmitted to all of
Adam's posterity," they claim that it is a priva¬
tion of the image of Uod. Where there is no
righteousness—no smiling (lod—there is death.
The subject may be argued further from its
" extent." The extent of the fall finds almost
another held for debate. In part, much has been
said already as to the extent.
We must, however, remember that there is a
possibility for believing that there is a chance
to conclude that the extent of the "effect" of
the "fall of man" covers comparatively but
little space, and that much need not be said in
contradiction of such an argument, from the
fact that it is of little moment.
Again, we might claim there is great space for
argument, and this fact comes from the broad¬
ness of the subject.
Let this lie as it may, look at it in the bright-
156 Result of the Fall of Man.
est possible light, or from the darkest stand¬
point, and the fact remains the same, that the
extent is worth considering, at least in a few
brief remarks.
From the very first appearance of sin into the
world, man commenced and continued on the
downward march, and with such a rate of
speed, and rampantness that caused the Al¬
mighty to call a halt 011 that line, even to the
whole human family Listen! '£ Uod saw that
the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every imagination of the thought of
his heart was only evil continually," and "All
flesh had corrupted His way upon the earth.1'
(It was filled with violence.) Glen.: vi, 12-13.
The condition of man's depravity grew darkei
and darker, as the wheels of time rolled on.
Fraud, idolatry, vice and degradation were, and
are, prominent figures in all ages, and among
all classes.
"There are none good—no, not one," says the
Great Teacher.
The whole earth is corrupt, having been cursed.
CHAPTER XVI.
sotebology.
Theologically speaking, the atonement means
the suffering of Christ; I. e., death for us, or in
other words, death in our stead. That Christ
died for us is the main question at issue; there¬
fore, a few scriptural illustrations will settle the
matter. "In this, while we were yet sinners,
(1hrist died for us." 1 'As in Adam all die, even so
in Christ shall all be alive." It is seen here that
(1hrist died for us; that is, he died in our stead.
kk dod so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The world would have 110 life in it, had not (lod
given His Son to die instead of the world; thus,
it is plain that the atonement 01* death—suffering
of Christ, was and is life to us.
k k I11 Adam all die.1' As far as man is concerned
there is no life in him only through Christ,
4 k Who gave himself as a ransom for all.'' Seeing
that the atonement in this particular is the suf¬
fering and death of Christ for man, we turn our
attention to—
by whom was the atonement made?
The atonement was made by Christ. The
158
Soterologif.
Scriptures, the words of God, justify us in our
assertion. That the atonement was made by
Christ is plain in the following: "It is expedient
for us that one man should die for the people, than
that the whole nation perish not." Christ, it is
plainly seen here, must die in the stead of the
nations. u Who of his own self 'bore' our sins
in his own body on the tree."
That Christ made the atonement is as plain as
can be. " God commended his love toward us
in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us." Not only has an atonement been made,
but a full atonement—that is, He died for the
world.
Let us first remember that in the fall of Adam
all came short of the glory of God; man lost
that blessed image and became unclean. The
Scriptures state: •' All have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God "—and subject to death.
Since all have come short of the glory of God,
and subject to death, in the fullest sense of the
word, there is only one way that justice can be
satisfied, and that is by the shedding of blood;
i 'for without the shedding of blood there is no re¬
demption." Thus it is plain that blood must be
shed for man. Remember, the blood of beasts, or
animals, could not do, for it is said the "blood
of heifers and bulls thou wouldst not;" since
this is a fact, they can serve no longer; hence,
Soterology.
159
as blood must be shed, and as the blood of beasts
could not do, why Christ, the just, must die for
the unjust. It was in the decree of Deity or
Christ that He would die for the unjust. "For
(!od so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son to die," etc. Wrath fell on the
Son, as He died in man's stead, and thus by His
death man was free, or acquitted, on condition
that he accept the plan set forth by Christ.
Grod, it must be understood, is just, and as we
have said, made man for his own glory; man
violated the law, and it was just, that as Grod
being just, not to allow him to escape the pun¬
ishment which was laid up for the offender.
Justice had to be satisfied, (rod "loved the
world'' from the fact He made it for His own
glory, and it seems that at any time when
justice was satisfied man was again restored in
His favor. His law He had declared, and there
was no way that man could escape. It is true
that God loved the world, still His goodness
would not allow Him to override justice. Thus
man now is only saved upon condition that he
accept Christ's plans and live up to them. To¬
ward sin Grod is just as bitter today as He ever
was—and always will be; He never accepts sin.
EXTENT OF THE ATONEMENT.
It matters not how eager one may be to make
160 Soterology.
a display of words; we must accept the teach¬
ings of the Scriptures upon this subject. It
teaches that Christ atoned for the world; that
His death was for all men. It can be easily
proven when we notice the following: '' This
is indeed the Christ and Savior of the world."
'' For God so loved the world that he gave His
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on
him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Here God gave His Son for the world, not for
some, but for all. "Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sins of the world."
"Christ died for all." These words all show
that Christ died for the world, unless the word
"alV means nothing; "world" means people. If
they have any meaning they mean that Christ
suffered for "all men," and they can be saved,
provided they accept salvation. Upon the plans
of salvation all must cling; if lost it will be their
own fault, for Christ died for all. All men will
be saved if all men believe. Man cannot be
saved unless he believes. He is only saved on
condition that he believe. The Scriptures teach
*' He that believeth not shall be damned; but
he that believeth shall be saved." If this is a
fact, we can see how men can be saved upon
their belief. This is left with man, since he is
a free moral agent; he can accept or refuse. It
must be remembered that Christ died to save the
Soterologi). 161
world, as we have just stated, providing the
world believe; but if the world believes not,
then the world shall be lost. Christ did not die
to save us whether we repent or not. He says
himself: "Repent and believe.77 So Christ
died to save all that believe.
CHAPTER XVII.
resurrection.
That Jesus rose from the dead cannot be dis¬
puted successfully. There were only three ways
1 >y which the body could have 1 >een removed: The
first was by His enemies; secondly, by His
friends; thirdly, by Himself, as was predicted.
( See Matt.: xxvii,63.J Had His enemies removed
His body they would have reproduced it when
the disciples were speaking of His resurrection,
to show they were not believing in the true
Christ, and that He was a deceiver. This they
failed to do, so they said His friends stole him
away. Matt.: xxviii, 11-15. Examine their re¬
ports and all appear false. In the first place the
disciples were few and had little courage; they
sitf 11- <_ t
162
Resurrection.
did not as much as attend the crucifixion •, they
left Him and fled. Peter followed Him afar off,
and, when accused of being one of His dis¬
ciples, denied. Matt.: xxvi, 56-58. Not one,
aside from John, attended Him in the judgment
hall. John and his mother were the only ones
that stood by while Christ was being crucified.
Moreover, it was the great festival, the pass-
over of the Jews, and the time of full moon.
Again, there were sixty guards, in the open air—
certainly all of them did not fall asleep at the
same time in the open air. Had they all been
asleep, they could not have told how he was
removed, whether by disciples or some one eke.
It was death to Roman soldiers to sleep on
duty. If they had been asleep they would not
have voluntarily confessed it. Moreover, their
rulers would have punished or put them to
death. This they did not do. ''And, when
they were asssembled with the elders, and had
taken council, they gave large money unto the
soldiers, saying, say ye, His disciples came by
night and stole Him away while we slept. And,
if this comes to the governor's ears, we will per¬
suade him and secure you." Matt: xxviii,
12-15.
If the soldiers had believed their own report,
they would have afterward reproached the dis¬
ciples with it. This they did not do. Now, if
Resurrection.
163
no one stole Him from tlie toml) He must liave
risen, as He said. John: x, 17-18. After He
rose, He appeared at least twelve times to His
disciples, and was seen by above five hundred
persons at the same time. If Christ was able to
raise Himself from the dead, certainly He can
raise others. Thomas saw the print of the nails,
and many others saw where His feet were nailed
to the wood, and saw His bleeding side. When
(Jhrist appeared to them they took new courage
and doubted no longer, but boldly preached that
the very Christ that was crucified had come from
the dead. Mark: xvi, 20; Acts: ii, 14; ix, 20;
ii, 22-36. This shows that He was the Son of
Grod. What He said the disciples told far and
near. Paul lays heavy stress upon the resurrec¬
tion of Christ. I Cor.: xv, 1 to 58.
CHAPTER XVIII.
eternal life.
Theologically speaking, eternal life means to
live with Grocl forever—L e.: have Christ. As
Christ is eternal and life (as has been seen else¬
where), to have Christ is to have life. I John:
v, 12: "He that hath the Son hath life, and
he that hath not the Son hath not life."
St. John: v, 54: "Who eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood hath eternal life, and I will
raise him up at the last day." In the former
we are taught that Christ is life, and to have
Christ is to have life; in the latter, that Christ
is eternal life. This is seen also in the latter.
Rom.: vi, 23: "For the wages of sin is death,
and the gift of Glod is eternal life."
Death is the end of life—destruction of life.
Christ being not obtainable, brings men into
destruction. The beginning of this destruction
commences here—in not accepting Christ. The
beginning of life commences here—in accepting
Christ. The wicked shall never lose their exist¬
ence, (such is not the strict conclusion of the
Scriptures), but shall exist in death. "Will burn
Eternal Lije.
165
up the chaff with unquenchable fire"; the fire
here is unquenchable—shall never cease.
If life ended here, when the body ceases, it
would not be eternal life. When eternal life is
referred to it means existence with Grod forever.
Paul says: "Behold I shew you a mystery; we
shall not all sleep, but be changed in a moment
—in the twinkling of an eye." It is meant here
that death is only a change. He also states that
we shall rise at the sound of the trumpet.
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ,
we are of all men most miserable. But now is
Christ risen from the dead, and become the first
fruit of them that slept." Death is simply called
a sleep, so we infer that we shall stand with Grod
in the day to come.
Eternal life is taught in the Old and New
Testaments. Christ says: "I go to prepare a
place for you, and where I am there ye shall
also be." Again: "I go to the Father, but mil
come again and receive you unto myself; where
I am there ye shall also be." Eternal life is
taught here as elsewhere.
We naturally suppose that life is eternal when
we realize the fact that the soul is the most im¬
portant part of man, and exists when matter is
unable to even understand itself. Matter only
moves as it is operated upon by life; spirit was
before matter, hence it does not seem reasonable
166
Eternal Life.
that it must cease when matter ceases; it oc¬
cupies a higher state in the scale of existence.
Again, the death and resurrection of Christ shows
conclusively the possibility of our existence here¬
after, or eternal life. He was put to death,
buried and rose and ascended up high.
CHAPTER XIX.
immortality.
That we are immortal—that is, the soul is, is a
fact beyond contradiction. The Scriptures say:
"And G-od breathed into man the breath of life
and man became a living soul." " To-day thou
shalt be in paradise." Speaking of the soul:
"Man giveth up the ghost," etc. "Into thy
hands I commit my spirit." Enough already
has been said to prove the immortality of the
soul. Now, the next question for consideration
is this: "Are we immortal by nature?" We
are not immortal by nature, but by the super¬
natural power of Grod we are • quickened from
the dead. It is through the Divine power, be¬
yond man's comprehension, how we are saved.
Nature made nothing, but was created; there¬
fore we must conclude that we are not immortal
by nature, but through Grod. The apostles say:
"(lod gave it a body as suits him." So it must
be through Divine power that this operation is
performed.
Through ('hrist we received first eternal life—
i. c.: a life of eternal joy, as we have before
168
Immortality.
remarked. Through Christ we receive that life
that shall never be subject to death any more—
not like those who are not raised from the dead,
but changed, and rise to become subjected to
death 110 more. "Christ is the fruit of them
that sleepeth." "I am not a God of the dead,
but of the living." "As Christ was raised from
the dead, so shall we be raised from the dead.
That is, we shall be raised unto everlasting life.
Our bodies shall be slightly changed, and we
shall rise to everlasting enjoyment. Tlnv,
through Christ we shall rise to everlasting life.
Here, if the word "everlasting" means anything
it means no end, but all time to come; thus, all
time to come means no death—that is, we mean
annihilation of the soul and body; but, if the
word means death spiritually, we mean that the
spirit, so far as pleasure and hope and everlast¬
ing enjoyment is concerned, it shall die.
THE IMPOTENT.
If the impotent here spoken of is to be under¬
stood in a theological sense, we at once take
*
the authority to make these assertions: The
impotent will never cease to exist, while they
will die as far as worldly enjoyment, such as
wealth and honor and a bright and glorious
hope of the future, are concerned. They will
never die in substance; the same wicked soul
Immortality.
169
that lives now will live on—I mean when rolling
ages cease to move. That they will never die
is scriptural doctrine: "And these shall go away
into everlasting punishment."
The wages of sin and effect that sin has on the
life principles within man mil make it terrible
for mail."
"The wages of sin is death." That is to say,
sin when it is ended brings death. Sin, like an
eating cancer, saps the moral principles that fix
the future as well as the present condition of
man. It so completely does away with the least
spark of hope that man in such a state is re¬
garded as grass when it is cut down. The apostle
says the wages of sin is death, etc.
CHAPTER XX.
the judgment.
Of all the Scripture subjects that we have no¬
ticed this is the most dreadful. This day is
called the day of darkness, sorrow and shedding
of tears, and weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The dead must come forth. Those who have
been sleeping, lo these many years, shall awake
at the first sound of the trumpet. Great fear,
a day of calamity; it is the day and year of
jubilee. The end is come, and all men must
stand before God and render their accounts.
The Scriptures say: "We must all stand before
the judgment of Christ." " For God shall bring
all our work into judgment." " Whether they
be good or evil." " The wicked shall be turned
into hell, with all the nations that forget God."
"Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I
made you, but I know you not." "Behold! I
come quickly, and my reward is with me to give
every man according as his work shall be."
These and many other sentences demonstrate
and show to a letter what the judgment means.
If we had no thought of the jndgment, if our
The Judgment. 171
present state was such that we imagine no snch
day, who could not resent the force of the Script¬
ure argument in favor of such a day? We know
that the justice of God must necessarily bring
forth such a day to punish and reward. For
it would not be just that some should
live quietly here while others have no
regard for themselves, and others be al¬
lowed to remain together all time to come.
But let us see: The .heathen come to be judged
by the law of nature; the Jews by the law of
Moses, and the Christians by the law of Christ.
Clod shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus
Christ, according to the gospel. Every vain and
idle word—every thought—shall be brought
forth. Time, we are sure, no one knows but
God. The apostles say "The day of the Lord
shall come as a thief in the night." 4'Of that
day and hour knoweth no man; no not the
angels of heaven." This will settle, we hope,
speculative theories as to time, if carefully looked
into.
DEATH FIXES MAN'S DESTINY.
Of course there is no change either for better
or for worse after death. In this life all such
changes must take place. Death simply fixes
the destiny—that is, He puts on the dead-lock,
that cannot be broken. If man die righteous, it
172 The Judgment.
will be his to reap eternal salvation. If he die
wicked, "His every thought shall perish.11 Not
the least' thought or idea of a hoi>e of safety
shall ever arise from the fact the end has come.
"He that is righteous, let him he righteous still;
he that is wicked, let him be wicked still, for the
end of all flesh is come before me."
COMPLETE TRIUMPH OE THE BIG-HTEOUS.
The righteous claim triumph through Christ.
Christ, in bringing salvation, brought eternal
salvation and a complete triumph. "In Christ
is our salvation." Our safety depends upon
Christ; our triumph is through him, over death
hell and the grave. "The righteous shall shine
forth as the morning." "The righteous shall
live forever." Live where? Surely not in hell,
for that means death, or one eternal night.
Then the phrase must mean in peace and joy
for all time to come. Still the wicked shall
never entirely die and go into nothing, that is be
annihilated, but as long as Clod live they shall
burn in fire and be tormented in the flame.
Again, the loss of the very eternal presence of
God, in the way of enjoying His goodness,
means death. Though the wicked live forever in
death, the righteous shall triumph by over¬
leaping oppositions and living with God. "He
that hath the Son hath life."
CHAPTER XXI.
heaven.
Having arrived at the point to consider the
future place or state of the saints and the place
of those who are there, we would say in reply to
the above question, that "Heaven" is a place
for the rest and enjoyment of the righteous.
Christ in his own words said: UI go to pre¬
pare a place for you, and where I am there ye
may also be."
This shows that Heaven is a place. We might
conclude that Heaven is not a place but a state,
if we agree with some, and contradict the idea
that it is a place. This controversy we consider
of little importance, i. e., as to whether Heaven
is a state or place, for it may be both a state and
a place;' as we see the one does not exclude the
other. The future place or state is the abode of
the righteous and faithful; we are sure that it is
not contrary and beyond the power of God to
arrange a place for the saints, for He can do just
what He will. To say that Heaven is not a place,
we think, wou d be the same as to say the Deity
could not make a place for the faithful and the
174
Heaven.
true." Again, the Savior says: 11 They shall
come from the east and the west and shall set
down in the Kingdom, and the children of the
Kingdom shall he thrust out." This shows fur¬
ther that it is a place, for how could they set
down unless in a place; there must be a place
for the righteous; to a state there is no limi¬
tation, but Paul teaches that Christ ascended
above all heaven. This further shows that
Heaven is a place, hence we conclude that
Heaven is a place of the saints and everlasting
rest. There is no doubt but what the righteous
will inherit that place. Again the Savior says:
"In my Father's house there are many man¬
sions"—"rooms" in the language of Dr. Tal-
mage.
WHERE.
This question is involved in many doubts, that
is, as to its location. The Indians think it a place
of fine sports or goodly hunting grounds. On
this subject men have their doubts and beliefs
as to where heaven is. We, from the Scriptures,
might say that it is above us, from the fact that
Christ ascended upward. The Prophet Elijah
ascended up in a chariot of fire. There are many
signs and indications in the Sacred Volume that
seem to lean in the direction that Heaven is up¬
ward ; but to say where Heaven is properly, we
Hear en.
175
believe it is wherever God is and that it is the place
of God, and He is everywhere. We are aware
of the fact that one states that Heaven was
measured, and found to contain so many cubits,
etc. To say that Heaven is located in a certain
limited place, is what we believe to be untrue, but
that it is where God is. It is beyond our compre¬
hension to say exactly where Heaven is, other
than what we have stated. We might deal in
speculative theories on this subject, but think
that this subject is so lofty in conception and so
broad in comprehension, is the very cause for
saying that our thoughts are too limited to draw
upon such a noble question.
We know that in that place the weary shall
be at rest, and they will need no sunshine or
moonlight, for the city will be lighted up with
the gloy of God; God shall wipe away all tears
from the eyes of the righteous. No chilly or
chilling winds, death or sorrow shall reach that
healthy shore. There the Lamb of God shall
put 011 His Heavenly garments and shall feed
those who come through great tribulations;
there friends shall meet to part no more. The
streets are of pure gold—most glorious to behold.
CHAPTER XXII.
sabbath—institution.
In the study of this subject let it be remembered
that it is an institution set apart by God. There¬
fore we should keep it holy, as God has com¬
manded us to do. "Remember the seventh day
to keep it holy."
The word Sabbath means religious rest. On
this day God rested from His work. "Thus the
heaven and the earth were finished and all the
host of them, and on the seventh day God ended
his work which he had made; and God blessed
the seventh day and sanctified it, because that
in it he had rested from all his work which God
created and made." God sanctified the seventh
day because he rested on that day from all his
work which he had made; he commands us to
keep the day holy. There can be no doubt but
that the Sabbath should be observed, not only
by some, but by all the nations of the earth.
Among the days of the week the Sabbath
stands out as a chief of days. This fact is indi¬
cated by its being blessed—made holy.
When this day was set apart is not a mystery.
Sa b bath—Institution.
177
It took place when our first parents just started
out on the journey of life. It was instituted for
them.
The institution, however, is not only essen¬
tial to our moral and religious culture, but in
perfect accordance with the philosophy of our
physical constitution." Grod knew what was
needed for man's moral and physical develop¬
ment. He knew that man must have rest, hence
the setting apart of such a day.
As our first parents were there when the day
was made sacred, and as they were representa¬
tives of all the races of the world, the command
to keep the day holy should fall with equal weight
upon all the nations of the world.
The day was held sacred by the children of
Israel in the wilderness. We read, Exodus: xvi
2)1: k k And he said unto them: This is that
which the Lord has said: to-morrow is the rest of
the Holy Sabbath unto the Lord. Look that ye
shall see the day,1' etc. 'k And the people rested
on the seventh day.11
The food prepared aud held over on the Sab¬
bath was kept. It did not spoil. But there
were some who went to gather manna on the
Saltbath (verse 27), 11 And it came to pass that
there went out some of the people on the seventh
day for to gather, and they found none, and the
L< >rd said unt< > M< >ses: k 1 How long refuse ye to
*>i« i-'-c T
178 Sabbath—Institution.
obey my commandments and my laws ?'' See
"For the Lord hath given you the Sabbath,
therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the
bread of two days. Abide ye every man in his
place; let no man go out of his place on the
seventh day."
In this it is seen that the day is to be perpet¬
uated.
Notwithstanding these were many years from
creation, yet the observance of the Sabbath was
impressed upon them. Some insisted on going
out and gathering on the Sabbath. They went,
but they found nothing, and that manna gath¬
ered on the sixth day was kept over until the
seventh. So the people had something to eat
on the Sabbath, though they gathered none 011
the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was not just then set apart in the
wilderness, but it was refreshed in the minds of
the people. In the decalogue the Sabbath is
mentioned as a day of holy rest.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work,
but the seventh day is the day of the Lord thy
God."
"In it thou shalt not do any work; thou nor
thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man servant,
nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates," etc.
Sabbath—Institution.
179
The Sabbath, according to the meaning here
given out, is to be kept in view as a day or rest,
not only for man, but for beast.
The words, "Remember the Sabbath day,"
show that the Sabbath had been recognized
before they came into the wilderness. So the
argument of those who claim that the Sabbath
was instituted in the wilderness falls to the
ground.
It was then an old institution, to be kept holy.
This being the day that the Lord claims as his
own, it should be kept holy.
"It is the Sabbath of the Lord, our God."
(His rest day.)
"Every one that defileth it shall be surely
put to death; for whosoever doeth any work
therein, that soul shall be cut off from among
his people." Exod.: xxxi, 14.
This moral obligation is frequently referred to
in the sacred Scriptures by the sacred writers.
Isaiah: lviii, 13-14; reads: "If thou turn away
thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy
pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath
a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and
shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor
finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine
own words, then shalt thou delight thyself in
the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the
high places of the earth, and feed thee with the
180 Sabbath—Institution.
heritage of Jacob thy father, for the mouth of
the Lord hath spoken it."
It is plain that the Sabbath is to be kept,
and those who keep it shall be blessed. "They
shall ride upon the high places," saiththe Lord,
"and feed with the heritage of Jacob."
Observance of the Sabbath is a moral duty,
and he who breaks the Sabbath, becomes crimi¬
nal—a sinner in the true sense of the word.
The Sabbath was made for man.
By keeping the Sabbath man's health is pro¬
moted. He feels better after a day's rest. He
is better prepared to begin anew another week's
work.
This is not only so with man, but true with
beasts of burden. Careful observation has
demonstrated this fact.
CHANGE OF SABBATH.
In speaking of the change of the Sabbath
from the seventh to the first day in the week,
there is one thing to be observed in the outset,
and that is, that it was not only the seventh day,
it was rest day, or day of holy rest, from the
fact that Grod rested on that day and sancti¬
fied it.
"He did not bless and hallow the day as the
seventh day only, but as being the Sabbath, or
day of holy rest.
Sabbath—Institution.
181
While, t hero fore, the Sabbath itself is a holy
institution, morally binding upon all men, the
laws which determine the time of its observance
is purely positive, and consequently may be
changed. But though this might be altered
without altering the substance of the constitu¬
tion, yet it could be altered only by Divine
authority.
The same authority which constituted the Sab¬
bath, appointed also the day on which it was to
be observed, and 110 other authority is compe¬
tent to change either the one or the other.
Thus the change of the day of rest from the
seventh to the first day of the week is to be ac¬
cepted as ordered by (-rod.
That the Christian Sabbath has been recog¬
nized as the day of rest, set apart by G-od, will
be seen when we examine the matter under con¬
sideration carefully.
The same portion of time which constituted
the seventh day from the creation could not
be observed in all parts of the earth. It is
not probable, therefore, that the original law
required more than that a seventh day, or one
day in seven, the seventh day after six days
of labor, should be appropriated, from what¬
ever point the hebdominal cycle might begin.
For if more had been intended, then it would
have been necessary to establish a rule for the
182
Sabbath—Institution.
reckoning of days themselves, which has been
different in different nations; some reckoning
from evening to evening, and others from mid¬
night to midnight. But if we could be abso¬
lutely certain as to the mode of reckoning days
when the Sabbath was first instituted, the dif¬
ferences of latitude and longitude would throw
the whole into disorder; and it is not probable
that a universal law should have been fettered
with that circumstantial exactness which would
have rendered difficult and sometimes doubtful
astronomical calculations necessary, in order to
its being obeyed according to the intention of
the Lawgiver."
Hence, we conclude: That the precise time
of the Sabbath is not essential to the institution,
and that this may be changed by Divine author¬
ity, without making any alteration in the law of
the Sabbath either as it stands in the second
chapter of Genesis or in the fourth command¬
ment. It is, therefore, as consistent with the
nature of the institution for Christians to observe
the first day of the week as it was for the Jews
to observe the seventh.. We are not to suppose,
however, that every man has a right to deter¬
mine which day of the week should be his Sab¬
bath, though he should fulfil the law so far as
to subtract the seventh part of his time from
labor. It is ordained for public worship; and
Sabbath—Institution.
183
it is therefore necessary that it should be uni¬
formly observed by a whole community at the
same time. The Divine legislator of the Jews
interposed for this end by special direction, as
to his people. The first Sabbath kept in the
wilderness was calculated from the first day in
which the manna fell, and with no apparent
reference to the creation of the world. By
apostolic authority it is now fixed to be held on
the first day of the week, and thus one of the
great ends for which it was established, that it
should be a day of "holy convocation," is se¬
cured.
Thus, in substance, the very design of the
Lord of the Sabbath is observed.
Moreoverv the change was made by Divine
authority, by those whose business it was 1' to
put all things in order."
When we remember that Paul preached on the
first day of the week, we are then impressed with
the fact of the first day of the week being recog¬
nized as the Lord's day.
"And upon the first of the week when the
disciples came together to break bread Paul
preached to them; ready to depart on the mor¬
row, and continued his speech until midnight."
Acts: xx, 7.
This was the day the disciples came together
to celebrate the Lord's supper. On the first day
184
Sabbath—Institution,
of the week ''the disciples came together to
break bread.7'
If they had recognized the seventh as the
Lord's day, that day they would have met to
eat the Lord's supper. Paul preached 011 that
day, the first day of the week. Eating of the
Lord's supper shows that that day was recog¬
nized as the Lord's day.
The name, Lord's Day, was used in the way
of distinguishing the first day of the week as the
Lord's day from the Jewish Sabbath.
John says, " I was in the Spirit on the Lord's
day." Rev.: i, 10.
That the first day of the week was observed as
the Lord's day is not a question when we con¬
sult history as to the early practice of the Chris¬
tian fathers, touching their religious worship.
Ignatius says: 'i Let us no more Sabbathize,''
keep the Jewish Sabbath, but let us keep the
Lord's day, on which our Lord arose."
IrenaBus, Bishop of Lyons, who lived in the
second century, says: "On the Lord's day
every one of us Christians keep the Sabbath."
Dionysius says: "To-day we celebrate the
Lord's day when we read your epistles to us."
The day of Pentecost came 011 the first day of
the week. The disciples met for sacred worship
on the first day of the week.
On this day the Grod of the Universe, as he
Sabbath—Intstitution.
185
had promised, poured out the Holy Spirit upon
them, during which time three thousand persons
were converted and added unto the Church.
Christ rose on the first day of the week; there¬
fore it was styled the Lord's day. John: xx, 1,
says: " The first day of the week ariseth Mary
Magdalene early when it was yet dark," in speak¬
ing of the day that Christ rose from the dead.
John: xx, 1-4.: "Then the same day in the
evening, being the first day of the week, when
the doors were shut where the disciples were
assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and
stood in their midst," etc.
There can be no doubt but that when the
Lord's day is kept that we are obeying Grod, for
he (Christ) is God in substance, and by him all
things were made, and without him there was
not anything made. So if he sanctified the
first day of the week as his day there can be no
doubt as to the propriety of celebrating that day.
'' The observance of the week as the Sabbath
passed so speedily and so universally into the
custom of the Christian church, and has con¬
tinued until the present time so generally through¬
out Christendom, that the practice is itself
adequate justification, and a sufficient answer to
all seventh day argumentation.1'
This day is recognized as the Lord's day
through the sacred Scriptures wherever mention
186
Sabbath—Institution.
is made at all of the holy Sabbath in the New
Testament, and history of the Christian church.
It is the Christian's day to keep; we should hold
it sacred, for it is dear to the Christian's church.
There should be performed no manner of
work.
u Thou shalt not do any work," is the imper¬
ative command. It must be kept as a day of
sacred worship.
The Lord sanctified the day as a day of rest.
CHAPTER XXIII.
hell.
Hell is a place of punishment for the wicked;
there the wicked cease not from trouble and the
weary have no rest. It is a place of endless
punishment. ''The fire that never shall be
quenched." u Eternal damnation." But what
need have we in this article to multiply words in
order to show what hell is1? It is plain that it is
a place where the souls of the transgressors are
eternally punished; where there is "weepingand
gnashing of teeth."
The next question that strikes our attention is
whebe is hell?
To this we can only reply by saying, hell is
where the damned, the outcast—those who make
110 peace with their Grod are. To locate and tell
exactly where hell is, is beyond our ability. We
might add that it is where G-od's goodness does
not exist; a place prepared for the imperfect.
The Scriptures say: That it is a pit—bottom¬
less pit." There the mercy of God never reaches.
188
Sell.
INTERMEDIATE STATE.
There is no intermediate state between death
and the judgment; hence, when a man dies heat
once enters hell or heaven. When the wicked die
God has no more regard for them; thus at
once they must enter on their eternal journey
without end; the pain shall be of a ceaseless
nature. There is no intermediate state, from the
fact that Christ said to the dying thief: '' To-day
thou shalt be with me in paradise.'' Undoubtedly
this is heaven, for He says: " I go to prepare a
place for you, and where I am there ye shall be
also." In this He mentions no intermediate
place. Again we think it absurd to conceive
such, from the fact that it is contrary to the
goodness of God to permit us to enter into rest
only for a short time and chen thrust us out—we
mean from heaven, not the kingdom of earth.
Again, there is no Scripture to show that an in¬
termediate state exists anywhere; the Scriptures
are very plain in this matter. Notwithstanding
the Roman Catholic church earnestly recom¬
mends such a place, still there is no proof for it.
The idea is based upon superstition. The Script¬
ures give no such place. In St. Peter we read
that Christ preached to the prisoners, but this,
if understood, has no reference whatever to a
purgatory, but refers wholly to the days of Noah.
The mere reading of the Bible, we think, is
Hell
189
enough to defeat such doctrine, so we conclude
that there is no need of going further on this
subject.
We are sure the Scriptures state that the
wicked shall burn or suffer, as you may have it,
always; there is no end for them; for they enter
into eternal punishment. Upon this subject the
Scriptures are equally plain, as on other points.
"These shall go away into everlasting punish¬
ment." St. Paul says: "They shall be punished
with everlasting destruction; the fire that never
shall be quenched'1—it is called eternal damna¬
tion.
CHAPTER XXIV.
eewaed and punishment.
This refers only to the obedient and disobedient.
It is a well known fact, that in nature are laws
for our government as well as there are laws
known among us for our mental enjoyment;
this being a fact that no rational mind can
doubt, it follows that if these laws, or a j>art of
them are broken, the offender must suffer the pen¬
alty, whether the object is aware of what it is be¬
ing punished for or not. When birth is to be given
by any of nature's beings, at the appointed time
certain developments must break forth, and if
prohibited, death or a certain course of suffering
follows. This shows that there is punishment
for the -violation. That there is a first cause, it
cannot be denied. All other things take their
existence from the First Cause, from the fact
they could not exist themselves. If this is true,
then who can deny that Grod is a rewarder of
the righteous and punisher of the wicked ? He
is a rewarder of the obedient, it's plain, just as
is shown He is a punisher of the violator.
When a person, or any being obeys Clod and
Reward and Punishment. 191
keeps his laws, they from time to time are made
to rejoice in their being; we undoubtedly
acknowledge the above, if we admit that Glod is
just.
In punishment, it is not necessary at all times
that the individual must bring the punishment
on himself directly, for others can so act that
while they suffer themselves," others also will
suffer. We are made with two eyes, two legs, the
horse with four legs, and worms with many; all
this is the work of nature, as controlled and
planned by the First Cause. While we only
have two legs, and other beings have more, they
suffer when one limb is dislocated or removed,
while they have many, as much so as we who
have two. However strong they may appear,
they must suffer punishment, for they cannot
get along as well without one limb as they could
with it. From the above we conclude that evi¬
dence has been shown that in nature G-od is both
a rewarder and punisher.
THE GOSPEL METHOD OF SAVING SINNERS.
We are saved upon the death of Christ. This
cannot be denied by those who acknowledge
Christ to be the (lood Shepherd, who died that
we might live, as was predicted that He would
come and die by the prophets of the Old Tes¬
tament Scriptures; hence we are saved upon the
192
Reward and Punishment.
death of Christ, who made a full, perfect and
sufficient sacrifice for the world. "He was
wounded for our transgressions."
That the above is the only method by which
sinners can be saved is seen when we have ex¬
amined carefully the Sacred Scriptures. In them
we are taught to believe in the Lord, whose
grace is sufficient for us 5 upon the merits of
Christ's death the world may hang its highest
hope.' "There is no other way under heaven,"
so says the Scriptures "by' which we can be
saved."
The gospel commands all to repent and be¬
lieve, and obey Christ's law as disclosed in the
Scriptures. Everywhere men are taught to
repent and come to the Bishop of our souls.
Salvation is by faith. We are taught, "He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved," and
that we are justified by faith. There is a work,
that is, the work that proceeds from faith, that
is essential to salvation, but not the work of the
old Mosaic law. "Therefere being justified by
faith, we have peace with Cod." Heb.: xi, 1,
and Heb.: iii, 14; Rom.: i, 16; x, 14, 17.
Can any be saved who have never heard of
Jesus and liis teachings? Yes, if Wakefield,
and other theologians' statements are true. We
are taught they will be judged according to what
they know; they mil be judged by the law of
Piftrard and Punishment.
193
nature originally given to man as the rule of his
conduct; some portion of the law has been pre¬
server! among them, partly by tradition and
partly by reason; this must be acknowledged,
unless we make, or attempt to make the Bible
false. There would be no need to. judge a peo¬
ple who knew nothing of their Judge's great
laws, in some form or shape; it would be wrong
to judge and punish a people who are not
acquainted with the moral government, at least
to some extent. Rom.: ii, 14-15.
S|K I.'- C T
CHAPTEK XXV.
prayer.
We shall speak in short of prayer in general,
that is, the nature of prayer, and then speak of
the kinds of prayer.
Prayer is a petition to Grod through faith.
When one wishes to seek or have pardon, the
first thing is to pray or lift up the feeble desire
to our Grod, either in public or private. "An
earnest desire is the very essence of prayer."—
Wakefield. When an individual wishes aid, he
lifts up his desire to Grod—that is prayer. To
petition is the same as to ask. "Ask and it
shall be given," etc. We might dedicate quite
a space of this page to the above subject, but
seeing that the different kinds of prayer need
our attention we shall refer to ejaculatory prayer.
The term is dedicated, not altogether but in
part, to the frequent prayer offered in secret;
private prayer. 1' When thou prayest enter into
thy closet," etc. Family prayer, such as Abra¬
ham, Daniel and others frequently offered up.
Public prayer is such as is offered up in public;
David made this kind very often. We need not
Prayer.
195
^ay who of the prophets and disciples offered
these kinds of prayers, for they are too numer¬
ous. They need no reference at all; suffice it to
say the above is all the grounds needed to sus¬
tain them in the Bible.
Prayer is effectual when the individual is in
earnest, and with a sigh or the uplifting of an
eye he pours out his heart to Grod. Earnestness
and a pure heart or a desire to have a pure heart
renders prayer effectual. Earnest prayer with
faith, or if you allow it faith, is the real condi¬
tion that makes prayer effectual. Suppose we
pray and have faith, then what we pray for will
be done. Do you suppose that it will be other¬
wise! Indeed not, unless we multiply a host of
vain thoughts that man should not be guilty of.
TRUE PRAYER.
True prayer is that earnest desire from the
heart for anything consistent with the glory of
Hod. It must be from the heart, and unless
"with a belief, that is faith still, it is not good.
A true prayer is that with faith. "He that
cometh to me by faith, I will in nowise cast
out." "Ask without doubting," etc. These
are the words of our God. Prayers of this kind
ascend unto the throne of grace and bring salva¬
tion down.
When we ask anything of the Lord, it should
196
Prayer.
be with faith, believing that whatever we ask for
in faith we shall surely receive. True prayers
are such as were used by the prophets in the
days of old. By true prayers Hezekiah had
several years added to his life. Daniel prayed
and his prayers were answered. Christ prayed
to the Father. The publican, not even holding
up his head, said: "Lord be merciful unto me
a sinner." When this was done he went home
justified; his prayer had prevailed. A desire of
the Lord, believing that it will be answered, and
from the heart especially, when asking for some¬
thing that is needful, is sure to receive a reply.
POWER IN PRAYER.
There is in prayer more power than many
even think of. If we should say that all the
power is in prayer, we don't know that we would
say anything wrong. To this we think every
Christian will agree. The power of prayer is so
great it seems that all the blessings that we re¬
ceive and the changes even in our own bodies
are brought about with that never-failing arm—
prayer.
To show you that all the power possibly is in
prayer, let us refer to what the Savior says:
"Men ought always to pray." "When thou
prayest enter into thy closet, and thy Father
who seest in secret, will reward thee openly."
Prayer.
197
tkAsk and it shall be given; seek and ye shall
find; knock and the door shall be opened." If
there be no power in prayer in the way of
obtaining blessings, why is it that our Savior so
earnestly requested men everywhere to engage
in prayer? "Ask and it shall be given." The
very phrase here, uAsk and it shall be given,"
shows that there is great power in prayer. There
is nothing that we can resort to with so much
power as prayer. "Prayer is the Christian's
vital breath, the Christian's native air; his
watchword at the gate of death; he enters
Heaven with prayer1; prayer makes the darkest
cloud withdraw, when none but God is near.
Prayer is the sublimest thing that reaches the
Majesty on high." Having stated as we sup¬
pose enough at present on the above subject, we
shall now turn to the next subject which de¬
mands our attention.
EFFECT OF PEAYEK.
Prayers seem to have a changing effect upon
the human mind and heart. No one can pray
from time to time earnestly without feeling that
a friend has come to help him to bear his bur¬
dens, for true such will be the case. It seems to
be of a binding nature, and grows from time to
time, just as growing material does; as the
moral nature of man gradually gets better, his
198
Prayer.
physical nature grows better in some respects;
wherever the heart is continually petitioning our
Grod for his renewing aid, from time to timer
earnestness seems to fix it in our hearts, and
soon a compelling force begins to operate that
has a tendency to improve upon our person—
the whole nature by prayer is changed. Prayer
excites within us a knowledge that makes us
feel our dependence and the need of Christ; it
awakens a holy desire within us.
We might ask of what benefit it is to us when
we desire to become farmers, shoemakers, car¬
penters or follow any other profession in life?
By watching and waiting we find in the end big
results follow, even by imitating others and
watching them. So in this sense, if in no other,
prayer is of great benefit to man. The prayers,
that we offer in earnest seem to take hold on
man. At one time an individual was praying,
and while it seemed that she was absorbed,
others were caught with such power, fell under
the influence, and rose praising God. Daniel
prayed so that he seemed to arouse those around
him. Paul prayed so that the heathen prison
doors were opened and the keeper aroused, who
at once being frightened attempted to slay him¬
self. The prayers of the righteous avail much.
We are benefited sometimes by the mere
formula of prayer.
Prayer.
199
The Bible teaches that men are weak and
needy and should pray from time to time. 1 'Men
ought always to pray." "Pray that ye enter
not into temptation." "Pray that your flight
be not in the winter." It matters not what you
need in the limits of sense and reason, "Ask
and it shall be given," "Seek and ye shall
find." As we have stated the benefits derived
from prayer elsewhere, we will notice
THE ATTITUDE.
Judging between the two positions or attitudes
in which persons should be, the most appropriate
is kneeling. Christ kneeled. Daniel kneeled.
We should not infer that because we see Christ
kneeling that he prayed no other way, for he
prayed on the cross. The thief also prayed on
the cross. "But when thou prayest enter thy
chamber or closet and pray to thy Father in
secret and he will reward you openly." Kneel¬
ing seems to show humbleness, total dependence
on God. This method has been practiced so
much until it looks ridiculous when we see one
sitting, (xod can hear and will hear, it matters
not how we are, if we are in earnest; but we
think when the surroundings will allow, prayers
should be made kneeling; this imitates Christ.
PKAYER EXPLAINED.
Prayer is the desire of the soul expressed in
200
Prayer.
words or in action. To l)e effectual it must be
the honest, sincere desire of the soul; and its
power will be in proportion to the intensity of
that desire. Prayer does not induce (lod to do
what He otherwise would not do, for if it did, it
would prove Grod to be subject to be influenced
in His actions; moved to do what He would not
otherwise do, and, therefore, changeable in His
nature. The Bible tells us that God is not only
allwise but unchangeable; and if unchangeable,
He cannot be moved by outside influences.
Prayer does not enable Grod to do what He other¬
wise could not do. This does not limit His
omnipotence, only that it makes His actions
conform to the established order of things as
arranged*by His wisdom. Grod has arranged to
confer a larger proportion of His blessings only
on condition that they are asked for; and hence
the asking is essential to the receiving., Besides,
we are in no condition to receive until we are in
a condition to ask. Grod is just and cannot for¬
give the sinner until he repents, nor grant favors
to the rebellious until they yield to Him in sub¬
mission. Hence, the conditions of seeking
honestly and earnestly are an absolutely necessary
pre-requisite to receiving; and prayer is the evi¬
dence and expression of those seeking. Prayer,
therefore, is needed on our part and not 011
Grod's part.
CHAPTER XXVI.
sacraments.
That Christianity has always recognized such
institutions, has long since been seen.
The word sacrament is from sacramentum, a
Latin word which means a solemn oath. In the
Creek it is mysterio)/, a mystery, a secret, until
revealed. These institutions, baptism and the
Lord's supper, hold a prominent place in the
Christian Church.
different views of.
The Roman Catholic church acknowledges
seven sacraments. They have five more than
the Protestants. While they are not sacraments
save two, yet they are regarded as such by them.
The two held by Protestants to be carried out,
are baptism and the Lord's supper, but the
Church of Rome has added confirmation, pen¬
ance, orders, matrimony and extreme unction.
Not one of these are mentioned in the Scriptures
as worthy of record among the sacraments. They
may be ranked among the other superstitions of
the Church of Rome.
202
Sacraments.
Socinians believe that the sacraments are no
more worthy than any other Christian rites.
They are peculiar, however, as to their emblem,
by which they represent spiritual and invisible
things. They are reminders of past events.
They are used to keep in mind pious sentiments.
They are badges of Christian profession.
THE PROTESTANTS' BELIEF.
They believe that the sacraments are not only
badges of Christian profession, but a seal and a
sign of the covenant of grace, and they bring to
us blessings of Christ's gospel, which if rejected
would render untold harm in the plan of man's
salvation. In one of our articles of religion the
belief of the Protestants are set forth thus:
"Sacraments ordained of Christ are not only
badges or tokens of Christian men's profession,
but rather they are certain signs of grace and
G-od's good will toward us, by the which he doth
work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken,
but also strengthen and confirm our faith in
him."
The sacraments held by the Protestants were
instituted by Christ himself. He ordained the
supper, at the close of the passover, when he
took bread and blessed it, and said; u As often
as ye eat, ye do show the Lord's death," etc.
"This," said He, "doin remembrance of me."
Sacraments.
203
And, to His disciples He said: "Go, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost."
They are signs. They are emblems of eternal
spiritual grace. The water impresses us with
the fact of our uncleanliness and depravity of
our nature, to be cleansed at the Fountain of
Grace. Christ's death for us is brought before
us.
They are seals of the covenant made between
(Ihrist and man. By this we exhibit our faith in
God as our Father, showing thereby our confi¬
dence in His mercy.
CHAPTER XXVII.
the lord's supper.
On this subject we shall be a little brief, and
adhere as strictly as possible to the Scripture
teachings. Bread and wine used sacramentally
is called, in a religious sense, the Lord's Sup¬
per. It is so called because Christ himself in¬
stituted it. In the Christian religion there is
nothing of more importance. All Christian de¬
nominations claim the administering of the
bread and wine, the Supper of the Lord.
Christ instituted it, and commands others to do
likewise; "Do this as often as ye shall in
remembrance of me,77 etc. It is a seal of the
covenant made between Christ and man; that
Christ instituted the Lord's Supper is a settled
fact; should any doubt it, we most respectfully
refer them to the words of our Lord. When He
and His disciples were at the table, He said to
them: "Take, eat this My body which is
broken for you; this do in remembrance of me."
After the same manner He took the cup, when
He had supped, saying, "this cup is the New
Testament in my blood; this do ye as often as
The Lord's Sapper.
205
ye drink in remembrance of me." There is no
further proof needed, when proof is multiplied
as in the above in regard to facts. Hence, we
conclude by saying the Supper of the Lord is a
Divine ordinance which Christ set up to be car¬
ried on by Christians.
CORRESPONDS WITH THE JEWISH PASSOVER.
The Lord's Supper corresponds with the
Jewish Passover. The Jewish Passover re¬
freshed the minds of the people—how miracu¬
lously did our (lod deliver them from Egypt,
and they renewed their covenant with Him;
how He will be their (lod and they His people.
When we eat the bread ai#l drink the wine, our
minds are refreshed and stroll back and think
on Him who suffered for us. It shows how our
redemption has been secured by his precious
death. Who can assemble around the table
with a clean heart, where the body and blood of
Christ is, unless being deeply impressed that he
is our Savior? By His death we are healed. In
a strict and true sense of the word, (1lirist is our
passover; we feast 011 Him, that is His body
and blood. Having as we think considered the
above facts, our attention must now be turned to
the proper persons to partake of this sacrament,
according to the Bible.
206
The Lord's Supper.
THOSE WHO HAVE THE EIGHT TO PARTAKE OF
THIS SUPPER.
We state, and we think correctly too, that
those who have repented and are baptized, and
have united with the Christian church, are
proper persons, and have the right to commune.
Christ stated to his disciples to take and divide
among themselves, that is among those who are
his followers. Those who claim to know nothing
of him in the pardoning of their sins should not
partake; that is, we mean those who have never
repented of their sins. If individuals repent
and are in love and charity with their neighbors
and have faith in Gr^|l, they should take the
supper, for all they are commanded to do is
done. They are simply required to repent and
believe. When this is done nothing more can
be expected of them; hence, we would say they
have a perfect right to commune, from the fact
the disciples ate before they ever tasted of
Christ's shed blood and broken body—we mean
in a spiritual sense—before they received the
gift of the Holy Grhost. Speaking to his dis¬
ciples, the founder of the Christian church, and
those who might unite, He said: "As often as
ye eat, ye do show forth my death and suffering
until I come again."
The Lord's Supper.
207
TKANSUBSTANTIATION.
Tvansubstantiation teaches that the words
"This is My blood," must be understood in a
literal sense; that when the words were spoken,
Christ changed the wine and blood into His own
body, and gave the disciples His. own body and
blood, and that the priest, by saying the above
words with good intention, has the power of
changing the bread and wine into the body and
blood of Christ, which, when administered by a
priest, has the power to intercede for the sins
of the living and the dead.
OONSUBSTANTIATION.
Having stated the facts above, we shall now
see what is meant by consubstantiation. In this
we don't know that we could do better than to
state the above in Mr. Wakefield's words: "The
theory was adopted by Luther respecting the
presence of Christ in the Lord's supper. He
denied that the elements were changed by con¬
secration, and, therefore, the bread and wine re¬
mained the same, but with them the body and
blood of Christ were really present in the sacra¬
ment and were really received by the communi¬
cants, (that is, literally received). Mr. Carrol-
stodt, a professor with Luther, taught that the
bread and wine in the Lord's supper are the
signs of Christ's absent body and blood of
208 The Lord's Siqywr.
Christ; that when Jesus used the words He em¬
ployed or used figurative language."
ubiquity.
Theologically speaking, it means the spiritual
body of Christ everywhere; his good equally
distributed in all parts, at the'same time, doing
good for the souls and bodies of men. The word
ubiquity is from u iibigo" in Latin, which means
everywhere; hence, by this the glorious knowl¬
edge that Christ is everywhere, even in all of us,
doing what he knows will promote our souls to
joy and goodness. They have the keys of the
Kingdom, and at any time are permitted to enter
the storehouse of knowledge and reap a glorious
reward. Again, it makes the communicant feel
that he has a stroifg arm upon which to rest
himself even in the hour of adversity. None
should fail to commune who have repented and
are in love and charity with their neighbor.
savin(t okdinance.
We are sure those who eat and drink at the
table are greatly benefited by so doing—going to
the table and there communing. It refreshes
their minds and brings again that sense of the
suffering and death of Christ for man, which has
a tendency to encourage man to press forward,
onward and upward until he reaches the golden
The Lord's Supper.
209
shores of eternal rest. Our actions on the sub¬
ject, by partaking of the sacrament of the Lord,
bring peace and gladness to our hearts.
PARTICULAR BENEFITS DERIVED FROM IT.
The bread is the body of Christ and the wine
is his shed blood, hence to eat and drink is to
eat the body of Christ. By doing so every nerve
in the Christian faith is strengthened. The sup¬
per to the moral man is as sacred and has the
same effects that food has upon our bodies;
certainly this is of great benefit. So at once it
is seen that Christ adopts his own body and be¬
comes food for the hungry. The^weak are made
strong, yea, new vigor is placed in the soul. It
is said the wicked eat and drink " damnation"
when they partake; if this be true, the right¬
eous drink and eat "life everlasting." For
"He that eateth of my body and drinketh my
blood, hath eternal life in him." In them is a
well of water growing to the honor and glory of
Him that liveth.
J4—C T
CHAPTER XXVIII.
baptism.
Baptism is a religious rite, that is a sacrament,
instituted by Grod as an initiatory right into the
Christian church. It comes in the room "of
circumcision. In the days of Moses men were
circumcised as an initiatory rite into the church.
In our common acceptation of the term, it is as
we have stated, a sacrament—an application of
water to the person as a religious rite. Webster
says it is an application of water to the body or
person, etc.
signification.
Baptism signifies the purifying of an inward
conscience. Christ said to His disciples: "Glo
ye into all the world and teach all nations,
baptizing them," etc. "He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved." "Repent," says
the apostle, "every one of you and be baptized."
It signifies the washing of an inward spirit. It
shows that the individual is not only ready to
become a Christian with all the grandeur that
this sacrament can confer upon him, but that
Baptism.
211
his soul or heart is now a fit subject for Christ
Jesus, and he is willing to do what she or he can
for Jesus.
PKOPEB, MODE.
Truthfully we can say we are on the very
point that has caused much dispute in the
Christian church, however, we shall state what
we believe according to the Scriptures to be the
true mode of baptism. The mode of baptism
undoubtedly is the application of water to the
body. The Scriptures, we are sure, make the
matter as plain as can be; for instance, "I in¬
deed baptize you with water, but He that cometh
after me, the latchets of whose shoes I am not
worthy to bear, He shall baptize you with fire
and the Holy Grhost." The Holy Grhost, as all
well know, comes down, for the Scriptures say a
<love was seen, that is, the spirit in the shape of
a dove descended. Peter says: " As I began
to speak the spirit fell on them as on us at the
beginning; then remembered I the word, how
that he says, ' John indeed baptized with water,
but ye shall be baptized with fire and the Holy
Ohost.' " Now if the spirit descending upon
humanity is called baptism, why nothing in the
shape of immersion can take its place, and
sprinkling or pouring the water is the correct
mode of baptism. Again, the very words, with
212 Baptism.
water, shows that the water is the element, and
the man or party the subject. To put the man
under the water or apply him to the water, some
think, would be baptizing the water with man,
instead of the man with the water; hence, to-
baptize water with man, as they have it, is.
entirely contrary to the Scriptures. The Greek
word baptize is from the root bapto, which,
according to the lexicographers, means wash^
sprinkle or pour.
We might go on to multiply sayings of the
lexicographers, but we think it is unnecessary>
and conclude by saying baptism, that is the
mode, is according to the Scriptures, sprinkling
or pouring, for the word "with," means to
handle. We think either of the above, if per¬
formed by a true minister, is a true mode of
baptism, that is sprinkling or pouring.
All believers in Christ are proper subjects for
baptism. "Gro ye into all the world," etc.
11 Baptize." That all believers are proper sub¬
jects will be understood when we read the story
of Phillip and the eunuch. On his mere belief
Phillip baptized him.
INFANT BAPTISM.
Children, or infant baptism is proven, as we
may first state, when we understand that they
are members of the covenant, or the old Abra-
Baptism.
213
hamic church. This covenant has never been
broken, for Christ came not to do away with the
law but to fulfil; hence, if this be a fact, the
Church, the Christian church, is simply the con¬
tinuation of the old Abrahamic church, or what
we may call, just improved. That infants were
admitted into the old Jewish church by being
circumcised needs no proof other than the sacred
Scriptures.
'' I will establish my covenant between me and
thee and thy seed after thee." "And in thy
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."
Can we infer that the children were omitted in
the covenant? Indeed not, for "thy seed" is
plainly stated. There need not be the least doubt
as to the truth of the matter; hence, as children
have never heen shut out of the church, they are
still members, and are entitled to the benefits as
much so as old people. They were admitted
by circumcision; as circumcision has given away
before, and for baptism, children or infants still
have claim on the church and should be bap¬
tized. Again, children must be taught as well
as old people. Belief is not required of them,
from the fact they are not able to have faith. If
we infer that they are lost because they have no
faith, would it not be an act of cruelty in our
God to punish those who are unable to even
think of him f Can we think so ? Indeed not;
214 Baptism.
they are saved and members of the Church, for
Christ states: "For of such are the Kingdom of
Heaven." Now, if such are the Kingdom of
Heaven, how can they be lost when they have
not faith? If they are fit subjects for the king¬
dom, why is it that they are not fit subjects for
baptism? Christ states they are fit subjects when
He says: "For of such are the Kingdom of
Heaven." Again, we might argue that they are
entitled to Christian baptism, as much so as the
children were admitted to the church in the days
of the prophets by circumcision. The children
of believing parents were admitted by circum¬
cision in those days to the Church, and we see
no change in the intention and spirit of the
Church, only it now calls for the world, and in
those days the Jews were said to be the only
people that were called. Again, the children,
believe as the parents believe—as soon as able.
This is shown every day around us; we need not
go into speculation to show this. Children who
never saw Washington, Newton, Byron and other
great men, believe such, because their parents
believe and teach it. They believe just as their
parents on all national or religious subjects,
hence they are fit subjects because their parents
are believers in Christ and this is a Christian
world.
Baptism.
215
saying ordinance.
According to our belief, we must say that
baptism can save no one*, it only initiates a per¬
son into the visible Church. It is simply a sign
of the purity of an inward heart. If water could
save, why everybody baptized would be saved,
and that would be all that is necessary. It
simply shows that the "old man" or satan is no
more the leader and controller of an individual.
It is a seal of the covenant that Christ made
with his people. If water baptism saved, why
none but those who are baptized can be saved;
hence all are lost who are not baptized. But
here let us say, that it being the door into the
Christian church, this is as far as its saving
power goes; otherwise it has none.
should baptism precede admission to the
lord's supper!
Indeed it should. To think otherwise, we
think, with the intention of doing it, is vain, for
none should commune but those who are Chris¬
tians, and have been initiated into the fold. Be¬
fore Christ communed He was baptized, and if
we mistake not the disciples also were circum¬
cised before they took the Lord's supper. We
mean they were admitted to the Church by cir¬
cumcision.
216
Baptism.
HOW JESUS WAS BAPTIZED.
We at once state that Jesus was baptized
standing up. This may be inferred when we
understand that John was baptizing with water.
We judge, as the Bible is silent as to the man¬
ner, He was baptized—that is, poured or
sprinkled like the others John was baptizing.
"And came straightway up from the water," so
state the Scriptures; hence He must have been
knee-deep, or maybe waist-deep. Who knows?
And was there baptized as others were—with
water. The water was applied to him. We are
sure no other mode or manner has been stated
by the sacred Scriptures, it matters not what
speculative theories may be to the contrary.
CHAPTER XXIX,
conversion.
Conversion is the result of true repentance—that
is, a complete change of the mind to a historical
and real belief of the doctrine of Christ. We
cannot say, like some, that regeneration and
conversion are not in any way connected, for
both, when viewed in the true light, mean the
very same thing; regenerate means to renew,
and convert means to change, hence we would
say the latter refers to the mind and will of man.
"A man can will to believe. The mind changes
from exercising and reasoning on bad principles
and chooses good. Conversion is simply a
change of mind and heart, a belief in God, or
faith with grace. Where the grace of Grod is,
it is called justification, or the man justified.
It seems to be a state between repentance and
regeneration; when a man repents he is then
converted; primarily speaking, if he believes.
Remember, he can believe and then not be
justified, but he can't be justified unless he is
converted. The free will of man is to do the
changing. See "Except ye be converted and
218
Conversion.
be healed, ye shall in no wise see the Kingdom
of God."
Conversion, or a change of the mind in a
primary sense, takes place first. From this fact
a man must change his mind before the body or
the moral nature can be affected. The mind or
will is the first cause, and the effects are the suc¬
ceeding change. To say a man is regenerated
or justified before his mind is changed we think
would be worse than absurd. The mind is the
first to move and brings the whole man into a
moral change. True repentance, in one sense,
may justly be called conversion, from the fact
the will of man in this case first acts upon his
nature. It is true, however, in a higher sense;
when a man is converted he is also born of God,
regenerated and justified; but in a primary sense,
conversion or a change in the mind comes first.
THE MORAL CONDITION OF THE MAN WHO HAS BEEN
CONVERTED, JUSTIFIED AND REGENERATED.
Taken altogether, they change the moral prin¬
ciples of a man from that of wickedness to holi¬
ness. The moral man undergoes an entire
change, and is, in other words, a new creature.
"If any man be in Christ he is a new creature."
II Cor.: v, 17: "And ye put on the new man
Christ." "My little children of whom I travail
in birth again until Christ be formed in you."
Conversion.
219
These and many other passages prove the as¬
sertion true, when we say the moral nature is
formed anew.
Man's justification is due, and only comes by
the death of Christ. Christ is the meritorious
cause; had it not been for Him no good could
possibly come in the way of justification. In
and by the atonement men are justified. We
are justified by faith, and without faith we can¬
not be justified. " He that believeth on Him is
not condemned." "Therefore, being justified
by faith, we have peace with G-od." "Believe
on the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved." These and many other pas¬
sages show that man is justified by faith. If
faith is not the condition upon which men are
justified, there is none other. Some may say
that work is the fruit of justification. This is
admitted, but does not change the above. We
do claim that man is justified by faith; and that
if work is admitted, it is evangelical work—that
is, the work of the Spirit, "For it is the Spirit
that works in you." Men of ancient days were
justified by work; still this was in part, if not
all, the product of the foregone faith. We can't
see how a man can work to do any good or in¬
voke the Deity, unless there is faith. If this is
a fact, the whole thing must be attributed to
faith. Faith is the big wheel in the foundry of
220
Conversion.
Grod that starts the little wheels moving. i' Work
without faith is dead." The work by which
men are justified is the work that succeeds faith.
For without a strong, unerring belief in the
plan of salvation, no good can be accomplished.
Salvation is sure. It is sure from this stand¬
point, if no more, when converted his moral
nature is made so that his spiritual will has the
entire control over it, and if he will only go 011
to perfection, or true holiness, all is well. But
before we could say that his salvation is sure,
we would have to do away with the freedom of
the will of man and say that Grod will just com¬
pel him to be saved; but if we admit the free
action of man, we undoubtedly must admit that
he can be saved.
We cannot claim that his eternal salvation is
sure, for that would set the whole plan of salva¬
tion in a bad light, if there is anything in the free
action of the will. His salvation is sure if he will
keep the faith, but the trouble is, he may lose the
faith; he may put his "Lord's money away,"
and not improve on it, and when the Master
comes he may say: 111 was afraid and went
and hid Thy money," etc. If he stands fast in
the liberty where Christ has set him free, as he
is able to do, after justification, his salvation is
sure, for Christ said: u Whosoever the Son sets
free is free indeed." Again the Scriptures say,
Conversion.
221
" He that holds out shall be saved." The infer¬
ence is, if we hold not out we shall be damned.
There is no need of saying to a band of soldiers
to fight on if you know they will fight without
it. You say fight on in order that they may be
encouraged and not stop. So everywhere the
justified are ordered to press forward, until they
reach the crown, for none but the pure in heart
—those who hold out to the end—can be saved.
CHAPTER XXX.
justification.
Justification? as our translator uses the term, is
simply an act of grace; that is, Grod's free grace,
by which the sinner is made to know that he is
adopted in the family of Christ; or in other
words, it is the act of G-od pardoning the sinner
of his sins.
The justified sinner is made an heir of God,
and the grace is the seal by which he knows he
is forgiven of all sins; that is, original sins.
This is brought wholly about through and by
the death of Christ for the sinner; his relation
to his Maker is changed and peace is restored.
"Therefore, being justified by faith, we have
peace with Grod." No more at war with our
Maker, but we are His own.
Justification, regeneration and conversion are
almost synonymous terms, when understood in
one light, for all mean to pardon and renew.
tlThis man went down to his house justified
rather than the other." In this sense, as we
have just stated, it means to pardon, and is
what some theologians would call legal pardon.
Justification.
223
ARMINIANS' VIEW OF JUSTIFICATION.
"Arminians think that sinners are counted
righteous through the obedience of Christ,
and that the righteousness of Christ is the
only meritorious cause, on account of which
Grod pardons the sins of believers and records
them as righteous as if they had perfectly
obeyed the law. But since Christ imputes the
righteousness of Christ to none except believers,
we conclude that in this sense it may be well
and properly said, to a man who believes faith
is imputed for righteousness through grace; be¬
cause Grod has sent forth His Son Jesus Christ,
to be a propitiation, a throne of grace (or mercy
seat) through faith in His blood."
CALVANIST VIEW OF JUSTIFICATION.
Let it be remembered that Calvin believed
in the election of some to eternal life; when
this is understood, we are made to see through
the whole matter, how they claim the following:
''That we, as the chosen, are counted righteous
through the obedience and righteousness of
Christ's death. Through the obedience of
Christ's death, righteousness is so imputed to us
that we are counted justified." Well, the whole
is this, that the obedience of Christ is counted
ours, and by which we are justified.
If the above is an uncontradicted fact, why,
224 Justification.
then, man is liable to violate the Master's law,
and sin even as before; therefore he must be
justified again; for every sin there must be a re¬
pentance and conversion, which precede justifi¬
cation. We think this will be thoroughly un¬
derstood when we notice the following: Our
first parent, Adam, fell from a state, of holiness.
"To him that hath, to him shall more be given,
to him that hath not, that even which he hath
shall be taken away.'7 The above means this,
that if a man is in possession of the good and
perfect gift from Grod and makes no progress,
that which was given to him must be taken
away. It is just like the man who received the
Lord's money and hid it in the ground. Of
course, before he is made anew he must be just¬
ified. Again, justification the second time is
plain when we understand that man when justi¬
fied is not sanctified, while it precedes and leads
to sanctification. Nevertheless it is not sanctifi-
cation, and cannot properly be called true holi¬
ness, without which 110 one can see the Lord.
Justification being the grace of Grod, or right¬
eousness from God, is given only to those who
come to Christ with true repentance, and this is
obtained by obedience to the law of Christ.
THERE IS A POWER THAT JUSTIFIES.
It is the power of Grod that justifies, or par-
Justification.
225
dons the sinner. The judge, in a legal sense,
pardons, or passes sentence on individuals. If
that be a fact, why God is the judge in this mat¬
ter, therefore He must pardon; hence, his own
power is exercised.
That the power is from God, or of God, if so
to speak, is as plain as can be, when we under¬
stand that man can do nothing good, from the
fact he is the sinner and unable to free himself;
since Christ leads or advocates his cause, the
judge passes the sentence. "It is God that
justifieth." "If any sin we have an advocate
with God." "Lord, be merciful unto me a
sinner." These and many other phrases show
that God's power pardons.
The saints of the Old Testament were justified
by the law. Abraham's obedience was counted to
him for righteousness. If man sinned or violated
the law he could only be pardoned by complying
with law. So, this makes faith the condition
upon which we are pardoned or justified, for a
man must have faith or believe, or he cannot
be pardoned. So, faith, or a strong belief, is
still the ground upon which men were justified.
<)f course, each individual, though they may
have been heathens, knew that they had to be¬
lieve before they could act in compliance with
the law. "Abraham believed God, and it was
counted unto him for righteousness." This shows
Sg 15—C T
226 Justification.
that even the Old Testament saints were only
justified by faith, for Abraham believed Grod,
and upon this belief He was pardoned. "It was
counted unto him for righteousness." "Know
ye, therefore, that those who are of faith the same
are the children of Abraham." This is plain,
while it may be thought, as some have said, the
Old Testament saints were justified by the law,
they were justified by faith. Abraham, Noah,
Isaac, Jacob and all the saints believed Grod.
WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT.
One has said, this is a privilege that all per¬
sons who are converted can enjoy—the Spirit to
guide and teach them the fear of the Lord—and
that when we are walking in His holy way, He,
the Spirit, is absolutely needed to insure present
and future salvation. (Isaiah: xxvi, 3; xxxii,
17-18; Psalms: cxix, clxv; Romans: v, 1-5;
John, ii, 20, 27.) It is by this Spirit that we
know that we have passed from death unto life.
This Spirit teaches and guides us in the way of
all truth.
ADOPTION.
Aliens as we were from G-od by sin, a more
appropriate and timely argument could not be
even thought of than adoption. Generally
speaking, adoption means the receiving of a per¬
son into another's family as one of the family.
Justification.
227
When this is done according to the law of a
country, it is called adbption. Many passages
will show that those who are not in Christ are
aliens. "Ye are of your father, the devil," and
"the lust of your father ye will do." This
shows that the above statements are facts. "He
that committeth sin is of the devil." It is plain
that we are sinners by nature—it follows, that
unless we are born of God we cannot claim the
eternal world of life.
Before we can claim to be even a true child of
God, we must be adopted in the family of Christ,
the faithful and the just. Of course, adoption is
the only power by which we can be transplanted
into the company of the righteous; when con¬
verted, regenerated, justified, we are adopted—
that is, received in the family of God.
"Ye have not received the spirit of bondage
again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry 'Abba, Father.' The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that
we are the children of God."
By the above, we see that it is very plain, even
without further proof, th&t adoption means the
receiving of the once guilty into the favor of
God, and making him by adoption entitled to
sonship. In this sense, when we are adopted,
we cry "Abba, Father." God is our father, and
we are His children, for the Spirit teaches and
228
Justification.
guides us in the way of peace. "I will be your
Grod, and ye shall be My people"—the same as-
to say, He is our Father and we His children.
REGENERATION.
Regeneration (regeneara) means to make anew,
a change in the nature of things. When a per¬
son is regenerated he is made anew—that is, his.
moral nature has undergone an entire change
and he is brought forth as a brand new man, or
person.
Regeneration is from the Greek word palig-
genesia—to make anew, or the new birth; that
is, being born again of Grod and thereby made
an heir of the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father.
A man cannot be justified unless he is regener¬
ated, and he cannot be regenerated unless he is
converted; hence, in one sense, all mean the
very same thing—'that is, to pardon and make
anew the moral nature of man, so that he can
serve Grod and have the things of light. In this
act we were given dominion over all our nature,
and can, if we will, do justice to God, man and
ourselves. "Then will I sprinkle clean water
upon you and ye shall be clean from all your
filthiness, and from your idols will I cleanse
you." "A new heart also will I give unto you,
and a new spirit will I put within you." It is a
new birth. u Except a man be born again he
Justification.
229
cannot see the Kingdom of Grod." "Ye must
be bom again." "If any man be in Christ he
is a new creature." "Old things are passed
away, behold all things are become new."
Thinking the above makes plain our view con
cerning regeneration, we deem it unnecessary to
proceed further.
CHAPTER XXXI.
sanctification.
Sanctification is true holiness—to be entirely
pure. The moral principle of the individual is
dedicated to Glod and good work.
Sanctification means true holiness, as is every¬
where taught in the sacred Scriptures. "Be ye
holy, even as I am holy; be perfect." 1 'Blessed
are the pure in heart." Please tell what can
possibly be meant by these terms, sanctification,
etc., if they don't mean pure holiness of the
entire man, dedicated to good work and Grod?
All will acknowledge that what we have just
stated is an unerring truth. It means to be
cleansed from moral corruption. The fact is
very plainly seen in the above. u Leaving the-
principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go
unto perfection." Heb.: vi, 1.
Mr. Wesley says regeneration is a part of
sanctification. That regeneration is a part of
sanctification is very plain, when we understand
r eg en ear a means to renew, not only the outer but
the inner man, or the moral man. Sanctifica¬
tion means the purifying of the entire man, both
Sanctijication.
231
natures. Our outward and inward holiness be¬
gin when we are born again.
THE RELATION OF JUSTIFICATION. TO SANCTIFICA-
TION.
These two mentioned are very closely con¬
nected and are very hard to separate. Justifica¬
tion is the root of sanctification; it proceeds or
goes before sanctification, and in some respects
is with it all the way. A man cannot be sancti¬
fied unless he is first justified; a man can be
pardoned several times for offenses while work¬
ing out his soul's salvation. It is almost absurd
to think the two can be separated; they are
almost co-equal—that is. the same thing. We
mean to say, when a man is justified sanctifica¬
tion sets in immediately.
COMPLETE HOLINESS POSSIBLE IN THIS LIFE.
We argue that complete holiness is possible,
from the following texts: G-od said to Abraham,
u Walk before me and be thou perfect," Gren.:
xvii, 1: u Be ye therefore perfect even as your
Father which is in Heaven is perfect." These
and many other like passages show that man
can and should become holy. If man cannot
attain complete holiness, then we cannot con¬
ceive what the true meaning here is. We cannot
possibly construe this to mean anything else but
232
Sauetification.
perfection. It means true holiness. "The
blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sins." Now
let us understand, if the blood of Jesus cleanses
from all sins, why the very important aid is at
hand to make of us just what we ought to be,
and that in this life. "If we confess our sins
He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse
us from all unrightousness."
Here all we have to do is to confess with our
hearts and repent, and Grod is faithful and just-
to forgive us. Justice, His divine attribute, is
such that, according to His goodness and truch,
He must forgive and cleans from all unrighteous¬
ness. This must be understood to take place here;
thus, when we are cleansed from all unrighteous¬
ness, we are holy, for there is no sin in us. Be¬
lieving that upon this subject enough has been
said, we conclude by saying complete holiness is
attainable in this life. It matters not how many
strong arguments have been put up against com¬
plete holiness, we must say unless true holiness
is attainable in this life, no one can see the Lord.
"Without holiness no man shall see the Lord."
Every one who is saved must reach this state be¬
fore death. We are not able to say how long it
must exist; however, we know that without it no
one can see Grod. From what was said to Abra¬
ham and others, we reach this state of perfection
here.
Sanctification.
233
SAVED BY WOKK.
All are saved by work, but not work without
faith; not the work of, or according to, the old
Mosaic law. All work pointing in that direction
is dead, the moral law excepted. It is the work
of faith by which we are saved. Faith must be
at the bottom of it, and in it; hence, it must be
evangelical work, or work of the Spirit.
CHAPTER XXXII.
apostacy.
The philosophers and theologians have made
broad roads for themselves in the field of reason,
and still the matter is unsettled. That the saints
are liable to fall so as to perish everlastingly, is a
doctrine that we cannot deny. "While strong
arguments have been set up to the contrary,
nevertheless it is true that such a state as total
apostacy of the righteous, or those who are per¬
fectly holy, is possible.
Our first argument is based on the free agency
of man. If a man is a free agent, he can do as
he will. While he is able to do right if he will,
he can do otherwise. This shows that there is a
possibility of falling away, for a free agent can
do as he chooses.
We next appeal to the Scriptures—the stand¬
ard, the work of Grod—for our proof of the pos¬
sibility of apostacy. We first ask was Adam
and Eve perfect! Did they know anything about
the holy state? All will admit that they did, and
were perfect at first. If this is admitted, we
next inquire, did they fall into sin? and had
Apostacy.
235
they died in that state would they have been
saved? The reply is, No!—for no sin can enter
the Kingdom. Did Peter deny his God? If the
reply is that he did, will it be admitted that he
sinned by so doing, and that in such a state was
he fit for the Kingdom of Glod? No! No!
The Israelites were overthrown in the wilder¬
ness. Grod was not pleased with them. Solomon
fell. "I am the true vine," says Christ. "My
Father is the husbandman; I am the vine; ye
are the branches. Every branch that bringeth
not forth fruit He taketh away—men gather and
burn them." Now, suppose we abide not—all
depends upon our will. The branches will be
taken away and burned. The man that hid the
Lord's money, and put it not to exchange, was
cast in the fire, etc. "Let him that thinketh he
standeth take heed, lest he fall." "But when
the righteous turneth away from his righteous¬
ness and committeth iniquity, and doeth accord¬
ing to all the abominations that the wicked man
doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that
he has done shall not be mentioned. In his tres¬
pass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that
he hath sinned, in them shall he die." In so
many words, the Bible declares that such a state
is possible. The Scriptures throw light in plenty
on this subject. No comment is needed.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
christian ethics.
That a perfect system of Christian Ethics is
taught in the New Testament cannot "be contra¬
dicted. In them the Grod of all the "Worlds, and
all things in them, makes known to man what
he would that he should do. This is a revela¬
tion of the divine will; in it we understand our
duty both to God and man. (See Luke: 10,
33-37.) The law being a spiritual one, it ex¬
tends to all mankind; it can never be broken
or changed. Psalm xxv, 7-8; Prov.: xxx,
5-6; Rev.: xxii, 18-19. Long before Moses
secured the command from Grod on the mount
there was in existence a moral law for the gov¬
ernment of mankind. In Abraham's days we
are told that some men were wicked and others
righteous. This may be called traditional moral
laws; it must have been so, for when it was de¬
cided to make man it was agreed to make him
in the image and likeness of Grod, which con¬
sisted of holiness, truthfulness, goodness, love,
etc. If it can be agreed upon that man was
made in the likeness of Grod, he must have been a
Christian Ethics.
237
moral being. He should be; hence, on the outset,
men were taught moral law. In making man in
the likeness and image of God it could not be of
physical shape, for Glod is " without body or
parts," for He is a Spirit, and being the cause of
all matter to exist—that is, the Maker of all, He
must make and put iuto existence all things;
hence it can be seen that He is a Spirit. Again,
we are taught to have no other Grod, in these
words: "Thou shalt have no other Grod be¬
fore me, Thou shall not steal, Thou shall not
commit adultery, Thou shalt do no murder,"
etc. Christ told a young man the same that we
have just mentioned in the Old Testament, when
he came and asked the Master: u What shall I
do to inherit eternal life?" The commandments
were put to him. It is written in the New Tes¬
tament as above: '' Love thy neighbor as thy¬
self," etc. The New Testament contains a full
revelation of the moral law, while the moral laws
of the old passed into the new—i. e.: in the
Christian code they are there in another and
high order; they are to be extended to the hearts
of all men, Our thoughts and inward purpose
of any offense is a violation of the law, which
prohibits internal and open sins. The main prin¬
ciple that we are taught is love to God and man.
When the young man asked which is the great¬
est command, Christ said unto him: "Thou
238
Christian Ethics.
shalt love the Lord thy Gtod with all thy soul,
with all thy mind." This he said " is the first,
and great commandment, and the second is like
unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy¬
self. On these two commandments hang all
the law and the prophets." Matt.: xviii, 36-40.
St. Paul states that love is the fulfilling of the
law. Rom.: xiii, 10.
Believing that we have shown that a perfect
system of ethics is taught in the Old and New
Testaments, we shall conclude by referring only
to passages, with short comments where they
differ:
'' In the Old it was written 1 an eye for an eye
and a tooth for a tooth,' but I say unto you
resist not evil, but whosoever smite thee on the
right cheek turn to him the other also," etc.
"Ye have heard that it has been said 'Thou
shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy,'
but I say, Love thy enemies, bless them that
curse you," etc. This, without comment, is
enough to show that a difference exists. Christ
did not come but to fulfil the law.
It is written that he that believeth on Jesus
Christ and is baptized shall be saved. Where
men were saved by the law they are now saved
by grace. It is by the goodness of Grod that we
live and have our being. As the law came by
Moses, so grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Christian Ethics.
239
So we are no more under the law, but " under
grace."
We acknowledge that many more references
could be made in this particular, yet we have
enough before us to convince any candid mind
that the system of morals taught in the New
Testament is one that can be relied upon. The
system of religion, like the system of. morality,
taught in the New Testament, is that of truth,
love, holiness, peace, honesty and so on. This,
like morality, is held up in the New Testament,
and can only be called the Christian system of
religion. The system of religion taught iri the
New Testament was founded by Christ; hence,
if He is perfect—His system must be perfect;
that he is perfect a trial is needed for a favor¬
able decision.
That the religion of Christ is the most perfect
can be seen by glancing at the many religions
of the world that have fallen and become noth¬
ing even in the sight of men. The Kingdom of
Christ is to stand forever, when the religions of
the world shall be no more. It is one of repent¬
ance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Again, we notice the religion of the Chinese,
Hindoos, the Thugs of India, the New Zea-
landers, who glory in war, and many others in
murderous and cruel designs, and we cry, Give
240
Christian Ethics.
us Christ of the Bible, His teachings and His
religion. These principles are perfect—the way
so plain that a fool and a blind man can find the
way.
THE CLAIMS THE NEW TESTAMENT MAKE ON
REVELATION S.
That the New Testament makes or sets forth
a claim to Divine revelation is a fact that, when
looked into, cannot be contradicted, and must
be admitted by all candid minds—i. e., those
who read the sacred Scriptures. While the Old
Testament prophets, and the writers of those
books, when they said that a Savior would be
born, and the government is upon His shoulders,
the New Testament Scriptures prove their asser¬
tion true. The birth of Christ, His appearance
among men, His death and burial is convincing
proof that Christ did exist in person here on
earth. The Old Testament Scriptures show up
Christ in a spiritual form or body, but the New
Testament shows up both spiritual and physical
natures. Hence, where they could only claim
His spirituality, we can and do claim, through
Divine revelation, that we have both seen and
felt Him, from the fact that the New Testament,
with millions of others, testify that Christ ex¬
isted in person. Moreover, this Christ was the
Son of God when here in person, and is to-day.
Christian Ethics. 241
Christ was not only a man, but was two natures
in one. This may be seen very plainly when we
consider His divinity. He had a body like a
man—he ate, drank, felt, sorrowed and slept.
CHAPTER XXXIY.
covenants.
The Covenant of Grace is the covenant that God
made with Abraham and his seed: "And in thy
seed shall the nations of the earth be blessed."
This covenant shows that a promise of a Savior
was made, who would bring peace. "Grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ."
A promise of Christ is very plainly seen in
these passages. It did not only refer to the Jews,
but to all the people of the world—for all the
nations of the earth shall be blessed, which would
include, naturally, all men who believed in Abra¬
ham's God. "It is an everlasting covenant."
One that will stand all time to come with those
who inherit the earth, and not only those who
Sig Hi—C T
242
Covenants.
inherit the earth, but will exist in the new,
bright world. By the grace of God, or His
divine love and power, we shall live when worlds
shall be on fire.
From the family of Abraham, all the nations
of the earth shall be blessed. The Savior shall
be of the Jews; He shall preach the Kingdom
of Grod to all men. Ye shall have the privilege
and the honor of carrying the good news of the
coming Messiah and His kingdom to all nations.
OF WORK.
We might embody several things in the Cov¬
enant of Work. We might here mention that it
was understood that men were saved by work,
and that, too, the work of the law. In the old
Mosaic law it was taught that for every sin
there was a penalty attached, and there were
only particular ways by which pardon could be
granted—i. e., on certain conditions. We un¬
derstand that the Covenant of Work is as we
have stated above. We might include in this
the command of circumcision of every male,
who was to be circumcised and received into the
Church of Grod. No child could be received or
admitted into the congregation of the righteous
without the work of circumcision being per¬
formed as soon as the infant was born, or when
eight days old. St. Paul says: "Andhe received
Covenants.
243
the sign of the circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which he had not yet,
being uncircumcised."
ABRAHAMIC COVENANT.
The covenant with Abraham, or the Abra-
hamic Covenant was the promise of the privi¬
lege, or the possession of the " Promised Land,"
and a promise that as long as time existed they
should be His people and He would be their
(rod. The Church of Grod, in this instance, was
a promise to Abraham, with all the blessings
pertaining to it. The above are facts. Our at¬
tention will next be turned to the New Cove¬
nant.
THE NEW COVENANT.
Last, but not least, comes the blessed and
most glorious of all the covenants—the Cove¬
nant with Men; with all nations of the earth.
"Gro, preach the gospel to every creature; he
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
he that believeth not shall be damned."
The Covenant of work no more exists, but the
covenant of grace; all men can now be saved if
they will believe.
The seal of the old Abrahamic covenant was
circumcision, but the seal of the new covenant
is water baptism, and the blood of Christ and
244
Covenants.
His broken body. Those who partake of these
sacraments show that Grod is all in all, and that
the grace of God is shed in their hearts.
Christ says: "While thus ye follow my
commands I am with thee even to the end of
the world; observe all things, whatsoever I have
commanded thee." This new covenant is both
of grace and faith. Of course it is by grace and
faith, both, that we are saved.
We may not have gold or silver, but we have
sinful souls and bodies that we can offer unto
Him; and those who come to Him by faith He
will in no wise cast out.
This is a broad and comprehensive plan, a
new covenant that He has made with us, "As
your faith, so be it unto you." As circumcision
was the seal of the Abrahamic covenant, so is
baptism and the supper of Christ the seal of the
new.
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE DIFFERENT LAWS.
the ceremonial law.
A type, in a theological sense, is a figure or sign
of the real. The apostles called the dispensa¬
tion a shadow of good things to come—or, in
other words, a sign of the coming Christ.
Again, St. Paul says: "All drink of that spiritual
rock that followed them," and that rock was
(Jhrist. The high priest went into the tabernacle
and offered up an offering for himself and the
people. As the priest offered up an offering for
the people, so was Christ to be offered up, for
Paul says those things were the shadow of good
things to come-, and Christ must atone for their
sins, instead of the blood of animals. "But into
the second went the high priest alone once every
year, not without blood, which he offered for
himself and the sins or errors of the people,11
4'Which is a figure,'1 tkA pattern of tilings in
246 The Different Laws.
heaven." Paul says: "He is our sweet, smiling'
Savior," and "The passover sacrificed for us."
"He loved us, and hath given His life for us,"
(suffering in our room, or stead).
THE MORAL LAW.
The moral law is binding nowaday. '1 Thou
shall not kill," "Thou shall not have any other
Glod before me," etc. This law, Christ says, He
did not come to do away with. Christ said to the
young man: '' Thou knowest the command¬
ments, do them," etc. This shows that He re¬
ferred to the law—the part that was binding.
We now live under the Christion dispensation.
Since Christ came, we are to obey His saying
and teaching, for He is our leader; and, more¬
over, the Mosaical law has been done away with,
and the Savior of man leads us. "Old things
are done away with," say the Scriptures.
The three great divisions of the Mosaical law
are the moral, ceremonial and political. The Jews
made an offering for violating either of the
above laws. If a man was disorderly in the
flesh, he must make an offering—that is, the
priest did it for him. (Lev.: xv, 15.) The law
was binding on all transgressors, and for such
there must be an offering. It referred also to
the ceremonial law. "The life of the flesh is in
the blood, and I have given it to you upon the
The Different Laivs.
247
altar, to make an atonement for your souls, for
it is the blood that worketh atonement." This
is the same as a ransom for the soul. From this
and other passages ("See the blood of bulls and
beasts thou wouldst not"), we conclude the
ceremonial and political laws are not binding
nowadays. Some hold that they are binding at
all times, and others that they are expiatory.
We must decide with the latter. They are not
binding nowadays, and they ceased when the
prophetical age went out, and they were only
intended to last for awhile—that is, the time
being. We come to this conclusion from
the following facts: First, it was ordered to
the former prophets that the blood should be
used, as well as the meat, in offerings (i. e.,
certain meat), but in latter days the order stood
as follows: '' But the flesh, with the life thereof,
which is the blood, thou shall not eat." You
see that the use of blood is prohibited, from the
fact the blood b.as life in it, or "is life."
"I have given it to you to make an offering
for your souls"—or, in other words, "I have
given it to you upon the altar to make an atone¬
ment for your souls." The phraseology teaches
that it was only for the time being for your souls.
This was the end of it; the offering seems to
have accomplished its work. UI will even set
my face against that soul that eateth blood."
CHAPTER XXXVI.
good works.
The value of good works naturally calls in ques¬
tion every object of good, whether visible or in¬
visible. We begin with the good work of creation,
the fashioning and molding and bringing into
existence this vast monument of ours; a subject
almost beyond man's comprehension. Rivers,
hills, valleys, animals, fowls, and every existing
thing or creature pictures out and brings to our
view a perfect panorama, of which Grod is the
manager and author.
After we have examined the mechanism, or at
least a part of Grod's works, we must at once de¬
cide all things work together for good. From
the dismal clouds leaps the chastened lightning;
from towering hills, rivers of water; the birds of
the forest make the heavens ring with sweet
anthems of joy, which bring to our ears and
sight the unerring truth that the "Lord is good,
and His mercy endureth forever.''
To say the least, we are sure that good works
are invaluable, by the mere comprehension of
man. Our thoughts are too feeble, our ability
Good Works.
249
too limited, to grasp the infinite and handle
with power.
One good deed or act cannot be valued; the
effect will never be valued. Take the atonement
of Christ for man, and show a shrewd mathema¬
tician that can count in a million years the value
of good he accomplished. Who can tell what
man would have undergone had not Christ died
for him! Who can describe the amount of good
accomplished by His death to the extent of the
plan of salvation, and rest and enjoyment in the
future1?
When this and many different thoughts strike
us upon this subject, the writer at once confesses
that he is unable to tell the value of good works.
i
SUPEREROGATION.
It strikes us that all will say, or believe, that
works of supererogation are impossible, from the
fact, after we have done all we could, we are still
unprofitable servants. There dwelleth no good
work in us; hence, when we have done all, we
have not done more than we are commanded to
do. It is the duty of every individual to do what
he can. In the matter of good works there is no
part. It is true we often hear men say,- I have
done my duty"; but very seldom, k k I have done
what I could.11 When we fail to do what we
can, we fail to do what Christ orders us to do.
250
Good Works.
The facts in this matter can be plainly exhibited
when we look at the woman who poured the
precious ointment on Christ's head. Hear His
words when the murmur began to flow: '1 She
has done, or wrought a good work on me."
" She has done what she could."
To say that we can do more than we ought to
do, and more than Christ commands us to do, is
the same as to say, Christ only wishes, or desires
that we do so much and no more.
This would turn the whole plan of redemption
into ridicule. 'After His death for man He still
works and toils on, that man may see the light
and return to Him and live. The above are
facts that cannot be contradicted. Works of
supererogation are impossible. We cannot do
more than duty calls for, unless it is in the wrong
direction. In this way many of us do more than
our duty, but as this is not the question at issue,
we think the above is enough for the present.
MORTAL AND VENIAL SINS.
When we use the words mortal sin, we mean
the sin which is unto death and cannot be par¬
doned. It is what we call blasphemy against
the Holy Ghost. This sin is not pardonable,
and is what some theologians call mortal sin.
Venial sin is that for which we may receive
Good Works.
251
pardon, or be excused. Venial means excused,
pardoned.— Webster.
''There is a sin unto death and a sin that is
not unto death."
TRANSFERRING OF WORK.
However difficult and perplexed seems the way
in which we are to survey in this discourse, we
will state briefly facts as they are presented to us.
Our first assertion is this, that good works can
be transferred from one to another. We argue
the transferring of one good act to another by the
transferring of one mean act to another. On the
hitter subject we think nearly all will agree; the
children are partakers of the sins of their fathers.
UI am a jealous (rod, visiting the sins of the
fathers upon the children." Now, if the sins of
the fathers are visited upon the children, it is
equally true that the good works can be trans¬
ferred from one to another.
GRADES IN SIN.
All sins are of equal demerit. " There is a
sin unto death and a sin not unto death," says
Ohrist. This being a fact, all sins are not of
equal demerit; certainly not, for the sin that
cannot be pardoned is greater than the sin for
which man can be pardoned. Hence, the ques¬
tion as to grades of sin is already answered.
252
Good Works.
Again, you. may commit a sin or an act that
we would abhor and have profound disgust for;
still we sin, yet it is not equal to yours. Sup¬
pose you, in your wickedness, burn a thousand
peoples' houses, and cause the loss of many
lives, is it possible that you commit no bigger
sin than the one who, in his humbleness, would
not harm any? Indeed, yours would be the
greater. While we sin, we sin not at all times
willingly, that is knowingly. We are sinners by
nature. Several things might be embodied in
this article, but owing to what is before us, we
must turn our attention to mortal sins and venial
sins. (See above.)
Those who are Christians are in a changed
state, while those not Christians are in the bonds
of iniquity and gall of bitterness.
The Christian goes from one degree to an¬
other. The wicked goes from bad to worse,
unless he becomes a Christian. In man's orig¬
inal state u he is very far gone," 11 so therein
no shadow of turning in him."
CHRISTIAN MORALITY IS DIFFERENT FROM ORDI¬
NARY OR COMMON MORALITY.
Indeed there is a vast difference. The nature
of one is good, and the nature of the other is
bad. Regenerate means to change, to make
anew. So the Christian is changed, a new man,
Good Works.
253
and dedicated to the work of righteousness, or
in other words, to good works.
The original sin in his nature is changed, and
he is a new creature, " having put on the new
man, Christ, let us go on to perfection." Christ
does not only mean (when he says "marvel
not, I say ye must be born again7'), that the
soul is the only thing to be changed. It is plain
that He meant more than that. When He ad¬
dressed Nicodemus, He was speaking to the en¬
tire man, not to be born of the flesh nor of the
water, but of the Spirit. The whole mechanism
must be dedicated to (Tod and good works. Be¬
fore this possibly can be done, the man must
be changed, It is the moral man as well as the
spiritual man that Glod speaks to. This part of
man must be good; hence, as a man cannot be a
Christian unless his moral nature is changed by
regeneration, pardoning, etc., his morals are
better than those of the ordinary man.
One is dedicated to (rod, and the other to
wickedness.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
FORMS OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT.
roman catholic.
Of the Church of Rome the pope is the su¬
preme head.
The government is monarchical.
By the pope the bishop receives his appoint¬
ment.
The Church of Rome recognizes three orders
of ministry.
The superiority or the pope arises from his
being the bishop of the highest see—that of
Rome, in the Church.
The pope claims apostolic authority; his power
is exercised throughout the church.
The bishops are left to govern their own dio¬
ceses.
The local Church at Rome chose the pope as
its bishop. The pope, assisted by cardinals,
looks after the government of the church. The
Church Government.
255
cardinals make up the ' 'congregation of prop¬
aganda," which looks after the missionary
work.
The general council is presided over by the
pope. There is no appeal from this body's de¬
cisions.
The following is the creed held by the Church
of Rome, which a person must accept upon be¬
coming a member:
"I, N. N., with a firm faith believe and pro¬
fess all and every one of those things which are
contained in that creed which the Roman Church
maketh use of." (Then follows the Nicene
creed):
"I most steadfastly admit and embrace apos¬
tolical and ecclesiastical traditions, and all other
observances and institutions of the same church.
"I also admit the Holy Scriptures, according
to that sense which our holy mother, the Church,
has held, and does hold, to which it belongs to
judge of the true sense and interpretation of the
Scriptures; neither will I ever take and interpret
them otherwise than according to the unanimous
consent of the fathers.
"I also profess that there are, truly and prop¬
erly, seven sacraments of the new law, instituted
by Jesus Christ our Lord, and necessary for the
salvation of mankind, though not all for every
one, to wit: Baptism, confirmation, theeuchar-
256
Church Government.
ist, penance, extreme unction, holy orders, mat¬
rimony ; and that they confer grace; and that of
these, baptism, confirmation and orders cannot
be reiterated without sacrilege. I also receive
and admit the received and approved ceremonies
of the Catholic church, used in the solemn ad¬
ministration of the aforesaid sacraments.
1 1 I embrace and receive every one of the things
which have been defined and declared in the holy
Council of Trent, concerning original sin and
justification.
"I profess, likewise, that in the mass there is
offered to God a true, proper, and propitiatory
sacrifice for the living and the dead; and that in
the most holy sacrament of the eucharist there is
truly, really, and substantially, the body and
blood, together with the soul and divinity, of
our Lord Jesus Christ; and that there is made a
change of the whole substance of bread into the
body, and of the whole substance of the wine
into the blood, which change the Catholic church
calls transubstantiation. I also confess that
under each kind alone Christ is received whole
and entire, and a true sacrament.
'' I firmly hold that there is a purgatory, and
that the souls therein detained are helped by the
suffrages of the faithful.
" Likewise that the saints reigning with Christ
are to be honored and invocated, and that they
Roman Catholic.
257
offer up prayers to God for us; and that their
relics are to be held in veneration.
" I most firmly assert that the images of Christ,
of the Mother of Grod, and also of other saints,
ought to be had and retained, and that due honor
and veneration are to be given.
"I also affirm that the power of indulgences
was left by Christ in the Church, and that the
use of them is most wholesome to Christian
people.
"I acknowledge the holy Catholic Apostolic
Roman church for the mother and mistress of all
churches; and I promise true obedience to the
Bishop of Rome, successor to St. Peter, prince
of the Apostles, and vicar of Jesus Christ.7'
Then follow clauses condemnatory to all con¬
trary doctrines, and expressive of adhesion to all
definitions of the Council of Trent.
Since the above was adopted, the Roman
Catholic church has promulgated as a dogma of
faith, which it insists upon, the doctrine of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin—
that is, that she was conceived and born without
the taint of original sin, which is the heritage of
all the rest of Adam's race.
SB 17—C T
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
pkesbyterian.
" A system of church government by the pres¬
byteries or association of teaching and ruling
elders. In the Presbyterian church, the presby¬
tery is the leading judiciary; the whole care of
the flock is committed to ministers or teaching
elders and ruling elders; all ministers of the
word and sacrament are on an equality; ruling
elders, as representatives of the people, form a
part of all ecclesiastical bodies, in which they
have equal authority with the teaching elders;
and a series of judicatories, rising from one an¬
other, secures to each church the watch and care
of its appropriate judicatory, and to the whole
body an efficient system of Review and control.
Though there may be much diversity in the
names of the several judicatories, as well as the
minuter details of arrangement, yet any church
embodying the above principles is strictly a
Presbyterian church. Presbyterians believe that
the representative system of church government,
in opposition to that which is conducted by the
Church Government.
259
entire ecclesiastical population, has its germ in
the Old Testament, and that this was a well-
known feature of the synagogue system up to the
time of the Savior's advent. * * * Pres¬
byterians hold that preaching the gospel, 1 feed¬
ing the sheep and the lambs' of Christ, and ad¬
ministering the Christian sacraments, are the
highest offices entrusted to Christian ministers;
that a plurality of elders was, by divine direc¬
tion, ordained in every church; that in no in¬
stance in the New Testament do we find an
organized congregation under the watch and care
of a single officer; that bishop and elder are
titles given interchangeably to the same persons,
showing that the title of bishop in the Apostolic
age designated the pastor or overseer of a single
flock or church, They hold that there is but one
commission given to the authorized ministers of
the word and sacraments; that the ordaining
power is manifestly represented as possessed and
exercised by ordinary pastors, and that ordina¬
tion is performed by ' the laying on of the hands
of the presbytery;' that there is not a solitary
instance recorded in the New Testament of an
ordination being performed by a single indi¬
vidual.11
The church officers are bishops or pastors,
ruling elders, and deacons. The pastor is the
spiritual teacher of the congregation. He is
260
Church Government.
expected to preach the gospel in the church on
the Lord's day, to instruct the people by occa¬
sional lectures, to superintend the catechismal
teaching of the young, and to visit the sick and
bereaved, and console them by spiritual counsel
adapted to their necessities. Ruling elders are
elected by the people as their representatives in
the ecclesiastical courts, and to co-operate with
the pastor in watching over the spiritual inter¬
ests of the congregation. Deacons are secular
officers, whose duty is the care of the poor, and
the reception and disbursement of the charities
of the congregation.
The ecclesiastical bodies are: I. The session^
which is the primary court of the church7 and
consists of the pastor and ruling elders; the
pastor presides as "moderator." All the legis¬
lative action of the church originates here, none
of the higher bodies having the right to adopt a
measure involving new constitutional principles
until the will of the churches is known through
the sessions.
II. The presbytery, consisting of all the min¬
isters and one ruling elder from each church
within a certain district.
III. The synod, consisting of three or more
presbyteries united. It is in reality a larger
presbytery, having jurisdiction over a wider
field.
Presbyterian.
261
IV. The General Assembly, the highest ju¬
diciary in the Presbyterian church. It is con¬
stituted of an equal number of pastors and elders
from the presbyteries.
The doctrine of the Presbyterian Church is
Calvinistic—unitedly Calvinistic—so that any
man who should avow himself Arminian, could
not obtain ordination in the Presbyterian Church
of either Scotland or America. The doctrines
are clearly set forth in the Westminster Confes¬
sion of Faith, and in the "Larger and Shorter
Catechisms" used in the Presbyterian Church,
to which the reader is referred.
CHAPTEB XXXIX.
episcopal.
In this article we present the principles of church
government as understood by Episcopalians.
"Episcopacy is that form of church government
in which diocesan bishops are established as dis¬
tinct from and superior to priests and presby¬
ters." The term "Episcopal Church" is usually
applied to the Established Church of England
and its branch, the Protestant Episcopal Church
in the United States of America. These two or¬
ganizations constitute one and the same church
in all points of faith and doctrine, and differ only
in those points of church government which are
required by the different political organizations
of the countries in which they exist. The doc¬
trines of the Episcopal Church are stated in the
thirty-nine articles to be found in the "Book of
Common Prayer."
Doctrinally, the Church of England claims to
be based on the holy Scriptures, as interpreted
by the apostles, and other ancient creeds of the
Church that have been universally received, and
to have kept herself aloof from all modern sys-
Church Government.
263
tems of faith, whether of Calvin, Luther or
Arminius, leaving her members free to enjoy
their own opinions upon all points not repre¬
sented in the Scriptures as necessary to the soul's
health, and refusing to be narrowed down to any
other creed or creeds other than those of the
apostles and primitive Church. She claims, also,
to have retained all that is essential to church
organization in her episcopate, and, in her
liturgy to have not only a wise and judicious
compend of doctrine devotion, but, also, one of
the most effectual of all possible conservative
safeguards for the faith once delivered to the
saints.
The characteristic tenets of the Church of
England, besides the fundamental doctrines of
Trinity and redemption through the all-sufficient
atonement once made for all by the death of
Christ on the cross, are a regeneration of spirit¬
ual birth in baptism, in which the baptized be¬
comes a member of the Church, and a growth in
grace by the use of the sacraments and minis¬
trations of the Church, duly administered and
received, made efficacious by the word of Divine
truth and the gracious influences of the Holy
Ghost, freely given to all who duly seek and
faithfully use them.
The condition of man after the fall is such
that he can do nothing acceptable to God with-
264
Church Government.
out prevailing grace. Grood works, though
pleasing heaven, have no power to put away
sin. Works of supererogation over and above
Grod's commandments cannot be taught without
arrogance and impiety. The Church has power
to decree rites and ceremonies, and to decide
the matters of faith.
The Roman Catholic doctrines of purgatory,
invocation of saints, and respect to relics and
images, are rejected. Clergymen are allowed to
marry, and communion is given in both kinds.
The number of sacraments are two: Baptism
and the Lord's Supper. In all these doctrines
the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United
States agrees with the parent Church.
As regards the system of Church government,
the sovereign is the supreme head, with author¬
ity to convoke and prorogue convocations of
the clergy. The sovereign also appoints the
bishops and archbishops, by what is called a
conge d' elire, or leave to elect, which is sent to
the dean and chapter, naming the person chosen.
There are two archbishops and twenty-five
bishops. The archbishop of Canterbury is
styled the Primate of England. He possesses
the exclusive privilege of crowning the sover¬
eign. The province of Canterbury compre¬
hends twenty-one bishoprics, and extends over
the greater part of the kingdom. The arch-
Episcopal.
265
bishop of York is called the Primate of Eng¬
land, and has four bishoprics in his province.
The Bishop of London, as presiding over the
capital, u has precedence of all others." The
Bishop of Durham has certain prerogatives, as
presiding over a see that constitutes a county
palatine. The Bishop of Winchester is third in
dignity. The others take rank according to
seniority of consecration. The archbishops and
bishops (except the Bishop of Sodor and Man),
have seats in the House of Lords, and are styled
the spiritual lords.
"Archbishops have the title of grace, and
most reverend father in Glod by divine provi¬
dence. Bishops are addressed by the "title of
lord and right reverend father in Grod by divine
permission. The former are said to be en¬
throned, the latter installed.
" To every cathedral belong several preben¬
daries and a dean, who form the dean and chap¬
ter or council of the bishop. The next door of
the clergy is that of archdeacons. Their num¬
ber is sixty. Their office is to reform abuses,
and to induct into benefices.
'' The most numerous and laborious order of
the clergy are the deacons, curates and rectors.
The office of the deacon is confined to baptism,
reading in the church, and assisting the priest
at the communion.
266
Church Government.
"A parson is one who has full possession of
all the rights of a parish church; if the great
tithes are impropriated the priest is called a
vicar—if not, a rector. A curate is one who is
not instituted to the care of souls, but exercises
the spiritual office in a parish under a rector or
vicar." The Protestant Episcopal Churchin the
United States differs, as we have said, from the
Church of England, in points of government.
The liturgy has been changed to suit the state
of affairs in this country.
The Union is divided into dioceses, some of
which comprehend an entire state, and others a
portion of a state. Each diocese is presided
over by a bishop, and holds an annual conven¬
tion composed of the clergy and lay delegates,
the latter elected from the parishes of the dio¬
cese. The bishop presides over the convention,
which is the supreme authority in its own dio¬
cese. Every three years a general convention is
held, composed of the bishops, who form the
house of bishops, and clerical and lay delegates.
The canons of the general convention govern the
church throughout the United States.
Each parish chooses its own rector, but the
consent of the bishop is necessary to his instal¬
lation. The senior and junior wardens are
chosn by the communicants, and the vestry by
the parish.
CHAPTER XL.
congregational.
In this article the principal forms of church
government of the Congregationalists are pre¬
sented : 4' The Congregationalists define a
church to be an organization of professed be¬
lievers statedly meeting in one place, and united
together by a covenant of agreement mutually
to watch over and edify each other, and for the
maintenance of the ordinance of the gospel."
A church, as thus understood, differs from a
congregation, which includes all those who as¬
semble in a place of worship, non-communicants
as well as communicants. A church also differs
from a "society," which is a legal phrase, in¬
tended to represent those persons who are incor¬
porated by the law of the land for the purpose
of holding and transferring property, and pro¬
viding for the expenses of the church. The
church also differs from the 4'parish," which
last is a term properly employed only to desig¬
nate territorial limits.
Congregationalists insist upon the compe¬
tence of each church to elect its own officers, to
268
Church Government.
regulate its own affairs, to receive or reject can¬
didates for membership, to pronounce censure
upon any member who is guilty of impropriety;
and that its allegiance in all these matters is due
to Christ alone." In the administration of
church affairs all the members have equal rights.
Each male member of full age is entitled to vote
on all questions appertaining to the interests of
the society.
The internal structure of the Congregational
societies is of the simplest nature. Their only
officers are pastors and deacons; for the office of
ruling elder was abolished about the year 1745
—first at Plymouth, and afterwards in all the
churches. The deacons are elected from and by
the church members. The pastors are chosen
by the members of the church from among
those who are either already in the ministry and
settled over other churches, or are recommended
by well-known clergymen as fit to assume the
functions of the pastorial office. In electing a
pastor, it is usual for the "church" to nominate
a person to the "society," and upon the concur¬
rence of the latter, to give an invitation to the
candidate to settle. Provision for the support
of the pastor is either made by voluntary sub¬
scription or a tax, or from the pew rents. When
a pastor, who is selected, accepts the congrega¬
tion tendered him, he is inducted into the office
Congregational.
269
by a council of ministers—being ordained by
them, if he has never before been set apart for
the ministry; if otherwise, simply installed.
Each church selects a clerk, who keeps the
records, and a committee, appointed by the
members, examine candidates for admission, in^
connection with the pastors and deacons, and
has a general superintendence over the interests
of the church.
The pastor is the moderator of the church,
the spiritual counsellor of its members, their
authorized teacher, and has full control over the
pulpit, administers the ordinances of baptism
and the Lord's supper, and performs the mar¬
riage ceremony.
The deacons distribute the alms of the church,
visit the sick and needy, and are the consellors
of the minister whenever he desires the benefit
of their advice.
Congregationalists believe in the parity of the
ministry, and hold that there is but one order of
ministers. The deacons they regard as belong¬
ing to the laity. Licentiates are not ministers,
but merely candidates for the sacred office.
Those ministers who are employed to preach to
churches from one year to another, without be¬
ing installed, are termed "stated supplies.1' The
terms "bishop" and "elder1' are not often used
by Congregationalists, but when they are em-
270
Church Government.
ployed, they are termed merely to represent tlie
pastors.
Excommunication is enforced as the penalty
upon those who make themselves amenable to
church discipline by irregularities of conduct.
The liturgy and form of worship of Congrega-
tionalists are simple.
The doctrines of the orthodox Congregation-
alists are, in all essential points, the same as
those taught in the Westminster Confession of
1643. In other words, they are Calvinists in
faith, believing in absolute decrees in reference
to man's salvation. They believe in man's total
depravity by nature, and in his eternal punish¬
ment in hell if he does not repent before death.
They admit infant baptism, and practice it.
CHAPTER XLI.
methodist.
The Methodists think that Christ left the Church
to be controlled and kept by the ministers, or in
other words, by pastors and laymen. They
think the pastors are greatly responsible for the
workings of the Church. They suppose that
the power of Church government was by Christ
handed to the apostles.
The Methodists believe that Christ intended
the Church to be governed principally by pastors.
They think that bishops are only chief pastors
among them and entitled to higher honors, and
that they are in a large measure responsible to
God. Methodists make their laws at the gen¬
eral conference.
Ministers, i. c\, pastors, are the proper per¬
sons to make laws and appoint overlookers for
the Church. This seems to us the most accurate
and best way of controlling a-Church. We do
not think the laymen have any right whatever,
and under no circumstances should they be con¬
sulted as authority, on matters of govern¬
ment. Christ, we think, when He told the
Church Government.
ministers to go and preach the gospel, gave
to them His power. They are to evangel¬
ize the world and bring men to Christ. He
gave to Peter the keys of the kingdom, and
when He wished, He talked with them what He
would have them to do.
The apostles understood just how things in
regard to Church government should work. Paul
was chief among the ministers in his day. It is
very plain, we think, that the Church should be
controlled entirely by the pastors; of course
they ought to have rulers, or bishops, (for no
government can run without a head), to see that
the laws are executed. We could take up many
pages in stating our views, but we think that the
above will show exactly what is true.
"For government of these societies the Wes-
leys drew up . a set of rules. The condition of
membership was 1 a desire to flee from the wrath
to come and be saved from sin.7 These rules
prohibited 'profane swearing, Sabbath-breaking,
drunkenness, buying or selling spirituous liquors
or drinking them, fighting, quarreling, brother
going to law with brother, the use of many words
in buying or selling, the buying of goods that
had not paid the duty, the giving or taking of
things on usury or unlawful interest, uncharit¬
able speaking, wearing of gold or costly apparel,
laying up treasure on earth, borrowing without
Methodist.
273
probability of paying, or taking np goods with¬
out the probability of paying for them.7 These
things are particularly specified, because, as the
rules state, they were more generally practiced
at that time."
In addition to these prohibitions, the members
of the society were earnestly enjoined to observe
the following: " The doing good of every pos¬
sible sort, and as far as possible to all men, by
giving food to the hungry, clothing the naked,
visiting or helping those who were sick and in
prison; by instructing, reproving and exhorting
all they had any intercourse with, doing good
especially to those who are of the household of
faith, employing them in preference to others,
buying of one another, helping each other in
business, attending upon all the ordinances of
Hod, such as public worship, the ministry of
the word, whether read or expounded, the Sup¬
per of the Lord, family and private prayer,
searching the Scriptures, and fasting, or ab¬
stinence."
The African Methodist Episcopal church
is, in principles of church government, thx
same as that of the Methodist Episcopal
church.
As to the admission of membership, we
quote the Discipline of the A. M. E. church,
thus:
s,u IS- l T
274
Church Government.
ADDRESS TO THE APPLICANTS.
" Addressing the applicants for admission, the
minister shall say:
Dearly Beloved: Yon are come hither seeking
the great privilege of union with the Church our
Savior has purchased with His own blood. We
rejoice in the grace of Grod vouchsafed unto you,
in that he has called you to be his follower, and
that thus far you have run well. You have
heard how blessed are the privileges, and how
solemn are the duties of membership in Christ's
Church, and before you are fully admitted there¬
to, it is proper that you do here jmblicly renew
your vows, confess your faith and declare your
purpose, by answering the following questions:
Question 1. Do you here, in the presence of
God and this congregation, renew the solemn
promise contained in the Baptismal Covenant,
ratifying and confirming the same, and acknowl¬
edging yourself bound faithfully to observe and
keep that covenant and all things contained
therein!
Answer. I do.
Q. 2. Have you saving faith in the Lord Jesus
('hrist ?
A. I trust I have.
Q. 3. Do you entertain friendly feelings to¬
wards all the members of this church'!
A. I do.
Methodist.
275
Q. 4. Do you believe in the doctrines of Holy
Scriptures as set forth, and in the articles of
religion of the African Methodist Episcopal
Church ?
A. I do.
Q. 5. Will you cheerfully be governed by the
Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal
Church, hold sacred the ordinances of Glod, and
endeavor, as much as in you lies, to promote the
welfare of your brethren and the advancement
of your Redeemer's kingdom?
A. I will.
Q. 6. Will you contribute of your earthly sub¬
stance, according to your ability, to the support
of the gospel, church and poor, and the various
benevolent enterprises of the church?
A. I will.
Then the minister, addressing the church, will
say:
Brethren—You have heard the responses
given to our inquiries. Have any of you any
reason to allege why these persons should not
be received into the full membership of the
church t
No objection being alleged, the minister shall
say to the candidates:
We welcome you to the communion of the
Church of God; and in testimony of our Chris¬
tian affection and the cordiality with which we
276
Church Government.
receive you, I now extend to you the right hand
of fellowship*, and may God grant that you may
be a faithful and useful member of the Church
militant till you are called to the fellowship of
"the Church triumphant, which is without fault
before the presence of God.
CHAPTER XLII.
church.
Among the many subjects examined and sketched
in this book, not one holds a more prominent
place in the world to-day than the Church of
God, or the Christian Church.
The word or term "Church," means the
"Lord's House." In Greek it is Kyrianxon. It
means in ordinary language an organized body
of believers in Christ.
1 i The visible Church of Christ is a congrega¬
tion of faithful men, in which the pure word of
God is preached, and the sacraments duly ad¬
ministered, according to Christ's ordinance, in
all those things that of necessity are requisite to
the same."
Church.
277
Eltlenia, an assembly, a Cliureh, called of Grod,
an institution set apart by Grod for the maintain-
ance of His word among the children of men.
That it is the Church of God, is borne out by
this statement: "Dearly beloved, you have
come hither seeking the privilege of union with
the Church our Saviour purchased with His own
blood." There can be no doubt as to the fact,
that the Church is the House of Grod, when
Christ purchased it with His own blood; "The
body of which Christ is the head,'' and that it is
the desire of the gospel to bring them together
in one, all who are Christ's.
The Christian Church may with propriety be
called a continuation of the old Jewish Church.
Christ did not organize another, nor arrange any
special form of Church government.
There was the Church in the wilderness.
" This is He, that was in the Church in the wil¬
derness," etc. This Church, Christ was a mem¬
ber of himself.
u Did Christ while on earth organize another
Church? No. He recognized, and was a mem¬
ber of the organized Church that was in the
wilderness. He read the Scriptures and taught
in the synagogues 011 the Sabbath day/1 etc.
THE HEAD OF THE CHUBC'H.
The Christian world over acknowledges Christ
278
Church Government.
to be the great head of the Church. It could
not be otherwise. The founder of an institution
like the Church, fashioned by the All-supreme
hand, could not acknowledge any head save
God. Christ is the chief head, "The Bishop of
our souls.'' Of course the Church of Borne thinks
the pope, the so-called successor of St. Peter, is
the head, and that his decision is final on any
subject; but the history of the Church, or early
Christians' Church will refute this, for it
mentions many different Churches. "The
Churches of Judea, G-alatia, Seven Churches in
Asia," etc. Still they are one in faith, in Christ
the Great Head. They were in a large sense
controlled by the apostles; some smaller
Churches might have acted as independent in the
second century. Christ established the Christian
Church, and should always be regarded as the
Fountain Head.
Again, the Church is founded on Christ. He
is our all and all. When information is wanted,
Christ is the first and last to be consulted;
everything must be done in order.
The second head, as we understand, are bish¬
ops, the chief ministers of Christ. The ministers
are His messengers and are to declare His law
as well as His gospel. Coll.: i, 18: "And He
is the head of the body, the church, who is the
beginning, the first-born from the dead," etc.
Church.
279
I Cor.: xi, 3; Ephes.: i, 22: "Head over all."
Why multiply words when all know the fore¬
gone to be true ?
Christ is our Prophet, Priest and King. Next
to Christ come the bishops.
AUTHORITY OF.
A great deal has been said as to the form of
church government by great men—each seems
to look at the subject differently; we are sure
the Church has some authority. "If he fails to
hear the Church, let him be as a heathen and
publican." This is true; the Church has some
authority and a right to dictate in matters. We
mean, when we speak, the ministers, for the
Church was left in their hands, and they had
the control of it, assisted by the Spirit. We do
not think men should dictate beyond the Spirit;
upon all subjects the Church should consult the
Holy Spirit, for the Savior says the Spirit "shall
guide, teach," etc. Now, if the Spirit is the
guide and teacher, and that it is the office of the
Spirit to convince,, why not consult the Spirit on
important matters in controlling the Church?
In the Church it should act no further than the
Spirit dictates, for God is the same to-day that
He was yesterday, and will guide in all matters
into which He is called. We don't think the
Church should override revelation, for it is the
280
Church (tornament.
only source that we can louk to for aid. 4'The
Church has a right to arrange such rules and
regulations so as to better its condition. It
should dictate—that is, on points on which the
church has received spiritual advice.11
BELIEF OF THE CHURCH OF ROME AS TO AUTHORITY
AND POWER OF THE CHURCH.
It seems very plain that the Church of Rome
has always, ever since its triumph in the third
century, been of hostile nature. They think
themselves the only church, and that the pope
is the great head, the successor of St. Peter, and
his commands cannot be revoked, for they are
final. The Church of Rome thinks that the
Church should not only be subject to the pope,
but his decision should be final in state. Cardi¬
nals make the pope, and he is the great head of
the church. Bishops are overlookers of dis¬
tricts.
ERASTIAN VIEW OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT.
Erastian, it seemed, desired and labored hard
to show that science, with civil power, should
control the people—i e., the Church should be
governed by civil authority; he used, it is ap¬
parent, a good deal of common sense in matters
generally. Erasmus also, it is said, was fond
of literature; in all his efforts he could not com-
Church.
pete witli Luther. It is plain that Erasmus
thought that the civil power could control mat¬
ters with great ease.
CHIEF MINISTERS IN MATTERS OF AUTHORITY.
As watchmen upon the wall to declare the
eternal truth, ministers should be consulted upon
matters of importance. u They are Grod's min¬
isters," preachers sent out to point men in the
way of life. How important are the souls of
those who are to be brought to the light by the
influence of the ministers. His position is the
highest among the lofty, for '' they are the
messengers of Grod." At^the command of the
minister the king may leave behind him the
falling crown, the rich, treasures of gold, and
the wicked their sins. None can claim such a
high and divine commission as those who receive
their commission from God. We might say,
and we believe beyond contradiction, that min¬
isters are responsible to carry the light in all the
world. What is better to the man who stands
in the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity,
who desires to flee the wrath to come, than to
hear the glad news, tkI am the way, the truth
and the life.'1 Ministers are the source of
authority in mattters of fact, and should be true
and earnest in all their works. They should be
men of high moral standing. All leaders are
282 Church Government.
liekl responsible for the failures of the institu¬
tions with which they are connected. There¬
fore, the ministers are held responsible for the
workings of the Church, as they are the leaders.
CHAPTER XLIII.
greek church.
t4So called in contradistinction to the Latin
church. Called the Eastern Church, in contra¬
distinction to the Western Church. It embraces
that portion of professing Christians who con¬
form in their religious faith, usages and Church
government to the views of Christianity intro¬
duced into the former Greek empire, and ma¬
tured since the fifth century. It embraces the
following countries in its communion: A part
of Greece, the Grecian Isles, Wallachia, Mol¬
davia, Egypt, Abyssinia, Nubia, Libya, Arabia,
Mesopotamia, Syria, Cilicia, and Palestine,
which are under the jurisdiction of the patriarchs
of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and
Jerusalem. To these may be added the whole
of the Russian empire in Europe, a large part of
(ireek Church.
283
Siberia in Asia, Astracan, Casan and Georgia.
The i>rofessing Christians in all these countries
(lo not agree in all things; but there is a suf¬
ficient harmony amongst them in respect to both
faith and discipline that they hold mutual com¬
munion with each other, and in reality consti¬
tute but one church. The final separation
between the Greek and Latin Churches took
place about the middle of the Ninth century,
and the breach thus made has grown wider ever
since.
The head of the Greek Church is the Patriarch
of Constantinople, elected by the neighboring
archbishops and metropolitans, and confirmed
by the Sultan. He is the director of the Eastern
Church, except that of Russia, of which the Czar
is the head. The other high dignitaries are the
Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexan¬
dria, ranking in the order named. The other
officers are metropolitans, archbishops, bishops,
archimandrites (directors of one or more con¬
vents), abbots, archpriests, priests, deacons,
under-deacons, chanters and lecturers. The
bishops and all above that grade are chosen from
amongst the Greek monks. The secular clergy
are bound by no rules, and never attain a higher
dignity than the priesthood. There are few
nunneries attached to the Greek church, but
religious houses for monks are numerous. All
284
Church (forennnevt.
priests are obliged to labor at some regular avo¬
cation, and are required to lead austere lives.
In Russia, however, this latter requirement is
entirely ignored, and the clergy are anything but
good examples to their people.
The following are some of the chief tenets
held'by the Greek church: They disown the
authority of the pope, and deny that the Church
of Rome is the true Catholic Church. They do
not baptize their children till they are three, four,
five, six, ten, nay, sometimes eighteen years of
age. Baptism is performed by trine immersion.
They insist that the sacrament of the Lord's
supper ought to be administered in both kiuds,
and they give the sacrament to children immedi¬
ately after baptism. They grant no indulgences,
nor do they lay any claim to the character of in¬
fallibility, like the Church of Rome. They deny
that there is any such place as purgatory; not¬
withstanding, they pray for the dead, that God
would have mercy on them at the general judg¬
ment. They practice the invocation of saints;
though, they say, they do not invoke them as
deities, but as intercessors with God. They ex¬
clude confirmation, extreme unction and matri¬
mony, out of the seven sacraments. They deny
auricular confession to be a Divine precept, and
say it is only a positive injunction of the Church.
They pay no religious homage to the eucharist.
Greek Church.
285
They administer the communion in both kinds
to the laity, both in sickness and in health,
though they have never applied themselves to
their confessors; because they are persuaded that
a lively faith is all which is requisite for the
worthy receiving of the Lord's supper. They
maintain that the Holy Grhost proceeds only from
the Father, and not from the Son. They believe
in predestination. They admit of no image in
relief, or embossed work, but use paintings and
sculptures in copper or silver. They approve of
the marriage of priests, provided they enter into
that state before their admission into holy
orders. They condemn all fourth marriages.
They observe a number of holy days, and keep
four fasts in the year more solemn than the rest,
of which the fast in Lent, before Easter, is the
chief. They believe in the doctrine of consul>-
stantiation, or the union of the body of Christ
with the sacramental bread.
CHAPTER XLIV.
chuech creeds.
The Church creed is the rule and practice ex¬
tracted from the Bible, or founded upon the
Bible for the benefit of the Church members;
that it is a practice.mil be seen, when we under¬
stand that true members, those who love the
Church, believe and are governed by it, and take
it for their standard of faith. The creed carries
with it the fundamental principles of the Chris¬
tian faith. By this creed—it matters not where
the members may go—nevertheless, they preach
and practice the same doctrines. To sum the
whole up, it is this: It is the leading principles
combined that make the Christian's guide.
The first and main reason why the Church
should have a creed is the same as that of the
early Christians. Why they had or desired a
creed was, as lovers of the church which lifted
up fallen humanity, by preaching a crucified
Redeemer to the world, that He might save
them at the end. They wished to present the
one claim to the people, and that was a Heaven
above, etc. Knowing well and good that they
Church Creeds.
287
could not do so at different places, and at dif¬
ferent times, without having the same end in
view, they drew up the creed or rule of faith,
that all might have, though separate, the same
object in view.
It may be asked: If the Church had no creed,
could and would the gospel be as effectual in
different places as with a creed? The reply is:
No; for while one preached a whole Heaven and
a whole hell the other possibly would be preach¬
ing no Heaven nor hell at all. While one would
be preaching that Christ rose from the dead,
others would be saying it is doubtful. Thus it
is plain that a very conglomerated state of things
would exist, and like other institutions, would
flourish and soon come to an end. This would
bring faith and practice in conflict with faitli
and practice. "A house divided against itself
cannot stand." Hence, that all might have the
same end in view, let them have the same code,
or rule, of practice with them. No people or
government can possibly succeed among enemies
without a law—a rule, by which they are gov¬
erned. Hence, the same refers to the Church.
('ItEED AUTHORITATIVE IN MATTEES OF CONDUCT.
There would be 110 need of having a creed un¬
less it would be authoritative in matters of faith.
The creed is drawn up by the ministers of coil-
288
Church Creeds.
ference of the Church, or in other words, by
those who are supposed to be sound in the faith
and doctrines of Christ.
It is the decision of the Church, and the Church
has a perfect right to protect its faith against
any erroneous doctrine. A church that will not
do this will cease to be the Church of Christ. In
the apostles' lifetime, when anything contrary
to the true principles of faith would arise in the
Church, they were there to be resorted to, and
decided and refuted all erroneous doctrine; but
since the church must attend to such matters,
the ministers, who are watchmen and messengers
of Christ, should be watchful. This will be seen
very readily, when we notice the Act of the
Council of Nice in the Fourth Century, in con¬
demning the Arian heresy, also the Council of
Constantinople, held in the same century, to con¬
demn the errors of Macedonians, and asserted
the personality and Divinity of the Holy Ghost.
The Church is certainly responsible for the con¬
duct and safety of those who look upon it as an
institution of safety, and is empowered to make
such rules and regulations to be carried out as
will better the interests of those who look to it;
hence, the creed of a church is authoritative in
matters of conduct:
First. Because it is empowered to do so.
Second. Because it is in order to do so.
Church Creeds.
289
Thus the Church makes the creed, which is a
guide to conduct, and should see to it that it is
obeyed.
Should a church admit to membership one
who does not submit to its creed, ma}7- now be
asked?
It would not only be contrary to the rule of
the Church, but to its progress and success.
First, should such be the fact, any, whether they
believe or not, would be proper subjects for the
Church j hence, a belief even in Glod would not
be necessary, and it would take only a short
time to hear the death-knell sound, and the army
of the Living Grod be put to flight.
Again, the Church should carefully examine
persons who wish or desire to become members
in regard to their faith, before it ever admits
them. Should they object to the doctrines of
the Church, why, then the Church', at once, if
it sees wisely to do so, should not admit them.
The success of an institution depends upon its
members believing just the same. When "a
house is divided against itself it cannot stand."
Satan's kingdom could not stand if it was divided
against itself.
There is nothing of more importance to a
Church than to examine those who wish to unite
with them, as to their faith, and have them sub¬
mit to their creed.
SfT 1<I—c T
290
Church Creeds.
The creed held sacred by the Church of God
reads as follows:
THE APOSTLES' CREED.
"I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ,
His only begotten Son, our Lord, and that he
was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the
Virgin Mary; that He suffered under Pontius
Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried; that He
rose again the third day; tl\at He ascended into
heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God,
the Father Almighty; and from thence shall
come again, at the end of the world, to judge
the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy
Grhost, the Church of God, the communion of
saints, the remission of sins, the resurrection of
the body, and everlasting life after death."
CREED MORE THAN MERE HUMAN OPINION.
If we understand what a creed is, and are able
to say anything in regard to it at all, at once we
would claim that creeds are something more than
mere human opinions. They are enacted by
ecclesiastical bodies. These assemblies are con¬
ducted by the Spirit in a large measure. This,
as we have just stated on the other page, is the
privilege and duty of the Church. If we say the
Church has no authority at all to enact and
Church Creeds.
291
formulate plans, etc., then our services and many
other rites in the Church must be abolished. For
instance, there is baptism—the direct or Script¬
ural form is not given, and at what time it must
be performed. So with the Lord's supper—when
it is to be administered is not stated in the Script¬
ures, nevertheless such is carried on in order.
This is arranged by the ministers and those who
must look after, or oversee, the Church. Hence,
if they have nothing to do but formulate plans,
this must be of a divine nature, and the work of
a supreme hand. Admitting that this is true,
we are led to say that creed is something more
than mere human opinion. The arrangement is
of divine nature, especially when dictated to by
the Spirit, that meets and guides all matters per¬
taining to the Church, when requested in prayer
and humiliation.
When the Holy Grhost, the Spirit, dictates, and
men act accordingly, it is very strange to think
the work can be wrong. If the creed was mere
human opinion, at once we could see that it
might be wrong; but since it is not mere human
opinion, and is the work of Grod, we dare not say
that it is wrong—nor can it be wrong.
Some creeds may be wrong, but those declared
by the power of Grod cannot be, unless changed
by men. In many instances this has already
been done. Men have gone so far as to do away
292
Church Creeds
with the true and pnre principles, and have set
up standards of their own.
LIMIT OF CREED.
Faith in Christ is the end of creed. There
should not be a multiplicity of creeds; there
should be carefulness and Christian judgment
used in the forming of the creed. A man may
have faith in Christ, and at the same time teach
something else, which would soon uproot his
faith and bring all of his work to open shame.
The conduct of an individual should be looked
after as much as his faith. Would it be right
to keep a person in Church who believes Christ,
and knows and cares nothing for Christ's laws?
No. We must preach Christ in all of His
offices; must declare His laws as well as His
gospel. Therefore, as the Church must look
after more than one's belief or faith in Christ, it
is highly important that the creed be so arranged
as to take in the whole and look after the gen¬
eral interest of men religiously.
That there must be authority for a rule is a
fact. It may be proper for us at the outset to
mention the authority of our faith and practice.
Theologically speaking, our authority is the
sacred Scriptures. They are authority of our
faith; that is, from them we get the real truth,
that which ought to be done and should be done
Church Creeds.
293
in matters of faith. They should be the foun¬
dation upon which all Christian creeds and prac¬
tice build. Whether this is true or not, suffice
it to say, we have confidence in ours as such.
We might say, in addition, that the faith we
hold should be embodied in our Church creed,
which is extracted from the Bible. To this we
might add that our faith and practice should
have for its foundation our creed, set up by the
Church, which is authorized to do so. That the
Church has the right or power to set up or form
a creed for the government of its members, is
very plain and cannot be contradicted, when we
understand that Christians, that is, early Chris¬
tians, did such; and for violating such, the
Council of Nice deposed Arian heresies. All of
the above is simply this, that the Scriptures are
first; the Church with her creed comes next, in
order that her doctrine might be protected.
INDEX.
A
PAGE.
Abrahamic Covenant 243
Adam Representative 152
Address to Applicants 274
Adoption, Argument of 226
All Men Free to Accept the Conditions 130
Apostacy 234
Apostle's Creed, Etc 290
Arian Idea of Person of Christ 85
Arian's Opinion of the Trinity 114
Arminian Doctrine of Predestination 135
Arminian View of Predestination 136
Arminian View of the Fall of Man 147
Arminian View of Justification 223
Archbishop of Canterbury 264
Attitude During Prayer 199
Authority of Church 279
Authority and Power of the Church of Rome 280
B
Baptism, Proper Mode of 210
Benevolence of God 80
Belief of the Church of Rome as to Authority and Power, 255
Bishop of Durham 265
By Whom was the Attonement Made? 157
c
Calvinistic Doctrine of Predestination 137
Calvin, View of 132
Calvin, View of Justification 223
296
Index.
Catalogue of Cyril of Jerusalem 53
Celsus 54
Ceremonial Law 245
Change of Sabbath 180
Christian Morality, Etc 245
Christian Morality 252
Christology 84
Christian Ethics 235
Church 276
Church of God, Meaning of 276
Clark A 25
Claims New Testament Makes on Divine Revelation... 240
Clement 52
Council of Laodicea 53
Conversion 217
Complete Holiness Possible in this Life 231
Complete Triumph of the Righteous 172
Correspondence with Jewish Passover 205
Covenants, Works, Etc 241
Congregationalist Faith 267
Consubstantiation 207
Creation 36
Creeds in Matters of Conduct 287
D
Death Fixes Man's Destiny 171
Depravity of Man 153
Degrees of Inspiration 43
Divine Authority of Scriptures 42
Divinity of the Spirit 105
E
Existence of God 27
Evidence of the Mercy of God 78
Effect of Prayer 197
Erastian View of Church Government 280
Eternal Life 164
Episcopal Government, Doctrine of 262
Index. 297
F
Foreordination 134
Free Will and Argument For 139
Fall of Man 145
Forms of Church Government 254
G-
Gregory Nazuanzen , 53
Goodness of God 74
Good Works 248
Grades in Sin 251
Greek Church 282
H
Holiness of God 71
Heaven 173
Heaven, Where It Is 174
Hell, Where It Is 187
Harmony of Free Will with Foreordination 143
Head of the Church 277
I
Ignatius 52
Irenseas 52
Immutability 71
Illustration of the Trinity 114
Imputation 148
Immorality 167
Infant Baptism 212
Independent of God 144
J
Justin Martyr 52
Judgment 170
Justification - 222
Jerome 53
Justice 81
298
Index.
K
Kingdom of Christ 125
Kingdom of God Differs From the Kingdom of Christ. 126
L
Limit of Creed, Scripture More Authoritative, Rules of
"Faith and" Practice 292
Limit to Human Freedom 143
M
Miracles, in All Ages 1 144
Mortal and Venial Sins 250
Ministers in Matters of Authority 281
Methodist Views of Church Government 271
Moral Law 246
N
New Testament, Genuine 51
0
Omniscience 65
Omnipotence 67
Omnipresence of God 69
Orthodox Idea of Christ 86
Origin 53
P
Prophecies of Christ Coming, and Fulfilment 47
Philostrus 53
Personality of Holy Spirit 101
Polycarp 52
Pneumatology 97
Predestination 132
Purgatory of Roman Catholics 188, 256
Prayer 194
Power in Prayer 196
Peculiar Benefits Derived by Taking the Lord's Supper, 209
Presbyterianism 258
Index. 299
R
Revelation of God in the Scriptures 33
Reward and Punishment 190
Resurrection, Argument for 161
Regeneration 228
Relation of Justification to Sanctification 231
Religion of Christ 128
Reception of Applicant 274
Relation of Adam tcvHis Posterity 152
Roman Catholic Church 254
s
Spirituality of God 63
Soterology 157
Sanctification 230
Sabbath Institution, and Observance of 176
Supererogation 249
Sacraments, Number 201
Saving Ordinance 215
T
Theology 62
Trinity Hi-
Trinity, Three Persons in 112
The Impotent I68
The Lord's Supper 204
ThePowerthatJustifi.es 224
Those Who Have the Right to Take 206
True Prayer
Transferring of Works 251
Truth of God 172
u
Union of Natures 86
300 Index.
W
Will AH Be Saved? 129
Where Hell Is 187
FINIS.